O. Henry a retrieved reformation4

A guard came to the prison shoe-shop, where Jimmy Val­entine was working, and took him to the office. There the warden handed Jimmy his pardon, which had been signed that morning by the governor. Jimmy took it in a tired kind of way.⁵ He had served nearly ten months of a four-year sentence.⁶ He had expected to stay only about three months, as he had many friends who, he had hoped, would help him.

⁴ retrieved reformation — дocл. npиocтaновленное npeвpaщение

⁵ in a tired kind of way — c yтомлённым видом

⁶ He had served nearly ten months of a four-year sentence. — Oh oтсидел почти десять месяцев из полагавшихся ему по приговору четырёх лет.

"Now, Valentine," said the warden, "you'll go out in the morning. Brace up,¹ and make a man of yourself. You are not a bad fellow at heart.² Stop breaking up safes and live straight."³

"I?" said Jimmy in surprise. "Why, I never broke up a safe in my life."

"Oh, no," laughed the warden. "Of course not. But how did it happen that you were sent to prison for that Springfield affair?"

"I?" said Jimmy innocently. "Why, warden, I never was in Springfield in my life!"

"Take him back, Cronin," smiled the warden, "and give him outgoing clothes.⁴ Unlock him at seven in the morning and let him come⁵ to the office. Better think over my advice, Valentine."

At a quarter past seven on the next morning Jimmy stood in the warden's office. He had on a badly fitting ready-made suit and a pair of stiff shoes.

The clerk handed him a railroad ticket and a five-dollar bill. The warden gave him a cigar and shook hands. Val­entine, 9762, was registered in the books* as "Pardoned by Governor," and Mr. James Valentine walked out into the sunshine.

Without paying any attention to the song of the birds, the green trees and the smell of the flowers, Jimmy went straight to a restaurant. There he ordered a fried chicken and a bottle of white wine. After the meal he smoked a cigar, that was much better than the one the warden had given him, and went to the railroad station. There he took his train and three hours later got out at a little town near the state line.⁶ He went to the cafe of his friend Mike Dolan and shook hands with Mike.

"Sorry we couldn't make it sooner, Jimmy, my boy," said Mike. "Are you feeling all right?"

¹ brace up (paзг.) — подбодритесь, не унывайте

² at heart — b глубине души

³ live straight (разг.) — живите честно

⁴ outgoing clothes — одежда, которая выдаётся при выходе из тюрьмы

⁵ let him come — пусть придёт

⁶ state line — граница штата

22

"Fine," said Jimmy. "Have you got my key?"¹ He got his key and went upstairs to his room. Everything was just as he had left it. There on the floor was still Ben Price's collar button which had been torn from that famous detective's shirt when they had overpowered Jimmy Valen­tine to arrest him. Jimmy pulled back a panel in the wall and took out a dust-covered suit-case. He opened it and looked at a fine set of burglar's tools. This set was made of special steel and some of the tools were invented by Jimmy himself. He was very proud of them. They had cost him nine hundred dollars.

In half an hour Jimmy went out of the cafe. He was now dressed in a well-fitting suit and carried his suit-case in his hand.

A week after Jimmy had been released a safe was broken up in Richmond, Indiana. Two weeks after that a patented, improved, burglar-proof² safe was opened in Logansport and one thousand five hundred dollars taken. That began to interest the police. Then an old-fashioned bank-safe in Jef­ferson City was broken up and five thousand dollars taken. Ben Price, the detective, compared all these cases and re­marked:

"That is Jimmy Valentine's work. He has resumed busi­ness.³ Look at that combination lock—pulled out' so easily. Only Jimmy has the tools that can do it."

Ben Price knew Jimmy's habits. He had learned them when working up the Springfield case.4 He knew that Jimmy was very quick, that he always worked alone and that he liked goody society. So Ben Price began to look out for⁵ Jimmy, and people who had safes felt more at ease.⁶

One day Jimmy Valentine with his suit-case got out of the train in Elmore, a little town in Arkansas. He went down the sidewalk towards the hotel.

¹ Have you got my key? — зд. У тебя ключ от моей комнаты?

² burglar-proof — c гарантией от взлома

³ He has resumed business. — зд. Он взялся за старое.

⁴ working up the Springfield case — собирая сведения по спрингфильдскому делу

⁵ to look out for — высматривать

⁶ felt more at ease — cтали чувствовать себя спокойнее

23

A young girl crossed the street and entered a door over which there was the sign "The Elmore Bank." Jimmy Val­entine looked into her eyes, forgot what he was, and became another man. She lowered her eyes and coloured slightly. Jimmy caught a boy that was standing on the steps of the bank by the collar and began to ask him questions about the town. Soon the young girl came out and went her way trying not to look at Jimmy.

"Isn't this young lady Miss Polly Simpson? "asked Jimmy.

"No," said the boy. "She's Annabel Adams. Her father is the owner of this bank."

Jimmy went to the hotel, registered as Ralph Spencer, and engaged a room. He told the hotel clerk that he wanted to go into the shoe business.¹

Mr. Ralph Spencer, who had once been Jimmy Valen­tine, remained in Elmore. He opened a shoe-store and the trade went well. He made many friends in the town and at last accomplished the wish of his heart:² he met Miss An­nabel Adams and became more and more captivated by her charms.

At the end of a year they were engaged. Their marriage was to take place³ in two weeks.

Mr. Ralph Spencer was as much at home in Annabel's family as if he were already a member.⁴

One day Jimmy sat down in his room and wrote this let­ter to one of his old friends:

"DEAR BILL,

I want you to be at Little Rock next Wednesday night at nine o'clock. I want you to arrange some matters for me and I also want to make you a present of my set of tools. I know you will be glad to get them. Dear Billy, I am making an honest living now,⁵ and in two weeks I am going to marry the finest girl on earth. She is an angel. She believes in me and I wouldn't do anything dishonest now for the whole world.¹ After I get married I am going to sell out my business and go West where no one knows about my past.

Please come to Little Rock, for I must see you. I shall bring the tools with me.

Your old friend,

JIMMY"

¹ to go into the shoe business — зд. Заняться торговлей обувью

² accomplished the wish of his heart — eго мечта осуществилась

³ was to take place — должна была состояться

⁴ he was as much at home in Annabel's family as if he were already a member — он чувствовал себя настолько своим человеком в семье Аннибал, как будто уже стал её членом

⁵ I am making an honest living now – я теперь зарабатываю себе на жизнь честным трудом

24

On Monday night after Jimmy had written this letter, Ben Price, the detective, came to Elmore. He walked about the town in his quiet way until he found out all that he wanted to know. From the drug-store opposite the shoe-store he got a good look at Ralph Spencer.

"So you are going to marry the banker's daughter, Jimmy?" he said to himself, softly.

The next morning Jimmy had breakfast at the Adamses'. He was going to Little Rock that day to order his wedding suit and buy something nice for Annabel. This was the first time he was going to leave town since he came to Elmore.

After breakfast they all went out together: Mr. Adams, Annabel, Jimmy, and Annabel's married sister with her two little girls. When they were passing Jimmy's hotel he ran up to his room and took his suit-case. Then they went on to the bank. There stood Jimmy's horse and buggy and Dolph Gibson, who was going to drive Jimmy to the rail­road station.

All went inside the bank. The clerks were pleased to be greeted by the good-looking young man who was going to marry Miss Annabel. Jimmy put his suit-case down. Annabel, laughing, put on Jimmy's hat and picked up the suit-case. "Oh, Ralph, how heavy it is," she said, "it feels like it was full of gold bricks."²

"There is a lot of metal shoe-horns in there," said Jimmy, "that I am going to return."

The Elmore Bank had just put in a new safe and vault.³ Mr. Adams was very proud of it and wanted to show it to every one. The vault was small, but it had a new patented door. It fastened with three steel bolts and had a combina­tion lock. Mr. Adams explained how it worked to Mr. Spen­cer who didn't look very interested. But the two children, May and Agatha, were delighted by the shining metal and the interesting lock.

¹ for the whole world — ни за что на свете

² it feels like it was full of gold bricks — кажется, что он полон золотых слитков

³ The Elmore Bank had just put in a new safe and vault. — В Эльморском банке только что сделали новую кладовую с сейфом

25

While they were all standing there, Ben Price came in and stood quietly by the door. He told the cashier that he didn't want anything; he was just waiting for a man he knew.

Suddenly there was a scream from the women. Unnoticed by the elders, May, the nine-year-old girl, in a spirit of play¹ had shut Agatha in the vault. She then closed the bolts and turned the lock as she had seen Mr. Adams do.

The old banker sprang to the handle and tugged at it for a moment. "The door can't be opened," he groaned. "I don't know what combination has been used."²

Agatha's mother screamed hysterically.

"Hush!" said Mr. Adams, raising his trembling hand. "All be quiet for a moment. Agatha!" he called as loudly as he could. "Listen to me." During the following silence they could hear the faint sound of the child wildly shrieking in the dark vault.

"My precious darling!"³ shrieked the mother. "She will die of fright! Open the door! Oh, break it open!⁴ Can't you men do something?"

"There isn't a man nearer than Little Rock who can open that door," said Mr. Adams in a shaky voice. "My God! Spencer, what shall we do? The child cannot stand it for long, there isn't enough air."

Agatha's mother was now wildly beating the door of the vault with her hands. Somebody suggested dynamite. Anna­bel turned to Jimmy, frightened: "Can't you do something, Ralph—try, won't you?" A woman thinks that nothing is impossible for the man she loves.

He looked at her with a strange smile on his lips and in his eyes.

¹ in a spirit of play — разыгравшись

² what combination has been used — какая комбинация (цифр или букв) была использована (для запора замка)

³ My precious darling! — Moя дорогая крошка!

⁴ break it open — взломайте её (дверь)

26

"Annabel," he said, "give me that rose you are wearing, will you?"¹

Hardly believing his words, she unpinned the rose from her dress and gave it to him. Jimmy put it into his pocket, took off his coat and pulled up his shirt sleeves.² Ralph Spencer disappeared and Jimmy Valentine took his place.³

"Get away from the door, all of you," he said.

He put his suit-case on the table and opened it. He laid out all his shining tools and whistling softly to himself started to work.

In a minute Jimmy's best drill was cutting into the steel door. In ten minutes he took off the bolts and opened the door.

Agatha, almost unconscious but safe, was taken out of the vault by her mother.

Jimmy Valentine put on his coat and walked towards the front door. At the door a big man stood in his way.

"Hello, Ben!" said Jimmy, with the same strange smile. "So you have got me at last. Well, let us go. It doesn't make much difference now. "*

And then Ben Price did a strange thing,

"I suppose you are mistaken, Mr. Spencer," he said, "I do not recognize you. Your buggy is waiting for you at the door, isn't it?"

And Ben Price turned and went down the street.

¹ Will you здесь усиливает просьбу.

² pulled up his shirt sleeves — засучил рукава рубашки

³ took his place — занял его место

⁴ It doesn't make much difference now — Tenepь всё равно.