Summary: After Twenty Years
This short story by O Henry is about the friendship of Jimmy Wells and Bob,
who meet twenty years later. The story begins with Jimmy Wells, a policeman,
patrolling the streets of New York. Midway of a block, he sees a man standing
at the dark doorway of a hardware store. The man quickly steps up to
reassure him that he is merely waiting for a friend. As the man moves, a shaft
of light from the next store falls on his face. The man goes on to talk about his
friend, Jimmy Wells, and how they had dined twenty years ago at a restaurant,
where the hardware store now stood. When they had parted, since this man
was leaving for the West the next day, they had decided to meet at the same
place twenty years later as by then they would have their lives worked out
and made their fortune. The man waxed eloquent about his friend and their
friendship. However, he said that they had eventually lost touch but he was
sure that Jimmy would remember their meeting and would definitely come
there.
The policeman eventually bids goodbye after asking the man how long he
would wait for his friend, Jimmy. Presently, a tall man in a long coat, with the
collars turned up, comes towards Bob. The man greets Bob warmly and they
begin to talk. At first, Bob thinks he is Jimmy. Although Bob cannot see the
man too well in the dark, he is surprised that Jimmy seems taller than what he
remembers. To this, the man says that he had grown a little after twenty.
As they start walking, the light of a medicine shop falls on the friends and the
friends turn to look at each other. Bob immediately realises that the tall man is
not Jimmy Wells. At this, the man introduces himself as a policeman and
informs Bob that he is under arrest as he is wanted by the Chicago Police. He
gives Bob a note. Bob reads the note and realises that the policeman he had
spoken to earlier had actually been Jimmy Wells. When the light had fallen on
Bob’s face, Jimmy had realised that Bob was an outlaw. Hence, he had
refrained from revealing his identity and sent his colleague to arrest Bob.
The story ends with one of O Henry’s twist-endings, wherein Bob gets to know
that Jimmy Wells, his childhood friend, is actually getting him arrested. The
beauty of the story lies in the reader’s dilemma on whether they should feel
bad for Bob or appreciate Jimmy’s strength of character, when he did not let
his personal feelings overpower his sense of duty.
This short story has three different thematic elements woven into the plot—
friendship, loyalty and trust. Bob clearly values the bonds of friendship that
were forged between him and Jimmy all those years ago. However, it seems
some of the knots may have come loose over the years that tied Jimmy to Bob.
Keeping their twenty-year-old appointment to the minute, Bob's loyalty to
Jimmy is obviously unwavering. However, now that's he's a policeman,
Jimmy's loyalties to Bob and to the law are put to the test when he discovers
his old friend is a wanted fugitive. We are also left wondering if Bob’s trust
was misplaced and he failed to see the obvious as he was so consumed by his
success in the West.
Comprehension
A. 7, 1, 2, 5, 8, 3, 6, 4
B. 1. a. ‘He’ was leaning against a hardware store on a dark street in New York city.
b. ‘He’ told the officer that Jimmy Wells was his best friend and the finest chap in the world. They
had grown up in New York, just like two brothers. Jimmy loved New York and did not want to
go anywhere else. He was sure that Jimmy would not forget their appointment and would
definitely come to meet him.
2. a. The speaker said this because he felt that though twenty years was a long time, a man’s nose
could not have changed from a Roman to a pug.
b. The listener was a plainclothes policeman. He pretended to be Jimmy Wells in order to arrest
Bob, who was wanted by the Chicago police.
c. In the note, Jimmy had written that he was at the appointed place at the set time. However,
when Bob shifted and the dim light fell on his face, Jimmy realised that he was wanted by the
Chicago police. Though he was a very dutiful officer, he could not bring himself to arrest Bob
and so had asked another policeman to arrest him.
C. 1. The policeman on the beat had a stalwart form and slight swagger. He was a cautious and
responsible officer, as he often stopped to check if the doors were properly locked while keeping a
watchful eye on the road.
2. It was 10 o’clock at night. There were very few people on the road as the area was one that kept
early hours. Most of the doors were closed; only a few of the stores had their lights on.
3. The man was standing at the doorway of the hardware store because he was waiting for his friend,
Jimmy Wells. They had decided to meet there twenty years ago, after having dined at ‘Big Joe’
Brady’s restaurant. That restaurant had been pulled down five years ago and in its place stood the
hardware store.
4. The tall man in the coat greeted Bob and introduced himself as Jimmy Wells. Then they shook
hands and Jimmy said that he had been certain that he would find Bob there. He went on to
say that he was sad that the old restaurant had been brought down, otherwise they could have
had another dinner there. Then he asked Bob how the West had treated him. Bob said that the
West had given him everything he had asked for. Then he remarked that Jimmy had changed
a lot—in fact he seemed taller by two or three inches. The tall man quickly said that he had
grown a little taller after turning twenty. On being asked how he was doing, the tall man said
that he was doing moderately well as he had a position in one of the city departments. Then he
suggested going to a place he knew, where they could have a long talk about old times. As the
men started walking, Bob told the tall man about his success in the West and how well he had
done there.
5. As Bob read the note from Patrolman Wells, he realised that Jimmy Wells, his childhood friend
whom he had trusted completely and for whom he had risked his life and come thousands of
miles, had actually got him arrested. As he felt betrayed, his hands trembled.
D. Suggested answer: Jimmy did the correct thing for though Bob was a good friend of his, he did what
was morally correct. As a dutiful police officer, he could not allow a criminal, who was wanted by the
police, to go around freely.
Jimmy did not do the correct thing, as he was not loyal to his childhood friend. He betrayed Bob, who
had risked his life and come thousands of miles to keep his promise. Bob had been sure that Jimmy
would come but he had not expected Jimmy to betray him.
E. Free response
Grammar
A. 2. main clause – It was her essay; subordinate clause – which got chosen for the school magazine
3. main clause – He came home; subordinate clause – because it was too hot
4. main clause – Rati studied hard; subordinate clause – so that she could become an engineer
5. main clause – their house was robbed; subordinate clause – While they were away
6. main clause – George behaved; subordinate clause – as though he had not heard me at all
B. 2. I left without Ravi, as he was late.
3. Since I was very thirsty, I decided to have some orange juice.
4. Oliver will be going to the match and Tom will watch it on TV.
5. Girija sang very well but Rustom won the competition.
6. Even though Tara warned her, she did not take it seriously.
C. 2. that his brother needed to be invited
3. that three students have been selected from our school
4. how far the station is from here
5. whether her mother is at home or not
6. that you should think so
Vocabulary
A.
Homonym Meaning in the text Another meaning (suggested)
1. slight little to insult someone.
2. store a shop to save something for later use
3. track the contact or information about
something or someone
rough path or road
4. stand a vertical upright position on one’s feet point of view
5. mind intelligent and smart people to be annoyed by something
6. club wooden stick an organisation dedicated to a particular
interest or activity
B. Free response
Listening
Listening text
Good morning, listeners. Today is 11th September. Can you guess which writer’s birth anniversary is
celebrated today? We will give you a few clues. He is one of the greatest short story writers in English;
he was born in Greensboro, North Carolina; and here is the biggest clue—his stories have remarkable
twist endings. Yes, you have guessed it correctly. It is William Sidney Porter or as he is better known,
O Henry. Most of you, I am sure, have read at least one of his stories. Today, in honour of his birthday,
We will tell you briefly about this great writer. He was born on September 11, 1862. He lost his mother
when he was just three years old and was raised by his grandmother and aunt. He left school when
he was 15 years old and took up a number of jobs. He married Althol Estes in 1887. In 1896, when
he was working for a humorous weekly called The Rolling Stones, he was accused of embezzlement.
Although there has been much debate over his actual guilt, he was sentenced to five years in jail.
While in prison he began writing short stories to support his daughter Margaret. His first published
story was Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking. He published it under the pseudonym Olivier Henry.
He later changed from Olivier Henry to O Henry. After serving three years, he was released for good
behaviour. His first collection of stories was Cabbages and Kings which was published in 1904.
The next collection, The Four Million, which included well-known stories The Gift of the Magi, The
Skylight Room and The Green Door. Most of O Henry's stories are set in his own time and in New
York City. They are usually woven around the lives of ordinary people and are known for their wit,
characterisation and twist endings. He passed away on June 5, 1910 after a most prolific writing
career.
Answers: 1. William Sidney Porter 2. Greensboro 3. embezzlement
4. Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking 5. Olivier Henry
6. The Gift of the Magi / The Skylight Room / The Green Door
Punctuation
1, 2, 5, 6
Writing
Suggested answer.
(Date)
I will never forget this day. Today, I was supposed to meet Bob, my childhood friend, after twenty
years. He had been more like a brother than a friend. We had spent so many wonderful years
together before he decided to go to the West. In the last twenty years, we did not meet even once
though he was always on my mind. I was busy with my life as a patrolman in this city while he was
busy trying to make his life in the West. Anyway, as I was patrolling the streets tonight, I saw a man
standing at the spot where Bob and I had decided to meet twenty years ago. It is now a hardware
store; twenty years ago it had been a restaurant. This is where we had had our last dinner twenty
years ago and had decided to come back to the same place twenty years later. As I crossed over to
meet the man standing there in the dark, the man told me that he was waiting for a friend whom
he had promised to meet twenty years ago. Just then a dim light fell on his face and to my horror I
saw that the face was not just that of my friend Bob but also of one of the criminals wanted by the
Chicago police. I did not know what to do. I did not reveal my identity as I was caught in a major
dilemma. I could either be a bad police officer and protect my friend or be a dutiful police officer and
inform my colleagues and get him arrested. I also wondered how I would go about arresting him as
the thought of arresting my childhood friend filled me with sadness. After a lot of thought, I finally
decided to uphold the law and be an upright police officer. After asking Bob how long he would
wait, I left the place with a heavy heart. I went back to the police station and told my colleagues.
We decided that another police officer would pretend to be me and meet Bob, as I did not have the
heart to arrest him.
Though time has completely changed my friend and made him choose the wrong path, I feel terrible
about letting him down. I gave a note in which I told him the truth. I heard that his hand trembled
when he read it. The day which I had eagerly looked forward to turned out to be one of the saddest
days of my life.
AFTER TWENTY YEARS
A. Answer in brief.
1. Describe the man who was standing at the doorway of the hardware store?
Ans: The man standing at the doorway had a pale square-jawed face with keen eyes. He had a
white scar near his right eyebrow. He wore a scarf pin which was an oddly set large diamond. He
wore a handsome watch, the lids of which were set with small diamonds. Overall he looked a
wealthy man.
2. What was the duty of the policeman at night? What stopped him during his usual rounds that
night?
Ans: The policeman often checked for any suspicious characters roaming around at night. He
checked if the doors were well locked and kept a watchful eye on the peaceful road. That night,
midway of a block, the policeman suddenly slowed down when he saw a man leaning against the
doorway of a darkened hardware store. That was an unusual sight.
B. Answer in detail.
1. What had both friends promised twenty years ago?
Ans: Bob was waiting for his friend, Jimmy Wells by name. He had last met his friend twenty
years ago, the same date, month and time. They both had dined at Big Joe Brady. The man was
eighteen at that time and his friend was twenty years old. He had gone off to the west to make
his fortune while Jimmy did not get out of New York. Twenty years ago, that night, both agreed to
meet there exactly twenty years from that date and month. They both had promised each other
that whatever might happen during the twenty years, they would not forget to meet at the place
decided.
2. What did the man, waiting, tell the policeman about himself and his friend?
Ans: The policeman was pretty much surprised when he heard that the man , whose name was
Bob, was waiting for a friend to keep a promise he had made twenty years ago. Bob said if his
friend Jimmy was alive he would surely come to meet him as he was the truest, staunchest old
chap in the world and that he would never fail to keep his promise. He also said he did pretty well
in the west and hoped Jimmy also had done half as well though he knew Jimmy was not very
ambitious and would have been happy with a routine job. Bob on the other hand had become
very sharp as he had to compete with the sharpest minds to be successful in the west.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. “I’ll be on my way. Hope your friend comes around soon. How long will you wait?”
a. Who speaks the above lines?
b. Why do you think he wanted to know how long he would wait?
c. What was the response?
Ans: a. Jimmy the policeman speaks the above lines.
b. As a policeman he wanted to know how long he would be there as he wanted to arrest
him before he left the premises.
c. The man said he would be there for another half an hour.
2. “It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man, “; You’ve been under arrest for
ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob.
a. Who was the tall man?
b. What does he mean by ‘changes good man into a bad one’?
c. Why was Bob arrested?
Ans: a. The tall man was from the New York Police Department.
b. Bob realised that the tall man was not Jimmy Wells by looking at his nose and said that
in twenty years no one’s nose could change. The tall man responded that in twenty years
a good man like Bob could change into a bad one.
c. Bob had gotten into unlawful ways to earn a living and was on the lookout list of the
police.
D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)
1. Why do you think Bob wasn’t nervous when he saw a policeman while he was waiting for Jimmy?
[Free response] Suggested Ans: Bob had managed to give the police the slip for so long and was
confident that he would not be recognised this time as well. Besides, he must have been really
eager to meet his friend. The excitement probably clouded his nervousness. He was too excited to
worry or get tense about his possible arrest.
2. Why did the real Jimmy, the policeman, not arrest Bob?
(Free response) Suggested Ans: Jimmy came to meet his friend Bob just as he had promised.
It was unfortunate that his friend had become an outlaw while he had become a policeman. He
could not get to arrest his friend and let him down.
E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)
Bring out the contrast between the two characters Bob and Jimmy. Who according to you is the
better of the two? Give reasons.
[Free response]
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