Short Fiction · Chapter
By Courier explained
A young man, forbidden from speaking or writing to his beloved, employs a streetwise boy as a courier to deliver a final appeal before he departs for an Alaskan expedition.
What happens
A young man, forbidden from speaking or writing to his beloved, employs a streetwise boy as a courier to deliver a final appeal before he departs for an Alaskan expedition. The lady, initially resolute, reveals her accusation of infidelity based on a scene she witnessed in a conservatory. The man sends a letter that explains he was merely aiding a young woman who had fainted, and the lady joyfully recants, sending word that she wants him back.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Romance
The central plot revolves around a romantic misunderstanding and reconciliation, with the courier facilitating a final appeal between estranged lovers.
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
The lady misinterprets the man's actions in the conservatory, believing he was embracing another woman when he was actually providing medical aid.
Humor and Irony
The boy's crude, streetwise translations of the lovers' formal messages create ironic humor, and the resolution reveals the irony of the lady's mistaken jealousy.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The unnamed young lady seated on a park bench, pensive and melancholy, who receives the courier's message.
- Andy Donovan
The tall young man who sends a message via the boy, claiming he is on his way to San Francisco and an Alaska moose-hunting expedition.
- Maggie Toole
The boy acting as courier, described as having a dirty, intelligent face and speaking in a streetwise dialect.
Key passages
“Tell her that I am on my way to the station, to leave for San Francisco, where I shall join that Alaska moose-hunting expedition.”
Inform her that I am heading to the train station to depart for San Francisco, where I will join an expedition to hunt moose in Alaska.
The man's dramatic announcement of his departure serves as a pretext for his final appeal.
“Tell him that I have studied my own heart as well as one can, and I know its weakness as well as I do its needs. That is why I decline to hear his pleas, whatever they may be.”
Tell him that I have examined my own feelings thoroughly and understand both my vulnerabilities and desires, which is why I refuse to listen to any of his arguments.
The lady explains her refusal to hear the man's explanation, citing self-knowledge and resolve.
“Tell him that I entered the conservatory that evening from the rear, to cut a rose for my mother. Tell him I saw him and Miss Ashburton beneath the pink oleander.”
Tell him that I went into the conservatory through the back door that evening to pick a rose for my mother, and I saw him with Miss Ashburton under the pink oleander.
The lady reveals the source of her jealousy: witnessing what she thought was an intimate moment.
“Tell that guy on the other bench that his girl wants him.”
Tell that man on the other bench that his girlfriend wants him back.
The lady's joyful response, conveyed by the boy, signals the reconciliation.