# By Courier explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/by-courier
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters