# Sufficient Provocation explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by O. Henry. ## What happens Two Houston negroes are brought before a recorder for fighting. One explains that he struck the other with a chair after the latter's vivid description of eating a ripe watermelon caused him to drool into his French harp, stopping the music and embarrassing him before the floor committee. ## Key lines > He hit me fust. He struck me first. _Opening claim of self-defense by one of the defendants._ > He gimme de probumcation, judge. He provoked me, judge. _Defendant argues provocation as justification for the fight._ > Nebber touched dat nigger tell he up en hit me wid er cheer. I never touched that man until he got up and hit me with a chair. _Defendant denies initiating violence, claiming he only retaliated._ > I wuz playin’ de French hahp, judge, to de ball ob de Sebem ’Mancipated Sons ob de Lebem Virgins, en Sam Hobson he wuz playin’ de guitar fur de niggers to dance by. I was playing the French harp at the ball of the Seven Emancipated Sons of the Eleven Virgins, and Sam Hobson was playing the guitar for the people to dance to. _Defendant describes the musical setting of the incident._ > Dis here coon what I hit thinks he kin play de French hahp, too, but he kaint. This man I hit thinks he can play the French harp, too, but he cannot. _Defendant asserts his musical superiority over the other man._ > Watermillions be gittin’ ripe now in nudder mont’. Watermelons will be getting ripe in another month. _The other man begins a tempting description of watermelon._ > Sposin’ you had a great big ripe watermillion, wid red meat en black seeds. Suppose you had a great big ripe watermelon, with red flesh and black seeds. _The other man continues his vivid imagery of watermelon._ > You take him en bus him open on a rock, en you scoop up a big han’ful ob de heart, en you look all roun’ en nobody come. You take it and break it open on a rock, and you scoop up a big handful of the heart, and you look all around and nobody comes. _The other man describes the act of eating watermelon in secret._ > You cram de heart in yo’ mouf, en crunch down on hit, en de juice hit run down yo’ ahm en hit run down yo’ chin to yo’ neck, en de sweetness run down you’ th’oat. You cram the heart into your mouth, and crunch down on it, and the juice runs down your arm and down your chin to your neck, and the sweetness runs down your throat. _The other man's description becomes so vivid it causes the defendant to salivate._ > Den my mouf water so it fill dat French hahp plum full, en de music stop, en de flo’ committee look aroun’. Then my mouth watered so much it filled that French harp completely, and the music stopped, and the floor committee looked around. _Defendant explains how the description caused him to drool into his instrument, stopping the music._ > Den I up wit a chair en bus’ dis coon ober de head, en I flings myself on de mussy ob dis co’t, kase, Mars Judge, you knows what dese here sandy lan’ watermillions is yo’sef. Then I picked up a chair and hit this man over the head, and I throw myself on the mercy of this court, because, Master Judge, you yourself know what these sandy land watermelons are. _Defendant admits to striking the other man and appeals to the judge's understanding of the temptation._ > Get out of here, both of you. Leave the court, both of you. _The recorder dismisses the case without penalty._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/sufficient-provocation - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters