Books 97-103- O. Henry stories
97. The Ransom of Red Chief. I've read this one a few times, and am reading it as a part of my audio readings. Some might say it's a bit dated but it's still fun and hilarious. Two grifters decide that an easy way to make money would be to kidnap the son of a wealthy man. They get more than they bargained for.
98. The Ransom of Mack. It's a shame this short story isn't better known. I can see this adapted as a short play or short film. It's really funny! Here, two friends decide to settle in a cozy cabin and enjoy the spoils of their "labor." But one friend decides to intervene when he hears the other man is going to marry.
99. The Purple Dress. An amusing tale of two women who vie for the attentions for an eligible and eccentric bachelor. The friendly competition has one wishing to sport a red dress, one a purple one.
100. The Proem, by the Carpenter. This serves as the preface to Cabbages and Kings, and nods heavily to where O. Henry's tale got its name.
101. The Prisoner of Zembla. This tale starts out like a typical fairy tale: angry king is determined to marry off his daughter, but the princess loves a poor student. It ends the way you think it will... until it doesn't. Ending is amusing.
102. The Princess and the Puma. Another O. Henry story that should be better known. Here, a rancher spies a lovely woman at a watering hole - and a puma hidden in the grasses, ready to attack. What follows is an unlikely start of a possible romance.
103. The Pride of the Cities. This was an odd tale. A New Yorker, in the city at a time when most are on vacation, winds up striking a conversation with someone who is visiting from the west. Or, they try to talk but they more talk over each other, and one-up each other, on the benefits of their cherished home town. Mildly amusing but not a favorite, personally. Went on a bit long.