A Service of Love

HUMAN INTEREST

A SERVICE OF LOVE

- O. Henry

O Henry is the pen name of American writer William Sydney Porter. Porter’s 400 short stories are known for their wit, word play, characterization and the clever use of twist endings. O Henry stories are famous for their surprise endings, to the point that such an ending is often referred as an “O Henry ending”.

A service of Love is based on one’s love (one loves one’s Art no services seems too hard) for his best love story.

Joe Larrabee came from the Middle West. He was a genius in painting. When he was six years old child, he drew a picture of the town pump with an important person passing in a hurry. At twenty with a small amount of money, he left for New York to learn painting.

Delia Caruthers came from the South. She was a promising singer. Her relatives colleted a small amount for Delia to go to New York and to music.

Joe and Delia met at a studio, they fell in love and in a short time they were married. They began to live in a flat and were very happy as they had their art.

Joe was painting in the class of the great Magister and Delia was studying under Rosenstock, a famous musician. Their aims were clear. Joe would learn to paint old gentle man with side whiskers and thick purses. Delia was going to master the piano and fell concert halls all over the country.

After a while art became weak. They had spent all their money. They did not pay the fees to Mr Magister and Mr Rosenstock. Delia felt that she must give music lessons to buy their food. One evening she came with high hopes. She had found a pupil General A.B.Pikney’s daughter, Clementia. She is eighteen years old. Delia had to give three lessons a week. For that she would get fifteen dollars per week. Joe did not happy with it. He wanted to earn some money. But Delia insisted that Joe should not give up his studies.

During all the next week Joe had an early breakfast. Joe was very must interested in morning-effect sketches. He was doing in the central park. Delia lived at 7’O clock and he would return at 7’O clock in the evening.

At the end of the week, Delia proudly threw five-dollar bills on the center table. She complained about Clementia, trying her patience. She commented on their house, their drawing room and the rugs that covered the floor. And they Joe, with pride, drew forth a ten a five, a two and one dollar and laid them beside Delia’s earnings. He said Delia that he had sold one of his paintings and had ordered another an oil sketch of Lackwanna goods yard. Both of them were very happy that they had thirty two dollars on hand.

On next Saturday evening Joe reached home first. He washed his hands which had a great deal of paint .Half an Hour later, Delia arrived her right hand tied up in a shapeless bundle of wraps and bandages. Joe was concerned.

Delia told the story of Clementia who wanted Welsh rabbit at five in the afternoon. The general had the dish prepared. Clementia was so nervous that she poured it hot on Delia’s hands and wrist. But general Pinkney was concerned and sent someone out a drugstore for some oil and things to bind it up with.

Joe pulled out some white threads beneath the bandages and asked what this is?

Delia replied that the bandage had some oil on it. Joe asked what time in the afternoon had she been burn. Delia said five o’clock. Joe drew her to the sofa, sat beside her and put his arm across her shoulders. He asked her “what have you been doing for the last two weeks. She could not lie any longer. She put her head down and started crying. She said that she worked at a place where ironing shirts in twenty four street laundry. But she was happy that at least Joe could sell his paintings.

Delia asked him that what made him suspect that she wasn’t giving music lessons to Clementina. Joe replied that he did not suspect till that night. It was he who had sent up cotton waste and oil from the Engine-room that afternoon to a girl who had her hand burned with an iron. Joe had been working the Engine in that laundry for the last two weeks.

Joe’s buyer from Peoria and Delia’s General Pinkney were both the creations of the same art. They were creations of imaginations.

Both of them began to laugh and said when one loves ones art no service seems too hard-when one loves.

Comprehension

1.How did Delia earn the fifteen dollars that she threw on the table at the end of the week?

Delia earned the fifteen dollars by ironing shirts in a laundry.

2.How did Joe earn his eighteen dollars?

Joe earned his eighteen dollars by working in the engine room in the same laundry.

3.Why did Joe need to wash his hands so hard before Delia returned?

Joe needed to wash his hands so hard to wash off the grease and dirt from the engine he worked.

4.At what point in the story did Delia and Joe guess the truth about the other?

When the day Delia came home with a burnt hand tied up in bandages.

5.Why was Delia’s laughter not very joyous when she tried to explain the fact that her hand was in a bandage?

Delia’s laughter is not very joyous, because she was in pain and in a situation where she could not tell Joe the truth.

6.Is this a story about great art or great love?

It is a story about great love between two people who think nothing of making sacrifices for the sake of each other’s happiness.

Meanings

Human interest – in newspaper articles or broadcast ect. reference to people lives and their emotions

Genius - someone who has outstanding creative or intellectual ability

Promising – talented

Hung about –to move things slowly

Praised the sky – praised a lot

Side whiskers – the lines of short hair growing down in front of each of a man's ears

Concert halls - a musical performance given before an audience by singers or players.

Mistress – controlling position

Wearily – make some one very tired

Oysters – a large sea fish

Champagne – a white wine made in France

Welsh rabbit - dish consisting of melted cheese, usually with butter, ale and seasoning mixed in, served on toast

Awfully – extremely bad or unpleasant

Tenderly – gentle, caring or sympathetic