Short Fiction by O. Henry

A Sure Method

Words you’ll meet in this part (12)
sanctum
A sacred or holy place.
manuscripts
Handwritten documents, especially those from ancient or medieval times.
beetling
(verb) To hammer or flatten metal with a heavy tool.
brow
The forehead or the ridge of hair above the eye.
manuscript
A handwritten or typed document, especially an author's original text before publication.
ribbon
A narrow strip of fabric used for decoration or tying.
poet
A person who writes poetry.
thud
A dull, heavy sound, like something falling or hitting a surface.
tinkle
To make a light, ringing sound like a small bell.
muttered
Spoke quietly or indistinctly, often in a grumbling or complaining tone.
coroner
A public official who investigates deaths to determine cause and manner.
verdict
A formal decision or judgment made by a jury or court in a legal case.

Short Fiction by O. Henry 12 new words

A Sure Method

The editor sat in his palatially furnished bending over a mass of , resting his upon his hand. It wanted but one hour of the time of going to press and there was that editorial on the Venezuelan question to write. A pale, intellectual youth approached him with a rolled tied with a pink .

“It is a little thing,” said the youth, “that I dashed off in an idle moment.”

The editor unrolled the poem and glanced down the long row of verses. He then drew from his pocket a $20 bill and held it toward the . A heavy was heard, and at the of an electric bell the editor’s minions entered and carried the lifeless form of the poet away.

“That’s three today,” the great editor as he returned the bill to his pocket. “It works better than a gun or a club and the always brings in a of heart failure.”

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