A Retrieved Reformation
AFTER ten months in prison, Jimmy Valentine finally breathed in the air of freedom. He was
wearing a cheap suit that the prison had given him, and he had five dollars in his pocket with which
to start a new life.
Valentine was not ready to let go of his old life, though. His first stop was the apartment over a
café where the police had arrested him for robbing banks. There, he retrieved a suitcase filled with
the most beautiful safecracking tools that anyone had ever seen.
“Are you off on a bank job, then?” asked the café owner, who was well aware of Valentine’s
occupation.
“Who ? Me?” Valentine answered. “I’m just a traveling salesman of biscuits and crackers.” Then
he left with his heavy suitcase. Over the next few months, safes all over the Midwest were opened
and emptied of their valuable treasures. Ben Price, the policeman who had put Valentine away
before, saw a pattern. “Jimmy Valentine is working again,” he said to himself. “I’m going to put him
away for good this time.”
Valentine ended up in the small town of Elmore. As he strolled casually through the streets, he
happened to pass the town’s only bank. That is where his life changed. A beautiful woman walked by
him, and though their eyes only met for a second, it made him into a new man. He circled back to
the bank’s door and asked a boy, “Who was that young lady?”
“That’s Annabel Adams. Her dad owns the bank,” the boy replied. Valentine gave him a little
money to tell him about the woman. He then went to a hotel and checked in under a fake name.
“What brought you to Elmore, sir?” the chatty clerk asked. “I’m looking to set up a shoe
business,” Valentine replied, and he did exactly that. Using the new name, Valentine opened a shoe
store in Elmore, and it really took off. More importantly, he won the heart of the beautiful Annabel,
and the two planned to marry. Valentine only had one thing left to do—get rid of his suitcase of
precious safecracking tools. Then he would be free of his old life.
Although Valentine made plans to give his suitcase of tools to a criminal friend, fate had other
ideas. On his way to the train station, he stopped by the bank to visit with his future family.
Meanwhile, Valentine’s old enemy, Ben Price, walked into the bank lobby. He had tracked Valentine
down and was ready to arrest him. Before he could, though, tragedy struck. The granddaughter of
the bank owner became locked in the new vault. The combination had not yet been set, so there
was no way to get her out.
Annabel turned her teary eyes to Valentine. “Can’t you do something?” she begged. “My niece
will surely die from lack of air!”
Silently, Valentine said goodbye to his new life and opened his special suitcase. Within ten
minutes, the little girl was free, and Valentine was staring at Price. “Well, take me in,” he told the
policeman.
Having seen that the old safecracker would risk his own happiness and safety for that of a child,
Price just shook his head. “Guess you’re mistaken,” he told Valentine. “I’ve never seen you before in
my life.
1. . A Retrieved Reformation O. Henry
2. 2.
change their behavior so much that they become like
different people, or are such changes never true and lasting? Support your opinion
person for the better? Explain.
3. 3. Inferences • Detectives use inferences to do their job. Think about a famous
detective (or imagine one, if you don’t know any). Explain their methods. How do you
think they solve the crime? •As we watch the clips, think about how Sherlock is able to
analyze a person by paying attention to the smallest details.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElH3aVXLZoo
4. 4.
f some situations that would make a person
drastically change their life from bad to good? (For example: go from a life of crime, to
honest work)
5. 5.
to his pardon, what he says to the warden, and how he sa
after he gets released (256) and make some inferences about his character based on
his actions.
6. 6.
7. 7.
enix that arose from Jimmy Valentine’s
ashes - ashes left by the flame of a sudden and alternative attack of love - remained in
What do the people of Elmore think about Ralph? What does this suggest about
Jimmy/Ralph? What do we learn about his character in Elmore?
8. 8.
9. 9.
theme of this text? Explain with some examples from the text. What events help show
the theme?
10. 10.
11. 11.
could get punished for it?
yourself in trouble. Describe the situation and the consequences. Was it worth it?