"Ransom of Red Chief"
By O. Henry
Easy-reader adaptation by Diane Namm
Illustrations by Craig Wheeler
Bill and Sam's Plan
Bill and I were down South, in Alabama. That
is where we got the idea. We were in a small town
called Summit. The folks there thought a lot of
themselves. They did not think too much of folks
like Bill and me.
Bill and I had a plan. We had $600. We
needed $2,000 more to start our business. Only
no bank would lend us the money. We did not
have any family. We would have to beg, borrow
or steal to get the money.
We looked around Summit. We saw Ebenezer
Dorset. He was the richest man in town. He
worked at a bank. He had lots of money. He also
had a son. That gave Bill and me our idea. We
would borrow rich Old Dorset's son. Then we'd
ask Old Dorset for two thousand dollars to give
him back.
Some people call that kidnapping. We just
called it borrowing. Were we sorry we borrowed
Mr. Dorset's son!
Here's what happened.
First we had to borrow a horse and buggy. We
drove past Old Dorset's house. We saw the boy
throwing rocks at a kitten!
"Stop that!" Bill shouted.
The boy threw a rock at Bill. It hit Bill right
above the eye.
Bill jumped out of the buggy to help the poor
kitty. The boy kicked Bill hard. He bit Bill in the
arm. Then the boy chased Bill into the buggy.
The horses took off with the boy in the buggy.
Red Chief's Plan
We ended up at a cave, three miles out of
town. The cave looked like a good place to camp
out. So we did. I brought back the horse and
buggy we borrowed. I got food for the boy. I got
bandages for Bill.
When I came back, the boy had two feathers
stuck in his head.
"I am Red Chief, terror of the plains!"
"What is going on, Bill?" I asked.
"Red Chief likes to play games," Bill said. "He
likes to kick hard, too!"
While we ate supper, Red Chief ate and talked.
He ate a lot. He talked a lot, too. He talked about
all the games he wanted us to play. He talked so
much it made us dizzy.
"Would you like to go home, now?" I asked
Red Chief.
"No! Home is not fun. School is not fun.
Camping out is fun. I want to stay here!" Red
Chief said.
Red Chief yelled a mighty yell. He picked up a
stick. He hit Bill on the head!
"I have never had so much fun in all my life!"
Red Chief said.
Red Chief chased Bill around and around.
Finally, it was time to go to sleep.
In the middle of the night, I heard a terrible
scream. I jumped up to see what it was. It was
Bill! Red Chief was about to give Bill a haircut.
Bill did not want a haircut.
"Stop that!" I said to Red Chief. "Go to bed!"
Red Chief stopped.
"I will go to bed, if you will play more games
tomorrow."
I told him Bill would. Bill did not say anything.
He just covered his head.
After that, Red Chief fell fast asleep.
Bill and I did not.
Next morning, Bill stayed at camp with Red
Chief. I went into the town of Summit.
No one said anything about Red Chief. No one
knew he was gone. So I wrote Old Dorset a letter.
When I came back to camp, Bill was flat on
the ground.
"Get up, Bill," I said. "We meet Old Dorset in
an hour."
"Red Chief kicks very hard. He throws rocks
all the time. He asks really hard questions. I had
to send him home, Sam. I do not care about the
money."
"Uh, Bill," I said.
"I am sorry, Sam," Bill said.
"Uh, Bill. Look behind you," I said.
Bill looked behind him. His face turned green.
Red Chief was standing right there!
"I do not feel very well, Sam," said Bill. "I do not
feel well at all."
Mr. Dorset's Plan
At exactly noon, we took Red Chief to the big
oak tree. Old Dorset was nowhere in sight.
Red Chief climbed up the tree. He threw an
acorn at Bill.
"Sam! You said Old Dorset would be here," Bill
said.
Instead there was only a note.
"Sam," said Bill. "Two hundred and fifty dollars
is not a lot"
Red Chief threw another acorn at Bill's head.
Bill looked at me with big, sad eyes.
"Can we give him back, Sam? Please?" Bill
asked.
A Sensible Plan
We took Red Chief home that night. He did
not want to go.
We said his father had bought him a brand new
toya.
At midnight we got to Old Dorset's house. Bill
gave him the money.
Before Red Chief could throw another thing,
Bill turned and ran.
It took me three hours to catch up with him.
We never went back to Summit. And . . . We
never borrowed anyone or anything ever again!
The End
Red Chief Games and Puzzles (1.1MB pdf)
