"After Twenty Years" is a short story written by

O. Henry William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the Ma ...

, first published in his anthology, ''

The Four Million ''The Four Million'' is the second published collection of short stories by O. Henry originally released on April 10, 1906, by McClure, Phillips & Co. in New York. There are twenty-five stories of various lengths including several of his best kno ...

'' in 1906.

Summary

Jimmy Wells and Bob were raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and grew up as very close friends, just like brothers. As young adults, their paths diverged when Bob moved west to make his fortune and Jimmy stayed in New York. Before they parted, though, Bob and Jimmy agreed to meet in twenty years at the restaurant Big Joe Brady's where they last saw each other. After twenty years have passed, Bob is waiting for Jimmy at the appointed spot. A policeman on patrol stops to question, and Bob tells the policeman his story. Bob boasts of how well he has fared and tells the policeman that he does not doubt that Jimmy will show up. Later, "Jimmy Wells" arrives, and as they walk into a lighted area, Bob discovers that this is not the same Jimmy he knew, because twenty years cannot change a man's nose from

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Pug The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most ...

. The man reveals himself to be a plainclothes policeman who arrests “Silky” Bob, a wanted criminal. Before going to the police station, he gives Bob a letter from Jimmy. Bob reads it and realizes that the policeman he met earlier was in fact, Jimmy Wells. In the letter, Jimmy explains that when he arrived at the designated spot and realized that his old friend, Bob, was the criminal that the police were on the lookout for, he did not have the heart to arrest him, instead, he sent a plainclothes officer to do so.

Media adaptations

* Syndicated series '' The O. Henry Playhouse'' (1956–57) adapted the story for one of their half-hour episodes. The adaptation has been released on a DVD collection of the show's episodes. * The story was included in a 1987 audiotape collection ''O. Henry Favorites'' by the Listening Library of Old Greenwich, Connecticut. * In 2001, it was one of five O. Henry stories included in the compact disc collection ''Classic American Short Stories'', read by William Roberts. * The story was adapted into a short film, titled ''Hands of Time (2021)'', produced & directed by Pranay Singh. The film stars Aditya Swami and Hardik Sabnis. * This story was adapted for the stage by playwright Gerald P. Murphy and published in 2018 by Lazy Bee Scripts

References

{{O. Henry 1906 short stories 1900s short stories American short stories Short stories by O. Henry Short stories adapted into films

Summary

Media adaptations

See also

References