The Sensitive Colonel Jay

"The Sensitive Colonel Jay" is a short story by O. Henry that explores themes of pride, sensitivity, and the complexities of human emotions. The narrative revolves around Colonel Jay, a man of honorable stature whose sensitivity to criticism and social perception leads him into a series of comedic misunderstandings. As he navigates the intricacies of his relationships and personal honor, O. Henry masterfully weaves humor and poignancy, ultimately revealing the vulnerabilities that lie beneath the facade of a seemingly stoic individual. The story embodies O. Henry's signature style, blending wit with a keen insight into the human condition.

• Short story

								
The sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing merrily in the
trees! All nature wears an aspect of peace and harmony. On the porch
of a little hotel in a neighboring county a stranger is sitting on a
bench waiting for the train, quietly smoking his pipe.

Presently a tall man wearing boots and a slouch hat, steps to the door
of the hotel from the inside with a six-shooter in his hand and fires.
The man on the bench rolls over with a loud yell as the bullet grazes
his ear. He springs to his feet in amazement and wrath and shouts:

"What are you shooting at me for?"

The tall man advances with his slouch hat in his hand, bows and says:
"Beg pardon, sah. I am Colonel Jay, sah, and I understood you to
insult me, sah, but I see I was mistaken. Am very glad I did not kill
you, sah."

"I insult you--how?" inquires the stranger. "I never said a word."

"You tapped on the bench, sah, as much as to say you was a woodpeckah,
sah, and I belong to the other faction. I see now that you was only
knockin' the ashes from you' pipe, sah. I ask yo' pahdon, and that you
will come in and have a drink with me, sah, to show that you do not
harbor any ill feeling after a gentleman apologizes to you, sah."
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