The Shock

"The Shock" is a short story by O. Henry that explores the themes of love, loss, and unexpected revelations. The narrative revolves around a chance encounter between two characters, leading to a series of surprising twists and emotional insights. O. Henry's characteristic wit and irony shine through as he delves into the complexities of human relationships and the transformative power of unexpected moments. The story ultimately illustrates how shocking experiences can lead to profound realizations and changes in perspective.

• Short story

								
A man with a very pale face, wearing a woolen comforter and holding a
slender stick in his hand, staggered into a Houston drug store
yesterday and leaned against the counter, holding the other hand
tightly against his breast.

The clerk got a graduating glass, and poured an ounce of spiritus
frumenti into it quickly, and handed it to him. The man drank it at a
gulp.

"Feel better?" asked the clerk.

"A little. Don't know when I had such a shock. I can hardly stand.
Just a little more, now--"

The clerk gave him another ounce of whisky.

"My pulse has started again, I believe," said the man. "It was
terrible, though!"

"Fell off a wagon?" asked the clerk.

"No, not exactly."

"Slip on a banana peel?"

"I think not. I'm getting faint again, if you--"

The obliging clerk administered a third dose of the stimulant.

"Street car run over you?" he asked.

"No," said the pale man. "I'll tell you how it was. See that red-faced
man out there swearing and dancing on the corner?"

"Yes."

"He did it. I don't believe I can stand up much longer. I--thanks."

The man tossed off the fourth reviver and began to look better.

"Shall I call a doctor?" asked the clerk.

"No, I guess not. Your kindness has revived me. I'll tell you about
it. I have one of those toy spiders attached to a string at the end of
this stick, and I saw that red-faced man sitting on a doorstep with
his back to me, and I let the spider down over his head in front of
his nose. I didn't know who he was, then.

"He fell over backwards and cut his ear on the foot-scraper and broke
a set of sixty-dollar false teeth. That man is my landlord and I owe
him $37 back rent, and he holds a ten-dollar mortgage on my cow, and
has already threatened to break my back. I slipped in here and he
hasn't seen me yet. The shock to my feelings when I saw who it was,
was something awful. If you have a little more of that spirits now,
I--"
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