Strictly Business (short story collection, Henry)
Strictly Business
Two vaudeville performers, Bob Hart and Winona Cherry, form a successful partnership and fall in love, only to discover that they have been married for two years.
The Gold That Glittered
A Colombian general seeking to buy weapons for a revolution was swindled by two con men, but ultimately decided to invest the money in a hotel and marry its owner instead.
Babes in the Jungle
Two con men from the West arrived in New York City, believing it would be easy to swindle its residents, but their plan to sell a painting to a wealthy man backfired when they discovered it was a cheap reproduction.
The Day Resurgent
A man struggled to understand the meaning of Easter and spent the day wandering around the city, eventually realizing the importance of spending time with his blind father and reading to him.
The Fifth Wheel
A former coachman and a man out of work bond over their shared struggles and desire for a better life, only to be separated when the former is unexpectedly reunited with his former employers.
The Poet and the Peasant
A naive man from the countryside visited the city with a large sum of money, but his exaggerated rural appearance led people to dismiss him as a fraud, until he changed his clothes and was swindled.
The Robe of Peace
A fashion-obsessed socialite disappeared from New York. Friends found him living as a monk in Switzerland. He chose monastic life for wrinkle-free robes, refusing to return to his former lifestyle.
The Girl and the Graft
A man and his friend devised a scheme to gain fame and fortune by staging a breach of promise lawsuit, but their plan backfired when the friend unexpectedly fell in love with the woman involved.
The Call of the Tame
A man from the West visited his old friend in New York City, criticizing his friend's adaptation to city life and longing for their past adventures together.
The Unknown Quantity
A wealthy man, inheriting his father's fortune made from a bread monopoly, tried to make amends for the harm caused by the price increase, but realized that the damage was irreparable.
The Thing's the Play
A woman married a man who disappeared shortly after their wedding, leaving her heartbroken. Twenty years later, two men, one with amnesia, both fall in love with her, leading to a surprising revelation.
A Ramble in Aphasia
A man suffering from aphasia, a condition that causes memory loss, finds himself in New York with no recollection of his identity. He assumes a new name and embarks on a carefree and liberating adventure.
A Municipal Report
A traveler arrives in Nashville and meets Azalea Adair, a poor but proud woman. He learns about her difficult circumstances and offers her a writing contract. Later, he witnesses the death of Major Caswell and discovers a mysterious dollar bill.
Psyche and the Pskyscraper
A young woman experienced a change of heart after being taken to the top of a skyscraper by a philosopher, realizing she preferred the warmth and coziness of her other suitor's small store.
A Bird of Bagdad
A man who fancied himself a modern-day Caliph helped a young man solve a riddle to win the heart of his employer's daughter, ultimately leading to a happy ending for the couple.
Compliments of the Season
A drunk man found a lost rag-doll and returned it to a millionaire's daughter for a reward, but was confronted by criminals who wanted the money. He managed to avoid them and was treated kindly by the millionaire's wife.
A Night in New Arabia
A wealthy man named Jacob Spraggins tries to alleviate his guilty conscience by engaging in philanthropy, but finds no satisfaction until he meets a grocer's young man named Thomas McLeod and helps him financially.
The Girl and the Habit
A beautiful young cashier at a restaurant caught the attention of an elderly couple who decided to adopt her, giving her a chance at a better life, but her past habits proved difficult to overcome.
Proof of the Pudding
A struggling writer tried to prove to an editor that people react to tragic news with mundane language, but when they set up a fake scenario, they discovered their own wives had left them.
Past One at Rooney's
A man named Cork McManus meets a girl named Ruby Delamere at Rooney's, a tough bar in New York City. They form a connection and plan to get married, but their plans are interrupted by a police raid.
The Venturers
Two men, Forster and Ives, meet in a hotel and decide to have dinner together. They discuss their desire for adventure and unpredictability in life. Forster contemplates leaving his fiancée, Mary, to seek excitement abroad. However, Ives reveals that he has married Mary, leaving Forster to embark on his own adventure.
The Duel
Two friends from the West moved to New York City, where one embraced the city's lifestyle and became successful, while the other despised it and struggled to maintain his individuality.
"What You Want"
A wealthy man tried to help a poor, studious young man by offering to pay for his education and future, but the young man rejected the offer, content with his simple life and nightly routine.