Tommy's Burglar by O. Henry (1910)
The story revolves around a young man who burglarizes the home of an elderly woman and steals her valuables. However, he soon discovers that she has been murdered by her nephew, who had been embezzling from her. The thief decides to return the stolen goods and expose the nephew's crime.
By O. Henry · First published 1910 · Genre: Comedy, Fiction, Short Story · 2,429 words
First lines
At ten o'clock p.m. Felicia, the maid, left by the basement door with the policeman to get a raspberry phosphate around the corner. She detested the policeman and objected earnestly to the arrangement. She pointed out, not unreasonably, that she might have been allowed to fall asleep over one of St. George Rathbone's novels on the third floor, but she was overruled. Raspberries and cops were not created for nothing.
The burglar got into the house without much difficulty; because we must have action and not too much description in a 2,000-word story.
What this Textopian page supports
Tommy's Burglar is listed on Textopian as a short story by O. Henry, dated 1910 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: O. Henry
- Date: 1910 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Comedy, Fiction, Short Story, Satire, Children's Literature
- Length: 2,429 words
- Structure: 1 section, 62 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Tommy's Burglar by O. Henry
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Tommy's Burglar?
- How does this short story by O. Henry fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Comedy first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Girl And The Graft by O. Henry
- A Righteous Outburst by O. Henry
- An Original Idea by O. Henry
- Mlle Fauteuil by Oliver Herford
- The Cactus by O. Henry
- The Other Side Of It by O. Henry
Genres
- Comedy — The story employs humor through witty dialogue and absurd situations, particularly the interactions between the burglar and the child.
- Fiction — The narrative is a work of fiction, presenting a fictional scenario involving a burglar and a child.
- Short Story — The work is concise, fitting the short story format with a limited word count and a focused plot.
- Satire — The story satirizes common tropes in crime fiction, particularly the portrayal of burglars and children.
Tags
Short Story · Comedy · Crime Fiction · Mystery · Humor · Satire · Social Commentary · Class Satire · American Literature · Early 20th Century Literature · Literary Fiction · Realism