55
votes
Accepted
How could sixty cents of $1.87 be in pennies?
There used to be a three-cent piece.
Assuming that "The Gift of the Magi" is set in the US at around the time of its publication in 1905, there was a three-cent piece which was still minted ...
- 71.1k
16
votes
Accepted
Looking for an old O. Henry story about a wealthy young man trying to woo a "genteel poor" young lady in New York City
The story is called The Discounters of Money. It occurs in the collection of O. Henry stories called Roads of Destiny. It occupies pages 379 to 384 in this book.
…and there you have young Howard ...
- 1,364
16
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How could sixty cents of $1.87 be in pennies?
A quick look at Wikipedia lists a few obsolete coins which could be involved here, beyond the half cent:
Two-cent bronze: 2¢, 1863–1873
Three-cent nickel: 3¢, 1865–1889
Trime (Three-cent silver): 3¢, ...
- 6,862
11
votes
How to understand “a dumb or a talking brute” in The Ransom of Red Chief?
Yes, essentially this is a minor wordplay and double meaning.
A "dumb brute" is a phrase that was commonly used to denote an animal, not necessarily even a savagely violent animal. I say &...
- 71.1k
8
votes
How could sixty cents of $1.87 be in pennies?
Gift of the Magi was published in 1905. As others have already identified, the US had a two-cent piece until 1872 and a three-cent piece until 1889 (but with much lower production after 1875). The US ...
8
votes
Accepted
Looking for an O.Henry story where a young man from the country working in the city marries a socialite and then goes for a visit to his home
"The Defeat of the City"
It's the protagonist who issues the challenge, but the other details seem to match:
That night when the greetings and the supper were over, the entire family, ...
- 4,546
7
votes
Accepted
What does the phrase "the silent imputation of parsimony" mean in The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry?
O. Henry is considered a master of the short story, and this excerpt tells you why. His very first paragraph tells you something about a main character and about the conflict.
Parsimony, or penny ...
- 1,217
6
votes
Meaning of "rubber" as a verb in O. Henry
The entire phrase is a nonsensical piece of wordplay
"The lame walk and the blind see" is a well known biblical phrase, said by Jesus to indicate his holiness. The phrase is corrupted here into ...
- 579
5
votes
Meaning of "rubber" as a verb in O. Henry
While both of the existing answers touch on relevant matters I believe they both miss the mark in terms of the intended meaning.
@frathoss cites a range of definitions including one which supports ...
- 18.6k
5
votes
How to understand “a dumb or a talking brute” in The Ransom of Red Chief?
A simpler interpretation is that that "dumb or talking" is merely contrasting "unable to speak" and "speaking". While you could extend that to discuss "human or ...
- 10.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Meaning of “dactylis” in O. Henry’s “The Trimmed Lamp”
The paragraph in which the quote from the question can be found goes as follows:
"Him?" said Nancy, with her coolest, sweetest, most impersonal, Van Alstyne Fisher smile; "not for mine. I saw him ...
- 44k
5
votes
O. Henry story about a grandfather who sits a boy down on a porch to tell a story about a grandfather who sits a boy down etc
This is a traditional joke story, more amusing to the teller than the listener, that has existed for well over a hundred years. Dads tell the story to troll their kids.
There are many versions. ...
- 2,221
5
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What does the phrase "the silent imputation of parsimony" mean in The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry?
In the story it is clear from the starting line that Del and Jim were poverty-stricken. Such was the extent of poverty that even the cents were in pennies. Henry mentions the pennies were saved ...
- 129
3
votes
What is the meaning of this sentence from A Retrieved Reformation?
This solves the crux of the problem. Here, Ben Price is confident that Jimmy Valentine could, in a way, dodge the judiciary; he was to serve full term in jail. To show him clemency is just another ...
2
votes
What does the line "The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them." mean in The Gifts Of The Magi?
That refers to the "answer" alluded to in the previous sentence. When you have a million dollars, you don't appreciate the things you already have. In the case of their gifts, it really is the thought ...
- 1,217
1
vote
How could sixty cents of $1.87 be in pennies?
Technically, It doesn't state that the sixty pennies were the only pennies. There could have been 187 pennies, and "sixty cents of it was in pennies" would be true. If this assumption is ...
- 135
1
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What does the line "The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them." mean in The Gifts Of The Magi?
As I see it, the gift that the Magi didn't bring was sacrifice (sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house), which doesn't require money (Eight dollars a week or a million a year -...
- 11
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What does the line "The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them." mean in The Gifts Of The Magi?
I differ in my perception here.
The Magi brought gifts that are considered wise, the reason is the gold brought as gift symbolises 'influence' which infant Jesus was to acquire afterwards as a ...
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