Book Review: Heart of the West by O. Henry
William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), better known to most readers as O. Henry, moved to Texas from North Carolina for his health. There, he worked on a ranch for a few years before feeling well enough to take up his primary occupation of pharmacist, and fell in love with the state and its people. As a result, many of his stories are set in Texas, including these nineteen.
Despite the use of the setting by other authors for tales of gunpowder and fury, O. Henry was not so much a Western writer as a writer of comedic romances set in the West. Most of the tales in this anthology are about courtship, one way or another. In many ways this makes them more authentic to the lives of actual cowpunchers and waitresses than the blood and thunder stories of the Wild West.
The collection opens with “Hearts and Crosses.” A rancher whose wife actually owns the spread, inherited from her father, gets prodded into thinking he should be “king” if she’s the “queen.” This results in a misunderstanding, and he goes off to handle their range affairs from a distance. But a few months later, the queen summons her husband, and the question of who rules supreme is settled for good. O. Henry shows his use of the twist ending well here, with a strong showing for his sentimental side.
The ending story is “The Reformation of Calliope”, in which a man who regularly gets drunk and shoots up the town is finally brought to heel by the one person in the world who he can’t fight. Oh, and the town marshal is involved too. This one’s a bit less sentimental and a bit more wry humor.
In between, the most striking tale is “The Caballero’s Way”, a dark stinger about a Texas Ranger’s attempt to bring in the notorious outlaw known as the Cisco Kid. It’s the closest to the Western genre, and the cold-hearted, cunning villain of the story inspired a series of movies and television shows…where he’s the Robin Hood-style hero. Go figure.
Most all of the stories are good, like “The Pimentia Pancakes”, in which we learn why a camp cook never eats his own delicious pancake recipe, or “A Call Loan” where a rancher contemplates robbery when a shortage is discovered at the bank. (This latter ties in to the author’s own conviction on embezzlement charges.)
“The Indian Summer of Dry Valley Johnson” might be a harder read for modern audiences. It’s about a middle-aged man developing a foolish infatuation with the nineteen-year-old girl next door and duding himself up to court her. In addition to this rather cringy plotline, there’s a scene where Johnson chases children out of his strawberry patch with a whip.
There’s some period ethnic prejudice against Mexicans in the stories, which seems less about the author’s opinions than a reflection of the characters he’s writing about. Also a touch of period sexism.
Overall, this is a lovely collection of short stories by a master of the twist ending. Some readers may find the twists too familiar for their tastes, as those have often been imitated in other stories. If you have not read “The Caballero’s Way” elsewhere, this collection is the best setting for it. Recommended to short story fans who like their stories mostly sentimental.
