A Girl Wanted

O. HenryGirl O. Henry

Prepared by Aytekin Aliyeva

Billy Hartley lived out of town. He was twenty-nine, with a thin, serious face. Hartley was sitting in the office with Mr. Robbins when a man with an air of mystery came in the door and went up to Hartley and said: "I've found where she lives." The way he was speaking and his clothes could make anyone to think that he was a detective. Hartley gave him an angry look because he didn’t want Robbins to know about his investigation. But Robbins didn’t notice anything. He said “Goodbye” and left.

"Here is the address," said the detective. Hartley took the leaf torn out of memorandum book. On it were penciled the words "Vivienne Arlington, No. 341, 42nd Street”

"Moved there a week ago," said the detective. Detective offers his help as well and says that he can do his best to find her, but Hartley refuses. He wanted to find her himself.

Hartley went to the address of the woman he was searching for. A tram took him to the poor part of the city. The houses were large and old. He found Vivienne's house. She meet him with warm smile in her face and invited him inside.

Vivienne was twenty-one years old girl with nice, blue eyes and red-gold hair.

Hartley looked at her eyes and asked : Why you didn’t answer my last letter? I was searching for you almost for a week. What is the reason of keeping me waiting?

She said that she has some hesitations sometimes it seems to her that he can make her happy but sometimes it seems not and another problem was that she was a city girl and didn’t want to be confined to the suburban lifestyle.

Hartley promised he would give her everything she could ever want and that she still can come to the city whenever she wanted.

Vivienne said she was also confused because another man had made her the same promise, but she hasn’t given him an answer yet. In the middle of their conversation, the other man, named Rafford Townsend, came; he wanted to enter the house, but was greeted by Hartley who told him that Vivienne belongs to him and it was best that he turn away now and Townsend did.

After he leaves Hartley confesses that he will not take “no” for an answer and Vivienne agreed to his proposal only if he would get rid of another woman, Heloise.

Hartley agreed and said he would be back for Vivienne the following day. When Hartley got home. A beautiful, dark lady ran to meet him. She told that her mother came to visit them and her car will be back in half an hour. She came for dinner, but there is no dinner.

He whispered something into his wife’s ear and suddenly she gave a loud cry. Her mother ran into the hall. The dark lady cried again and said that Vivienne is coming. She stayed whole year in Montgomerys house and they say that she is the most wonderful cook in the world.

After it she tells her husband to go to the kitchen and fire their lazy cook, Heloise. Because the only thing she does is drink whole day.