by O. Henry
261.24 caballard] Spanish: band of horses.
261.34 ‘Upton’s Tactics,’] Emory Upton (1839–1881), a general in the Union Army during the Civil War, wrote a number of books on military tactics that were influential in the U.S. Army.
262.9 Lord Chesterfield ring rules] Probably a reference to the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, a boxing code published in 1867.
263.9 Lady of Shalott] “The Lady of Shalott,” 1833 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892).
263.11 Cisalpine Alps in Germany] Nonsensical. “Cisalpine” means the southern side of the Alps, and Germany is north of the Alps.
264.10–11 Queen Sophia Christina] Possibly Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744–1818), queen consort of George III of England.
264.11 Charlie Culberson] Charles Culberson (1855–1925), U.S. senator from Texas, 1899–1923.
265.10 Good Templar’s] The Independent Order of Good Templars, a fraternal organization advocating Temperance founded in 1850.
266.12 Bury St. Edmunds] Town in southeast England.
266.15 Roosevelt-Democrat] Member of the Democratic Party who supported Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), a Republican, who was president from 1901 to 1909.
266.34 James Whitcomb Ryan] Cf. James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916), American poet.
269.6 bucket-shops] Unauthorized establishments in which patrons gambled on financial markets.
269.33 racibus humanus] I.e., human race. “Racibus” is not a word in Latin.
270.32 Orgetorix, Rex Helvetii] Orgetorix, the leader of the Helvetian people in the first century B.C.E.
271.31 charco] Spanish: water hole.
273.15–16 King Philip of Spain] King Philip II (1526–1598) granted land to colonists in Texas and New Mexico.
273.24 varas] Vara, a Texas unit of measurement equal to 33.33 inches.
275.26 Anacreon] Greek lyric poet (c. 582–c. 485 B.C.E.).
279.5 saleratus] Leavening agent commonly used in baking bread.
279.21 Bravo del Norte] Designation of Rio Grande in Mexico.
280.13 omnæ personæ in tres partes divisæ sunt] Latin: all people are divided into three parts. Cf. Julius Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War: “Omnia Gallia in tres partes divisa est.”
280.19 Dante Alighieri face] Italian poet (1265–1321) who was described by poet Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) as “his face was long, his nose aquiline.”
280.29 Beatrice] Dante’s beloved.
281.8–9 Bulwer-Lytton . . . Warwick] A central figure in the historical novel The Last of the Barons (1843), by the English writer and politician Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873), is Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick (1428–1471).
282.21 Tommy Tucker] The English nursery rhyme “Little Tommy Tucker” begins, “Little Tommy Tucker / Sings for his supper.”
283.3 vaqueros] Spanish: cowboys.
284.1 paisano bird] Spanish: the greater roadrunner.
284.6 vaciero] Spanish: supply agent for sheep or goat camps.
285.8 vita simplex] Latin: simple life.
285.38 Frio City] Also known as Frio Town, town on the Frio River in Frio County, Texas, now a ghost town.
286.8 Spanish Fandango] Guitar instrumental arranged by American artist and musician Henry Worrall (1825–1902).
288.27–30 Athos . . . D’Artagnan] Athos, Aramis, Porthos, and d’Artagnan (a native of Gascony), characters in The Three Musketeers (1844) by Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870).
290.2 Wellington beak] Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852) and British prime minister, 1828–30 and 1834, was known for his large nose.
292.4 Zollicoffer] Felix Zollicoffer (1812–1862), Confederate general killed in action during the Civil War.
292.11 Crusoe’s goat] In Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe (c. 1660–1731), Crusoe forgets about his tamed goat for a week and it nearly starves.
293.12 Joe Weber] American vaudeville comedian (1867–1942), part of the team Weber and Fields.
293.14 ‘Curfew Shall Not Ring To-night,’] “Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight” (1867), popular narrative poem by American poet Rose Hartwick Thorpe (1850–1939).
293.19 M. K. & T.] See note 215.9–10.
294.31 seven-up] See note 236.1.
295.27 Buffalo Bill] William Frederick Cody (1846–1917), who began his touring Wild West show in 1874.
297.8–10 ‘Imperial Cæsar . . . wind away’] Hamlet, V.i.199–200.
298.4 Katy] See note 215.15.
298.10 baa-a-rum] Bay rum, popular aftershave application.
299.3 State of South Dakota] South Dakota became a state in 1889.
299.6 P. R. R.] The Pennsylvania Railroad.
299.21 mines of Gondola] Golconda Diamonds, mined in southern India.
299.30–31 Philip Steins] In the biblical book of Judges, the Philistines bribed Delilah to find the source of Samson’s strength.
300.40 saleratus] See note 279.5.
302.13 Creek Nation] The American Indian Muskogee Creek Confederacy, originally from the southeastern United States but forcibly removed in the 1830s to modern Oklahoma.
302.15–16 bitten the grass . . . Nebuchadnezzars] Cf. Daniel 4, especially verses 31–33.
303.2–3 Muscogee] Later more commonly spelled Muskogee, city in eastern Indian Territory, later Oklahoma. See also note 302.13.
304.27 “The Gipsy’s Curse.”] Lengthy speech made by a gypsy in Guy Mannering (1815), novel by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832).
304.30–31 Belasco’s] David Belasco (1853–1931), American theatrical impresario.
304.39–305.1 “The Cowboy’s Lament”] Traditional song, also known as “The Streets of Laredo.”
305.39 the “Unabridged.”] See note 29.2.
307.15 Chandler] City in central Indian Territory, later Oklahoma, opened by a land run in September 1891.
308.3 Saltillo] No such town currently exists.
312.26 Piute] American Indian tribe.
TROPICS
321.13 mozo] Spanish: male servant.
325.34 Spitzbergen] An island in northern Norway, which has an Arctic climate.
330.31 dolcy far nienty] Dolce far niente, Italian expression meaning “sweet idleness.”
331.34–35 Satan sowing tares . . . Paul planting] Cf. Matthew 13 and 1 Corinthians 3:6.
332.16 Qué picadores diablos!] Spanish: What devilish stickers!
333.5 Juez de la Paz] Spanish: Justice of the Peace.
333.6 twenty stone] Two hundred and eighty pounds.
333.7 pulperia] Spanish: bar or tavern.
339.3–4 became Elijahs . . . played the raven] In 1 Kings 17:2, the prophet Elijah is fed by ravens.
340.5–6 The annual parade . . . ex-snakes of Ireland?] The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City.
340.16–17 “Ridpath’s History of the World . . . the Equator.”] History of the World (1894), an eight-volume work by John C. Ridpath (1840–1900).
341.3 Anthony Hope] English novelist (1863–1933), author of The Prisoner of Zenda (1894).
343.20 yellow-back] Cheap novel bound in bright-colored fabric or paper.
343.29–30 rockaways and old-style barouches] Types of horse-drawn carriages.
345.23 Botica Española] General store.
345.31 Spanish Fandango] See note 286.8.
346.1–2 sextet in a ‘Florodora’ road company] Florodora, musical comedy that opened in the London West End in 1899 and on Broadway in 1900, famous for its sextet of c
horines, who became known as “The Florodora Girls.”
351.8 straight front] A type of corset.
352.39 Mrs. Humphry Ward] Mary Augusta Ward (1851–1920), British novelist.
354.38 Richmond Hobson Davis] The writer Richard Harding Davis (1864–1916).
355.15 afrites] Or ifrits. In Arabian and Muslim mythology, demons.
355.16 fisherman’s vase] In one of the stories in One Thousand and One Nights, a fisherman finds a genie in a vase.
356.27 alcalde] Municipal magistrate.
356.29 chuchula] Apparently an invention of O. Henry’s.
356.40 perissodactyle ungulates] Perissodactyl, or odd-toed, ungulates, a taxonomic order including horses and tapirs.
357.1 Cordilleras] Chain of mountains, a term commonly used in reference to the Andes.
357.34 Loeb] William Loeb (1866–1937), secretary to President Theodore Roosevelt.
357.35 Duma] Russian legislative body, which had little legislative power during the reign, 1894–1917, of the autocratic Nicholas II (1868–1918).
358.14–15 Herr Mees] Hermes.
358.35 when T. R. is at Oyster Bay] Theodore Roosevelt’s summer home was in Oyster Bay, New York.
359.5–6 Nebuchadnezzars; they bit the grass] See note 302.15–16.
359.22 Little Big High Low Jacks-in-the-game] Reference to the card game Pitch, or High Low Jack.
359.35 Faust’s wooing of Marguerite] In Faust, a play by Johann von Goethe (1749–1832), Faust is in love with Gretchen, sometimes called Marguerite.
365.22 ‘A Life on the Ocean Wave’] Popular song (1838) by Epes Sargent, set to music by Henry Russell.
THE GENTLE GRAFTER
371.4 Hadji] In Islam, title given to one who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
371.32 teetotum] A kind of gambling spinning top.
372.38–39 ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’] Popular novel (1898) by American writer Charles Major (1856–1913), published under the pen name Edwin Caskoden.
373.18 Manitou] To the Algonquin tribes, the great spirit or spiritual life force.
374.10 Boy Avenger] Name taken by the character Bromley Chitterlings in the novel Drift from Two Shores (1878) by American author Bret Harte (1836–1902).
374.29 Tammany cartoon] Editorial cartoons critiquing the Tammany Hall New York political machine sometimes depicted its leaders as American Indians.
374.31 Howells] William Dean Howells (1837–1920), American author of realistic novels.
375.35 feendenuman shape] I.e., fiend in human shape.
377.35 fakir] A Hindu wonder worker; also a swindler.
382.5 Buffalo Bill matinée] See note 295.27.
384.25 nature fakers] Term used by Theodore Roosevelt in a September 1907 article decrying some literary naturalists.
388.21 Connecticut wrappers] Tobacco grown in the Connecticut River Valley and used to wrap cigars.
388.33 Rameses II.] King of Egypt from 1279 to 1213 B.C.E.
388.34 Queen Isis] Isis, major Egyptian goddess.
389.16–17 B. & O. westbound] Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
390.31 John D. Napoleons] I.e., John D. Rockefeller and Napoleon Bonaparte.
391.36 A., T. & S. F.] Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.
392.6–7 Phœbe Snow’s job] Fictional character created in 1902 to advertise the cleanliness of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
392.35 Raffles] A. J. Raffles, the “gentleman thief” in a series of stories by English author E. W. Hornung (1866–1921).
393.28 Luther Burbank] American botanist (1849–1926).
394.5–6 General Raven’s . . . Elijah] In Greek mythology, ravens were associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy. See also note 339.3–4 for Elijah and the ravens.
395.23–24 English pokes] Poke collar, a kind of collar with projecting ends.
398.7 tinkers’ chorus] “The Tinkers’ Song,” from the comic opera Robin Hood (1890) by Reginald De Koven, Harry B. Smith, and Clement Scott.
398.31–32 Industrial Christian Science . . . Mrs. Eddy] Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910) founded Christian Science, a religion that holds that sickness can be cured by prayer.
398.33 gold-dust twins] Fictional characters used to advertise Gold Dust Washing Powder.
400.17–18 cold proposition . . . Robert E. Peary and Charlie Fairbanks] Peary, American explorer of the Arctic (1856–1920). Charles W. Fairbanks (1852–1918), vice president of the United States, 1905–9. As U.S. senator from Indiana, 1897–1905, he helped settle the Alaska boundary dispute.
400.31–32 Pasteur institute] A medical research foundation named after Louis Pasteur (1822–1895).
401.23 Autolycan] Autolycus, a thief in Greek mythology.
NEW YORK
405.27–28 McMahan . . . Upon him the Tiger purred] Possibly a reference to Timothy “Big Tim” Sullivan (1862–1913), leader of the Tammany Hall political machine on the Lower East Side. Tammany Hall was customarily represented as a tiger.
406.36–37 Hester . . . Chrystie . . . Delancey] Streets on the Lower East Side of New York, home in the early twentieth century to most of New York’s immigrant Jewish population.
411.34 wind-jammers] Talkative persons, windbags.
411.37–412.1 Marx and Hyndman and Kautsky] Karl Marx (1818–1883), German philosopher and author of The Communist Manifesto. Henry Hyndman (1842–1921), British Marxist. Karl Kautsky (1854–1938), Czech-German Marxist philosopher.
412.1 shines!] Fools.
412.4 takes the rag off the bush] Takes the cake.
412.5 skookum house] Prison.
412.11 Bowery] Street and section in lower Manhattan then known for crime and other lowlife activity.
412.16 “Shinny on your own side!”] Mind your business.
412.19 mazuma] Money.
412.22 spifflicated] Overcome, defeated.
412.24 Cobden] Richard Cobden (1804–1865), British manufacturer and politician known for his defense of free trade.
412.25 biff] Hit, strike.
414.18 cull] Friend, mate.
415.5–6 Marco Polo and Mungo Park] Polo, Italian explorer (1254–1324). Park, Scottish explorer (1771–1806).
417.9 vade mecum] A pocket handbook.
418.19 spider-wheel] A metal wheel with wire spokes.
419.1 whisht!] Hush.
419.17 braid] Fabric in the form of a band, used as trim.
419.26 jagerfonteins] Jagersfontein, town in South Africa famous for its diamond mine.
425.1 Dress Parade] A display of clothes, or fashion show.
425.19 Flatiron Building] Triangular New York office building completed in 1902.
426.5–6 cheviot and worsted] Kinds of wool.
428.34 Fuss and Feathers] Excessive bustle and display.
428.34 Bacillus] Rod-shaped bacterium, used figuratively for disease.
429.3 Larchmont] Wealthy New York suburb on Long Island Sound.
429.40–430.1 that avenue . . . highway of Mammon] Fifth Avenue.
432.4 Kootenai Falls] Waterfall near Libby, Montana.
432.20 “The Storm”] Painting (1880) by French artist Pierre August Cot (1837–1883).
433.21 colorado-maduro] A kind of cigar wrapper.
435.18 grouch] Complaint.
437.7 Bourke Cockran] William Bourke Cockran (1854–1923), New York Democratic politician.
437.20 lares and penates] A person’s or household’s possessions, from Lares and Penates, Roman gods who were guardi
ans of the household.
437.30 pony ballet] Kick-line routine developed in the 1890s by British choreographer John Tiller, featuring chorus girls dressed as ponies. The term was later generally applied to synchronized dance performances.
437.35 angel] The financial backer of a theatrical production.
441.13 b. and s.] Brandy and soda.
441.36 See advertising column] Restaurants and other businesses sometimes paid newspapers for favorable mentions in articles.
442.25 the way the story runs] See also “The Badge of Policeman O’Roon,” pp. 509–13.
442.26–27 “Rugged Riders,”] Cf. the Rough Riders, the popular name for the first U.S. Volunteer Cavalry regiment in the Spanish-American War (1898), who were commanded by Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919).
450.3 upas tree] A tree in the mulberry and fig family whose latex is poisonous.
450.5 Cerberus and Argus] In Greek mythology, Cerberus was a multi-headed dog who guarded the gates of Hades, and Argus was a hundred-eyed monster.
450.6 Rubberer] Variant of “rubbernecker,” overly inquisitive or gawping person.
450.7 Caoutchouc] Tree-derived substance from which rubber is manufactured.
450.10 Martians] In H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds (1897), the narrator describes the invading Martians as having “a pair of very large, dark-coloured eyes” that dominate their noseless faces and as moving around the landscape by piloting large machines.
450.18 Senator Depew] Chauncey Depew (1834–1928), U.S. senator from New York from 1899 until 1911.
450.19 Chuck Connors] George Washington “Chuck” Connors (c. 1852–1913), Tammany Hall boss known as “the Mayor of Chinatown.”
451.13 Duke of Roxburgh married] In November 1903, Henry John Innes-Ker, the 8th Duke of Roxburghe, married Mary Goelet, daughter of the wealthy New York real estate businessman Ogden Goelet.
452.6 ex-Mayor Low] Seth Low (1850–1916), mayor of New York City from 1902 to 1903.
452.16 Bricklets] Ice-cream product formed into a rectangular shape.
453.13 The Big Church in the Middle of the Block] Perhaps a reference to the Church of the Transfiguration, popularly known as the Little Church Around the Corner, on East 29th Street in Manhattan.