The best short stories of 1925, and the yearbook of the American short story

Chapter I: Front Matter

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THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1925

THE
BEST SHORT STORIES
OF 1925

AND THE

YEARBOOK OF THE AMERICAN
SHORT STORY

EDITED BY
EDWARD J. O’BRIEN

BOSTON
SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1925, by The Reviewer, The Century Co., Harcourt, Brace, and Co., The Pictorial Review Company, Harper & Brothers, The Atlantic Monthly Company, Liberty Weekly, Incorporated, P. F. Collier & Son Company, The Dial Publishing Company, Inc., and Boni and Liveright, Inc.

Copyright, 1926, by Sandra Alexander, Sherwood Anderson, Barry Benefield, Konrad Bercovici, Bella Cohen, Charles Caldwell Dobie, Rudolph Fisher, Katharine Fullerton Gerould, Walter Gilkyson, Ring W. Lardner, Robert Robinson, Evelyn Scott, May Stanley, Wilbur Daniel Steele, Milton Waldman, Glenway Wescott, Barrett Willoughby, and Elinor Wylie.

Second Printing
Third Printing
Fourth Printing

Printed in the United States of America

THE MURRAY PRINTING COMPANY
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

THE BOSTON BOOKBINDING COMPANY
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

TO ROMER

BY WAY OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND
REQUEST

Grateful acknowledgment for permission to include the stories and other material in this volume is made to the following authors and editors:

To the Editors of _The Boston Evening Transcript_, _The
Reviewer_, _The Century Magazine_, _The Pictorial Review_,
_Harper’s Magazine_, _The Atlantic Monthly_, _Liberty_,
_Collier’s Weekly_, and _The Dial_; and to Messrs.
Harcourt, Brace, and Company, Messrs. Boni and Liveright,
Inc., Miss Sandra Alexander, Mr. Sherwood Anderson, Mr.
Nathan Asch, Mr. Barry Benefield, Mr. Konrad Bercovici,
Miss Bella Cohen, Mr. Charles Caldwell Dobie, Mr. Rudolph
Fisher, Mrs. Katharine Fullerton Gerould, Mr. Walter
Gilkyson, Mr. Manuel Komroff, Mr. Ring W. Lardner, Mr.
Robert Robinson, Miss Evelyn Scott, Miss May Stanley, Mr.
Wilbur Daniel Steele, Mr. Milton Waldman, Mr. Glenway
Wescott, Miss Barrett Willoughby, and Mrs. Elinor Wylie.

I wish to make particular acknowledgments for editorial assistance to Mrs. W. J. Turner, Miss Katharine Macdonald, and Mr. Francis J. Hannigan.

In dedicating the present volume to my wife, I wish to record her invaluable coöperation in making this volume, as well as “The Best British Short Stories of 1925,” less faulty than it otherwise might have been during my prolonged illness last summer.

I shall be grateful to my readers for corrections, and particularly for suggestions leading to the wider usefulness of these annual volumes. In particular, I shall welcome the receipt from authors, editors and publishers, of stories printed during the period between October, 1924, and September, 1925, inclusive, which have qualities of distinction and yet are not printed in periodicals falling under my regular attention.

Communications may be addressed to me _Care of Small, Maynard & Company, 41 Mount Vernon Street, Boston, Mass._

E. J. O.

CONTENTS

PAGE
INTRODUCTION. By the Editor xiii

THE GIFT. By Sandra Alexander 1
(From _The Reviewer_)

THE RETURN. By Sherwood Anderson 21
(From _The Century Magazine_)

GERTRUDE DONOVAN. By Nathan Asch 39
(From _The Transatlantic Review_)

GUARD OF HONOR. By Barry Benefield 53
(From _The Pictorial Review_)

THE BEGGAR OF ALCAZAR. By Konrad Bercovici 64
(From _The Century Magazine_)

THE LAUGH. By Bella Cohen 81
(From _The Calendar of Modern Letters_)

THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. By Charles Caldwell
Dobie 85
(From _Harper’s Magazine_)

THE CITY OF REFUGE. By Rudolph Fisher 105
(From _The Atlantic Monthly_)

AN ARMY WITH BANNERS. By Katharine Fullerton
Gerould 122
(From _Harper’s Magazine_)

COWARD’S CASTLE. By Walter Gilkyson 148
(From _The Atlantic Monthly_)

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE FREE? By Manuel Komroff 167
(From _The Atlantic Monthly_)

HAIRCUT. By Ring Lardner 174
(From _Liberty_)

THE ILL WIND. By Robert Robinson 186
(From _Collier’s Weekly_)

THE OLD LADY. By Evelyn Scott 195
(From _The Dial_)

OLD MAN LEDGE. By May Stanley 207
(From _The Pictorial Review_)

SIX DOLLARS. By Wilbur Daniel Steele 228
(From _The Pictorial Review_)

THE HOME TOWN. By Milton Waldman 253
(From _The London Mercury_)

FIRE AND WATER. By Glenway Wescott 270
(From _Collier’s Weekly_)

THE DEVIL DRUM. By Barrett Willoughby 287
(From _The Century Magazine_)

GIDEON’S REVENGE. By Elinor Wylie 311
(From _The Century Magazine_)

THE YEARBOOK OF THE AMERICAN SHORT STORY,
OCTOBER, 1924, TO SEPTEMBER, 1925 323

Abbreviations 325

Addresses of Magazines Publishing Short Stories 330

Biographical Roll of Honor of American Short Stories 334

Roll of Honor of Foreign Short Stories in American
Magazines 345

The Best Books of Short Stories 349

Volumes of Short Stories Published in the United
States: An Index 351

Articles on the Short Story in American Magazines:
An Index 355

Index of Short Stories in Books 389

I. American Authors 389

II. British and Irish Authors 395

III. Translations 402

Magazine Averages 406

Index of Short Stories Published in American
Magazines 409

I. American Authors 410

II. British and Irish Authors 441

III. Translations 446

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