1.The Open Window H.H. Munro (Saki) Summary:

The Open Window is a story about FramtonNuttel, a hypochondriac and how he is frightened out ofhis wits by a young girl, Vera.

Framton has moved to the country on his doctor‟s advice to effect a cure for a nervous condition he suffers from. His sister had lived in the area he visits and had given him letters of introduction to his new neighbours. The story concerns his visit to the home of one of these neighbours, a Mrs. Sappleton.

Mr. Nuttel is first met by Mrs. Sappleton‟s niece Vera, who entertains him until her aunt is available. Vera, apparently bored with her guest, has an overactive imagination and a sense of mischief. Once she determines that Mr. Nuttel knows nothing about the family and is a very literal-minded fellow, Vera spins a horror story involving her aunt, whom she characterizes as a mentally disturbed widow.

Three years ago, Mr. Sappleton and his two younger brothers-in-law went hunting, leaving the house through a French window, which was left open until their return. However, all three of them were lost in a bog that day, Vera asserts, and their bodies were never recovered. The aunt, driven to distraction by her grief and loss, left the window open thereafter, anticipating that they, along with their dog would return the same way.

When Mrs. Sappleton finally appears, she explains why the window is open, apparently confirming Vera‟s story. Mr. Nuttel then tells Mrs. Sappleton about his nervous disorder and his need to avoid any “mental excitement.” Mrs. Sappleton is clearly bored, but at that very moment she sees her husband and brothers returning from their hunt. Vera appears horrified by the sight of them. The nervous Mr. Nuttel is therefore terrified and beats a hasty retreat from the house.

Vera‟s yarn was purely imaginary. Mr. Nuttel has obviously been duped by Vera‟s story, but Vera, a habitual liar, does not explain his odd behavior to the others. Instead, Vera invents another story that suggests Mr. Nuttel had once been frightened by “a pack of pariah dogs” in a cemetery “on the banks of the Ganges” and apparently had bolted at the sight of the spaniel accompanying the hunters. Thus, Mr. Nuttel is perfectly victimized by the young girl‟s imagination. 2. The Lion’s Share Arnold Bennett Summary: Arnold Bennett’s The Lion’s Share is a tragi-comic story of Horace whose benevolent nature makes him live a life misery and unhappiness. Horace Carpole lived in Five Towns with his stepmother and his stepbrother, Sidney. By the time he was 19, he was a model youth. He was too perfect to be liked by his neighbours. Sidney, on the other hand was loved by everybody. He was mostly unhealthy and slightly deaf.

One day after Sidney had scarlet fever, Horace wanted to carry him downstairs despite his stepmother’s opposing it. It was then the tragedy occurred, Horace slipped and fell down the stairs and landed on Sidney. Sidney was unconscious for a long while. After regaining consciousness and frequently afterwards, he suffered from unbearable pains in the head. After further treatment, Sidney improved slowly.

Horace took great care of him and put him in school. But very soon his head pains recurred and he quit school. Everyone was sympathetic to Sidney and silently blamed Horace for the young lad’s condition. Horace took Sidney to a specialist but to no avail. Horace tried homeschooling but Sidney didn’t learn anything except to play the banjo.

Time passed and Sidney never recovered from the accident. Very frequently he had to go to a seaside resort to improve his health. This depleted Horace’s resources. Meanwhile Ms. Carpole died of ill health. Around this time, Horace came into a small fortune from his maternal grandfather. With some of the money, he bought a house on a hill for his brother. With the rest of the money, he bought a partnership in the pottery firm he had been working in. Sidney reached the age of eighteen and had grown into a handsome young man. His deafness disappeared and his health improved. He had painting skills. So Horace employed him in his firm. Very soon, Sidney’s head-attacks started again. He used to work very little and took frequent leave.

Meanwhile Horace was in love to Ella, who was on a visit to the Five Towns. She was staying with Mrs. Penkethman. As Sidney had gone off to a European cruise to restore his health, Horace was feeling lonely. He thought that Ella too admired him. One day he invited both of them to his house for tea. As they were enjoying tea and conversation, Sidney appeared on the scene. He had returned from his travels. Ella was left speechless from that point on.

After a while, the visitors were on their way back accompanied by the brothers. Ella was walking with Sidney and both were chatting to each other. A few weeks later, Sidney was married to Ella and Horace bore all the expenses. Horace suffered both emotionally and financially. He also had to continue supporting his brother now that he was married. His manufacturing unit was suffering losses. Meanwhile Ella came into some money of her own and the couple decided to travel. Horace wanted to ask Ella for financial help but couldn’t bring himself to do so. So he repaid all his creditors and went to Sidney and Ella to inform of his departure to Germany to take up a job. That very night Sidney had another attack and Horace, without disturbing Ella, took care of his brother. He then informed her in the morning and left for Germany.

A few months later Ella and Sidney bought Horace’s old house and moved in. Horace returned to the Five Towns after several years. He had done well in Germany and now wanted to start life afresh. When he met his brother, he found him to be healthy with a banjo in his hand. Ella was also happy. They had a child too. They didn’t seem too interested in Horace’s life.

When Ella suggested having tea in the drawing room, Horace’s nephew came up to him asking to be carried downstairs. Horace, with the experience of a man doomed throughout his life, immediately refused to do so. 3. The Sparrows K.A. Abbas Summary: Sparrows is one of the greatest short stories from the pen of K.A. Abbas. It tells the story of RahimKhan, who, despite his despicable behaviour, proves to have a heart of gold.

Rahim Khan, a 50-year old farmer, was disliked by the people of his village. He was rude and violent to everyone. His sons couldn‟t stand his violence and had run away from home. One day he returned home from his farm only to be informed by his neighbour that his wife too went away to her brother‟s house. Rahim knew she would never come back. Her absence angered him. He had always known she would leave him one day. He wanted her to leave him. He decided to sleep without eating.

In his youth, Rahim Khan was an athlete and a sportsperson. He excelled in wrestling, kabadi and diving. In fact he wanted to join the circus. He fell in love with Radha who was enamoured by him during a wrestling match. His career ambitions and his love were both crushed by his parents. He wanted to rebel but couldn‟t. Rahim‟s father ensured that Radha got married by talking to her father. Very soon, she adjusted to her new life and bore 5 children.

Rahim Khan too married a girl his parents chose for him. His father thought that his son had accepted his fate. But Rahim Khan took a vow on the night of his consummation that he would take revenge on his family and the society for denying him his heart‟s wish. Thirty years hence, he still continued showing his anger on his wife and children, his bullocks and the entire village. The villagers were first hostile and later became indifferent and afraid. With everyone avoiding him, he started showing his anger and bitterness on his wife by beating her regularly. No one tried to understand his transformation. Finally he was left alone. The next day after his wife left, he woke up late. He had meals and sat down to smoke. After that, he decided to clean the cobwebs in his hut.

As he was doing this, he saw a nest in the thatched roof. Two sparrows were flying in and out of the nest. Rahim‟s first impulse was to destroy the nest. But something stopped him. He climbed a stool and saw that there were two baby sparrows less than a day old. Seeing this, the mother sparrow attacked him. He decided not to do anything to the nest. From the next day onwards, Rahim Khan was a changed man. He went to his farm every day. But his interest was in the two little sparrows which had now grown. He named them Nuru and Bundu after his lost sons. The four sparrows were his only friends. He even stopped beating his bullocks Nathoo and Chhiddoo and fighting with the villagers.

One day when the sky was overcast, Rahim returned home early. It started raining by the time he reached home. The two sparrows were all agog. Rahim Khan on inspection realised that the nest was getting drenched in the rain. Disregarding the rain, he set about repairing the part of the hut that was leaking. As he finished, he sneezed. He had fever the next day. His concerned neighbours visited him. When they didn‟t see him for several days, they went to see him. At that time he was talking to the sparrows wondering how they would live without him. They thought he had gone mad and sent for his wife. The wife and children reached the next day. When the neighbours broke open the door, they found Rahim Khan dead and the four sparrows fluttering in the hut. 4. The Cop and the Anthem O’Henry Summary: O. Henry‟s The Cop and the Anthemcovers one night and one morning in the life of Soapy, a homeless man living in New York City in the early 1900s.

Soapy lives in Madison Square Park. With winter approaching, Soapy has to find shelter. So, he decides to do what he's done for several winters: get himself arrested and spend the winter in jail.

Soapy‟s first plan is to eat in a fancy restaurant and then not paying. This would get him arrested. But the waiter figures out what he's up to just by looking at his clothes—Soapy doesn't make it through the door. Next, Soapy breaks a shop window. Since he doesn't run away, the policeman doesn't believe Soapy is responsible. After that, Soapy finds a cheaper restaurant to try his initial plan on. He gets in and eats a filling meal. When Soapy reveals he can't pay for the meal, the waiters refuse to call the cops, and throws him out onto the street.

Soapy then tries to get arrested by yelling and dancing like a maniac on the street in front of a policeman. This policeman thinks Soapy is a drunk college guy, and leaves Soapy alone. Finally, Soapy steals a man's umbrella, claiming it's his. The man confesses that he actually found the umbrella and that it could well be Soapy's. So, he doesn't call over the policeman watching them.

Soapy gives up trying to get arrested for the night, and heads back to his park bench. On the way, he comes to a quiet street with a church on it. He hears a beautiful anthem (religious hymn, in this case) being played on an organ coming from the church. Soapy knows the anthem and it reminds him of past days when he had family and friends and church.

The anthem creates a huge change in Soapy. He realizes that he can have a better life than this. Inspired and feeling empowered, Soapy begins making plans for the future. He decides to find a job first thing next morning. Luckily for him, he even knows where he can probably get one. Soapy's thoughts are interrupted by the long arm of the law. That long arm is attached to the sixth policeman we see in the story. He arrests Soapy for loitering, or vagrancy (not having a place to live or a way to support yourself). The next morning, a judge sentences Soapy to three months in jail. 5. The Necklace Guy de Maupassant Summary: The Necklace takes place in France several hundred years ago. MathildeLoisel lives in a flat withher husband, who works as a clerk for the Minister of Education. Their lives are not luxurious, but they are not poor, merely simple. Mathilde, however, longs to be rich. She envies her friend Jeanne Forestier who has a large house and lots of jewellery.

One day her husband brings home an invitation to a ball. He thinks his wife will be excited to attend such a fancy party, but instead she is upset. She complains that she has nothing suitable to wear to such an extravagant occasion. Her kind husband agrees to give her the four hundred francs that he had been saving to buy a new rifle to get herself a gown.

The week of the party, Mathilde seems anxious again. When her husband asks her why, she frets that she has no jewellery to wear with her dress. He suggests that perhaps she could borrow something from her friend Jeanne Forestier. Mathilde goes to Jeanne's house and picks out a sparkling diamond necklace to borrow.

She and her husband attend the gala and have a fabulous time. She looks amazing and dances all night. Finally, they head home in the wee hours of the morning. When they arrive home, Mathilde realizes that the necklace is missing. They wonder if it fell off in the carriage that they took home, but neither of them noticed the number. Her husband goes out to search the streets but returns empty handed. To stall for time, Mathilde writes to her friend that she broke the clasp and is having it repaired. In the meantime, they find another necklace that matches the missing one, but it costs thirty- six thousand francs. Her husband fortunately inherited eighteen thousand francs from his father, but they will need to borrow the rest of the money. Finally, they have enough to purchase the replacement necklace and Mathilde gives it to Jeanne who doesn't even look at it.

The next ten years Mathilde's life changes dramatically. They move to a smaller apartment where she has to cook and clean for herself. She also does work on the side while her husband works multiple jobs to pay back all the money they borrowed. After the ten years, the money is all paid back, but Mathilde has aged a great deal.

One day she sees Jeanne Forestier on the street. She decides to tell her the truth about the necklace. Jeanne is stunned by Mathilde's rough appearance. Mathilde explains that it is indirectly because of Jeanne since she lost the necklace she borrowed from her and had to pay for a replacement. Shocked, Jeanne confesses that the necklace Mathilde borrowed was a fake, made of paste, worth no more than five hundred francs.

Clearly, the lesson of the story is that honesty is the best policy. If Mathilde had been honest with her friend from the start, she would have learned that the necklace wasn't made of real diamonds and would not have wasted ten years paying for a replacement.