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For Love and Dollars

5 Short Stories by O. HENRY

FOR LOVE AND DOLLARS

Choix des textes, adaptation et notes

Sylvie Persec Agrégée d’anglais

La collection s’adresse à tous ceux qui ont envie de lire des textes littÊraires en version originale. Les ouvrages regroupent par thèmes les textes d’auteurs connus et reconnus dans chacune des langues proposÊes.

Les textes sont prÊsentÊs en version intÊgrale ou en version adaptÊe et simpliƂÊe selon le niveau de diHƂcultÊ. L’essentiel du vocabulaire nÊcessaire est traduit sur la page de gauche pour une lecture Hacile et rapide.

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INTRODUCTION Un arnaqueur de grande classe, spécialiste des casses, D «i i à ÀÌ `i «À à ] Ãj`Õ Ì iÌ j« ÕÃi > w i `½Õ banquier et renonce par amour à sa carrière. Deux rois de l’escroquerie venus du Sud profond des États-Unis partent à la conquête de New-York, tandis que deux autres pensent avoir trouvé l’idée du siècle en kidnappant l’enfant d’un notable pour quelques milliers de dollars...

Tout est possible dans les nouvelles de O. Henry ! L’ironie est de mise. Renversements comiques, et scènes cocasses s’enchaînent, jusqu’à des dénouements incroyables.

Ces célèbres nouvelles (titres originaux The Ransom of Red Chief, A Retrieved Reformation et Babes in the Jungle) ont donné lieu à de nombreuses adaptations cinématographiques. Tout comme The Gift (The Gift of the Magi) et One Thousand Dollars.

L’auteur : O. Henry (de son vrai nom William Sydney Porter, 1862 –1910) est un des maîtres de la nouvelle populaire américaine, admiré du grand Steinbeck. Les inimitables w > ÌÜ ÃÌÃ Õ `j Õi i Ìà >ÌÌi `ÕÃ] V>À>VÌjÀ Ãi Ì Õ i ÕÛÀi «À wµÕi >ÕÝ «iÀà >}ià >ÕÌà i V Õ iÕÀ°

TABLE DES MATIĂˆRES About the author

p. 9

Jimmy Valentine (1903)

p.11

(Adapted from A Retrieved Reformation)

The Ransom (1907)

p. 29

(Adapted from The Ransom of Red Chief)

One Thousand Dollars (1908)

p. 49

(Abridged version)

The Painting (1910)

p. 63

(Adapted from Babes in the Jungle)

The Gift (1905) (Adapted from The Gift of the Magi)

p. 75

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to be born = naître real = vrai to leave (left, left) = quitter

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to find (found, found) = trouver

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to steal (stole, stolen) = voler to spend (spent, spent) = passer

• •

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funny = drôle(s) an ending = une fin to use = utiliser to be released = être libéré to move = déménager a weekly newspaper = un hebdomadaire by then = à ce moment-là to learn (learnt, learnt) = apprendre robbers = voleurs burglars = cambrioleurs to die = mourir

ABOUT THE AUTHOR O. Henry was born in North Carolina (US) in 1862.His real name was William Sidney Porter. He left school when he was only fifteen.

Aged twenty, he found a job at the First National Bank of Texas. But in 1896 he was accused of stealing money from the bank where he worked. He was arrested and spent three years in prison. That was when he began to write stories. They were funny stories with surprise endings. He used a pseudonym, O. Henry.

He was released in 1901 and moved to New York in 1902. He began to publish short stories in a weekly newspaper. By then, he had learnt a lot about robbers, burglars and policemen. His stories were immediately very popular. They were often adapted for cinema.

He died in 1910.

9

Les 10 mots clés de l’histoire a safe / a safe burglary = un coffre-fort / un casse a safecracker = un casseur de coffre-forts robberies = des vols to be released / the release = être libéré / la libération jail = la prison a burglar = un cambrioleur to catch (caught, caught) = attraper to start = commencer to locate = repérer to lock = verrouiller

10

Jimmy Valentine Jimmy Valentine, an expert safecracker, is released from jail. In the following weeks, a few robberies are committed. Detective Ben Price, who arrested Jimmy, understands that Jimmy Valentine is back in business and wants to catch him again. But Jimmy falls in love with Annabel, a banker’s daughter, and decides to start a new and honest life.

7he story‫ތ‬s surprise ending will leave you smiling.

t

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• • • • • • •

to be released = être libéré jail = la prison the warden = le directeur de la prison brace up = prends ton courage à deux mains make yourself an honest man = deviens honnête a bad fellow = un mauvais gars to crack safes = forcer des coffre-forts

•

decent = convenables unlock him = libérez-le better think over = tu ferais bien de réfléchir à advice = des conseils un railroad ticket = un billet de train a five-dollar bill = un billet de cinq dollars to shake (shook, shaken) hands = se serrer la main

•

to taste = goûter

• •

leisurely = tranquillement to board a train = monter dans un train

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alone = seul

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a key = une clé

• • • • • •

12

Jimmy Valentine

Jimmy was released after ten months in jail.

“Now, Valentine,” said the warden, “you’ll go out in the morning. Brace up, make yourself an honest man.

You’re not a bad fellow. Stop cracking safes.”

“Me?” said Jimmy, in surprise. “Why, I never cracked a safe in my life.”

“Oh, no,” laughed the warden. “Of course not!”

“Take him back, Cronin!” said the warden, “and give him some decent clothes. Unlock him at seven in the morning. Better think over my advice, Valentine.”

At a quarter past seven the next morning, the warden gave Jimmy a railroad ticket, a five-dollar bill and a cigar. They shook hands and Mr. James Valentine walked out into the sunshine.

Jimmy went into a restaurant. There he tasted the first joys of liberty: chicken and a bottle of white wine— followed by a cigar.

From there he walked leisurely to the station and boarded his train. Three hours later he arrived in a little town. He went to a café and shook hands with Mike, who was alone behind the bar.

“Feeling all right, Jimmy?” said Mike.

“Fine,” said Jimmy. “Got my key?”

13

Les 20 mots clÊs de l’histoire a kidnapper = un ravisseur to steal (stole, stolen) = voler to catch (caught, caught) = attraper to conceal = dissimuler to hide (hid, hidden) = se cacher VQ ƂPF QWV HQWPF HQWPF = dÊcouvrir to keep (kept, kept) = garder to return a captive = rendre un prisonnier to run away / escape = s’enfuir to demand a ransom = exiger une rançon a cave = une grotte to hit (hit, hit) = frapper to kick = donner un coup de pied to whip = fouetter to burn (burnt, burnt) = brÝler to threaten = menacer to smash = fracasser scratches = des Êcorchures bruises = des bleus / des contusions to be afraid = avoir peur

28

The Ransom La rançon Bill and Sam decide to kidnap a boy and demand a ransom: easy—apparently. But the victim, a ten-year old boy, is a very difficult kid and a real terror. After one night, the two criminals desperately want to return the captive. The only problem is: will the boy’s father accept to pay the ransom to have him back?

This hilarious short story has often been adapted for cinema.

t

29

•

to look like = sembler wait till = attendez que to tell (told, told) = raconter to strike (struck, struck) = frapper during = pendant madness = folie didn’t find out till later = nous ne le découvrîmes que plus tard to need = avoir besoin to start a business = monter une affaire to talk over = discuter

•

an only child = un enfant unique

•

with freckles = avec des tâches de rousseur would easily agree = accepterait facilement

• • • • • • •

• •

•

• • • •

• • • • • •

about two miles away = à environ trois kilomètres de là the rear = l’arrière to store = entreposer we drove […] past (drive, drove, driven) = nous passâmes devant a buggy = une carriole to throw (threw, thrown) = jeter a kitten = un chaton a fence = une clôture a ride = une balade catches Bill neatly in the eye = atteint Bill pile dans l’œil

30

The Ransom

It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you. We were down South, in Alabama when this kidnapping idea struck us, “during a moment of temporary madness” but we didn’t find that out till later.

Bill and me had a capital of about six hundred dollars, and we needed just two thousand dollars more to start a – fraudulent – business in Western Illinois with. We talked it over on the front steps of the hotel. It looked good.

We selected for our victim the only child of a prominent citizen named Ebenezer Dorset. The father was a respectable banker. The kid was a boy of ten, with freckles and red hair. We thought that Ebenezer would easily agree to pay a ransom of two thousand dollars. But wait till I tell you.

About two miles away was a little mountain, covered with cedars. On the rear of this mountain was a cave.

There we stored provisions. One evening, we drove in a buggy past old Dorset’s house. The kid was in the street, throwing rocks at a kitten on the opposite fence.

“Hey, little boy!” says Bill, “would you like to have a bag of candy and a nice ride?”

The boy catches Bill neatly in the eye with a piece of brick.

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