Summary of Best Seller NCERT Class 9th | Best Seller By O Henry Summary

Study Material and Summary of Best Seller NCERT Class 9th

Character Sketch
• John A Pescud: He was small and not handsome. He was a street vendor for a glass company. He was very successful and his salary was raised twice the year before and his company had to give him as few actions. 

Best Seller By O Henry Summary

According to him, flat glass was the most important commodity in the world. He was hypocritical, mocking the Best Sellers stories by calling them unrealistic but in his real life he followed himself a girl as a hearo of some bestseller and later married that girl.

• Jessie Allyn was beautiful and pretty. She was the only daughter of Colonel Allyn belonging to the oldest Virginia family. She was proud of her aristocratic lineage and rich home. She was observant and perspicacious and was attracted to Pescud.

• Colonel Allyn: He was Jessie's father and the retired colonel with a severe and strict face. He was an angry looking man who rarely laughed. He had the hobby of telling and listening to the stories of strangers and travelers who came to him.

Best Seller By O Henry Summary And Analysis 

One day, the narrator was on the way to Pittsburgh for commercial purposes by the chair-car. He was sitting on chair No. 7. After a while he noticed someone on chair No. 9 When he saw him, remembered him right away. They were both old acquaintances and met after two years. His name was John Pescud. He was reading the Best Seller 'The Lady of Rose and Trevelyan'. Pescud was a street vendor for a glass company. He also believes that flat glass is the most important commodity in the world.

On his way to the book he was reading, Pescud said that the novel was about an American hero who falls in love with a royal princess of Europe. He believed that these novels only happened in novels because in real life every reasonable type would choose a girl of the same kind of status and family.

After mocking the imaginative content of the novel, Pescud informs the writer that professionally he prospered and he had also invested in real estate. Pescud recounts his personal experience. He went to Cincinnati, when he met a very beautiful girl whom he wanted to marry. He pursued her everywhere she went, crossing many stations and finally arrived at Virginia. She was escorted into a palatial mansion by a great old man. 

Pescud stayed in the village and discovered that she was the daughter of Colonel Allyn, who was the tallest and handsomest man in Virginia. He met the beautiful girl the next day and tried to converse with her. He discovers that his name was Jessie and his father was the royal descendant of a renowned British family. She knew all the time that Pescud followed her and warned him that his father would feed him to the dogs, if Pescud thought of a proposal. Nevertheless, nothing seemed to discourage Pescud, and with the desired ceremony he arrived at the manor. 

He was surprised to see that the inside of the palace was very poor with very old furniture. Colonel Allyn arrived in great style despite his shabby clothes. Speaking of anecdotes and humorous events, Pescud frankly put forward his proposal, giving all the details of his enterprise and his family. He is accepted by Jessie and her family and the wedding took place a year ago.

Pescud had built a house in East End and the colonel also resided with him. He waited every day at the door for Pescud to hear a new story. At that time the train was approaching Coketown. It seemed to be a dull and sad place and the writer questioned Pescud regarding his goal of going down to Coketown. 

Pescud told the writer that he stopped there to get Petunias that Jessie had seen in one of the houses. Pescud invited the writer to make a visit and went down to the station. The train moves forward and the writer discovers that Pescud has left his best-seller. He picked it up and smiled to himself because Pescud's own story was no less than a bestseller.