O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), an American writer. O. Henry's short stories are loved for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and surprise endings.

The Ransom of Red Chief is a tale of a kidnapping. A couple of desperados abduct the 10-year-old son of the richest man in a village in the Deep South. But the pair soon discover that they have taken on far more than they had bargained for.

The boy's energy, curiosity, creativity, sense of mischief and total lack of respect for his kidnappers soon have him running rings around them. And it turns out the boy is a chip off the old block. His father is by no means a soft touch for a ransom and offers them a deal which they cannot refuse....