Retrieved Reformation by O. Henry

The story Retrieved Reformation by O. Henry is the tale of a crook by the name of Jimmy Valentine. Jimmy's occupation was cracking safes in banks. When he is pardoned from jail by the governor, he returns to his career as a cracksman. After a while, he arrived to the small town of Elmore, where he pretended to be Ralph D Spencer. There, he met Annabel Adams, the daughter of the owner of the bank. Within a year of living at Elmore, he was a respected man, his shoestore was flourishing, and he was to be engaged to Annabel. He decided to not do anything wretched every again for Annabel, and sent a letter to a close fried in St. Louis to take his kit of tools. One day, when Mr. Adams, Annabel's father, showed them a new safe, and all of its workings. Agatha, Annabel's sister's daughter, accidentally got locked into the safe. It was then that Jimmy's act of Ralph D. Spencer vanished and was replaced by his safe-cracking nature. He saved Agatha, and then walked out of the bank to meet up with none other than Ben Price, the man who was to arrest him. Ben Price had evidently seen Jimmy's act of compassion. He pretended not to recognize him, and walked away. So, in the end, Jimmy, though he was a criminal, was found to have a kind heart.