O. Henry’s Short Story, ‘Lost on Dress Parade’

A cautionary tale about trying to impress a lady and getting the opposite result.

“A Soirée,” 1909, by Henri Gervex. Public Domain

In Thomas More’s “Utopia,” he says: “[How can anyone] be silly enough to think himself better than other people, because his clothes are made of finer woolen thread than theirs. After all, those fine clothes were once worn by a sheep.” By envying another’s life or wishing to change lives (even for a moment), you sacrifice your own value.

In his short story “Lost on Dress Parade,” O. Henry tells a comical story in which a young man, Mr. Towers Chandler, pretends to be a rich bachelor for an evening. As Chandler plays this part, Henry demonstrates that he loses more by acting than if he were himself.

Dressed to Impress

Chandler works for an architect and earns $18 per week. Out of each weekly paycheck, he saves $1 for 10 weeks so that he can spend an evening as a rich bachelor. With $10, he can easily afford to “play the wealthy idler to perfection.”