2. Summary
The story is set on a train to Denver. An elegantly attired
woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on the train when
two men arrive and take the seat facing her. It quickly
becomes apparent that the woman knows one of the men.
She speaks to this man, Mr. Easton, and then she is rather
surprised to discover that he is handcuffed to the man
seated beside him. As Easton greets the young woman, 'He
slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the
shining 'bracelet' to the left one of his companion.
Evidently, the man with Easton senses Easton's
embarrassment and volunteers an explanation: Easton is
the marshal, and the two are headed for Leavenworth
prison.
3. 'It's seven years for counterfeiting' Easton says. As the
conversation continues, the woman is surprised to
learn that Easton has discarded his life in Washington
to become a marshal out West, but she finds the West
agreeable as well. The young woman continues to chat
with her acquaintance, but she continues to stare at
the handcuffs. To ease her concerns, the scruffy
looking older man tells her, ''Don't you worry about
them, miss,' said the other man. 'All marshals
handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them
from getting away.
4. Mr. Easton knows his business.'' As the two men stand
to go to the smoker car, the young woman bids Mr.
Easton good bye. All the while, two passengers seated
nearby have listened to the conversation. One remarks
on Mr. Easton's appearance, saying that he seems too
young to be a marshal. The other eavesdropping
passenger corrects the mistake, one that the young
woman and readers have likely made as well. Mr.
Easton is not the marshal; he is the counterfeiter.
5. Characters
Miss Fairchild:-She is an attractive young woman on
train (Main Character).
Mr.Easton:-Real Criminal (Main Character).
Mr.Marshal:-He is the U.S Marshal (Main Character).
Passengers:-Two passengers seated nearby were
listening to the conversation
6. Theme
The main theme of the story is “kindnesss”. This story
suggests the theme that people will display "heart," or
kindness, for others with no self-interest.
The real Marshal is kind man who spares Mr. Easton as
well as Miss Fairchild, some embarrassment with no
ulterior motives at all. He gains nothing from doing
this. He make sure Miss Fairchild is informed that
Mr. Easton is Marshal so she won’t be horrified.
The “Heart” part of tittle dedicated to Mr. Marshal and
the “Hand” part is about Mr. Easton.
7. Interpretation
In ''Hearts and Hands,'' a woman, Miss Fairchild, spots
an old friend named Mr. Easton on a train handcuffed
to another man. That man calls her friend Mr. Marshal
when she sees the cuffs. Turns out, the man is actually
the marshal, and Mr. Easton is the prisoner. The
marshal just wants to save them both from
embarrassment.
9. Cotext
O. Henry was born in 1862 in North Carolina.
His work is known for its irony, clever characters, plot
twists, and wit.
Having been arrested himself, perhaps O. Henry drew
some perspective as to how Mr. Easton might have
been feeling when he was spotted by a familiar face
in ''Hearts and Hands''
