A Hidden Beautiful Face

"Valentine, you will go out in the morning," announced the prison warden with an air of authority in his words. "Brace up, make a man of yourself. You are not a bad fellow at heart. Stop cracking safes, and live straight."

"Me?" feigning surprise, Valentine said. "Why, I never cracked a safe in my life."

It was for bank robbery Jimmy Valentine had been sentenced for a four-year term in prison. However, with the support from friends, he was able to get a pardon from the governor after being imprisoned only for ten months. That was how he ended up at the office of the warden. "Better think over my advice, Valentine," the warden said, with an earnest desire to see the young man rehabilitated as an honest citizen.

But Valentine didn't give a hoot to the warden's advice. Almost immediately after his release, he robbed three banks one after another in Richmond (Indiana), Logansport and Jefferson City. Noting the similarities in the burglaries, detective Ben Price, who had nabbed Valentine earlier, was convinced that the culprit was Valentine.

In the meantime, Valentine landed at Elmore, a little town in Arkansas (a state in U.S), where he set up a shoe store under the assumed name. Ralph Spencer. He also fell in love with Annabel Adams, the beautiful daughter of the owner of "The Elmore Bank." His business flourished and within one year of his arrival at Elmore, he got engaged to be married to Annabel.

He broke the good news of his wedding to one of his friends through a letter. In that letter he had also requested him to meet him at Little Rock to pick up the tools he had been using for burglary, as he no longer needed them. Detective Price who got wind of this message arrived at Elmore as Valentine and the Adams family were taking a quick look at the new safe and vault which the bank had just put in. Price was determined to block Valentine's wedding and bring him to justice.

Valentine who had arrived at the bank with a suitcase full of tools was getting ready to leave for Little Rock when he heard a scream from Annabel's married sister. Her two children, May and Agatha, were running about, and the 9-year-old May had shut the 5-year-old sibling in the vault for fun. Unfortunately, the combination of the lock had not been set and nobody knew how to open it again.

 

As Agatha panicked and continued to shriek inside the dark vault, Annabel approached Valentine and said, "Can't you do something, Ralph?" Annabel had no idea about Valentine's knack for cracking safes; she made the request only because she thought that he would somehow find a solution.

Valentine knew he was the only one there who could save the child by opening the vault. He also knew that any attempt to use his tools would betray his past, endanger his planned wedding. and bring him to justice.

"Get away from the door, all of you," Valentine commanded. Then he opened his suitcase, selected some tools, cracked open the vault and got the child out. As everybody looked at him in total astonishment, he put his tools back in the suitcase, closed it and walked to the front door thinking that he had betrayed himself in the act. Imagine his surprise when he saw Detective Price standing at the front door waiting for him.

 

Valentine was a criminal. But as the warden had reminded him earlier, he was not a bad fellow at heart. That was why, when it came to the question of saving a child at the expense of his future security and married life, he did not hesitate.

Yes, there is so much goodness in everybody. Nobody is bad at heart. It is usually the circumstances that make some people behave so badly. However, if we give the right training and encouragement, they would never end up as criminals or losers in life. But unfortunately, we very often fail to see this goodness in others as well as in ourselves.

 

Let us come back to the rest of the story as told by the American literary genius, O. Henry in "A Retrieved Reformation." When Valentine saw Ben Price standing at the door, he said, "Hello, Ben! Got around at last, have you? Well, let's go." Valentine was ready to be arrested and brought to justice. However, Price had other ideas. He said: "Guess, you are mistaken, Mr. Spencer. Don't believe I recognize you."

 

Price who came to arrest Valentine saw his goodness in saving a child at the cost of betraying himself. That struck a chord in his heart and he did not want to put Valentine into trouble; he allowed him to go free!

 

There is so much goodness in our hearts. If only it is reflected in our daily life!

 

There is so much goodness in everybody.  Nobody is bad at heart.