The Ransom of Red Chief

The play, based on the short story of the famous American writer O'Henry, takes place in one of the towns of the state of Alabama at the beginning of the twentieth century. Two small-time criminals, Bill Driscoll and Sam Howard, kidnap a boy named Johnny, the red-haired son of Ebenezer Dorset, an important citizen, and hold him for ransom. But the moment that they arrive at their hideout with the boy, the plan begins to unravel, as Johnny starts to enjoy his kidnappers. Calling himself "Red Chief", Johnny proceeds to drive his captors to distraction with his unrelenting chatter, malicious pranks and demands that they play wearying games with him, such as riding on Bill's back pretending to be an Indian scout. The criminals write a ransom letter to the boy's father, lowering the ransom from $2,000 to $1,500, believing that the father will not pay much money for his return. The father, who knows his son well and realizes how intolerable he will be to his captors and how eager they will soon be to rid themselves of the delinquent child, rejects their demand and offers to take the boy off their hands if they pay him $250. The men hand over the money and the howling boy – who had been happier being away from his strict father – and flee while the father restrains his son from following them.