Kings and Cabbage

The only large-format work of the genius of short stories O. Henry is a small but very rich in plot and full of swift action, cheerful humor, and biting satire, the mischievous novel Kings and Cabbage. In a small Latin American banana republic of Anchuria, shock and dismay reign — President Miraflores has run away with the American singer Miss Gilbert, not forgetting to shave off his widely known wild beard for disguise and take with him a huge sum of state money. An American businessman, Goodwin, boldly sets out to search for the runaway swindler, having decided to ingratiate himself with the new government in this way. Thus begins a mad intrigue involving conservatives and liberals, revolutionaries and smugglers, adventurers of all kinds, lively beauties, a mysterious American detective, and even sharp entrepreneurs who decided to open the first shoe store in barefoot Anchuria... In addition to Kings and Cabbage, the collection also includes stories from various cycles of O. Henry — kind, funny, and mischievous, mostly dedicated to the twists and turns of love and marriage and the difficulties of survival in the metropolis and rural backwoods.