Between Rounds by O. Henry. Short summary

5 seconds

At Mrs. Murphy’s boarding house lives the McCaskey couple. The couple often quarrel and throw dishes at each other. One day they call a truce when they learn that the hostess’s son is missing.

1 minute

The May moon lit Mrs. Murphy’s guesthouse well. Its windows were open, and some of the occupants were sitting on flat mats on the porch. On the second floor, Mrs. McCaskey had her spouse waiting at the window. He does not appear until 9 o’clock, and a disgruntled woman scolds him for being late and complains that dinner has long since gotten cold.

She bought groceries with the last of her money, since her husband drank most of the proceeds on the weekends with his friend. In addition, they had debts to the gas company. The husband retaliates by insulting his wife and demanding that she
to serve the table. The angry woman throws a pot of turnip stew at him.

Mrs. and Mr. McCaskey begin throwing food and utensils at each other. When the menu is over, the battle stops. The husband finds the washbowl and launches it at his wife, but she dodges it and grabs the iron.

Suddenly, the heroes hear a loud scream from downstairs and call a truce. Soon it becomes known that the landlady’s son has disappeared. Major Grieg wants to search the town and find him.