Class 12 English Unit 16: Writing: Summary Writing Language Devlopment Section

 Writing ( page 134)

Summarize the following part of “The Romance of a Busy Broker”. Consider the following points while writing the summary.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmnR4AZ-XM8 

Summary Notes

Main Idea: A Proposal of Marriage of a Busy Broker

Key Points:

·         Maxwell as a busy man like a machine

·         He has a secretary called Ms Leslie

·         Ms Leslie tries to get his attention

·         Maxwell talks to Pitcher about another secretary but dismisses the idea

·         He gets absent-minded and becomes forgetful

·         He forgets everything due to the smell coming from Ms Leslie's room

·         Keeps proposal of marriage to her but gets informed about the marriage they did the previous evening

Summary

“Romance of a Busy Broker”, written by the famous American writer O’ Henry, is a love story with a twist. The central character in the story is a busy New York broker called Harvey Maxwell. Harvey Maxwell is such a busy man that the author refers to him as a machine. Every day, as soon as he enters the office, he dashes to his desk and plunges into the many letters and telegrams waiting for him. He has a secretary – a young beautiful lady called Miss Leslie. On the morning of the story, Miss Leslie walked into the office with Harvey Maxwell, blushing and looking happy.  

Unlike her usual routine, this morning, she kept hovering around Maxwell’s desk, trying to get his attention. But Maxwell, surrounded by his mail and telegrams, and bombarded by phone calls, was so busy he hardly paid any attention to her. The previous day, he had asked his clerk Pitcher to hire another secretary. But when his clerk brought in a candidate, Maxwell dismissed the candidate and told Pitcher that he was losing his mind. He announced that he did not have any intention of hiring another secretary, as he was perfectly satisfied with the services of Ms Leslie. The clerk quietly declared that Maxwell was getting more and more absent-minded and forgetful as days passed.

As the day progressed, the speed of business grew faster, and Maxwell was working like a machine. He was lost in the world of finance – stocks, bonds, loans, shares and securities. In the middle of his busy day, suddenly a sweet smell of lilac came in through the window. He recognized the smell as belonging to Ms. Leslie, and suddenly he forgot the world of finance. He could only think about her.  In the spur of the moment, he decided to propose marriage to her. He dashed into her office and asked her to marry him. Miss Leslie acted strangely.

At first, she was totally surprised. Then tears flowed from her eyes and she smiled at him. She then put her arms around his neck and told him that they had already gotten married the previous evening. The story thus ends with a surprise, in classic O’ Henry style.

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