The Cop and the Anthem
Complete textWinter is approaching, and Soapy decides that a term in jail would provide the shelter he cannot find on the streets. His efforts to attract police attention bring him through a sequence of encounters in which respectable appearances and actual intentions fail to align.
Continue readingAbout The Cop and the Anthem
The city's rules become comic through repeated reversals of expected cause and effect. Shopkeepers, policemen and passersby read Soapy according to social cues that do not disclose his purpose. Beneath the brisk humor lies a practical question about which forms of refuge are available to someone without a home.
Reading focus
Compare Soapy's intentions with the public meanings assigned to his behavior in each street encounter.
This reading edition contains 2,273 words in 1 original section. Read the text online with adjustable type and three colour themes, or keep a printable PDF.
Author: O Henry. Language: English. Reading edition: 28 October 2026.
Opening excerpt
On his bench in Madison Square Soapy moved uneasily. When wild geese honk high of nights, and when women without sealskin coats grow kind to their husbands, and when Soapy moves uneasily on his bench in the park, you may know that winter is near at hand.
Contents
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Is this the complete The Cop and the Anthem?
This edition contains the complete English literary text, with 1 section and 2,273 words. This reading edition preserves the checked English text and its section order. No study notes have been added.
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