# Ranse Truesdell — Short Fiction character guide

> Ranse Truesdell in Short Fiction by O. Henry.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Ranse, a Truesdell

**First appearance:** 0000-lord-oakhurst-s-curse

## Snapshot

A young man who sends a street boy to translate his heartbreak to the woman he loves, armed with a letter that might undo a misunderstanding.

## Who they are

Ranse is the figure on the bench, watching a messenger shuttle between him and a lady who believes she caught him embracing another woman in the conservatory. His plea — that loyalty never wavered, that a little trust mixed with her ideal might have spared heartache — is delivered through the boy's comic slang. The letter from Robert Ashburton is his one gambit, and the story's middle hinges on whether she reads it.

## In the story

### [The Whirligig of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/the-whirligig-of-life)

The husband seeking divorce, later reconciled.

### [One Thousand Dollars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/one-thousand-dollars)

Not present in this chapter.

### [The Rathskeller and the Rose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/the-rathskeller-and-the-rose)

Not present in this chapter.

### [The Making of a New Yorker](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/the-making-of-a-new-yorker)

Not present in this chapter.

### [An Adjustment of Nature](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/an-adjustment-of-nature)

Not present in this chapter.

### [The Handbook of Hymen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/the-handbook-of-hymen)

Not present in this chapter.

### [The Higher Abdication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/the-higher-abdication)

Rancher who attempts to reform Curly through discipline and hard work.

### [Calloway's Code](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/calloway-s-code)

Not directly present; the story focuses on the Enterprise staff.

### [Proof of the Pudding](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/proof-of-the-pudding)

Not present in this chapter.

### [No Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/no-story)

Not present in this chapter.

### [A Poor Rule](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/chapters/a-poor-rule)

Not present in this chapter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/characters/ranse_truesdell
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_41_se/characters