Summarize the story Ruthlessly. She had learned to dread that tone of his voice; it was the tone he used when he was planning to “put something over”8in a business deal.“Whoever broke into my closet last Winter and stole my liquor will probably try it again once we are out of here,” he went on, “only this time he’ll wish he hadn’t.”She caught her breath at the cruel vindictiveness of his manner as one by one he dropped the tablets into the bottle and held it up to watch them dissolve.“What are they?” she asked, “something to make him sick?”And how!” He seemed fascinated as he saw the thegenialBourbon change into a lethal dose: “At least no one has found an antidote:9once it’s down its curtains.”10He corked his bottled vengeance and set it back on the shelf alongside the little whiskey glass.“Everything nice and handy,” he remarked approvingly. “Now, Mr. Thief, when you break in, drink heartily;11I won’t begrudge12you this one.”The woman’s face was pale. “Don’t do it, Judson,” she gasped. “It’s horrible — it’s murder.” The law doesn’t call it to murder if I shoot a thief who is entering my house by force,” he said harshly.“Also, the use of rat poison is quite legal. The only way any rat can get into this closet is to break in. What happens then is his affair, not mine.” Don’t do it, Judson,” she begged. “The law doesn’t punish burglary by death; so what right have you—” When it comes to protecting my property I make my laws.” His deep voice suggested a big dog growling at threatened loss of a bone.“But all they did was to steal a little liquor,” she pleaded. “Probably some boys off on a lark.13Theydiddodocan't do any real damage.” That’s not the point,” he said. “If a man holds me up and robs me of five dollars it makes me just assure as if he took a hundred. A thief’s a thief.”[10][15][20]6. a small hard ball or tube-shaped piece of any substance7.to pull the cork out of a bottle or other container8.to trick or deceive someone9.medicine is taken to stop the effects of a certain poison10. the end, as in when the curtain closes over a stage at the end of a play11.to drink cheerfully12.Begrudge(verb): to give reluctantly or without pleasure13. just having fun2
“Ruthless” by William DeMille, from the anthology50 Short Stories: An Omnibus of Short Stories, edited by Mary Anne Howard (1945), is in the public domain. She made one last effort. “We won’t be here till next spring. I can’t bear to think of that deathtrap14waiting there all the time. Suppose something happens to us — and no one knows — ”He chuckled once more at her words. “We’ll take a chance on that,” he said. “I’ve made my pile15bytaking chances. If I should die, you can do as you please. The staff will be yours.”It was useless to argue, she knew. He had always been ruthless in business and whenever anything crossed him. Things had to be done his way. She turned toward the outer door with a sigh of defeat.“I’ll walk down the road and say goodbye at the farmhouse,” she said quietly. “You can pick me up there.” She had made up her mind to tell Alec’s wife. Someone had to know.“Okay, my dear,” he smiled genially, “and don’t worry about your poor, abused little burglar. No one is going to get hurt who hasn’t got it coming to him.”As she went down the path he started to close the closet door; then paused as he remembered his hunting boots drying outside on the porch. They belonged in the closet, so leaving the door open he went to fetch them from the heavy, rustic16table on which they stood, along with his bag and topcoat. Alec was coming up from the lake and waved to him from a distance. A chipmunk, hearing Judson’sheavy tread, abandoned the acorn he was about to add to his store within the cabin wall and disappeared, like an electric bulb burning out. Judson, reaching for his boots, stepped fairly upon the acorn, his foot slid from under him and his head struck the massive table as he fell. Several minutes later he began to regain his senses. Alec’s strong arm was supporting his as he lay on the porch and a kindly voice was saying: “’ Twarn’t much of a fall, Mr. Webb. You aren’t cut any; just knocked out for a minute. Here, take this; it’ll pull you together.”A small whiskey glass was pressed to his lips. Dazed and half-conscious, he drank.