THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1922

THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1922

AND THE

YEARBOOK OF THE AMERICAN SHORT STORY

EDITED BY

EDWARD J. O’BRIEN

EDITOR OF “THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1915” “THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1916” “THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1917” “THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1918” “THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1919” “THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1920” “THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1921” “THE GREAT MODERN ENGLISH STORIES,” ETC.

BOSTON SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1921, by Broom, The Curtis Publishing Company, Brief Stories Publishing Company and The Pagan Publishing Company.

Copyright, 1922, by The Boston Transcript Company.

Copyright, 1922, by The Dial Publishing Company, Inc., The Pictorial Review Company, The Junior League Bulletin, George H. Doran Company, The Century Company, The Metropolitan Magazine Company, Smart Set Company, Inc., Margaret C. Anderson, The International Magazine Company (Cosmopolitan), and Waldo Frank.

Copyright, 1923, by Conrad Aiken, Sherwood Anderson, Konrad Bercovici, Susan M. Boogher, Frederick Booth, Edna Bryner, Rose Gollup Cohen, Charles J. Finger, F. Scott Fitzgerald, David Freedman, Katharine Fullerton Gerould, Ben Hecht, Joseph Hergesheimer, William C. G. Jitro, Ring W. Lardner, James Oppenheim, Benjamin Rosenblatt, Wilbur Daniel Steele, and Clement Wood.

Copyright, 1923, by Small, Maynard & Company, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

PRESS OF THE MURRAY PRINTING COMPANY KENDALL SQUARE, CAMBRIDGE

Forest Hill, Oxon, England, October 10, 1922.

My dear Mr. Herford:

I had just finished star-stamping for the year, and I felt a bit exhausted when one of those kind friends every one has, sent me a copy of “Say It with Asterisks,” beautifully bound. Picture my delight when I discovered that a baffling problem which had haunted me for weeks was solved. To whom should I dedicate “The Best Short Stories of 1922”? I could not inscribe it to our Mr. Anderson always, and yet he insisted upon writing the best stories year after year. At last I knew. Palmam qui meruit ferat. No curate’s egg this time! The dedication should read:

* * * * * * * * * *

* TO *

* OLIVER HERFORD *

* “SUCH IS LIFE” *

* * * * * * * * * *

For we both deserve it.

Cordially yours,

EDWARD J. O’BRIEN.

BY WAY OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Grateful acknowledgment for permission to include the stories and other material in this volume is made to the following authors, editors and publishers:

To the Editor of Broom, the Curtis Publishing Company, the Editor of Brief Stories, the Editor of The Pagan, the Editor of The Dial, the Editor of The Pictorial Review, the Editor of The Bookman (New York), the Editor of The Century, the Editor of The Metropolitan, the Editors of The Smart Set, Miss Margaret C. Anderson, the Editor of The Cosmopolitan, Mr. Conrad Aiken, Mr. Sherwood Anderson, Mr. Konrad Bercovici, Miss Susan M. Boogher, Mr. Frederick Booth, Miss Edna Bryner, Miss Rose Gollup Cohen, Mr. Charles J. Finger, Mr. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mr. David Freedman, Mrs. Katharine Fullerton Gerould, Mr. Ben Hecht, Mr. Joseph Hergesheimer, Mr. William C. G. Jitro, Mr. Ring W. Lardner, Mr. James Oppenheim, Mr. Benjamin Rosenblatt, Mr. Wilbur Daniel Steele, and Mr. Clement Wood.

Acknowledgments are specially due to The Boston Evening Transcript for permission to reprint the large body of material previously published in its pages.

I shall be grateful to my readers for corrections, and particularly for suggestions leading to the wider usefulness of this annual volume. In particular, I shall welcome the receipt, from authors, editors, publishers, of stories printed during the period between October, 1922 and September, 1923 inclusive, which have qualities of distinction and yet are not printed in periodicals falling under my regular notice. Such communications may be addressed to me at Forest Hill, Oxfordshire, England.

E. J. O.