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The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein
En Norteamérica, O. Henry es un «imprescindible». Para los lectores de habla hispana, descubrir a este autor constituye un auténtico placer. Narrador soberbio, sus historias breves, ágiles, tiernas, originales, jocosas, sorprendentes, cinematográficas, lí
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About the author
O. Henry
2,919 books1,891 followersSuch volumes as
Cabbages and Kings
(1904) and
The Four Million
(1906) collect short stories, noted for their often surprising endings, of American writer William Sydney Porter, who used the pen name O. Henry.
His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.
Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.
In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.
He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.
In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.
Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves .
In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling .
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York.
In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed.
Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.
People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language.
Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch.
In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him.
He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him.
In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras.
Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves .
In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling .
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York.
In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed.
Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed.
People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 11, 2019
Read as part of “Du Chinese” app’s bite-sized texts.
Funny story about overcoming insecurity in love.
Funny story about overcoming insecurity in love.
April 3, 2018
He’s got the jive talk cool down, with lots of haha to finish.
June 28, 2022
O. Henry's "The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein" is a short story about undeclared love and looking to keep his love free. I did not find Ikey likeable in the least!
Story in short- Ikey is in love but he must decide what to do when he hears of another suitor.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4178
Ikey Schoenstein was the night clerk of the Blue Light and the friend of his customers. Thus it is on the East Side, where the heart of pharmacy is not glacé. There, as it should be, the druggist is a counsellor, a confessor, an adviser, an able and willing missionary and mentor whose learning is respected, whose occult wisdom is venerated and whose medicine is often poured, untasted, into the gutter. Therefore Ikey’s corniform, be- spectacled
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4181
spectacled nose and narrow, knowledge-bowed figure was well known in the vicinity of the Blue Light, and his advice and notice were much desired. Ikey roomed and breakfasted at Mrs. Riddle’s two squares away. Mrs. Riddle had a daughter named Rosy. The circumlocution has been in vain — you must have guessed it — Ikey adored Rosy. She tinctured all his thoughts; she was the compound extract of all that was chemically pure and officinal — the dispensatory contained nothing equal
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4185
to her. But Ikey was timid, and his hopes remained insoluble in the menstruum of his backwardness and fears. Behind his counter he was a superior being, calmly conscious of special knowledge and worth; outside he was a weak-kneed, purblind, motorman-cursed rambler, with ill-fitting clothes stained with chemicals and smelling of socotrine aloes and valerianate of ammonia.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4188
Mr. McGowan was also striving to catch the bright smiles tossed about by Rosy. But he was no outfielder as Ikey was; he picked them off the bat. At the same time he was Ikey’s friend and customer, and often dropped in at the Blue Light Drug Store to have a bruise painted with iodine or get a cut rubber-plastered after a pleasant evening spent along the Bowery.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4194
“Take your coat off,” he ordered. “I guess already that you have been stuck in the ribs with a knife. I have
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4195
many times told you those Dagoes would do you up.” Mr. McGowan smiled. “Not them,” he said. “Not any Dagoes. But you’ve located the diagnosis all right enough — it’s under my coat, near the ribs. Say! Ikey — Rosy and me are goin’ to run away and get married to-night.” Ikey’s left forefinger was doubled over the edge of the mortar, holding it steady. He gave it a wild rap with the pestle, but felt it not. Meanwhile Mr. McGowan’s smile faded to a look of perplexed gloom.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4200
“That is,” he continued, “if she keeps in the notion until the time comes. We’ve been layin’ pipes for the getaway for two weeks. One day she says she will; the same evenin’ she says nixy. We’ve agreed on to-night, and Rosy’s stuck to the affirmative this time for two whole days. But it’s five hours yet till the time, and I’m afraid she’ll stand me up when it comes to the scratch.” “You said you wanted drugs,” remarked Ikey. Mr. McGowan looked ill at ease and harassed — a condition opposed to his usual line of demeanour.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Ikey Schoenstein is in love with Rosy the landlords' daughter. He owns a pharmacy but he is too timid to express his love. He soon finds out a rival for Rosy's affection is going to elope with her tonight. McGowan tells Ikey his plan which Ikey looks to run by giving a pill that McGowan thinks that will help with his plight but Ikey looks to make Rosy sleepy, he then calls Rosy's father and informs him of the elopement. The next day thinking his plan worked out, finds out that McGowan had married Rosy and that he gave her father the pill, so that he will like his new son in law. Ikey deserved his misery for looking to use a pill which might have caused more harm. He should have just declared his love.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4205
“I wouldn’t have this double handicap make a false start to-night for a million,” he said. “I’ve got a little flat up in Harlem all ready, with chrysanthemums on the table and a kettle ready to boil. And I’ve engaged a pulpit pounder to be ready at his house for us at 9.30. It’s got to come off. And if Rosy don’t change
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4208
her mind again!” — Mr. McGowan ceased, a prey to his doubts. “I don’t see then yet,” said Ikey, shortly, “what makes it that you talk of drugs, or what I can be doing about it.” “Old man Riddle don’t like me a little bit,” went on the uneasy suitor, bent upon marshalling his arguments. “For a week he hasn’t let Rosy step outside the door with me. If it wasn’t for losin’ a boarder they’d have bounced me long ago. I’m makin’ $20 a week and she’ll
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4212
never regret flyin’ the coop with Chunk McGowan.” “You will excuse me, Chunk,” said Ikey. “I must make a prescription that is to be called for soon.” “Say,” said McGowan, looking up suddenly, “say, Ikey, ain’t there a drug of some kind — some kind of powders that’ll make a girl like you better if you give ’em to her?”
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4220
“I thought,” went on Chunk hopefully, “that if I had one of them powders to give Rosy when I see her at supper to-night it might brace her up and keep her from reneging on the proposition to skip. I guess she don’t need a mule team to drag her away, but women are better at coaching than they are at running bases. If the stuff’ll work
just for a couple of hours it’ll do the trick.” “When is this foolishness of running away to be happening?” asked Ikey.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4224
“Nine o’clock,” said Mr. McGowan. “Supper’s at seven. At eight Rosy goes to bed with a headache. At nine old Parvenzano lets me through to his back yard, where there’s a board off Riddle’s fence, next door. I go under her window and help her down the fire-escape. We’ve got to make it early on the preacher’s account. It’s all dead easy if Rosy don’t balk when the flag drops. Can you fix me one of them powders, Ikey?” Ikey Schoenstein rubbed his nose slowly.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4228
“Chunk,” said he, “it is of drugs of that nature that pharmaceutists must have much carefulness. To you alone of my acquaintance would I intrust a powder like that. But for you I shall make it, and you shall see how it makes Rosy to think of you.” Ikey went behind the prescription desk. There he crushed to a powder two soluble tablets, each containing a quarter of a grain of morphia. To them he added a little sugar of milk to increase the bulk, and folded the mixture neatly in a white paper. Taken by an adult this
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4232
powder would insure several hours of heavy slumber without danger to the sleeper.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4234
The subtlety of Ikey’s action becomes apparent upon recital of his subsequent move. He sent a messenger for Mr. Riddle and disclosed the plans of Mr. McGowan for eloping with Rosy. Mr. Riddle was a stout man, brick- dusty of complexion and sudden in action.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4236
“Much obliged,” he said, briefly, to Ikey. “The lazy Irish loafer! My own room’s just above Rosy’s. I’ll just go up there myself after supper and load the shot-gun and wait. If he comes in my back yard he’ll go away in a ambulance instead of a bridal chaise.” With Rosy held in the clutches of Morpheus for a many-hours deep slumber, and the bloodthirsty parent waiting, armed and forewarned, Ikey felt that his rival was close, indeed, upon discomfiture.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4241
At eight o’clock in the morning the day clerk arrived and Ikey started hurriedly for Mrs. Riddle’s to learn the outcome. And, lo! as he stepped out of the store who but Chunk McGowan sprang from a passing street car and grasped his hand — Chunk McGowan with a victor’s smile and flushed with joy. “Pulled it off,” said Chunk with Elysium in his grin. “Rosy hit the
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4244
fire-escape on time to a second, and we was under the wire at the Reverend’s at 9.30 1⁄4. She’s up at the flat — she cooked eggs this mornin’ in a blue kimono — Lord! how lucky I am! You must pace up some day, Ikey, and feed with us. I’ve got a job down near the bridge, and that’s where I’m heading for now.” “The — the — powder?” stammered Ikey. “Oh, that stuff you gave me!” said Chunk, broadening his grin; “well, it was this way. I sat down at the supper table last night at Riddle’s, and I
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4248
looked at Rosy, and I says to myself, ‘Chunk, if you get the girl get her on the square — don’t try any hocus- pocus with a thoroughbred like her.’ And I keeps the paper you give me in my pocket. And then my lamps fall on another party present, who, I says to myself, is failin’ in a proper affection toward his comin’ son-in-law, so I watches my chance and dumps that powder in old man Riddle’s coffee — see?”
Story in short- Ikey is in love but he must decide what to do when he hears of another suitor.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4178
Ikey Schoenstein was the night clerk of the Blue Light and the friend of his customers. Thus it is on the East Side, where the heart of pharmacy is not glacé. There, as it should be, the druggist is a counsellor, a confessor, an adviser, an able and willing missionary and mentor whose learning is respected, whose occult wisdom is venerated and whose medicine is often poured, untasted, into the gutter. Therefore Ikey’s corniform, be- spectacled
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4181
spectacled nose and narrow, knowledge-bowed figure was well known in the vicinity of the Blue Light, and his advice and notice were much desired. Ikey roomed and breakfasted at Mrs. Riddle’s two squares away. Mrs. Riddle had a daughter named Rosy. The circumlocution has been in vain — you must have guessed it — Ikey adored Rosy. She tinctured all his thoughts; she was the compound extract of all that was chemically pure and officinal — the dispensatory contained nothing equal
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4185
to her. But Ikey was timid, and his hopes remained insoluble in the menstruum of his backwardness and fears. Behind his counter he was a superior being, calmly conscious of special knowledge and worth; outside he was a weak-kneed, purblind, motorman-cursed rambler, with ill-fitting clothes stained with chemicals and smelling of socotrine aloes and valerianate of ammonia.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4188
Mr. McGowan was also striving to catch the bright smiles tossed about by Rosy. But he was no outfielder as Ikey was; he picked them off the bat. At the same time he was Ikey’s friend and customer, and often dropped in at the Blue Light Drug Store to have a bruise painted with iodine or get a cut rubber-plastered after a pleasant evening spent along the Bowery.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4194
“Take your coat off,” he ordered. “I guess already that you have been stuck in the ribs with a knife. I have
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4195
many times told you those Dagoes would do you up.” Mr. McGowan smiled. “Not them,” he said. “Not any Dagoes. But you’ve located the diagnosis all right enough — it’s under my coat, near the ribs. Say! Ikey — Rosy and me are goin’ to run away and get married to-night.” Ikey’s left forefinger was doubled over the edge of the mortar, holding it steady. He gave it a wild rap with the pestle, but felt it not. Meanwhile Mr. McGowan’s smile faded to a look of perplexed gloom.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4200
“That is,” he continued, “if she keeps in the notion until the time comes. We’ve been layin’ pipes for the getaway for two weeks. One day she says she will; the same evenin’ she says nixy. We’ve agreed on to-night, and Rosy’s stuck to the affirmative this time for two whole days. But it’s five hours yet till the time, and I’m afraid she’ll stand me up when it comes to the scratch.” “You said you wanted drugs,” remarked Ikey. Mr. McGowan looked ill at ease and harassed — a condition opposed to his usual line of demeanour.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Ikey Schoenstein is in love with Rosy the landlords' daughter. He owns a pharmacy but he is too timid to express his love. He soon finds out a rival for Rosy's affection is going to elope with her tonight. McGowan tells Ikey his plan which Ikey looks to run by giving a pill that McGowan thinks that will help with his plight but Ikey looks to make Rosy sleepy, he then calls Rosy's father and informs him of the elopement. The next day thinking his plan worked out, finds out that McGowan had married Rosy and that he gave her father the pill, so that he will like his new son in law. Ikey deserved his misery for looking to use a pill which might have caused more harm. He should have just declared his love.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4205
“I wouldn’t have this double handicap make a false start to-night for a million,” he said. “I’ve got a little flat up in Harlem all ready, with chrysanthemums on the table and a kettle ready to boil. And I’ve engaged a pulpit pounder to be ready at his house for us at 9.30. It’s got to come off. And if Rosy don’t change
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4208
her mind again!” — Mr. McGowan ceased, a prey to his doubts. “I don’t see then yet,” said Ikey, shortly, “what makes it that you talk of drugs, or what I can be doing about it.” “Old man Riddle don’t like me a little bit,” went on the uneasy suitor, bent upon marshalling his arguments. “For a week he hasn’t let Rosy step outside the door with me. If it wasn’t for losin’ a boarder they’d have bounced me long ago. I’m makin’ $20 a week and she’ll
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4212
never regret flyin’ the coop with Chunk McGowan.” “You will excuse me, Chunk,” said Ikey. “I must make a prescription that is to be called for soon.” “Say,” said McGowan, looking up suddenly, “say, Ikey, ain’t there a drug of some kind — some kind of powders that’ll make a girl like you better if you give ’em to her?”
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4220
“I thought,” went on Chunk hopefully, “that if I had one of them powders to give Rosy when I see her at supper to-night it might brace her up and keep her from reneging on the proposition to skip. I guess she don’t need a mule team to drag her away, but women are better at coaching than they are at running bases. If the stuff’ll work
just for a couple of hours it’ll do the trick.” “When is this foolishness of running away to be happening?” asked Ikey.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4224
“Nine o’clock,” said Mr. McGowan. “Supper’s at seven. At eight Rosy goes to bed with a headache. At nine old Parvenzano lets me through to his back yard, where there’s a board off Riddle’s fence, next door. I go under her window and help her down the fire-escape. We’ve got to make it early on the preacher’s account. It’s all dead easy if Rosy don’t balk when the flag drops. Can you fix me one of them powders, Ikey?” Ikey Schoenstein rubbed his nose slowly.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4228
“Chunk,” said he, “it is of drugs of that nature that pharmaceutists must have much carefulness. To you alone of my acquaintance would I intrust a powder like that. But for you I shall make it, and you shall see how it makes Rosy to think of you.” Ikey went behind the prescription desk. There he crushed to a powder two soluble tablets, each containing a quarter of a grain of morphia. To them he added a little sugar of milk to increase the bulk, and folded the mixture neatly in a white paper. Taken by an adult this
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4232
powder would insure several hours of heavy slumber without danger to the sleeper.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4234
The subtlety of Ikey’s action becomes apparent upon recital of his subsequent move. He sent a messenger for Mr. Riddle and disclosed the plans of Mr. McGowan for eloping with Rosy. Mr. Riddle was a stout man, brick- dusty of complexion and sudden in action.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4236
“Much obliged,” he said, briefly, to Ikey. “The lazy Irish loafer! My own room’s just above Rosy’s. I’ll just go up there myself after supper and load the shot-gun and wait. If he comes in my back yard he’ll go away in a ambulance instead of a bridal chaise.” With Rosy held in the clutches of Morpheus for a many-hours deep slumber, and the bloodthirsty parent waiting, armed and forewarned, Ikey felt that his rival was close, indeed, upon discomfiture.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4241
At eight o’clock in the morning the day clerk arrived and Ikey started hurriedly for Mrs. Riddle’s to learn the outcome. And, lo! as he stepped out of the store who but Chunk McGowan sprang from a passing street car and grasped his hand — Chunk McGowan with a victor’s smile and flushed with joy. “Pulled it off,” said Chunk with Elysium in his grin. “Rosy hit the
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4244
fire-escape on time to a second, and we was under the wire at the Reverend’s at 9.30 1⁄4. She’s up at the flat — she cooked eggs this mornin’ in a blue kimono — Lord! how lucky I am! You must pace up some day, Ikey, and feed with us. I’ve got a job down near the bridge, and that’s where I’m heading for now.” “The — the — powder?” stammered Ikey. “Oh, that stuff you gave me!” said Chunk, broadening his grin; “well, it was this way. I sat down at the supper table last night at Riddle’s, and I
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 4248
looked at Rosy, and I says to myself, ‘Chunk, if you get the girl get her on the square — don’t try any hocus- pocus with a thoroughbred like her.’ And I keeps the paper you give me in my pocket. And then my lamps fall on another party present, who, I says to myself, is failin’ in a proper affection toward his comin’ son-in-law, so I watches my chance and dumps that powder in old man Riddle’s coffee — see?”
January 28, 2015
A funny , enjoyable short story about a love portion. Not a great story by any means but it can bring a smile to your face. I'm not too familiar with this author O. Henry. Judging by his face, I thought he's into serious stories, Dostoyevsky stuff (look at the image of his on GR) but one thing for sure, he's an author with lot of sense of humor.
January 11, 2026
It's my understanding there was a time when dozing your friends/enemies/neighbors etc was a common pass time. Early use of anesthesia (as ether) happened very often; and often led to death due to poor control. To me, the ending is still funny even though the story shows the author's limited regard for human life.
January 28, 2025
Most interesting story I've read by O. Henry, however I don't like how he implies Ikey is a good man because he didn't drug her in the end. He was planning on drugging his fiance, he purchased the drugs to do so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2023
Как исхитряющийся обманул самого себя. И как смелость и глупость победила трусость и ум. О.Генри не моралист, так что морали здесь нет. Просто одному везёт, а другому - нет.
September 29, 2024
4⭐
Classic O Henry, with a plot twist you never see coming!
Classic O Henry, with a plot twist you never see coming!
January 18, 2026
I learned a new word. Tincture. This story reminds me of Mr. Gower in It's A Wonderful Life.
February 1, 2026
I probably would’ve done that too
September 19, 2015
Many archaic words, but the story line is interesting and captivating.
January 16, 2017
Although you could see the end coming, the storytelling itself is more charming than the story of the " Backyard Lochinvar " !
July 5, 2025
hahahaha
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews