Summary:
"After Twenty Years" tells the story of two
friends who made a pact to meet at a specific time and place. Bob, a noted
criminal from Chicago, arrives on time and speaks to a policeman who happens to
be walking by. Later, it's revealed that this policeman was Jimmy Wells, Bob's
friend.
Bob and Jimmy were friends when they were younger. Before
Bob left to try his luck in the West, he and Jimmy made a pact to meet again
exactly twenty years later.
At the appointed time, Bob waits outside a hardware store. A
policeman walks up and asks what he's doing. Bob explains, boasting about how
well he has done for himself.
Later, a man claiming to be Bob's friend arrives. It turns
out that this man is a plainclothes police officer sent to arrest Bob, a known
criminal from Chicago. The original policeman, Jimmy Wells, didn't have the
heart to arrest Bob, because Bob was his friend.
