Witches Loaves

Author
O. Henry is the pen name of American author, William Sydney Porter, known for his mastery of
the short story. He is particularly known for his witty writing style and clever surprise endings. In
this story, ''Witches' Loaves,'' the end surprise is not a happy one for either of the two main
characters.

Miss Martha & the Gentlemen

Miss Martha, owns a small bakery. She is middle-aged and single, but still holds out some hope
for a love connection. When a man with a German accent comes in two or three times a week,
Martha begins to think of him as a possibility. Strangely, he always asks for two loaves of stale
bread.
Martha begins to think about the gentleman and how to find out more about him. Noticing his
stained fingers, she assumes he is an artist, so she hangs up a painting for him to notice and
discuss. She takes to dressing up for his regular appearances and mixes up a face cream
formula to look her prettiest.
The man does talk about the painting briefly, but otherwise seems to take no notice of poor Miss
Martha's fervent efforts to get his attention and interest. If you have ever had this experience of
having a romantic interest ignore you, you can likely sympathize with Miss Martha's frustration.
Finally, she resorts to food to please him and show him how she cares. If you have been
wondering about the title, knowing that there are no witches in the story, here may be a clue.
Think of how many times witches use food to entice victims in fairy tales: Snow White and the
poison apple, Hansel and Gretel and the Candy House, and others as well. Perhaps O. Henry
wanted us to think of Miss Martha as luring the man in by providing him with a treat.

The Surprise Ending

After Martha sneaks fresh butter into the man's loaves as a present from her, she has high hopes
that this gesture will win him over. Soon the German man and a Friend of him come into the
bakery.
The artist is furious at Miss Martha, much to her surprise. He pounds angrily on the bakery
counter, shouting, '' 'You haf shpoilt me,' he cried, his blue eyes blazing behind his spectacles. 'I
vill tell you. You vas von meddingsome old cat!'''
The younger man explains that he works in the same architectural office as the older man. Her
''artist'' was actually an architectural draftsman who had been working for months on an entry for
a contest to design a new city hall. He says, ''You know, a draftsman always makes his drawing
in pencil first. When it's done he rubs out the pencil lines with handfuls of stale bread crumbs.''
Of course, bread slathered with butter—well—we can easily imagine the mess that resulted.
Poor Miss Martha is once again resigned to the single life. She takes off her fancy clothes and
throws her beauty formula in the trash can.