Sam says kidnapping Johnny looked easy because Summit seemed sleepy and parents love children, but Johnny first hits Bill with a brick. Why is that moment funny?

At the cave, Johnny treats the kidnapping as a camping adventure and begs not to be taken home. Why is this funny?

Johnny keeps Bill awake, sits on him at daybreak, and tries to carry out his pretend game. Why does this episode make the kidnapping comic?

Sam expects armed townspeople to search for Johnny, but he sees only a quiet landscape and one man plowing. Why is the contrast funny?

Bill wants to cut the ransom from $2,000 to $1,500, saying no one would pay that much for "that forty-pound chunk of freckled wildcat." Why is this funny?

When Johnny follows Bill back after Bill tries to send him home, Bill turns pale and collapses into despair. Why is the scene comic?

Sam and Bill plan to make Dorset pay for Johnny's return, but Dorset answers that they must pay him to take Johnny back. What is the reversal?

At first, Johnny is the prisoner and Bill is the guard, but later Bill fears being left alone with Johnny. What reversal has O. Henry built?

After Johnny hits him with a rock, Bill asks Sam who his favorite Bible character is, then answers, "King Herod." Why is this line funny?

Dorset tells the men to bring Johnny back at night, because his neighbors think the boy is lost and he can't answer for what they would do to anyone seen bringing him home. Why is this request funny?

The men sign the ransom letter as desperate criminals, but by midnight they are the ones paying money. What reversal completes the joke?

Sam calls the kidnapped boy a tender lamb and then adds that heaven should help the wolves. What does this wording add?

Sam describes Johnny's dinner chatter as a speech, then lists scattered questions about school, animals, stars, food, and neighbors. What effect does the wording create?

Bill calls Johnny a two-legged skyrocket after surviving his games. What does that phrase add to the humor?

Bill says ancient martyrs never suffered tortures like his time with Johnny. What does that exaggerated comparison add?

Sam's narration uses businesslike terms for the kidnapping plan, even while Johnny creates chaos. What does this contrast add?

At the door, Bill pays Dorset while Johnny clings to Bill's leg and howls. What does the ending reveal about the plan?

Dorset says he can hold Johnny for only ten minutes, and Bill treats that as enough time to flee. What does this reveal about the kidnappers' plan?

Sam describes the quiet town with fancy phrases like "somnolent sleepiness" and "contiguous vicinity." What does this word choice add to the humor?

Bill runs from Summit so fast that Sam cannot catch him for a mile and a half. What does the final action reveal about the plan?