One of the most beloved short stories ever written, "The Ransom of Red Chief," tells the tale of "two desperate men" who, in a plot to get rich, kidnap the nine year old son of a semi-wealthy businessman living in a small rural American township. The story quickly becomes comical as we, and the two kidnappers, realize it is NOT the boy who is the frightened victim, but the two desperate men who should be terrified of this dangerous Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn styled boy. A great and funny tale.