'The Exact Science of Matrimony' by O.Henry

  Our story today is called “The Exact Science of Matrimony.”  It was written by O. Henry.  Here is Barbara Klein with the story.   Jeff Peters and Andy Tucker could never be trusted.  One day, the two men decided to open a marriage business to make some quick and easy money.  The first thing they did was to write an advertisement to be published in newspapers.  Their advertisement read like this: “A charming widow, beautiful and home-loving, would like to remarry.  She is only thirty-two years old.  She has three thousand dollars in cash and owns valuable property in the country.  She would like a poor man with a loving heart.  No objection to an older man or to one who is not good-looking.  But he needs to be faithful and true, can take care of property and invest money with good judgment.  Give address, with details about yourself.  Signed: Lonely, care of Peters and Tucker, agents, Cairo, Illinois.” When they finished writing the ad, Jeff Peters said to Andy Tucker: “So far, so good.  And now, where is the lady?” Andy gave Jeff an unhappy look.  “What does a marriage advertisement have to do with a lady?” he asked. “Now listen,” Jeff answered.  “You know my rule, Andy.  In all illegal activities, we must obey the law, in every detail.  Something offered for sale must exist.  It must be seen.  You must be able to produce it.  That is how I have kept out of trouble with the police.  Now, for this business to work, we must be able to produce a charming widow, with or without the beauty, as advertised.” “Well,” said Andy, after thinking it over, “it might be better, if the United States Post Office should decide to investigate our marriage agency.  But where can you hope to find a widow who would waste her time on a marriage proposal that has no marriage in it?” Jeff said that he knew just such a woman. “An old friend of mine, Zeke Trotter,” he said, “used to work in a tent show.  He made his wife a widow by drinking too much of the wrong kind of alcohol.  I used to stop at their house often.  I think we can get her to work with us.” Missus Zeke Trotter lived in a small town not far away.  Jeff Peters went out to see her.  She was not beautiful and not so young.  But she seemed all right to Jeff. “Is this an honest deal you are putting on, Mister Peters?” she asked when he told her what he wanted. “Missus Trotter,” said Jeff, “three thousand men will seek to marry you to get your money and property.  What are they prepared to give in exchange?  Nothing!  Nothing but the bones of a lazy, dishonest, good-for-nothing fortune-seeker.  We will teach them something.  This will be a great moral campaign.  Does that satisfy you?” “It does, Mister Peters,” she said.  “But what will my duties be?  Do I have to personally reject these three thousand good-for-nothings you speak of?  Or can I throw them out in bunches?” Jeff explained that her job would be easy.  She would live in a quiet hotel and have no work to do.  He and Andy would take care of all letters and the business end of the plot.  But he warned her that some of the men might come to see her in person.  Then, she would have to meet them face-to-face and reject them.  She would be paid twenty-five dollars a week and hotel costs. “Give me five minutes to get ready,” Missus Trotter said.  “Then you can start paying me.” So Jeff took her to the city and put her in a hotel far enough from Jeff and Andy’s place to cause no suspicion. Jeff Peters and Andy Tucker were now ready to catch a few fish on the hook.  They placed their advertisement in newspapers across the country.  They put two thousand dollars in a bank in Missus Trotter’s name.  They gave her the bank book to show if anyone questioned the honesty of their marriage agency.  They were sure that Missus Trotter could be trusted and that it was safe to leave the money in her name. Their ad in the newspapers started a flood of letters – more than one hundred a day.  Jeff and Andy worked twelve hours a day answering them.  Most of the men wrote that they had lost their jobs.  The world misunderstood them.  But they were full of love and other good qualities. ​Jeff and Andy answered every letter with high praise for the writer.  They asked the men to send a photograph and more details.  And they told them to include two dollars to cover the cost of giving the second letter to the charming widow. Almost all the men sent in the two dollars requested.  It seemed to be an easy business.  Still, Andy and Jeff often spoke about the trouble of cutting open envelopes and taking the money out. A few of the men came in person.  Jeff and Andy sent them to Missus Trotter and she did the rest.  Soon, Jeff and Andy were receiving about two hundred dollars a day.  One day, a federal postal inspector came by.  But Jeff satisfied him that they were not breaking the law. After about three months, Jeff and Andy had collected more than five thousand dollars, and they decided it was time to stop.  Some people were beginning to question their honesty.  And, Missus Trotter seemed to have grown tired of her job.  Too many men had come to see her and she did not like that. Jeff went to Missus Trotter’s hotel to pay her what she was owed, and to say goodbye.  He also wanted her to repay the two thousand dollars that was put into her bank account. When Jeff walked into the room she was crying, like a child who did not want to go to school. “Now, now,” he said. “What’s it all about?  Somebody hurt you?  Are you getting homesick?” “No, Mister Peters,” she said.  “I’ll tell you.  You were always a good friend of my husband Zeke.  Mister Peters, I am in love.  I just love a man so hard I can’t bear not to get him.  He’s just the kind I’ve always had in mind.” “Then take him,” said Jeff.  “Does he feel the same way about you?” “He does,” Missus Trotter answered.  “But there is a problem.  He is one of the men who have been coming to see me in answer to your advertisement.  And he will not marry me unless I give him the two thousand dollars.  His name is William Wilkinson.” Jeff felt sorry for her.  He said he would be glad to let her give the two thousand dollars to Mister Wilkinson, so that she could be happy.  But he said he had to talk to his partner about it. Jeff returned to his hotel and discussed it with Andy. “I was expecting something like this,” Andy said.  “You can’t trust a woman to stick with you in any plan that involves her emotions.” Jeff said it was a sad thing to think that they were the cause of the breaking of a woman’s heart.  Andy agreed with him. “I’ll tell you what I am willing to do,” said Andy.  “Jeff, you have always been a man of a soft and generous heart.  Perhaps I have been too hard and worldly and suspicious.  For once, I will meet you half-way.  Go to Missus Trotter.  Tell her to take the two thousand dollars out of the bank and give it to this Wilkinson fellow and be happy.” Jeff shook Andy’s hand for a long time.  Then he went back to Missus Trotter.  She cried as hard for joy as she had done for sorrow. Two days later, Jeff and Andy prepared to leave town. “Wouldn’t you like to go meet Missus Trotter once before we leave?” Jeff asked Andy.  “She’d like to express her thanks to you.” “Why, I guess not,” Andy said.  “I think we should hurry and catch the train.” Jeff was putting all the money they had received in a belt he tied around his body.  Then Andy took a large amount of money out of his pocket and asked Jeff to put it together with the other money. “What’s this?” Jeff asked. “It’s Missus Trotter’s two thousand dollars,” said Andy. “How do you come to have it?” Jeff asked. “Missus Trotter gave it to me,” Andy answered. “I have been calling on her three nights a week for more than a month.” “Then you are William Wilkinson?” Jeff asked. “I was,” Andy said. This story was adapted by Shelley Gollust and produced by Lawan Davis.  _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   publish – v. to have something you wrote included in a book, magazine, or newspaper investigate – v. to try to get information about (someone who may have done something illegal) reject – v. to refuse to love, care for, or give attention to (someone) federal – adj. of or relating to the central government​ inspector – n. a person whose job is to inspect something partner – n. one of two or more people, businesses, etc., that work together or do business together

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Detainees Freed from Gitmo Said to Spread Terror

Detainees released from the prison in Guantanamo Bay have killed Americans, said a senior Defense Department official this week. Paul Lewis is the Pentagon's special envoy for closing the prison in Cuba. He did not say if the incidents occurred during the terms of President George W. Bush or President Barack Obama. "What I can tell you is unfortunately there have been Americans that have died because of detainees," Lewis told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The Associated Press quoted an unnamed Obama’s official who said the incident happened while Bush was president. Also, others have suspected that a former detainee was involved in the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. Guantanamo and Brussels The information came during a briefing by Defense and State department officials to U.S. lawmakers. The briefing discussed how the U.S. prison in Cuba became a powerful tool of propaganda, or false information, for the Islamic State terror group. Obama administration officials have said images of the prison remind people of torture and prison without trial. "Countries across the world and allies tell us that Gitmo hurts us," Lewis said, using a shortened word for the Guantanamo facility. "By closing Gitmo, we address a concern of the rest of the world.” But many Republican and some Democratic members of Congress oppose closing Guantanamo. Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, said Wednesday that European allies might change their opinion after recent attacks in Belgium. Dozens were killed and hundreds were wounded this week in Brussels. "Let me suggest that the attitude of our European friends may well be changing in the next six months or so when they realize that the slaughter that’s taking place in Paris and now in Brussels is part of an international movement to destroy Western civilization and replace it with a caliphate," he said. Transfers continue More than 85 percent of those detained at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 have been transferred to other countries. According to intelligence reports, less than 5 percent of Gitmo detainees transferred during the Obama administration have returned to terrorism. Some lawmakers, however, fear countries that have received Gitmo detainees, like Uruguay and Ghana, aren’t prepared to properly monitor them. I'm Christoper Jones-Cruise.   Carla Babb wrote this story for VOA News. Kathleen Struck adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Do you have an opinion about Gitmo and terrorism? Please leave a comment below and post on our Facebook page, thank you. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   envoy -- n. a person who  consulate -- n. a place where  propaganda -- n. information that means to persuade in a false way Gitmo -- n. the nickname for the U.S. prison at Guantanamo​ Bay, Cuba caliphate -- n. an extremely religious form of government

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Kerry: 'We Are Brussels'

  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Belgian Prime Minister on Friday to support Belgium after terrorist attacks there killed dozens and wounded hundreds this week. Kerry spoke in English, French and Flemish, saying, “We are Brussels.” A similar expression was used after attacks in Paris to show support for the victims. Kerry said, “We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred” by terrorists. He said the international community will work until it has eliminated “your cowardice from the face of the Earth.” More than 30 people were killed and 260 wounded in the attacks. The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility. Friday, a U.S. official said two Americans were among the dead. The official did not identify the Americans or tell how they died. Two other Americans, Justin Shults and his wife Stephanie, from Kentucky, have not been heard from since the attacks, reported NBC News. Belgian federal prosecutors say six suspects have been detained. They continue to investigate the Belgian and Paris attacks. They said they believe the militants lived in Brussels. Netherlands Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk said, “Everybody feels the attack on Belgium was an attack on Europe and the values we stand for together. Europe has been under attack before. But we’ve always defended liberty and democracy and we will do that together.” Michael Hayden is the former director of the U.S. National Security Agency and the CIA. He told VOA the Brussels attack was “almost inevitable. I realize that’s a pretty dramatic word, but if you look at what has happened -- the soft targets, the transportation targets, the maximum civilian casualties -- [it’s] something we could see.” Hayden also said it is “certainly not the last” attack the Islamic State terrorist group will carry out. He says the group has a “network that seems to be active and thriving in the heart of Europe.” Hayden said European intelligence and security agencies should increase the amount of information they share. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   Correspondents Marissa Melton, Lisa Bryant and William Gallo reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for VOA Learning English. (Name) was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   metro – n. the name often given to a city’s underground train system, also called a subway intimidate – v. to make (someone) afraid deter – v. to prevent (something) from happening implement – v. to begin to do or use (something, such as a plan); to make (something) active or effective inevitable – adj. sure to happen thrive – v. to grow or develop successfully; to flourish or succeed  

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How America Elects: U.S. Political Parties

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The Exact Science of Matrimony

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Kurds: IS Recruits Children For Suicide Attacks

A Kurdish commander in Iraq says the Islamic State terror group recruits children as young as eight-years-old to carry out suicide attacks. Sirwan Barzani is the commander of the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Iraq. He says IS is teaching children about suicide attacks at a training center in the Iraqi city of Mosul. “They are just starting the training at eight years old to 18 years old. There are teenagers. There are kids (being taught) how to kill people. How to do suicide (attacks).” Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, has been under IS control for two years. Experts say the children likely belong to families captured by IS. One Kurdish Peshmerga counter-terrorism official says by the time these children are 12 or 13 years old, they are “trained killers.” He also says the same tactics are used in Syria. The Quilliam Foundation is a research group based in London. It studies methods to combat terrorism. It says children under IS control are trained to be spies, soldiers and suicide bombers. The organization says children are turned into IS fighters through a long process. They are taken from their families. They are given no choice but to become soldiers, reportedly through beatings and torture. Last year, the United Nations estimated that the Islamic State group seized over 800 Iraqi children from the area around Mosul. The U.N. said the children were taken to training camps and religious education camps. Quilliam says the only way to fight the IS tactics is to start a program of re-education and de-radicalization for children. I’m Dan Friedell.   Sharon Behn wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. What do you think about training children to be terrorists? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   tactic –n. an action used to reach a larger goal radicalization – n. the process of developing extreme political or social views not shared by most people

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French Police Arrest Terror Suspect Near Paris

Police in France have arrested a man they say was in the "advanced stages" of a plot to attack the country.  French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the suspect was arrested Thursday in Argenteuil, a town just outside Paris. Caseneuve there was "no tangible evidence linking the plot to either the attacks in Paris or Brussels." Cazeneuve said bomb removal teams were on the scene. France has been on high alert since the November 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds. Cazeneuve said, since the beginning of the year, police have made 75 arrests and jailed 28 suspects.   I’m Caty Weaver. Caty Weaver adapted this VOA news report. Marsha James was the editor. We want to hear from you. Post your message in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ___________________________________________________ Words in This Story advanced – adj. far along in a course of progress or development tangible – n. able to be touched or felt scene – n. the place of an event or action

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EU Holds Emergency Security Meeting in Brussels

  European Union justice and security ministers are meeting in Brussels Thursday to discuss ways to increase intelligence and security. Terrorists carried out two bomb attacks in the Belgian capital Tuesday, killing at least 31 people and wounding 300 others. Police are searching for one additional suspect in the attacks. Officials earlier identified Khalid el-Bakraoui as the attacker in the bombing at the Maelbeek underground train station. Twenty people were killed in that explosion. Security video shows another man walking with Bakraoui. Belgian media report that police believe this second man could also have been involved. El-Bakraoui's brother Ibrahim has been officially identified as one of the two suicide bombers in the attack on the airport the same day. Media have reported the name of the second airport bomber as Najim Laachraoui. He is a bombmaker for Islamic State and considered a main partner in the Paris terror attacks last November. A third man walking with the suicide bombers also appears in airport video. The recording shows him pushing a cart. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Brussels attacks, as it did for the Paris attacks in November. Police say evidence suggests increasingly closer links between the Brussels and Paris terrorist strikes. The findings are raising questions about weaknesses in intelligence sharing and security cooperation. These questions will be a major part of Thursday’s EU meeting. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke to reporters in Brussels Wednesday. He described proposals for tighter border controls and measures to make it more difficult to get firearms within the EU. "We need to have a union of security," he said.   Visa-free system Europe's visa-free system is also under increasing scrutiny. The system already is under heavy pressure from Europe’s refugee crisis. Belgian officials are being pressured to explain how a terrorist network was able to plot and carry out two attacks from Belgium within months. Also, Turkish officials said Wednesday they had caught Ibrahim el Bakraoui in 2013 at the Syrian border. They said they sent him to the Netherlands. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters: "Despite our warnings that this person was a foreign terrorist fighter, the Belgian authorities could not identify a link to terrorism.” Belgian officials say the el-Bakraoui brothers were mainly known as criminals who spent time in prison. But, EU Commission President Juncker urged people to support Belgium. "Who is at fault in the area of terrorism?" he asked in an interview. "Let's not start criticizing Belgium. I don't share this scorn." Attack 'almost inevitable' Michael Hayden is a former director of the U.S. National Security Agency. He told VOA that the terror in Brussels was "almost inevitable."  Hayden said, "If you look at what has happened...the soft targets, the transportation targets, the maximum civilian casualties, (it's) something we could see."  Hayden also said it is "certainly not the last" attack Islamic State will carry out. The group has a "network that seems to be active and thriving in the heart of Europe," Hayden added. I’m Caty Weaver.   Lisa Bryant reported this story for VOA. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Post your message in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   cart – n. a small wheeled vehicle that is pushed tight – adj. not allowing much freedom : strict about controlling what happens scrutiny – n. the act of carefully examining something especially in a critical way : the act of scrutinizing something network – n. a group of people or organizations that are closely connected and that work with each other scorn – n. a feeling that someone or something is not worthy of any respect or approval inevitable – adj. sure to happen casualty – n. a person who is hurt or killed during an accident, war, etc.

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Anti-IS Forces Launch Attacks in Iraq and Syria

  Iraqi forces have launched an attack in Mosul and Syrian troops entered Palmyra in an offensive against the Islamic State militant group. On Thursday, Iraqi forces attacked Islamic State militants about 75 kilometers from the city of Mosul. About 4,000 U.S.-trained Iraqi forces moved towards 12 villages southeast of the city Thursday morning. The troops moved in from two directions. Sunni Arab forces joined in the battle. The troops took over four villages but did not control the entire area. Najat Ali is a Kurdish Peshmerga general observing the fight. He said IS attacked with suicide bombers, mortars and guns. That stopped the Iraqi advance. IS burned tires, creating a dark smoke screen. The Peshmerga fighters said they are not involved in the battle for Mosul right now because it is a traditionally Sunni Arab area. But they are giving important information to the Iraqi soldiers. The Sunni fighters are very important to maintaining control of the traditionally Sunni areas near Mosul. Ali said airplanes from the coalition working to defeat IS, including U.S. warplanes, flew overhead and struck the villages. Ali said this is the first part of the operation, and is the most important if the group wants to re-take Mosul. “They will not liberate Mosul eas(il)y,” he said. “Maybe it is harder than before.” The Peshmerga fighters said they are preparing for a possible IS counter-attack. They are standing ready at the border between their territory and Sunni territory. Action in Syria At the same time in Syria, forces supported by Russian military airplanes moved against IS in the ancient city of Palmyra. Syrian state media report that troops are already inside the city. But another group observing the conflict between Syria and IS said the battles are still at the edges of the city. The fighting continued into the night. IS took over Palmyra in 2015. Palmyra is a historic city with 2,000-year-old Roman ruins that IS fighters have destroyed. The destruction of the ancient temples and tombs in Palmyra has been called a war crime by the United Nations. The Syrian forces of President Bashar Al-Assad are trying to take back Palmyra and open a road to the eastern part of the country. A U.S.-led coalition also said it carried out air strikes near Palmyra on Wednesday. It was the first strike by the coalition since March 4. A soldier interviewed by the Syrian-run television channel said the army and its allies would keep moving beyond Palmyra to fight against IS in northern Syria. I’m Dan Friedell.   Reporting Sharon Behn of VOANews.com, Reuters and the Associated press was used in this story. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. Do you think these important cities in Iraq and Syria will be take from IS? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   advance –n. forward movement coalition –n. a group of people, groups, or countries who have joined together for a common purpose

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Chinese Businessman Pleads Guilty to US Computer Hack

A businessman from China pleaded guilty Wednesday to hacking into the computer systems of American businesses. Su Bin, also known as Stephen Su, faces a maximum five-year prison sentence for conspiring with two others. They were found guilty of illegally taking information from American firms that do business with the U.S. government. Su was accused of hacking into major businesses including Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Su began targeting American companies in 2008, according to U.S. court documents. He obtained information about Boeing’s C-17 military transport aircraft in 2010. Two Chinese soldiers helped Su obtain military information for the F-35 aircraft and other jets, Canadian media reported in January, 2016. Su was arrested in Canada in 2014. He owned his own aviation technology firm that had an office in Canada, the FBI said. Su agreed to be extradited, according to the Justice Department. Chinese officials said the “Chinese government organizations and the military oppose and have never participated in any form of Internet hacking activity.”  Cybersecurity is a source of conflict between China and the United States, the Associated Press reported.  American companies have lost billions of dollars in sales and in cyber repairs because of hacking. Sentencing for Su is set for July 13 in Los Angeles.   I’m Jim Dresbach.   Jim Dresbach adapted this story from Reuters for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   pleaded – v. to say in court that you are either guilty or not guilty of a crime hack – v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information conspiring – v. to secretly plan with someone to do something that is harmful or illegal extradited – v. to send a person who has been accused of a crime to another state or country for trial cybersecurity – n. the state of being protected against the criminal or harmful use of electronic data

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Karadzic Gets 40 Years For Muslim Genocide

Radovan Karadzic -- the former Bosnian Serb leader -- was convicted Thursday of genocide and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Karadzic has been called the “Butcher of Bosnia.” He was found guilty for Serb atrocities during the war in Bosnia from 1992-1995. About 100,000 people died in that war. The U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) oversaw the trial. Criminally responsible ITCY said the 70-year-old Karadzic was responsible for the crime of genocide in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. Serb forces killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys, in what has been called the worst atrocity in Europe since the Holocaust. Judge O-Gon Kwon said the Srebrenica massacre could not have happened without Karadzic’s support. However, Karadzic was found not guilty of genocide for driving Bosnian Muslims and Croats out of villages claimed by Serb forces. Karadzic's was the most senior Bosnian Serb leader during the Bosnian War. He oversaw the Bosnian Serb army. The official commander of the army, former General Ratko Mladic, is also on trial for genocide in The Hague.  Admitted 'moral responsibility' In 2014, Karadzic only admitted to "moral responsibility" for his wartime actions. In an 874-page written statement at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Karadzic said he was not aware at the time of the killing at Srebrenica.  I’m Jonathan Evans.   Kathleen Struck adapted this story for VOA Learning English from a VOA news report. Mario Ritter edited it. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   atrocities –n. extreme, cruel and deadly acts against people Holocaust –n. the killing of millions of Jews and other groups by the Nazis during World War II

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