Student Question
Where did Bill claim he could reach in 10 minutes in "The Ransom of Red Chief"?
Quick answer:
In "The Ransom of Red Chief," Bill humorously claims he could reach the Canadian border in 10 minutes. This exaggeration underscores his desperation to escape from Johnny, the troublesome child they kidnapped. Bill's statement highlights the comedic element of the story, where the kidnappers are more eager to rid themselves of their captive than to collect a ransom.
Sam and Bill have just dropped off little Johnny Dorset at his house. But, far from being pleased at returning home, Johnny's actually quite devastated. The spoiled brat has been having so much fun in captivity with the two would-be kidnappers that he doesn't want it to end. So, when he's reunited with his father, he starts crying loudly and grabs hold of Bill's leg, desperate not to let go.
Eventually, old man Dorset manages to pull Johnny away from Bill. But he can't promise that he'll be able to hold on to him for more than ten minutes. That gives Bill and Sam enough time to hightail it out of there and head for the hills. Specifically, Bill claims that he will use that time to cross the central, southern, and midwestern states and even make a break for the Canadian border.
Of course, Bill is grossly exaggerating. There's no way that anyone would ever be able to cover such vast distances in such a short period of time. What Bill is doing here is emphasizing how desperately he wants to get away from little Johnny, who's caused him and his partner no end of trouble.
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