Project Gutenberg 2006-05-12 Public domain in the USA. 105 Davis, Richard Harding 1864 1916 A Wasted Day Produced by Don Lainson; David Widger "A Wasted Day" by Richard Harding Davis is a short story written during the early 20th century. This narrative unfolds around a wealthy businessman, Arnold Thorndike, who becomes unexpectedly involved in the life of a young man, Henry Spear, facing sentencing for theft. The story explores themes of compassion, the impact of social class, and the unexpected, often humorous consequences of good intentions. The plot centers on Thorndike's spontaneous decision to intervene on behalf of Spear, a former employee who found himself in trouble after a night of drinking. As Thorndike navigates through the unfamiliar setting of a courtroom, he witnesses the stark realities faced by those less fortunate than himself, which prompts a shift in his perspective. Throughout the proceedings, Thorndike’s growing interest in the characters and their struggles reveals his desire to assist others, culminating in an acknowledgment of Spear's chances for redemption. The story concludes with Thorndike feeling a sense of fulfillment from his actions, despite the time he "wasted," highlighting the deeper value of human connection and the importance of lending a hand in the lives of others. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 83.9 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Fiction Short stories PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: American Literature 60298 2025-07-01T10:49:04.772662 text/html 57893 2016-09-26T11:08:50 text/html; charset=us-ascii 20471 2016-09-26T11:10:06 text/html; charset=us-ascii application/zip 96799 2025-07-01T10:49:09.510634 application/epub+zip 95602 2025-07-01T10:49:07.388624 application/epub+zip 80981 2025-07-01T10:49:06.352694 application/epub+zip 187904 2025-07-01T10:49:11.027666 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 181225 2025-07-01T10:49:08.849660 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 148740 2022-09-01T12:29:31.427092 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 50028 2025-07-01T10:49:04.439653 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 49977 2016-09-26T11:00:44 text/plain; charset=utf-8 19346 2016-09-26T11:10:06 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 49318 2006-05-12T09:14:12 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19215 2006-05-12T09:14:24 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20191 2025-07-01T10:49:11.158612 application/rdf+xml 13365 2025-07-01T10:49:06.834647 image/jpeg 3487 2025-07-01T10:49:06.592641 image/jpeg 95513 2025-07-01T10:49:04.778668 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia