A Good Samaritan

In Short

Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews's 1906 novella A Good Samaritan is a brisk, lighthearted comedic tale about duty, reputation, and urban chaos. Set in turn-of-the-century Manhattan, it follows Reginald "Rex" Fairfax, a newly ordained minister who misses a crucial interview for a prestigious church position because he refuses to abandon an incapacitated friend on the city streets. Balancing gentle social satire with a warm-hearted morale, the story has endured for its cheerful portrayal of unselfish friendship, human flaws, and the quiet ways that integrity earns its own unexpected reward.

The Story

The narrative opens in May in New York City, where Carter Reed impatiently awaits his cousin, Reginald "Rex" Fairfax. Rex is a brilliant, highly liked graduate of the Theological Seminary who has recently been ordained. Through Reed’s connections as a chief clerk for Judge Rush—the senior warden at the influential St. Eric’s Church—Rex has been granted a rare opportunity: an informal interview for the position of assistant rector. However, Rex is notoriously casual about time and appointments. When he finally joins Reed to head toward their dinner and subsequent meeting with Judge Rush, the two run into Billy Strong, a massive water-polo athlete and acquaintance of Rex, who is thoroughly intoxicated alongside an equally drunk companion named Schuyler VanCourtlandt Van de Water.

Recognizing that both men will inevitably be arrested or come to harm if left alone, Rex insists on intervening. Despite Reed's furious protests about the impending, career-defining meeting with Judge Rush, Rex’s compassionate nature wins out. He splits the burden with Reed, assigning his cousin to escort the gloomy, suicidal Van de Water home while Rex takes charge of the buoyant, highly unpredictable Billy.

What follows is an arduous, chaotic night across Manhattan. Billy swings between tearful declarations of love for Rex, random displays of athletic acrobatics, and bizarre confrontations with passersby and police officers. To make matters worse, Billy insists he has a date at the Christopher Street ferry with a blue-eyed girl. Rex loyally accompanies him to the ferry house, where Billy promptly falls asleep on a baggage truck. Rex attempts to identify the mysterious date, suffering embarrassing rejections from strangers before discovering that the girl is Margery, Billy’s cousin from Orange—and the very young woman Rex himself is secretly smitten with.

Unable to explain Billy’s condition without ruining his friend's reputation, Rex makes vague excuses. Margery misinterprets his awkwardness as a selfish refusal to take her to the theater, and she departs deeply hurt and offended. Rex then hauls Billy onto the Elevated train, enduring a series of public spectacles before arriving at Billy's apartment building. There, Billy insists on sending a barrage of absurd, expensive telegrams to his parents across the street. When Rex finally delivers Billy to his family's door, Billy forcefully embraces and kisses him in full view of scandalized neighbors just as the elevator doors open.

Believing he has ruined both his love life and his professional future, Rex retreats to his seminary room in misery. Two weeks later, however, redemption arrives. Margery writes to apologize, having pieced together the truth from Billy's hazy memories, and invites Rex to visit. Shortly after, Judge Rush himself arrives at Rex's room alongside Reed. Having heard the hilarious yet revealing story of that night from Billy at a family dinner, Judge Rush realizes that Rex possesses the exact real-world tact, self-sacrifice, and grace needed for urban ministry. The judge officially offers him the position at St. Eric’s, and the story concludes with Margery and a newly sober Billy proudly watching Rex preach his first sermon.

How It Unfolds

An elusive candidate Carter Reed waits fretfully in his Broadway office for his cousin Rex Fairfax, a brilliant but chronically disorganized seminary graduate. Reed has arranged a critical meeting for Rex with Judge Rush, senior warden of St. Eric's Church, but Rex arrives late and utterly unconcerned with the time.

An unwelcome encounter On their way to dinner before the meeting, the cousins stumble upon Billy Strong and Schuyler Van de Water, two young men who are severely intoxicated in public. Reed wants to ignore them, but Rex refuses to leave them to be arrested or hurt, forcing the two cousins to divide and conquer.

The ferry house ordeal Rex drags the wildly unpredictable Billy to the Christopher Street ferry, where Billy collapses asleep on a luggage truck after claiming he has a date. Rex tries to find the woman, only to encounter Margery—the girl he loves—who leaves in anger when Rex cannot explain why he must stay with Billy.

** mayhem on the elevated** Rex navigates a nightmare journey uptown on the Elevated train as a refreshed Billy performs somersaults, picks fights, and insists on gallantly offering his seat to a humiliated female passenger. Rex barely keeps his charge out of the hands of the authorities.

Midnight telegrams and a final spectacle Reaching his destination, Billy refuses to face his family directly and instead sends five surreal telegrams from a hotel across the street. When Rex finally deposits him at his door, Billy forcibly kisses his guardian in front of horrified neighbors right before Rex flees the scene.

An unexpected vindication Believing his career and romance are destroyed, Rex sits in despair weeks later, only to receive a forgiving letter from Margery. Moments later, Judge Rush arrives to offer him the position at St. Eric's, having learned the full story of Rex's noble self-sacrifice from Billy himself.

The People

• Reginald "Rex" Fairfax: A brilliant, exceptionally popular theological student who has just been ordained. Rex wants to serve others and win the heart of Margery, but his casual attitude toward time constantly exasperates his peers. His defining trait is an unshakeable, self-sacrificing loyalty that leads him to prioritize a friend in need over his own personal ambition.
• Billy Strong: A powerful, charming star athlete on the New York Athletic Club water-polo team. When drunk, Billy becomes a mammoth kitten—garrulous, affectionate, absurdly acrobatic, and utterly oblivious to social boundaries. Though his antics drive the plot's chaos, his fundamental goodness and eventual honesty help repair the damage he causes.
• Carter Reed: Rex’s pragmatically minded cousin, a head clerk at a prominent law firm. Reed wants nothing more than to see Rex succeed and secure the prestigious post at St. Eric's. He represents societal decorum and practical ambition, constantly baffled by Rex's willingness to throw away golden opportunities for absurd rescue missions.
• Margery: Billy's sweet, clear-headed cousin from Orange, New Jersey, who captures Rex's heart. She expects honesty and gentlemanly behavior, briefly rejecting Rex when his vague excuses make him appear unreliable, but she is quick to offer grace once she learns the truth.
• Judge Rush: The formidable senior warden of St. Eric's Church and a man of great influence. Initially dismissive of Rex's unreliability, he values character over mere punctuality and ultimately rewards Rex for his practical Christianity.

In Its Own Voice

"The little District Telegraph boy, with a dirty face, stood at the edge of the desk, and, rubbing his sleeve across his cheek, made it unnecessarily dirtier."

"Recky," he bubbled, "good old Recky--bes' fren' ev' had--I'm drunk, Recky--too bad. We're both drunk. Take's home."

"Rex had put his hand to this intoxicated plow and he must not look back, even when the prospect backwards was so bewilderingly attractive, so tantalizingly easy."

What It's Really About

At its heart, A Good Samaritan explores the tension between institutional piety and practical, real-world morality. Through the character of Rex Fairfax, the novella argues that true Christian virtue is not found in polished appearances, rigid schedules, or self-serving networking, but in active, unglamorous service to others—even when that service is messy, embarrassing, and inconvenient. By juxtaposing the formal expectations of high-society Manhattan churches with the chaotic reality of aiding a drunk friend on Broadway, Andrews questioning what it truly means to be a guardian to one's neighbor. The story suggests that modern grace requires humility, humor, and a willingness to get one's hands dirty.

Why Read It Today

A Good Samaritan will appeal to readers who enjoy light Victorian and Edwardian comedy, urban social farce, and classic tales of misunderstood virtue. It offers an entertaining snapshot of turn-of-the-century New York City, capturing the kinetic energy of Broadway, the Elevated railroad, ferry terminals, and early telegram offices with vivid warmth. Reading it feels like stepping into a polished, humorous period vignette where good intentions ultimately triumph over social awkwardness.

Modern readers should be prepared for the story's heavy reliance on phonetic, period-specific representations of drunk dialect, which occupies a large portion of the dialogue and can feel repetitive to contemporary sensibilities. Additionally, the narrative reflects the lighthearted social attitudes of elite 1900s Manhattan, treating public intoxication with comedic indulgence rather than modern gravity. Yet, despite these period quirks, the book remains remarkably charming. Its brisk pacing, genuine humor, and timeless celebration of quiet, unboastful kindness make it a delightful, uplifting read that stays with you long after its final page.