Love this story with its unreliable narrator, who doesn't seem to see what clearly lies behind the words in his story about Jim Kimble, the town prankster. Short story perfection. ( )

Lardner's story of a small town wit--who wasn't witty at all--and what happened to him is a nice, quick read that let's us feel superior to all those small town folks! Perhaps characters like this are found everywhere, but they stand out more in small towns due to less competition. ( )

The short story, mastered: compelling narrative, deeply ironic without being didactic, a tour-de-force about banal immorality, both of the actor Jim and of the profoundly obtuse narrator, the chuckling barber. What is proffered as amusing is actually a scary tale about depravity and complicity. ( )