1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales

A COSMOPOLITE IN A CAFE by O.HENRY

Published: January 16, 2026

Duration: 16:30

From THE FOUR MILLION by O. Henry

O. Henry's "A Cosmopolite in a Café" tells of the narrator meeting E. Rushmore Coglan, a man who claims to be a true "citizen of the world," free from hometown ties. Coglan boasts of world travels, dismissing regional pride and judging people individually. However, when a stranger insults Coglan's hometown of Mattawamkeag, Maine, Coglan fiercely defends it, revealing his profound local loyalty and leading to a fight, thereby exposing his hypocrisy and proving the narrator's theory that true cosmopolites are rare. 

Be sure to check out our narration of...

A COSMOPOLITE IN A CAFE by O.HENRY - 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales