The soul of Henry Jones

"The Soul of Henry Jones" by Ray Cummings is a story set in the early 1900s about a man named Henry Jones, who feels like something is missing from his life. He's not happy with just going through the motions of his daily grind and being married to his wife, Martha. Then, Henry meets Elsie Morton, who shows him how exciting life can be. They go canoeing, and this makes Henry question his life. He struggles with wanting the excitement Elsie brings but also knowing he has responsibilities to his wife. In the end, Henry has to figure out what will truly make him happy, and he learns that love and handling responsibilities can change how he views life and relationships. The tone of the story looks to be a character piece about inner discovery.