It Might Have Happened Otherwise

"It Might Have Happened Otherwise" by Hugh Pendexter is a suspenseful tale set in the early 1900s, chronicling the life of Parsly, a station agent caught in a web of moral struggle. Dissatisfied with his meager earnings and uneventful existence, Parsly fixates on the prospect of stealing express money from his station, meticulously plotting a staged robbery as his escape. Torn between the desire for a better life and the weight of his conscience, Parsly’s internal conflict intensifies as he battles feelings of guilt against the enticing vision of freedom. However, his elaborate schemes are disrupted when actual criminals target his station, thrusting Parsly into a real-life robbery scenario. In a surprising turn of events, Parsly's actions during the robbery mark him as a hero, leading to an unexpected promotion and a profound shift in his attitude towards crime and the allure of wealth that once consumed him.