An Imperfect Conflagration

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. His style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, impossible events and the theme of war. «An Imperfect Conflagration» is an example of Bierce black humor. A father/son team have committed a burglary and are dividing the spoils when the father holds back a fancy music box and denies he has it. This causes the son to end their partnership. He resolves this problem with the help of... How will the story end? Read the story to find out.