Well, a surprising touch of the bizarre from Dorothy Parker.
"Mrs. Hofstadter on Josephine Street" is a tale of a quiet couple hiring the services of chef/butler who came with glowing references, mostly given them by Horace (the butler) himself. He soon wears thin his welcome when he takes over their lives, talking non-stop and quoting Mrs. Hofstadter on Josephine Street until they fire him (the climax) in a bid to regain their lives. Parker ends the story with the possibility of renewed conflict when the telephone rings and Horace apologizes for "leaving" and promises to come back and take care of them again.
No, no hint of revenge or murder–although his return to service would be considered punishment and indeed, the couple would likely murder him–but one wonders what type of human Horace is, over and above being a giant pain in the ass.
The bizarre here, is in the character as he upsets one of Parker’s stable, normal households. After reading much of contemporary story plots, I wonder if it is influencing me to catch something like this and merely turn it into more than what Parker originally presented.
So once again, not only is the story changed by the reader, but by the era it is read in, regardless of when it was written. Interesting.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology