The excerpt supporting the theme i. e. "people can change for the better" because in the story of "a reformation" written by o' Henry shows that a person who commits many crimes can change himself if he decided to change. People are able to change themselves for their beloved just like in the story of reformation in which a person named Jimmy Valentine changed himself for his beloved.
The narrator speaks to the reader, saying, "as you I will apprise." Then, two lines later, this context clue appears: "Before yet farther in this tale I place." This clue suggests that "apprise" is a verb that gives some information to the reader before too much time passes.
