O. Henry 
The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories 

Here are sixteen of the best stories by one of America’s most popular storytellers. For nearly a century, the work of O. Henry has delighted readers with its humor, irony and colorful, real-life settings. The writer’s own life had more than a touch of color and irony. Born William Sidney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1862, he worked on a Texas ranch, then as a bank teller in Austin, then as a reporter for the Houston ‘Post.’ Adversity struck, however, when he was indicted for embezzlement of bank funds. Porter fled to New Orleans, then to Honduras before he was tried, convicted and imprisoned for the crime in 1898. In prison he began writing stories of Central America and the American Southwest that soon became popular with magazine readers. After his release Porter moved to New York City, where he continued writing stories under the pen name O.

Henry Though his work earned him an avid readership, O. Henry died in poverty and oblivion scarcely eight years after his arrival in New York. But in the treasury of stories he left behind are such classics of the genre as ‘The Gift of the Magi, ‘ ‘The Last Leaf, ‘ ‘The Ransom of Red Chief, ‘ ‘The Voice of the City’ and ‘The Cop and the Anthem’ — all included in this choice selection. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Table of Content

From
The Four Million (1906)


The Gift of the Magi


The Cop and the Anthem


Springtime a la Carte


The Green Door


After Twenty Years


The Furnished Room




From
Heart of the West (1907)


The Pimienta Pancakes




From
The Trimmed Lamp (1907)


The Last Leaf




From
The Voice of the City (1908)


The Voice of the City


While the Auto Waits




From
Roads of Destiny (1909)


A Retrieved Reformation




From
Strictly Business (1910)


A Municipal Report




From
Whirligigs (1910)


A Newspaper Story


The Ransom of Red Chief




From
Sixes and Sevens (1911)


A Ghost of a Chance


Makes the Whole World Kin