O. Henry 
The Purple Dress 

In O. Henry’s The Purple Dress, two young store clerks have been saving money all year to buy new dresses for the annual Thanksgiving gala dinner given by their employer. Both women are hoping to catch the attention of the handsome Mr. Ramsay, a manager of the store and eligible bachelor. When Grace can’t make her rent money after buying her dress, Maida loans her the money but skips the party. A classic story of karma during the holidays.

About the author

O. Henry (1862 – 1910) is the pen-name of William Sidney Porter, the American writer born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was known for a style of writing that featured surprise endings and showed the grim and often humorous effect of coincidence on the lives of his subjects. A keen observer of the lives of Americans from New York to Texas in the early 20th century, his works have been adapted many times for the stage and screen.