The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for spectators were few.
Stories of O. Henry
O. Henry was the pen name used by William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), a popular American author known for his witty and ironic short stories. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Porter had an unsettled early life as he moved from one job to another after dropping out of school at 15. Working as a banker, draftsman, and journalist, among other trades, his life took a fateful turn when he was accused and convicted of embezzlement in 1894, leading to his imprisonment for 3 years.
While in prison, Porter began writing short stories to earn money to support his young daughter. Drawing on his diverse life experiences and lively imagination, he set many of his stories in New York City and used clever plot twists and surprise endings, his trademark narrative devices. His first story collection, Cabbages and Kings, was published in 1904 under the pseudonym O. Henry. Extremely prolific, in the subsequent 6 years before his untimely death from cirrhosis of the liver, O. Henry published nearly 600 stories and gained immense popularity.
His best known stories include classics like “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Ransom of Red Chief,” “The Cop and the Anthem,” and “The Furnished Room.” Collected in volumes like The Four Million and Sixes and Sevens, O. Henry’s stories realistically depict everyday people’s lives with humor and optimistic charm. With clever wordplay and warm, vibrant characters, his enduring short fiction leaves a legacy of not just brilliant plotting but also an appreciation for all of humanity. The O. Henry Award was established after his death to honor outstanding short stories each year.
- After Twenty Years by O. Henry
- From the Cabby’s Seat by O.Henry
- The Cop and the Anthem by O. Henry
- The Ferry of Unfulfilment by O.Henry
- The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
- The Last Leaf by O’Henry
- THE POET AND THE PEASANT by O.Henry
- The Purple Dress by O. Henry
- The Skylight Room by O.Henry
- Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
- WITCHES’ LOAVES by O’Henry
The Skylight Room by O.Henry
The Skylight Room by O.Henry First Mrs. Parker would show you the double parlours. You would not dare to interrupt her description of their advantages and of the merits of the gentleman who had occupied them for eight years. Then you would manage to stammer forth the confession that you were neither a doctor nor […]
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to.
From the Cabby’s Seat by O.Henry
The cabby has his point of view. It is more single-minded, perhaps, than that of a follower of any other calling. From the high, swaying seat of his hansom
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony
The Cop and the Anthem by O. Henry
“O. Henry” was the pen name adopted by William Sydney Porter. He began his short story career by contributing Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking to McClure’s Magazine in 1899.
The Ferry of Unfulfilment by O.Henry
The Ferry of Unfulfilment by O.Henry At the street corner, as solid as granite in the “rush-hour” tide of humanity, stood the Man from Nome. The Arctic winds and sun had stained him berry-brown. His eye still held the azure glint of the glaciers. He was as alert as a fox, as tough as a […]
The Last Leaf by O’Henry
The Last Leaf by O’Henry In a little district west of Washington Square the streets have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips called “places.” These “places” make strange angles and curves. One street crosses itself a time or two. An artist once discovered a valuable possibility in this street. Suppose a collector with […]
The Purple Dress by O. Henry
The Purple Dress by O. Henry ? We are to consider the shade known as purple. It is a color justly in repute among the sons and daughters of man. Emperors claim it for their especial dye. Good fellows everywhere seek to bring their noses to the genial hue that follows the commingling of the […]
THE POET AND THE PEASANT by O.Henry
THE POET AND THE PEASANT by O.Henry The other day a poet friend of mine, who has lived in close communion with nature all his life, wrote a poem and took it to an editor. It was a living pastoral, full of the genuine breath of the fields, the song of birds, and the pleasant […]