O. Henry had a busy life - including ambushes, arrests and alcoholism. Perhaps this is the explanation of his rich canon of work reflected his wide-range of experiences and is distinctive for its witticism, clever wordplay, and unexpected twist endings.The reader is invited to know the world of O. Henry in these seven selected short stories.The Gift of the Magi The Cop and the AnthemA Retrieved ReformationThe Ransom of Red Chief Springtime a la CarteThe Count and the Wedding Guest Witches' Loaves

William Sydney Porter, writing as O. Henry, wrote in a dry, humorous style and, as in "The Gift of the Magi," often ironically used coincidences and surprise endings. Released from prison in 1902, Porter went to New York, his home and the setting of most of his fiction for the remainder of his life. Writing prodigiously, he went on to become a revered American writer.