O. Henry was a prolific American short-story writer–a master of surprise endings–who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. Here is “A Blackjack Bargainer,” the story of the drunken Yancey Goree, a washed-up lawyer who has lost his money, possessions, property, and self-respect as a result of playing poker. After settling a feud, however, he manages to redeem himself by trading places with an old rival.

Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.

O. Henry wove several stories together into this highly episodic narrative, taking his title and inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” in Alice in Wonderland.

The stories are set in the fictional country of Anchuria in Central America, a banana republic where larceny is rampant and revolution is lurking in every impoverished back alley. O. Henry offers a cutting satire of contemporary politics and prejudices. Nevertheless, an essential middle-class morality prevails, in which lovers are reunited, poverty obliterated, character rewarded, and sentiment satisfied.

Two delightful tales by one of America’s favorite storytellers.

In “Elsie in New York,” Elsie is an innocent young woman who, upon the death of her father, must look for work to make a living. Her father expected her to trust to the goodheartedness of his previous employer, but Elsie prefers to make her own way in life. Although she visits an employment agency and applies for several positions, do-gooders interfere. Thinking they are saving her soul, in actuality they point her to her destruction.

In “The Purple Dress,” two young women clerks have been saving money all year to buy new dresses for the one gala of their year, the annual Thanksgiving dinner given by their employer. Both are hoping to catch the eye of one attractive gentleman bachelor at the party. But interactions with a landlady and a dressmaker intervene, and things turn out much differently than either girl could have imagined.

Many of O. Henry’s stories describe cultural issues of the day, and many incorporate themes relevant to our modern times. This anthology was specially selected for this purpose. It includes the story performances and introduces the telling of each story by describing its relevance and explaining some of the references that might not be familiar to modern-day audiences.

Opening CreditsAnthology Introduction”The Guilty Party” (19:10)–O. Henry’s opinion on violent crimes committed by minors”A Municipal Report” (51:39)–A character’s evolution of thinking on race”Elsie in New York” (23:29)–Exploitation of women”The Adventures of Shamrock Jolnes” (15:27)–A fun poke at the Sherlock Holmes stories”The Hiding of Black Bill” (35:52)–A story about the limits of trust and friendship”Vanity and Some Sables” (18:27)–Image consciousness analogous to social media”The Trimmed Lamp” (33.29)–Social competition, again analogous to social media”The Duplicity of Hargraves” (38:46)–Honor, image, and defeating racist stereotypes”Past One at Rooney’s” (37:29)–A story of love at first sight, in spite of initial deception”Shearing the Wolf” (17:06)–One good con deserves another”The Gift of the Magi” (16:40)–A classic tale of faith, love, and generosity”The Ransom of Red Chief” (30:39)–Boy outplays his kidnappers”The Cop And The Anthem” (19:08)–One man’s solution to homelessness”Memoirs Of A Yellow Dog” (14:34)–Loving dogs, then as now”The Last Leaf” (20:21)–A story of faith, generosity, and sacrifice, helping a young woman overcome a deadly illnessClosing Credits

O. Henry was a prolific American short-story writer–a master of surprise endings–who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. In “The Gift of the Magi,” one of his best-known works, a young couple at Christmas time who, despite having little money, buy secret gifts for each other. A moral lesson on the importance of love and sacrifice, “The Gift of the Magi” has been adapted to film more than a dozen times throughout the world.

Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.

In a shabby New York flat, Della sobs as she counts the few coins she has saved to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim. A gift worthy of her devotion will require a great sacrifice: selling her long, beautiful hair.

Jim, meanwhile, has made a sacrifice for Della that is no less difficult. As they exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, the discovery of what each has done fills them with despair, until they realize that the true gifts of Christmas can be found more readily in their humble apartment than in any fine store. O. Henry paints a masterly portrait of unfaltering love, a haven from the harsh world outside.

This classic Christmas short story is charmingly told by Lorie Kellogg and Joe Bevilacqua.

Originally published in a 1905 edition of The New York Sunday World, The Gift of the Magi tells the story of a young couple at Christmas when money is tight, offering important insight into the nature of gift-giving. A well-known example of comic irony, it has been widely adapted as everything from an Off-Broadway show to television episodes. This recording of The Gift of the Magi was recorded as part of Dreamscape’s Classic Christmas Stories: A Collection of Timeless Holiday Tales.

O. Henry, the pseudonym of the American writer William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), is best known for writing stories full of wit, wordplay, and warm characterizations, and particularly for their clever twist endings. This volume contains twenty of O. Henry’s best and best-loved stories. They are marked by coincidence and surprise endings as well as the compassion and high humor that have made O. Henry’s stories popular for the last century.
The stories contained in this unique collection are “Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Cop and the Anthem,” “One Dollar’s Worth,” “A Retrieved Reformation,” “The Last of the Troubadours,” “The Caballero’s Way,” “Last Leaf,” “The Furnished Room,” “Cupid’s Exile Number Two,” “The Lotus and the Bottle,” “The Trimmed Lamp,” “Springtime agrave; la Carte,” “The Sleuths,” “Out of Nazareth,” “Memoirs of a Yellow Dog,” “The Making of a New Yorker,” “Law and Order,” “Hearts and Hands,” and “The Ransom of Red Chief.”

If you think of classic literature as dry and dusty reading that you have to force yourself to get through, then prepare to change your mind. Not only are these stories witty and entertaining, they are laugh-out-loud funny to boot! Does the 300-year-old ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville really exist? And if he does, will the rambunctious Otis children scare him out of his wits? What deadly crime is foretold in Lord Arthur Savile’s palm, and who will be the victim? The answers lie in these hilarious tales. Each of O.Henry’s stories are original, intelligent and wonderfully written. His fiendishly clever prose, and deftly ironic humor begs to be read aloud, and is heightened by the incomparable Frank Muller’s dazzling narration. This collection includes: The Gift of the Magi, The Reformation of Calliope, One Thousand Dollars, The Pimienta Pancakes, The Badge of Policeman O’Roon, The Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen, Caught, The Whirligig of Life, Makes the Whole World Kin, The Cop and the Anthem, Memoirs of a Yellow Dog, The Last Leaf, A Newspaper Story, The Skylight Room, A Retrieved Reformation, The Rubaiyat of a Scotch Highball, The Passing of Black Eagle, The Green Door, Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking, The Furnished Room, Springtime A la Carte, and A Madison Square Arabian Night.

William Sydney Porter had an unusual personal history. He got a job as a teller and bookkeeper at a Texas bank when he was twenty-nine. He did what could be called some careless bookkeeping, and it appeared he may have embezzled some funds. No charges were made until about four years later when an audit found the previous shortages, and he was arrested. Bail was posted by his father-in-law, and Porter headed out to unknown places, living in Honduras for a while. When he returned to the states, he was indicted and sent to prison. It was there his talents ripened for writing creative short stories that featured a lot of twists and turns with surprise endings and a lot of witty narration; he actually wrote more than a dozen tales while behind bars.

From that writing while incarcerated he decided this is what he would like to do, and the decision led to 381 short stories over the years. He saw the name Henry in a newspaper society column, and that was also the last name of one of the prison guards he’d had. One or the other, perhaps a combination, led to him using it as a pen name. He felt he had to have one because publishers would be leery of using his material due of his lurid background.

In spite of the checkered past, he wound up with a very respectable reputation, and there’s a road in his birthplace, Greensboro, North Carolina, named O. Henry Boulevard, overlooking his misdeeds of the past. He was a heavy drinker, and the habit led to death at the early age of 47.

We begin with a story published in McClure’s magazine, December 1899. This was the first story published under the pseudonym O. Henry. Let’s listen.