The Gifts of the Magi

The book includes stories by the famous American writer O. Henry, a recognized master of short stories with unexpected endings.
His heroes are sometimes just "little people" from big New York, sometimes carefree and cheerful artists and writers, sometimes guys from... a tough gangster neighborhood and their touchingly loyal girlfriends, and sometimes inhabitants of the Wild West - cowboys, ranchers, farmers. Their plots are always captivating, the resolutions are swift and unexpected. All are full of subtle humor, unexpected comparisons, and unpredictable conclusions.
The heroes of the stories are noble and romantic, inventive and resourceful, optimistic and full of life, finding a way out of any situation. O. Henry (real name William Sydney Porter, 1862-1910) was an American writer, humorist, and master of short stories with unexpected endings. The plots often drew from real life.
Sitting in jail on charges of embezzlement, he wrote his first story. His creations often had happy endings, but fate was not kind to the author himself. Thus, the famous “Gifts of the Magi” was written after he came to see his dying wife at Christmas. He managed to say goodbye to his beloved, and she - to give her husband the last gift - a gold chain for his watch.
The woman did not know that he had sold that very watch in order to buy a ticket back to his hometown.