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. A twist of plot, which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance, is typical of O. Henry's stories. Born September 11, 1862 as William Sidney Porter, he later changed to his pen name of O. Henry. ^ He spent his childhood in North Carolina. He was formally educated until he dropped out of …showed first 75 words of 670 total…

…showed last 75 words of 670 total…down her back. That's all I can think of now, but the story is coming." ** Eventually, the deadline long past, he wrote the story of the desperate girl and boy in three hours, helped along by his habitual bottle of Scotch and his agitated editor who waited on O. Henry's shabby couch for the copy. ** Porter died on June 5, 1910 in New York City at the age of forty seven. An alcoholic, he died virtually penniless. ^