Showing results by author "O Henry" in All Categories

First published in The Saturday Evening Post, "The Ransom of Red Chief" is a humorous short story written in 1910 by O. Henry. A pair of con men kidnap and attempt to ransom a prominent Alabama citizen’s son. Immediately they find themselves at the mercy of a particularly spoiled and clever boy who begins driving them mad. The ironic ending remains the story’s most enduring feature.

In this adaptation of The Gift of the Magi, Laura and David want to buy Christmas presents for each other, but they don't have the money. We follow Laura as figures out a way to buy David a present he'll truly love, and we learn how love and selflessness come to the forefront during the holidays.

Narrator Nigel Hawthorne's exceptional talents as an actor bring comedy to the fore in this collection, extracting every nuance of humour from these seven great stories. Featuring "Brugglesmith" by Rudyard Kipling, "The Cricket Match" (from England, Their England) by A.G. Macdonell, "Reginald on House Parties" by Saki, "Winglebury Duel" by Charles Dickens, and more.

The Last Leaf is an endearing story about many forms of love and our interdependency upon one another and most importantly ourselves. In it a young woman dying from pneumonia despite the best efforts of her loving roommate, a doctor, and a mature resident in the building who has appointed himself guardian to the young lady and her housemate, soon learns that she is the key to her own life or death and in that discovery she helps a friend rise to their true greatness.

Bill Driscoll and Sam (we never learn his last name), a pair of turn-of-the-20th-century con men embark on quite an adventure. The pair need $2,000.00 to pull off a fraudulent town-lot scam in Western Illinois. They decide to kidnap the only son of a prominent Alabama citizen in the small town of Summit. They should've known when they grabbed their target, who was at the time throwing stones at a kitten, that it would be best to leave him alone. Particularly after he beans Bill with a brick. The situation does not improve with time. O Henry, famous for his humor, plays on words, and plot twists makes this a highly amusing short story.

"The Ransom of Red Chief" may be the most widely read story in grammar, middle, and high school. Young people can relate to 10-year-old Red Chief, his father, who makes the kidnappers pay him back in order to take Red Chief off their hands....

Let yourself be swept away by these classic tales of hope and courage!!

- Classic tales (short stories and poems) of hope and courage from the 19th and 20th centuries

Annotated for modern listeners

The third entry in the Classic Tales series, joining "Classic Tales of Horror" and "Classic Tales of Christmas"

For adventure fans of all ages, these stories are guaranteed to intrigue, delight, and sometimes take you by surprise!

This is a story from the More Classic American Short Stories collection.

Narrator Glenn Hascall magnificently captures the characters of this O. Henry short story about a Southern gentleman who still maintains the manners of the antebellum South although he is now living in a boardinghouse in Washington, D.C. Henry Hopkins Hargraves, an actor who also lives at the boardinghouse, befriends Major Pendleton Talbot, is apparently entranced by the Major's stories, and is happy to sit and listen for hours as Maj. Talbot rambles on. Of course O. Henry adds a wonderful twist to this humorous short story.

Included in this volume: "Watson!" by Captain A. E. Dingle; The Adventure of the Diamond Necklace, by G. F. Forrest; The Stolen Cigar-Case, by Bret Harte; The Adventures of Shamrock Jolnes, by O. Henry; and Mr. Raffles Holmes, by John Kendrick Bangs.

Here are three of the most wonderful Christmas stories ever written, presented for you along with two short pieces that just can't be left out of any Christmas collection worth its salt.

These treasured stories from the most influential authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries are selected for their literary importance as well as their dramatic, oral qualities. Listen to these 10 unabridged classics by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, O. Henry, and Willa Cather.

Delve into the humor and charm of early 20th-century city life with O. Henry’s delightful short story, A Comedy in Rubber. Known for his clever wit and unexpected twists, O. Henry brings us a playful tale of misadventure, following a character who encounters a string of amusing predicaments—all set in motion by a simple trip in a vintage automobile. With every turn, the story unfolds with O. Henry’s signature blend of humor and irony, giving listeners a nostalgic glimpse into a bygone era.

Art and life. Each the mirror of the other. This then is the classic definition of what ‘Realism’ as a writing form really is. Some might call it a fancy term for the mundane day to day pursuits but in the hands of an author it comes alive. We are drawn into characters and landscapes that we can empathize with, we can, metaphorically speaking, help shoulder their burden, be on the long trail with them whatever the landscapes, the hurdles, incidents and other people may place in their literary way.

O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), an American writer of outstanding short stories known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and surprise endings. In this story, Miss Martha's good deed in helping a man whom she takes for an impoverished artist goes very wrong.

Did you know that O. Henry's real name was William Sydney Porter? He had many pseudonyms, but is mostly known as O. Henry. He wrote over 300 stories and is known for playfully writing a twist at the end. Most of them are based in New York, with characters being an average Joe. A census at the time stated there were about four million individuals living in NYC at the time, and that is how this volume of short stories received its name.

Fifty of the world's greatest classic short stories: 1.The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant 2.The One Million Pound Banknote by Mark Twain 3.The Phantom Rickshaw by Rudyard Kipling 4.The Fly by Katherine Mansfield 5.The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe 6.My Favorite Murder by Ambrose Bierce 7.The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe 8.One Thousand Dollars by O. Henry 9.Regret by Kate Chopin 10.The Nose by Nikolai Gogol 11.The Mezzotint by M. R. James 12.The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Fear. This one small word is responsible for destroying relationships, choking off success, and preventing any number of positive changes. Unfortunately, until the root cause of the fear is addressed, it will continue to control decision-making processes and taint the way we see the world. Dr. Casalnnie Henry confronts this issue head-on in Avoiding the Fear Trap, a book that will teach you how to find relief from the fear that follows you throughout your day. This new therapy will help you understand yourself better.

Fifty of the greatest classic horror stories ever written: 1. "The Beast with Five Fingers" by W. F. Harvey 2. "The Well" by W. W. Jacobs 3. "The Nightmare Room" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 4. "The End of a Show" by Barry Pain 5. "Bagnell Terrace" by E. F. Benson 6. "Fingers of a Hand" by H. D. Everett 7. "The Interruption" by W. W. Jacobs 8. "Gavon’s Eve" by E. F. Benson 9. "The Ring of Thoth" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 10. "Moon’s Gibbet" by Egerton Castle 11. "The Mystery of Sasassa Valley" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The classic Christmas love story, as poignant now as when O. Henry (pen name of William Sydney Porter) wrote it in 1905. A poor young couple sacrifices their own "treasures" for their partner. A must-listen for any time of year.