Before readers is a collection of short stories by the remarkable American writer O. Henry. The name of the classic of American literature, the virtuoso master of the short story William Porter (1862–1910), who wrote under the pseudonym O. Henry, is known to almost everyone. The work of O. Henry is surprisingly multifaceted - through a mischievous irony and a fascinating plot with an unexpected denouement, deep lyricism and philosophical sadness shine through like watermarks. And there are essentially no age restrictions for him either: everyone - from eight years to eighty - will be able to find for himself among the stories of O. Henry something close and understandable.