One of the most popular American writers of the twentieth century, O. Henry's comic eye and unique, playful approach to the rough material of life's realities are unmatched. These stories, which range from the cattle-lands of Texas to the bars of New York, highlight the joys of avoiding habit and convention, and demonstrate O. Henry's mastery of speech and place. The Penguin English Library—collectable general readers' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.