New Yorkers, Short Stories by O. Henry

The Christmas Presents

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. Every day, when she went to the shops,

she spent very little money. She bought the cheapest meat, the cheapest vegetables. And

when she was tired, she still walked round and round the shops to find the cheapest food.

She saved every cent possible.

Delia counted the money again. There was no mistake. One dollar and eighty-seven cents.

That was all. And the next day was Christmas.

She couldn't do anything about it. She could only sit down and cry. So she sat there, in

the poor little room, and she cried.

Delia lived in this poor little room, in New York, with her husband, James Dillingham Young.

They also had a bedroom, and a kitchen and a bathroom - all poor little rooms. James

Dillingham Young was lucky, because he had a job, but it was not a good job. These rooms

took most of his money. Delia tried to find work, but times were bad, and there was no

work for her. But when Mr James Dillingham Young came home to his rooms, Mrs James Dillingham

Young called him 'Jim' and put her arms round him. And that was good.

Delia stopped crying and she washed her face. She stood by the window, and looked out at

a grey cat on a grey wall in the grey road. Tomorrow was Christmas Day, and she had only

one dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy Jim a Christmas present. Her Jim. She wanted very

much to buy him something really fine, something to show how much she loved him.

Suddenly, Delia turned round and ran over to look in the glass on the wall. Her eyes

were bright.

Now, the James Dillingham Youngs had two very special things. One was Jim's gold watch.

It once belonged to his father, and, before that, to his grandfather. The other special

thing was Delia's hair.

Quickly, Delia let down her beautiful, long hair. It fell down her back, and it was almost

like a coat around her. Then she put her hair up again, quickly. For a second or two she

stood still, and cried a little.

Then she put on her old brown coat, and her old brown hat, turned, and left the room.

She went downstairs and out into the road, and her eyes were bright.

She walked along by the shops, and stopped when she came to a door with 'Madame Eloise

- Hair' on it. Inside there was a fat woman. She did not look like an 'Eloise'.

'Will you buy my hair?' Delia asked.

'I buy hair,' Madame replied. 'Take your hat off, then, and show me your hair.'

The beautiful brown hair fell down.

'Twenty dollars,' Madame said, and she touched the hair with her hand.

'Quick! Cut it off! Give me the money!' Delia said. The next two hours went quickly. Delia

was happy because she was looking round the shops for Jim's present.

At last she found it. It was a gold chain for The Watch. Jim loved his watch, but it

had no chain. When Delia saw this gold chain, she knew immediately that it was right for

Jim. She must have it.

The shop took twenty-one dollars from her for it, and she hurried home with the eighty-seven

cents.

When she arrived there, she looked at her very short hair in the glass. 'What can I

do with it?' she thought. For the next half an hour she was very busy.

Then she looked again in the glass. Her hair was now in very small curls all over her head.

'Oh, dear. I look like a schoolgirl!' she said to herself. 'What's Jim going to say

when he sees me?'

At seven o'clock the dinner was nearly ready and Delia was waiting. 'Oh, I hope he thinks

that I'm still beautiful!' she thought.

The door opened and Jim came in and closed it. He looked very thin and he needed a new

coat. His eyes were on Delia. She could not understand the look on his face, and she was

afraid. He was not angry or surprised. He just watched her, with that strange look on

his face.

Delia ran to him.

'Jim,' she cried. 'Don't look at me like that. I sold my hair because I wanted to give you

a present. It will soon be long again. I had to do it, Jim. Say "Happy Christmas", please.

I have a wonderful present for you!'

'You've cut off your hair?' asked Jim.

'Yes. I cut it off and sold it,' Delia said. 'But don't you love me any more, Jim? I'm

still me.'

Jim looked round the room.

'You say your hair has gone?' he said, almost stupidly.

'Yes. I told you. Because I love you! Shall I get the dinner now, Jim?'

Suddenly Jim put his arms round his Delia. Then he took something from his pocket and

put it on the table.

'I love you, Delia,' he said. 'It doesn't matter if your hair is short or long. But

if you open that, you'll see why I was unhappy at first.'

Excited, Delia pulled off the paper. Then she gave a little scream of happiness. But

a second later there were cries of unhappiness.

Because there were The Combs - the combs for her beautiful hair. When she first saw these

combs in the shop window, she wanted them. They were beautiful combs, expensive combs,

and now they were her combs. But she no longer had her hair!

Delia picked them up and held them. Her eyes were full of love.

'But my hair will soon be long again, Jim.'

And then Delia remembered. She jumped up and cried, 'Oh! Oh!' She ran to get Jim's beautiful

present, and she held it out to him.

'Isn't it lovely, Jim? I looked everywhere for it. Now you'll want to look at your watch

a hundred times a day. Give it to me! Give me your watch, Jim! Let's see it with its

new chain.'

But Jim did not do this. He sat down, put his hands behind his head, and he smiled.

'Delia,' he said. 'Let's keep our presents for a time. They're so nice. You see, I sold

the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now, let's have dinner.'

And this was the story of two young people who were very much in lov