O. Henry

O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862–1910), the American master of the short story with a twist. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, he worked on a Texas ranch, in a land office and in an Austin bank, from which he was accused of embezzling; he served three years in an Ohio penitentiary, where he began publishing stories under his pseudonym. In New York from 1902 he wrote at the rate of a story a week for the Sunday World, collected in The Four Million and other volumes. The Gift of the Magi, The Ransom of Red Chief and The Last Leaf are his best known.