Night reading ｜ He said that life is a tearful smile.

　　CCTV News:His life was full of ups and downs, and he began his literary creation when he was nearly puzzled, but he became one of the "three great short story masters in the world". He has left nearly 300 novels in his creative career for more than ten years, including Sacrifice of Love, Gift of Maggie, and The Last Leaf … … Articles are literary classics; He wrote "a tearful smile" with his own experience, enlightening the world that "as long as you believe, there will always be miracles".

　　He is O. Henry.

　　1862-O Henry, a famous American short story writer, was born. Tonight, review his classic works and feel the love and hope in life.

Maggie’s gift

(with deletion)

　　Life is made up of sobs, sobs and smiles, and sobs occupy most of them.

　　One yuan and eighty-seven cents. It’s all here, including 60 cents in coppers. This is saved by bargaining from grocery store owners, vegetable vendors and butcher’s shops, and I feel ashamed every time. I deeply feel that this kind of deal is really embarrassing. Della counted it three times, and it was still 1.87 yuan, and the next day was Christmas.　

　　Obviously, there is no other way but to throw yourself on that shabby nap chair and cry.　

　　Della did this, but her spiritual feelings came to life. Life is made up of sobs, sobs and smiles, and sobs occupy most of them.

　　After Della finished crying, she smeared powder on her cheeks. She stood at the window and stared at a gray cat walking on a gray fence in the gray backyard. Only one yuan and eighty-seven cents to buy Jim a present, her Jim! How many days did she spend planning to give him a lovely gift, an exquisite, rare and expensive gift — — At least something worthy of Jim.

　　The couple each have something they are particularly proud of. One is Jim’s gold watch; The other is Della’s hair.　

　　There is a wall mirror between the two windows in the room. Suddenly, she whirled around from the window and stood in front of the wall mirror. Her eyes were crystal clear, but her face lost its luster within twenty seconds. She tore her hair apart quickly and let it splash completely.　

　　The couple each have something they are particularly proud of. One is Jim’s gold watch, which was handed down from his grandfather to his father and from his father to his family heirloom. The other is Della’s hair.　

　　At this moment, Della’s hair splashed around her, and the microwave fluctuated and shone like a brown waterfall. Her hair is knee-length, like a robe for her. Then, she quickly combed her hair nervously, hesitated for a minute, and stood there motionless, splashing a tear or two on the worn red carpet.　

　　She bought it for twenty-one dollars. With the gold watch and this chain, Jim can look at the time without shame on any occasion.

　　She put on the old brown coat and hat, and there were glittering and translucent tears in her eyes. As soon as her skirt swung, she floated out of the door and went downstairs to the street.　

　　She stopped at a sign that said, "Mrs. Sofroni — — Specializing in all kinds of hair. " Della ran up the stairs, panting and composed. That lady is fat, too pale and as cold as ice, which simply doesn’t match the nickname of "Sofroni".　

　　"Do you want to buy my hair?" Della asked.　

　　"I buy hair," said the lady. "Take off your hat and let me see the hair sample."　

　　The brown waterfall splashed down.　

　　"Twenty dollars," said the lady, grasping her hair expertly.　

　　"Give me the money quickly," said Della.　

　　Oh, the next two hours seemed to fly by happily with wings. She searched everywhere for a present for Jim.　

　　She finally found it. It must be specially made for Jim. It’s a simple platinum watch chain, engraved with patterns, which is just right for Jim’s gold watch. She bought it for twenty-one dollars and hurried home, leaving only eighty-seven cents. The gold watch matches this chain, so Jim can look at the time without shame on any occasion.　

　　After Della came home, her ecstasy became a little cautious and rational. She found out the curling iron, lit the gas, and began to repair the damage caused by the generosity of love. Within forty minutes, her head was covered with small curls that clung to her scalp, and she looked like a little boy playing truant.

　　"If Jim looks at me and doesn’t kill me," she said to herself, "he will say that I look like a singing girl in Coney Island, but what can I do — — Alas, there is only one yuan and eighty-seven cents. What can I do? "　

　　She held her hair comb to her chest, and after a long time, she raised her tearful eyes and smiled and said, "My hair grows very fast, Jim!" "　

　　At seven o’clock, she made coffee, put the frying pan on the hot stove, and could make steak at any time.　

　　Jim always comes home on time. The door opened, Jim stepped in and closed the door behind him. His eyes were fixed on Della, and her expression made her unable to understand and made her hair stand on end. It was neither anger nor surprise, nor dissatisfaction, nor disgust, and it was not any expression she had expected at all. He stared at della with this expression.　

　　Della twisted her waist, jumped off the table and walked over to him.　

　　"Jim, honey," she cried, "don’t stare at me like that. I cut off my hair and sold it, because I can’t spend Christmas without giving you a present. Hair will grow back — — You won’t mind, will you? I have to do this. My hair is growing very fast. Say ‘ Merry Christmas ’ Ok! Jim, let’s be happy. You’ll never guess what a nice, beautiful and exquisite gift I bought you! "　

　　"Have you cut off your hair?" Jim asked laboriously, as if he had racked his brains and failed to understand the obvious fact.　

　　"Cut it off and sell it," said Della. "Anyway, don’t you also like me? Without long hair, I am still me, right? "　

　　Jim looked around the room strangely.　

　　"Did you say your hair was gone?" He asked almost like an idiot.　

　　"Stop looking," said Della. "To tell you, I have sold it — — It’s sold. It’s gone. Treat me well, it’s for you. Maybe I can count my hair, "she suddenly said softly," but no one can count my love for you. Shall I cook steak, Jim? "　

　　Jim seemed to wake up from a trance and held Della tightly in his arms. Jim took a small bag from his coat pocket and threw it on the table.　

　　"Don’t get me wrong, Del," he said. "When you open that bag, you will know why I looked like that just now."　

　　White fingers deftly untied the rope and opened the paper bag. Followed by ecstatic screams, suddenly turned into women’s neurotic tears and crying, in urgent need of the male host to do everything possible to comfort.　

　　Because it’s a comb on the table — — Full set of combs. It was something that Della had seen and envied to death in a Broadway window a long time ago. These wonderful hair combs are made of pure tortoiseshell, and the edges are inlaid with jewels — — Its color just matches her lost hairdressing. She knows that this set of combs is really too expensive. For this, she was only envious and eager before, and never thought about getting them. Now, all this actually belongs to her, but unfortunately the beautiful long hair that is qualified to wear this coveted ornament has disappeared without a trace.　

　　However, she still held her hair comb to her chest, and it took a long time before she raised her tearful eyes and smiled and said, "My hair grows very fast, Jim!" "　

　　I sold my gold watch and bought a hair comb for you.

　　Then Della jumped up like a scalded kitten and cried, "Oh! Oh! " Jim hasn’t seen his beautiful gift yet.

　　Della spread out her palm and reached out to him. "Isn’t it beautiful, Jim? I searched all over the city before I found it. Now, you can watch the time a hundred times a day. Give me the watch, I want to see how it matches it. "　

　　Instead of following her instructions, Jim collapsed on the couch with his hands under his head and smiled slightly.　

　　"Del," he said, "let’s put Christmas presents aside. They are too good to be used at present. I sold my gold watch and bought a hair comb for you. Now, you make the steak. "　

　

△ Figure from British illustrator David Renshaw

▽ Sketch | O Henry

　　O Henry, born on September 11th, 1862, was originally named william sydney porter. He created the precedent of modern American short stories, and was called "the three great short story masters in the world" together with French Mo Bosang and Russian Chekhov.

　　After a lifetime of ups and downs, I began to create in prison when I was near confusion.

　　In 1898, O Henry, who worked as a cashier in a bank, was jailed for "embezzlement" because of problems in the bank accounts he handled. In order to make a living, he began to write short stories in prison, nearly 30 years old. Because of the prisoner’s identity, he dared not use his real name, so he took the abbreviation "O Henry" of a French pharmacopoeia editor as his pen name.

　　In 1901, after serving more than three years in prison, O Henry was released early, and then he devoted himself to writing. But just when his creativity was at its peak, his health began to deteriorate and he died in 1910.　

　　"Smile with tears" and "O ‘Henry-style ending" are well-known in the literary world.

　　"Smile with tears" — — The organic combination of comedy form and tragedy connotation is the creative style of O ‘Henry’s novels. In his works, the kind and kind poor people have no food to eat and no shelter. He profoundly revealed the soul and fate of the little people in American society at the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, which constituted the unique humanistic care in his novels.

　　O Henry is also famous for being good at endings. At the end of his works, the fate of the hero is often suddenly reversed, or the psychological situation of the characters is unexpectedly changed. This is an unexpected and reasonable ending, which is specially called "O Henry’s ending" by American literary circles.

　　More than ten years of writing time has left nearly 300 short stories.

　　Although he has only spent more than ten years in his life writing novels, O Henry is a prolific writer. He left behind a novel "Cabbage and the Emperor" and nearly 300 short stories, including the famous novels "Sacrifice of Love", "Police and Hymns", "The Gift of Maggie", "A Room with Furniture for Rent", "The Last Leaf" and "Twenty Years Later".

　　In 1918, the United States set up the "O Henry Memorial Award" to reward the best short stories every year.

Draw a leaf for life,

As long as you believe, there will always be miracles.

Although the hope is slim, it will last forever.

— — O Henry’s The Last Leaf