O. Henry

1909 portrait by E. M. Vanderweyde

William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), better known by his pen name "O. Henry," was one of the great American writers of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. He specialized in short stories, often humorous sketches of working-class folks. He was especially fond of, and well known for, ending his stories with some sort of clever twist, most of which have been spoiled for everyone by a century's worth of parodies and homages.


"The Ransom of Red Chief"
In which a most terrible villain takes two innocent kidnappers captive.