O. Henry (1862-1910)（July 24：美国历史上的今天）

内容提要：欧·亨利以其独创的欧亨利式结尾的短篇小说而久负盛名。尽管他是一位著名作家，他本人却过得并不快乐。他在1910年去世时身无分文。

William Sydney Porter was born in North Carolina in 1862. At age 20, he moved to Texas. He had jobs as a bookkeeper, draftsman绘图员，and teller出纳员 in a bank. 

In 1887, he married Ethol Estes. Encouraged by her, Porter began writing stories for magazines and newspapers. He gave up his bank job in 1894. 

Two years later, he was charged控告 with stealing money from the bank when he worked there. Porter said he was innocent无辜的. Instead of facing the charge, he fled to Honduras, a country in Central America. 

When he learned that his wife was very ill, he returned to Texas. She died, and he was sent to prison in 1898. While there, he wrote short stories using the name O. Henry. By the time he got out on July 24, 1901, he was one of the country's most famous authors. 

He moved to New York. He continued to write short stories, always using the name O. Henry. Each year, a collection of his stories was published. In all, he wrote over 500 short stones. 

Most of his stories were about everyday people, often with a surprise ending. One, The Gift of the Magi, was about a poor couple who wanted to give each other a special gift. She sold her beautiful hair to buy him a chain链 for his prized watch. He had sold his watch to buy her a set of combs for her hair. 

Although Porter earned a lot of money as a successful author, he was an unhappy man. He died a penniless一文不名的 alcoholic酗酒者 in 1910.

本文内容选自上海外语教育出版社引进出版的《听读美国小故事》第7册（7月）。如需购买，可到当当、亚马逊、京东等网上书城去看看。