Book excerpt: || The Gift of The Magi || "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its twist ending are well-known, and the ending is generally considered an example of comic irony. It was allegedly written at Pete's Tavern on Irving Place in New York City.***The Ransom of The Red Chief *** : "The Ransom of Red Chief" is a 1910 short story by O. Henry first published in The Saturday Evening Post. It follows two men who kidnap and attempt to ransom a wealthy Alabamian's son; eventually, the men are driven crazy by the boy's spoiled and hyperactive behavior, and pay the boy's father to take him back.The story and its main idea have become a part of popular culture, with many children's television programs using a version of the story as one of their episodes. Things make it different from other books:1. Illustrations2. Author Biography3. Summary