A collection of 19 short stories from the West.Several of the funniest and best stories by O. Henry appear in this book, which is made up of about twenty-five of his inimitable tales of Western life and types which have appeared at intervals in the magazines. These stories are the best of their kind since Bret Harte.William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 - June 5, 1910), known by his pen name O. Henry, and his surprise endings, was an American short story writer. He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He changed the spelling of his middle name to Sydney in 1898. HEARTS AND CROSSES (excerpt)Baldy Woods reached for the bottle, and got it. Whenever Baldy went for anything he usually—but this is not Baldy's story. He poured out a third drink that was larger by a finger than the first and second. Baldy was in consultation; and the consultee is worthy of his hire."I'd be king if I was you," said Baldy, so positively that his holster creaked and his spurs rattled.Webb Yeager pushed back his flat-brimmed Stetson, and made further disorder in his straw-coloured hair. The tonsorial recourse being without avail, he followed the liquid example of the more resourceful Baldy."If a man marries a queen, it oughtn't to make him a two-spot," declared Webb, epitomising his grievances."Sure not," said Baldy, sympathetic, still thirsty, and genuinely solicitous concerning the relative value of the cards. "By rights you're a king. If I was you, I'd call for a new deal. The cards have been stacked on you—I'll tell you what you are, Webb Yeager.""What?" asked Webb, with a hopeful look in his pale-blue eyes."You're a prince-consort.""Go easy," said Webb. "I never blackguarded you none.""It's a title," explained Baldy, "up among the picture-cards; but it don't take no tricks. I'll tell you, Webb. It's a brand they're got for certain animals in Europe. Say that you or me or one of them Dutch dukes marries in a royal family. Well, by and by our wife gets to be queen. Are we king? Not in a million years. At the coronation ceremonies we march between little casino and the Ninth Grand Custodian of the Royal Hall Bedchamber. The only use we are is to appear in photographs, and accept the responsibility for the heir- apparent. That ain't any square deal. Yes, sir, Webb, you're a prince- consort; and if I was you, I'd start a interregnum or a habeus corpus or somethin'; and I'd be king if I had to turn from the bottom of the deck."Baldy emptied his glass to the ratification of his Warwick pose."Baldy," said Webb, solemnly, "me and you punched cows in the same outfit for years. We been runnin' on the same range, and ridin' the same trails since we was boys. I wouldn't talk about my family affairs to nobody but you. You was line-rider on the Nopalito Ranch when I married Santa McAllister. I was foreman then; but what am I now? I don't amount to a knot in a stake rope."

Lou and Nancy were chums. They came to the big city to find work because there was not enough to eat at their homes to go around. Nancy was nineteen; Lou was twenty. Both were pretty, active, country girls who had no ambition to go on the stage.

Some of the best stories from the master of wordplay and surprise endings, including 'The Gift of the Magi' and 'The Cop and the Anthem'. Many of the stories in this collection are set in New York City.

Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry. set in a fictitious Central American country called the Republic of Anchuria. This collection chronicles the fiction and non fiction classics by the greatest writers the world has ever known. The inclusion of both popular as well as overlooked pieces is pivotal to providing a broad and representative collection of classic works. It takes its title from the poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter", featured in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. Its plot contains famous elements in the poem: shoes and ships and sealing wax, cabbages and kings. The novel contains various short stories, all of which occur in Anchuria, and are connected to each other.

Indice dei Racconti Le mogli dei morti di Nathaniel Hawthorne La sepoltura di Roger Malvin di Nathaniel Hawthorne Il duplice delitto della Rue Morgue di Edgar Allan Poe Bartleby di Herman Melville Storia della ghiandaia che scopri un buco di Mark Twain Il figliol prodigo di Mr. Thompson di Francis Baet Harte Sul campo dell’onore di Ambrose Bierce L’umiliazione dei Northmore di Henry James Il dono dei magi di O. Henry La mite Lena di Gertrude Stein La barca di Stephen Crane Io e il mio camino di Herman Melville Il biglietto da un milione di sterline di Mark Twain La via giusta di Henry James La guardia e il corale di O. Henry Il discepolo del verbo di Theodore Dreiser La semina del granturco di Sherwood Anderson

"The Four Million" is the second published collection of short stories by O. Henry originally released in 1906. There are twenty-five stories of various lengths including several of his best known works such as "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Cop and the Anthem". The book"s title refers to the then population of New York City where many of the stories are set. William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer. His stories are known for their surprise endings.