The Gift of the Magi

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer.

Della counted it three times. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride: Jim's gold watch that had been his father's, and Della's long, beautiful hair.

Della stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present.

Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the mirror. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

With a brilliant tear in her eye, she reached for her old brown jacket and her old brown hat. With a flutter of skirts, she hurried out the door and down the stairs to the street.

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della. "I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the run of it."