O.Henry's The Gift of the Magi, tells the tale of James Young and his wife Della who are a couple of modest means. They have only two possessions between them in which they take pride: Della's beautiful long, flowing hair, almost touching to her knees, and Jim's shiny gold watch, which had belonged to his father and grandfather. One Christmas Eve, neither can afford a present for the each. The length each willing to go to shows their love for each other, and how priceless their love really is. O. Henry was the pen name for the American short story writer William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina but moved to Texas in his youth. He worked as a bank teller and newspaper columnist before being put in prison in Ohio for embezzlement. It was in jail that he started writing stories. Upon his release, he moved to New York and began his career as a writer. His stories are known for wit, wordplay and clever surprise endings.