This story was originally published on Dec 10, 1905 in The New York Sunday World as "Gifts of the Magi." It was subsequently published as The Gift of the Magi in O. Henry's 1906 short story collection The Four Million.

The Gift of the Magi

The Cop and the Anthem

The Furnished Room

Hearts and Hands was originally published under his pseudonym, Sidney Porter, in 1902. The story is full of twists and wordplay, as was O.Henry's own life. He was sentenced to serve five years in federal prison for embezzlement of $854.08, after fleeing to Honduras, then returning to Austin to be with his sick wife, where he turned himself in. O. Henry was released shortly before this story was published, which makes its unexpected sources of compassion particularly poignant. This story is featured in The Unreliable Narrator.

Hearts And Hands

O. Henry's story is simple, yet poignant. It involves an old woman who runs a bakery, an old man who buys two loaves of stale bread every day, and what happens when a perceived act of kindness is not received as such. This is not a Halloween or ghost tale, don't let the title mislead you.