The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry)

Follow 0 fans

Sleepy Time Classics

Sleepy Time Classics is a musical artist or collection that likely focuses on creating soothing and calming classical music that is suitable for relaxation or bedtime. They may offer instrumental versions of famous classical compositions or original compositions specifically designed to promote relaxation and sleep. Their music is probably favored by those seeking peaceful and tranquil melodies to help them unwind and fall asleep. more »

10:19

8 Views

 Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons!

Hello, hello
Today we'll be doing a reading of
The Gift of the Magi, which was published by O. Henry
In the December of 1905

The Gift of the Magi
One dollar and eighty-seven cents
That was all
She had put it aside

One cent and then another
And then another
In a careful buying of meat and other food
Della counted it three times

One dollar and eighty-seven cents
And the next day would be Christmas
There was nothing to do but fall on the bed and cry
So Della did it

While the lady of the home is slowly growing quieter
We can look at the home
Furnished rooms at a cost of eight dollars a week
There's little more to say about it

In the hall below
There was a letterbox too small to hold a letter
There was an electric bell
But it could not make a sound

Also, there was a name beside the door
Mr. James Dillingham Young
When the name was placed there
Mr. James Dillingham Young was paid thirty dollars a week

Now, when he was being paid only twenty dollars a week the name seemed too long and important
It should perhaps have been Mr. James D. Young
But when Mr. James Dillingham Young entered the furnished rooms

His name became very short indeed
Mrs. James Dillingham Young put her arms warmly about him
And called him Jim
You have already met her. She is Della

Della finished her crying and cleaned the marks of it from her face
She stood by the window and looked out with no interest
Tomorrow would be Christmas Day
And she had only one dollar and eighty-seven cents

With which to buy Jim a gift
She had put aside as much as she could for months with this result
Twenty dollars a week is not much
Everything had cost more than she had expected

It always happened like that
Only one dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy a gift for Jim
Her Jim
She had had many hours planning something nice for him

Something nearly good enough
Something almost worth the honor of belonging to Jim
There was a looking-glass between the windows of the room
Perhaps you have seen the kind of looking-glass

That is placed in an eight-dollar furnished room
It was very narrow
A person could only see a little of himself at a time
However, if he was very thin and moved very quickly

He might be able to get a good view of himself
Della, being quite thin, had mastered this art
Suddenly, she turned from the window and stood before the glass
Her eyes were shining brightly, but her face had lost its color

Quickly, she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its complete length
The James Dillingham Youngs were very proud of two things which they owned
One thing was Jim's gold watch
It had once belonged to his father

And long ago it had belonged to his father's father
The other thing was Della's hair
If a queen had lived in the rooms near theirs
Della would have washed and dried her hair where the queen could see it

Della knew her hair was more beautiful than any queen's jewels and gifts
If a king had lived in the same house with all his riches
Jim would have looked at his watch every time they met
Jim knew that no king had anything so valuable

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her
Shining like a falling stream of brown water
It had reached below her knee
It almost made itself into a dress for her

And then she put it up on her head again, nervously and quickly
Once she stopped for a moment and stood still
While a tear or two ran down her face
She put on her old brown coat

She put on her old brown hat
With the bright light still in her eyes
She moved quickly out the door and down the street
Where she stopped, the sign said

Mrs. Sofroni, hair articles of all kinds
Up to the second floor, Della ran and stopped to get her breath
Mrs. Sofroni, large, too white, cold-eyed, looked at her
Will you buy my hair? asked Della

I buy hair, said Mrs. Sofroni
Take your hat off and let me take a look at it
And down fell the brown waterfall
Twenty dollars, said Mrs. Sofroni, lifting the hair to feel its weight

Give it to me quick, said Della
Oh, and the next two hours seemed to fly
She was going from one shop to another to find a gift for Jim
She found it at last

It surely had been made for Jim and no one else
There was no other like it in any of the shops
And she had looked in every shop in the city
It was a gold chain, very simple made

Its value was in its rich and pure material
Because it was so plain and simple, you knew that it was very valuable
All good things are like this
It was good enough for THE watch

As soon as she saw it, she knew that Jim must have it
It was like him, quietness and value
Jim and the chain both had quietness and value
She paid $21 for it, and she hurried home with the chain and 87 cents

With that chain on his watch, Jim could look at his watch
And learn the time anywhere he might
Though the watch was so fine, it had never had a fine chain
He sometimes took it out and looked at it

Only when no one could see him do it
When Della arrived home, her mind quieted a little
She began to think more reasonably
She started to try to cover the sad marks of what she had done

Love and large-hearted giving, when added together, can leave deep marks
It is never easy to cover these marks, dear friends, never easy
Within 40 minutes, her head looked a little better
With her short hair, she looked wonderfully like a schoolboy

She stood at the looking glass for a long time
If Chip doesn't kill me, she said to herself
Before he looks at me a second time
He'll say I look like a girl who sings and dances for money

But what could I do
Oh, what could I do with a dollar and 87 cents
At seven, Jim's dinner was ready for him
Jim was never late

Della held the watch chain in her hand and sat near the door where he always entered
Then she heard a step in the hall and her face lost color for a moment
She often said little prayers quietly about simple everyday things
And now she said, please God, make him think I'm still pretty

The door opened and Jim stepped in
He looked very thin and he was not smiling
Poor fellow, he was only 22 and with a family to take care of
He needed a new coat

He had nothing to cover his cold hands
Jim stopped inside the door
He was as quiet as a hunting dog when it is near a bird
His eyes looked strangely at Della

And there was an expression in them that she could not understand
It filled her with fear
It was not anger, nor surprise, nor anything she had been ready for
He simply looked at her with that strange expression on his face

Della went to him
Jim, dear, she cried, don't look at me like that
I had my hair cut off and sold it
I couldn't live through Christmas without giving you a gift

My hair will grow again
You don't care, will you
My hair grows very fast
It's Christmas, Jim. Let's be happy

You don't know what a nice, what a beautiful nice gift I got for you
You've cut off your hair
Asked Jim slowly
He seemed to labor to understand what had happened

He seemed not to feel sure he knew
Cut it off and sold it, said Della
Don't you like me now
I'm me, Jim. I'm the same without my hair

Jim looked around the room
You say your hair is gone
He said
You don't have to look for it, said Della

It's sold, I tell you. Sold and gone too
It's the night before Christmas, boy
Be good to me, because I sold it for you
Maybe the hairs of my head could be counted, she said

But no one could ever count my love for you
Shall we eat dinner, Jim
Jim put his arms around his Della
For ten seconds, let us look in another direction

Eight dollars a week or a million dollars a year
How different are they
Someone may give you an answer, but it will be wrong
The Magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them

My meaning will be explained soon
From inside the coat, Jim took something tied in a paper
He threw it upon the table
I want you to understand me, Della, he said

Nothing like a haircut could make me love you any less
But if you'll open that, you may know what I felt when I came in
White fingers pulled off the paper, and then a cry of joy
And then a change to tears

For t

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer