Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-12-20
Chr Gift ut thr mtar mrn
THE GIFT OF THE WISE MEN.
By o. Henry.
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI.

oHe uoldr II elghty-Seven cents That was all. And sixty
bulldo5ing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until
close dealing impied WI Three ss tines r De11a counted St p i' $ one d thht s snd
e'gnf T5ma e cents s,a And the next day would be Christmas.
LITTLE ltth. couch ,s and d howl So Della did it. Which insdgates the moral
predominating.
first While tha tt the fh mistress iisst asss Of Oft the home is gradully sqbsiaing from the
IS per r week eek 1t did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly
In the vestibue below was a letter box into which no letter would
&C., and Ian an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a
The Dillingham; had been flung to the breeze during a former
No Nov when hH@t the income was shrunk to $40, the letters Of Dillingham;
to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr.. James Dillingham;
and greatly Rugged by by Mrs: James es Dillingham; Dill Gnn You ~as already slrsd intro 5%n
ducea to you as Della: Which is all very good;
rag; She stood BY the window and looked out DULY at a grey cat
c c5rist%as q d ETsy a 5spG she IN had a s oSy 9 sis7 with Tbieh to- s won jim be s
R WHh this s resul tad r essn sa doHsrs sv s ye psna ages SHE could g" far for E nonths,
had d. been greater than she had calculated They always are. Only
Sad SPENT to eq Sia a Rpssf ff f Sometime sim; H bice ' for b Many ys a happy f ffne s shs
rare and sterling-something just a little bit near to being worthy of
There was a pier glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps
you have seen a pier glass in an SO flat A very thin and very agile
tudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della,
Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the
glass. Her eyes We're shining brilliantly, but her face had lost it's
let ct IT fall hi"t tn it's aWf full l sargdns" N"p'0S she p0"Ae0 down nr "a and
y n Mo%' t there eve were two two possessions nieSio nrG Of the o James ed Dillingham; 1Hgyha I'M Y tanS
that had been his fathers and his grandfsther's; The other was
Aela , hdI. 11au lo SueeH VI ohepd I'oo III tc lldt across JIG
airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the. window some
& aiS IS so SoS 51. 5es te f 9fs ;sni3er, h with Ps al Ss tI 3sxs5s 'p p;7e Sit ap in H ths
basement base me It,, Jim i'm, would would have aa S! pulled %nes, out f";l his , watch every time he passed,
So now Deias beautiful hair fell about her, ripping and shining
like a cascade OF brown waters. 1t reached below her knee and made
.oSsiy 9 and qu i Eiy'"S Once or she he' fah 1ne 'f for n minute Gnu e a ap "s stood s sfi
TA'ls On q S 'sast her se ' od 5 bRtsyns JACKET ! the on v %snt f sr o oSaP brown hat. With
9 whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she
Where she stopped the sign read: Nine: sofronie: Hair Goods
Madame ada ns' large, to too ~ Vii :" ah h:11 hardly ard S looked stf the " Hsfsp e"'''"s'
WIN You buy my y: hair air ;" asked T Della: l.. :.
sight at the looks of it,
,Twenty dollars, said Madame, lifting the mass with a prae-
,..s On .a and the next th two n hours rsn triRGsa By is on s3 rosy T vii 5;m Forget ngsta the
She found it at last. 1t surely had been made for jim and no
one else: There W no other iike it in any of the stores and she had
chased in design, properly poclaiming its value by substance alone
fa n at e Ry % wofthy Of Th hs' Watsht As soo all a. so eSe ' sa% it s shs fu sS
that t must o be ms s. IT. 1t was T1 like him n. a 9%istn tssr and 3D., va fhm e the
for It. and she di hurried home with the 81 cents. With that chain on
his watch Jim might l% be s. properly shs anxious ha 9us,s about the 5no1 time in in any com m.
sly on account of the old leather strap he used in place of a chain.
When Della reached home her intozication gave way a little tc
prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the
gas and Went to wT work <. repairing eEasnn the n ravages + made aG by g generosity
mammoth 4mth task: j.. ,o., u. .o,..,,, .4n +u o,,., III,
cuns that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She
looked at her reflection in the mirror, long, carefully, and critically
a second look at me, he'll say | look like a coney Island chorus girl
But what could 1 doh! what could do with a dollar and eighty
At z o'clock the coffee was made and the frying pan was II the
back Of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.
Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hant
and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always
entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the frs
flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit o
saying little silent prayers about the simplest everyday things, anc
now she whispered: Please, God, make him think am still pretty
The door opened and jim stepped in and closed it. He looked
thin and livery serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-five and tt
be burdehed with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was
without gloves.
jim Stepped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the seen
of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression
in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. 1t was not anger
Tor surprise. nor dsapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiment
that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly will
that peculiar expression on his face.
Della wriggled off the table and went for him.
ttJim, darling, " she cried, don t look at me that way. had m.
hair IN off and sold lit because | couldn't live through Christina
without giving you a present. It'll grow out again-you won mind