About the book: year / One of the most famous humorists in world literature, O. Henry created a unique panorama of American life at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, conveyed in grotesque situations contrasts and paradoxes of their era, which opened up space for people with business acumen, whom the game of chance either lifts to the pinnacle of success, or casts down to the very bottom of life. “Look,” I said, “here is a truly royal gift: donations for educational institutions more than fifty million dollars. I was looking through the chronicle of the evening newspaper, and Jeff Peters was filling his thorn pipe. “For this occasion,” he said, “it would not be a sin to print out a new deck and organize an evening of choral recitation by the students of philanthropy.” “Is this a hint?” – I asked…»