Practice 3: Read the story; then answer the questions that follow.
The Gift of the Magi – Based on a story by O. Henry
(1) One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all she had. And the next day would be Christmas. Della
flopped down on the shabby old couch and cried. She wanted so much to get something special for her husband
Jim, but she only had $1.87. Della stood and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red. She didn’t want
Jim to know she’d been crying. She let her hair fall to its full length, almost to her knees, and began to brush it.
Jim loved her soft, long hair. The only thing he liked more was the gold watch that had belonged to his father
and grandfather.
(2) Suddenly Della had an idea. She piled her hair on top of her head, put on her old brown jacket and hat, and
fluttered out the door and down the steps to the street. She stopped at a door that read: Madame Sofron, Hair
Goods Della ran in and asked, “Will you buy my hair?”
(3) “Take off your hat and let me see,” said Madame Sofron. She looked at Della’s shiny hair and said, “I can
give you 20 dollars.”
(4) For two hours, Della went from store to store, looking for a special gift for Jim. At last, she found it . . . a
simple gold watch chain. It would replace the old leather strap he now used on his beloved watch!
(5) When Della got home, she fixed her head in short close-lying curls. She looked in the mirror, satisfied with
the new look. She had dinner ready by 7 o’clock, but Jim had not come home. Della began to worry; he was
never late. At last she heard him come up the steps. The door opened and in walked Jim. “You’ve cut off your
hair!” he said sadly when he saw Della.
