Two delightful tales by one of America's favorite storytellers.

In "Elsie in New York," Elsie is an innocent young woman who, upon the death of her father, must look for work to make a living. Her father expected her to trust to the good heartedness of his previous employer, but Elsie prefers to make her own way in life. Although she visits an employment agency and applies for several positions, do-gooders interfere. Thinking they are saving

Set aside the cares and stresses of your day and take a tour through the lives of a wonderfully diverse collection of early-twentieth-century Americans in this charming collection of tales from O. Henry. Each story is a perfectly polished wonder of brevity, vivid characterization, and wit. Taken as a whole, this volume is a pleasing diversion that will satisfy fans of classic fiction.

Five great American short story writers, dating from the turn of the 19th/20th centuries are represented here. Different in atmosphere and writing style, they nevertheless caught the mood and concerns of the day in a way that was distinctly American. Bierce's "An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge" leaves echoes in the imagination; the stories by Crane and London recall the themes of the Civil War and the Klondike for which they are well known. Twain's