O. Henry is the author of this story. His real name was William Sydney Porter. As a young man, he went from job to job. He worked in a drugstore, on a ranch, in a bank, and for a newspaper. Charged with stealing money from the bank, he ran away to Central America. He came back because his wife was ill. He was convicted and sent to prison for five years. While in jail, he started to write short stories. After serving three years, he was freed and moved to New York City. There he began to write full time. His stories were published in magazines and collected in books. He wrote more than 300 short stories. Porter was a great writer, but he was not a happy man. He married again, but separated a year later. He was an alcoholic. His health suffered because of his drinking and he had money problems. When he died in 1910, he was about broke. The cause of death was liver disease brought on by drinking.