Strictly Business

The ingredients that appeal most in the typical O. Henry short story are a blend of humor, sentiment, and sentimentality. With a breezy, slangy style, and specializing in easily recognizable "types", O. Henry's stories are neatly put together and move quickly. The sharp unexpected twist at the end of his stories is the O. Henry patented trademark.The Gentle Grafter, first published in 1908, shows the author at his best in dealing with the lives of everyday people in such stories as "The Octopus Marooned", "The Hand That Riled the World", "The Exact Science of Matrimony", "Innocents of Broadway", "A Tempered Wind", "Hostages to Momus", among many others.