The White Devil

The gift of the magi

O.Hendry
That was all. She had put it aside, one cent and then another and then
another, in her careful buying of meat and other food. Della counted
it three times. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day
would be Christmas.
There was nothing to do but fall on the bed and cry. So Della did it.
While the lady of the home is slowly growing quieter, we can
look at the home. Furnished rooms at a cost of $8 a week. There is lit-
tle more to say about it.
In the hall below was a letter-box too small to hold a letter. There
was an electric bell, but it could not make a sound. Also there was a
name beside the door: “Mr. James Dillingham Young.”

When the name was placed there, Mr. James Dillingham Young
was being paid $30 a week. Now, when he was being paid only $20 a
week, the name seemed too long and important. It should perhaps have
been “Mr. James D. Young.” But when Mr. James Dillingham Young
entered the furnished rooms, his name became very short indeed. Mrs.
James Dillingham Young put her arms warmly about him and called
him “Jim.” You have already met her. She is Della.
Della finished her crying and cleaned the marks of it from her face.
She stood by the window and looked out with no interest. Tomorrow
would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy
Jim a gift. She had put aside as much as she could for months, with this
result. Twenty dollars a week is not much. Everything had cost more
than she had expected. It always happened like that.
Only $ 1.87 to buy a gift for Jim. Her Jim. She had had many happy
hours planning something nice for him. Something nearly good enough.
Something almost worth the honor of belonging to Jim.
There was a looking-glass between the windows of the room. Per-
haps you have seen the kind of looking-glass that is placed in $8 fur-
nished rooms. It was very narrow. A person could see only a little of
himself at a time. However, if he was very thin and moved very quickly,
he might be able to get a good view of himself. Della, being quite thin,
had mastered this art.
Suddenly she turned from the window and stood before the glass.
Her eyes were shining brightly, but her face had lost its color. Quickly
she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its complete length.
The James Dillingham Youngs were very proud of two things which
they owned. One thing was Jim’s gold watch. It had once belonged to
his father. And, long ago, it had belonged to his father’s father. The
other thing was Della’s hair.
If a queen had lived in the rooms near theirs, Della would have
washed and dried her hair where the queen could see it. Della knew
her hair was more beautiful than any queen’s jewels and gifts.
If a king had lived in the same house, with all his riches, Jim would
have looked at his watch every time they met. Jim knew that no king