The next day would be Christmas, and Della had only＄1.87 to buy a gift for Jim. Now, there were only two possessions (财产). One was Jim's gold watch from his grandfather. The other was
Della's hair.
She went to the street with tears. Then she saw a sign, "Hair Goods." "Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.
"I buy hair," said the woman, "Take your hat off." "Twenty dollars," said the woman.
"Give it to me quickly," said Della.
The next two hours, she was searching through the stores for Jim's gift. She found a watch chain (表链) at last. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's although it needed ＄21.
At about seven, Jim got home. "Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold. You don't know what a nice gift I've got for you. Let's be happy." "You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim.
"Cut it off and sold it," said Della. "Don't you like me just as well, anyhow?"
Jim took out a package and threw it upon the table.
"Don't make any mistake, Della," he said. "I don't think there's anything that could make me like my girl any less. But if you open that package, you may understand."
After opening it, she burst into joy but then she cried. For there lay the set of combs (梳子) that Della had always wanted. They were expensive, she knew. And now, they were hers, but her hair was gone.
But she hugged him and said, "My hair grows fast, Jim!"
Jim had not yet seen his beautiful gift. She held it out to him. "Isn't it wonderful, Jim? You'll look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it."
But Jim put his hands under the back of his head and said, "Let's put our gifts away. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs."
From The Gift of the Magi
By O•Henry
