The Cop and the Anthem and Other Stories

'The anthem that the organist played cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for he had known it well when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars. '. One of the most popular American writers of the twentieth century, O. Henry's comic eye and unique, playful approach to the rough material of life's realities are unmatched. These stories - invariably centred on fate, luck and coincidence - highlight the joys avoiding habit and convention, as well demonstrating O. Henry's mastery of speech and place. The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.