title: Priceless Gifts: A Tale from Italy
author:  Martha Hamilton 
description: Kindergarten-Grade 3&mdash;Hamilton and Weiss bring to life an Italian folktale about the true value of a gift. A merchant visits an island with no cats to keep the rats at bay and happily gives the king two felines from his ship. The ruler insists on rewarding Antonio with a chest of jewels. Upon Antonio's return to Italy, another merchant, Luigi, hears of this good fortune. He decides to visit the island himself, believing that if the king rewards a gift of cats with such generosity, then he will recompense Luigi even further for the gift of sculptures, paintings, and fabrics. Luigi is dismayed to find himself rewarded with a kitten, but comes to understand that he has been given a most-valued possession. An author's note provides background on the folktale. Kanzler's warm-hued paintings evoke traditional images of European travel, from ornate borders and maps to an exotic turban-clad king and the bare-chested islanders of his company. Despite the mythologized imagery, the feline motif will appeal to a wide audience, and adults looking for folktales that are accessible to younger readers and listeners will appreciate the short text and upbeat tone.&mdash;<I>Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI</I> <BR>Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  THE GIFT OF THE MAGI  
    
  
  
  This page copyright © 2001 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com
  
  
  # THE GIFT OF THE MAGI
  
  
  ### O. Henry
  
  
  
  
  
  This page copyright © 2001 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in
  pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the
  vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent
  imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della
  counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be
  Christmas.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and
  howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made
  up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to
  the second, take a look