One yuan and eighty-seven cents, that's all. Among them, those pennies worth 60 cents were accumulated in the red-faced transactions with grocery store owners, vegetable vendors and butchers. Della counted it three times, and it's still one yuan and eighty-seven cents, but tomorrow is Christmas.

Della doesn't want to do anything. She could only lie on the shabby sofa and cry loudly. She was immersed in sorrow. She reflected on her life. In her view, life is made up of crying, sobbing and smiling. Now she almost only cries.

The housewife's mood gradually calmed down. She walked slowly from the first floor to the door on the second floor. She looked around. This $8-a-week apartment is indescribably shabby, like a shelter for the homeless.

There is a mailbox at the end of the corridor, but she has never received any letters. I'm afraid no one can press the doorbell button on the door Of course, there is also a small house number marked "James? Dillingham ".

The once prosperous Mr. dillingham was paid $30 a week by his boss, but now his weekly salary has shrunk to $20. Just like the "dillingham" on the doorplate, there is only one clear word "Di" left. But whenever Mr. dillingham comes home from work, he can see Mrs. dillingham running out to meet him shouting "James" and then give him a big hug. This lady is Miss Della who has already appeared. How beautiful it all looks.

Della stopped crying. She mended her weeping cheeks and came to the window in dismay. Everything is gray, gray backyard, gray kitten, gray fence. Tomorrow is Christmas, dear James. How many exciting moments she experienced in the process of preparing a gift for him, because the gift is so delicate and precious that only it can be worthy of James.

There is a mirror between the window and the door. You may want to see the mirror in the apartment, where the rent is only eight dollars. Only thin and smart people can take a look at it, because you must pay close attention to it, and then you can have an accurate concept of your appearance by superimposing the rapidly formed strip images. Della is so slim that it is obvious that she has mastered this skill.

Suddenly, she quickly came to the mirror through the window. Her eyes sparkled, but her face turned pale after twenty seconds. She quickly untied her long hair and let it fall naturally.

James. Mr and Mrs dillingham have two treasures that they are particularly proud of. One is James's gold watch, which was passed from his grandfather to his father, and then from his father to him. The other thing is Della's hair. If Queen Bruno lives in an apartment opposite the transom, and one day Della hangs her hair out of the window to dry, then when Queen Bruno sees her, her gorgeous jewelry and precious jewelry will be immediately dwarfed. As long as Jim takes out his gold watch, even King Solomon, who has countless underground treasures, will be jealous and pull out the beard on his chin.

You see, Della's beautiful long hair hangs down like a brown waterfall, undulating and shining. It hangs down to her knees, just like one of her clothes. After a while, she quickly curled her hair uneasily. She hesitated and stood quietly. Two tears rolled down her cheeks and splashed on the worn red carpet.

She put on her old brown coat, hat and skirt, walked out of the door and walked into the street, her eyes shining with crystal light.

In front of this shop called "Sofroni buys all kinds of woolen goods", Della stopped. She ran to the second floor in one breath and took a deep breath to calm herself down. She saw her master, Mrs. Sofroni, a tall and burly woman, pale and indifferent, and didn't say anything worthy of the name "Sofroni".

"Buy hair?" Della asked:

"Buy it," said the lady. "Please take off your hat and untie your hair. Let me have a look."

In an instant, a sparkling brown waterfall appeared in front of you.

"Twenty dollars." As she spoke, the lady skillfully held the waterfall with both hands.

"Give me the money quickly." Della said.

Oh, in the next two hours, she seems to be wearing the wings of a rose, although this metaphor is extremely inappropriate. She searched all the shops for a present belonging to James.

She finally found it. This is definitely tailor-made for James. Nowhere else can you find such a suitable gift, because she has searched all the shops in the street. It is a platinum watch chain, simple and simple in style, showing its value only by commodities rather than grandiose decorations-isn't that true of all beautiful things? It definitely deserves that gold watch. When she first saw it, she knew it belonged to James, because they were the same, quiet and valuable.

She spent 2 1 dollar and then hurried home with the remaining 87 cents. She thought that with this watch chain, James could safely look at the time on any occasion. Although the gold watch is resplendent and magnificent, he always secretly takes it out of his arms to tell the time, because it is tied with a very incongruous old belt.

When Della came home, she woke up from intoxication. She quickly took out the curling tongs, turned on the gas, and generously cut off the short hair left behind for love and tried her best to repair it. What an arduous task this should be, my dear friend. This is definitely an arduous task.

In less than forty minutes, her head was covered with coils of fine curly hair, just like a naughty boy. She has been standing in front of the long and narrow mirror and looking at it repeatedly.

"James will kill me," she said to herself. "At first glance, he would say that I look like the girl from Coney Island Song and Dance Troupe. But what can I do? It's only one yuan and eighty-seven cents. What can I do? "

At seven o'clock, she prepared the coffee, put the frying pan in the oven to preheat, and prepared the steak at any time.

James always comes home on time. Della folded her watch chain in her hand, sat at the table by the door that he had to pass when he entered the door, and waited quietly. After a while, she heard familiar footsteps. Footsteps are getting closer and closer, and she has walked from the first floor to the second floor stairs. Her face suddenly turned pale. She used to silently pray for even the simplest everyday things. Now, she can only silently pray for herself, "God! Please keep me beautiful in his mind. "

James pushed the door in, then turned and closed the door. His thin face is serious. Poor guy, only 22 years old, has to bear the burden of bringing home the bacon. Look how much he needs a new coat and gloves.

When James entered the room, he suddenly froze, motionless, like a hound sniffing quail, and his eyes were fixed on Della. Della was shocked. She can't understand such an expression. That's not anger, surprise, dissatisfaction or fear. This is not any expression she expected. He is still staring at her, showing all kinds of strange expressions from time to time.

Della bypassed the table and put it on him.

"Dear James," she said loudly, "please don't look at me like that. I cut my hair and sold it, because I can't live without buying you a present at Christmas. Do you mind? Hair will grow back. But I have to do this. Please believe that my hair will grow quickly. Come on, tell me Merry Christmas, James. Let's be happy. You have no idea what a nice gift I have prepared for you. "

"Did you really cut your hair?" James asked again with difficulty, as if he had racked his brains and couldn't figure it out.

"Yes, I cut it and sold it," Della looked at him. "You still love me anyway, don't you? Even without long hair, I'm still me, aren't I? "

James looked around the room curiously.

"You said you lost your long hair?" He asked again, almost like an idiot.

"Yes, you don't have to look any more," said Della anxiously. "Sold. I repeat, it's sold out. Tonight is Christmas Eve, cutie. Be nice to me. All for you. Maybe the number of hair can be counted, "suddenly, Della's tone became very gentle, and she went on to say," but my love for you is countless. James, can I start frying steak? "

James finally woke up from a trance, and he held Della tightly.

Let's take ten seconds to calm down and try to examine an irrelevant problem from another angle. What's the difference between eight dollars a week and one million dollars a week? Mathematicians and wise men are sure to give you the wrong answer. Maggie brought precious gifts, but that was not one of them. This vague conclusion will be clarified in the end.

James took a parcel out of his coat pocket and laid it gently on the table.

"Let's not make any more mistakes, Della," he said. "Yes, for me, whether it's a haircut, a shave or a shampoo, it won't reduce my love for you, but if you open the package on the table, you will understand why I was so surprised just now."

White fingers deftly opened the gift, and she let out a scream of ecstasy. Then, after a sigh, it suddenly turned into hysterical tears and crying. The owner of the apartment had to comfort her at once.

Comb, a set of combs, she looked and looked, yes, this is the set of combs she dreamed of in the Broadway window. How beautiful! Made of pure tortoise shell, the frame is inlaid with expensive gems, and the color is just right to match her lost long hair. She knows it's expensive. She never thought she could have them, but now they belong to her, only her beautiful long hair is gone.

She put it on her chest and looked up. Tears blurred her vision. She smiled. "James, your hair will grow out soon."

Suddenly, Della jumped up like a kitten burned by fire. She shouted, "Oh, oh!" "

She almost forgot to show James his present. Della quickly spread out her palm and handed it to him. The bracelet reflects her happy face and sparkles.

"Beautiful, James? I searched all over the city to find it, and now you can look at the time a hundred times. Give me the watch, I want to see what it looks like to wear a watch chain. "

James did not obey. He fell on the sofa, put his hands behind his head and kept smiling at her.

"Della," he said, "let's put the presents aside. They are very nice gifts, but we don't need them now. I sold my watch and bought this set of combs. Ok, shall we start frying steak now? "

As we all know, Maggie is a smart person and the smartest person. He brought presents to all the poor children and began the custom of giving Christmas presents. As a smart person, his gift is undoubtedly smart, even if there is a gift conflict, he has the privilege of exchange. And here, I clumsily tell you these two silly children in the apartment that they unwisely sacrificed the most precious thing in their family for each other. However, I want to give the last sentence to those smart people. Of all the gift givers, those two are the cleverest. Oh, by the way, among all the gift givers, people like them are also the cleverest. They are the cleverest everywhere, because they are Maggie.