An American short story writer William Sydney Porter, better known by his pen name O. Henry, was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Porter used a number of pen names in the early part of his writing career. Nevertheless, the name "O. Henry" seemed to garner the most attention from editors and the public, and was used exclusively by Porter for his writing by about 1902. A writer whose personal life paralleled his fictional works, Porter lived a varied life throughout the South, Honduras, and New York City. In 1895 William worked as a columnist at the Houston Daily Post, but he was soon ordered to court in Austin on charges of embezzlement during his employment at First National Bank. Upon hearing the charges against him, William made his way to New Orleans where he boarded a boat for Honduras. After 7 months in Honduras, William returned to Austin in 1897 because his wife was very ill. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison at the Ohio Penitentiary. So, O. Henry brought his own information about prison and “the life of crime” into his stories. The Roads We Take is one of O. Henry’s best work. Twenty miles West of Tucson, the Sunset Express was stopped at a tank to take on some water. Bob Tidball and Shark Dodson were going to rob the train, but this was all a dream. Shark Dodson was actually in his office at Dodson & Decker, Wall Street brokers. He was making deals with one of his clients. Enjoy free online English audiobook “The Roads We Take” by O. Henry!
