THE LAST LEAF Audiobook Short Story by O. Henry Learn English Through Story
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our story today is called the last leaf
it was written by o henry here is
barbara klein with the story
many artists lived in the greenwich
village area of new york
two young women named sue and johnsy
shared a studio apartment at the top of
a three-story building
johnsy’s real name was joanna
in november
a cold unseen stranger came to visit the
city
this disease pneumonia
killed many people
johnsy lay on her bed
hardly moving
she looked through the small window
she could see the side of the brick
house
next to her building
one morning a doctor examined johnsy and
took her temperature
then he spoke with sue in another room
she has one chance in
let us say ten
he said
and that chance is for her to want to
live
your friend has made up her mind that
she is not going to get well
has she anything on her mind
she
she wanted to paint the bay of naples in
italy someday
said sue
paint
said the doctor bosh
has she anything on her mind worth
thinking twice
a
man for example
a man
said sue
is a man worth
but no doctor there is nothing of the
kind
i will do all that science can do
said the doctor
but whenever my patient begins to count
the carriages at her funeral
i take away 50 percent from the curative
power of medicines
after the doctor had gone
sue went into the work room and cried
then
she went to johnsy’s room with her
drawing board whistling ragtime
john c lay with her face toward the
window
sue stopped whistling thinking she was
asleep
she began making a pen and ink drawing
for a story in a magazine
young artists must work their way to art
by making pictures for magazine stories
sue heard a low sound
several times repeated
she went quickly to the bedside
johnsy’s eyes were open wide
she was looking out the window and
counting
counting backward
12
she said
and a little later
eleven
and then
ten
and
nine
and then eight and seven
almost together
sue
looked out the window
what was there to count
there was only an empty yard and the
blank side of the house seven meters
away
an old ivy vine going bad at the roots
climbed halfway up the wall
the cold breath of autumn had stricken
leaves from the plant until its branches
almost bare
hung on the bricks
what is it dear
asked sue
six
said john c quietly
they’re falling faster now
three days ago there were almost a
hundred
it made my head hurt to count them
but now
it’s easy
there goes another one
there are only five left now
five what dear asked sue
leaves
on the plant
when the last one falls
i must go too
i’ve known that for three days
didn’t the doctor tell you
oh i never heard of such a thing said
sue
what have old ivy leaves to do with your
getting well
and you used to love that vine don’t be
silly
why the doctor told me this morning that
your chances for getting well real soon
were
let’s see exactly what he said he said
the chances were ten to one
try to eat some soup now
and let me go back to my drawing so i
can sell it to the magazine and buy food
and wine for us
you needn’t get any more wine
said johnsy
keeping her eyes fixed out the window
there goes another one
no
i don’t want any soup
that leaves just four
i want to see the last one fall before
it gets dark
then i’ll go two
john c dear said sue will you promise me
to keep your eyes closed and not look
out the window until i’m done working
i must hand those drawings in by
tomorrow
tell me as soon as you have finished
said johnsy
closing her eyes and lying white and
still as a fallen statue
i want to see the last one fall
i’m tired of waiting
i’m tired of thinking
i want to turn loose my hold on
everything
and go sailing down
down
just like one of those poor tired leaves
try to sleep said sue
i must call mr bearman up to be my model
for my drawing of an old miner
don’t try to move until i come back
old bearman was a painter who lived on
the ground floor of the apartment
building
bearman was a failure in art
for years he had always been planning to
paint a work of art
but had never yet begun it
he earned a little money by serving as a
model to artists who could not pay for a
professional model
he was a fierce little old man who
protected the two young women in the
studio apartment above him
sue found bearman in his room
in one area was a blank canvas that had
been waiting 25 years for the first line
of paint
sue told him about johnsy
and how she feared that her friend would
float away like a leaf
old bearman was angered at such an idea
are there people in the world with the
foolishness to die because leaves drop
off a vine
why do you let that silly business come
in her brain
she she is very sick and weak said sue
and the disease has left her mind full
of strange ideas
this is not any place in which one so
good as miss johnsy shall lie sick
yelled bearman
someday i will paint a masterpiece and
we shall all go away
john c was sleeping when they went
upstairs
sue pulled the shade down to cover the
window
she and bearman went into the other room
they looked out a window fearfully at
the ivy vine
then
they looked at each other without
speaking
a cold rain was falling mixed with snow
bearman sat
and posed as the miner
the next morning sue awoke after an
hour’s sleep
she found johnsy with wide open eyes
staring at the covered window
pull up the shade i want to see
she ordered quietly
sue obeyed
after the beating rain and fierce wind
that blew through the night
there yet stood against the wall one ivy
leaf
it was the last one on the vine
it was still dark green at the center
but its edges were colored with the
yellow
it hung bravely from the branch about
seven meters above the ground
it is the last one
said john c
i thought it would surely fall during
the night
i heard the wind
it will fall today
and i shall die at the same time
dear dear said sue
leaning her worn face toward the bed
think of me
if you won’t think of yourself
what would i do
but johnsy did not answer
the next morning when it was light
john c demanded that the window shade be
raised
the ivy leaf was still there
john c lay for a long time
looking at it
and then she called to sue
who was preparing chicken soup
i’ve been a bad girl
said johnsy
something has made that last leaf stay
there
to show me how bad i was
it is wrong to want to die
you may bring me a little soup now
an hour later she said
someday
i hope to paint the bay of naples
later in the day the doctor came
and sue talked to him in the hallway
even chances
said the doctor
with good care you’ll win
and now i must see another case i have
in your building
bearman his name is
some kind of an artist i believe
pneumonia too
he is an old weak man and his case is
severe
there’s no hope for him
but he goes to the hospital today to
ease his pain
the next day the doctor said to sue
she’s out of danger
you won
nutrition and care now
that’s all
later that day
sue came to the bed where john c lay
and put one arm around her
i have something to tell you white mouse
she said
mr bearman died of pneumonia today in
the hospital
he was sick only two days
they found him the morning of the first
day in his room downstairs helpless with
pain
his shoes and clothing were completely
wet
and icy cold
they could not imagine where he had been
on such a terrible night
and then
they found a lantern
still lighted and they found a ladder
that had been moved from its place
and art supplies and a painting board
with green and yellow colors mixed on it
and look out the window dear
at the last ivy leaf on the wall
didn’t you wonder why it never moved
when the wind blew
oh darling
it is bearman’s masterpiece
he painted it there the night
that the last leaf
fell
you have heard the story the last leaf
by o’henry
your storyteller was barbara klein
this story was adapted by shelley
gullist and produced by lawan davis
i’m faith lapidus
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