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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