Today’s story, New Year’s Eve and How it Came to Houston is by O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter. Yes, two stories in a row by O. Henry! Published on January 1, 1896 in the Houston Daily Mail, what I find so fascinating about this story is that later that year, Porter was arrested by Federal Authorities stemming from a 1894 embezzlement charge. However, right before his trial, he fled Houston. First to New Orleans and then to Honduras in order to avoid extradition. While in Honduras, he wrote his novel, Cabbages and Kings. There’s much more to the story but I’ll leave it for another episode.
In New Year’s Eve and How it Came to Houston, O. Henry employs a technique he used throughout his writing career - loitering in places like hotel lobbies while listening, observing and talking with people. It provides little snapshots into the mood of people as they prepare to leave behind the old year and forge ahead into the new.
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