The last Leaf

by O Henry

Hope Clings to the Last Leaf... In the shadowed alleys of Greenwich Village, where starving artists chase dreams and endure heartache, two young women—Sue and Johnsy—share more than just a cramped apartment. When a cruel winter and a harsher illness steal Johnsy’s will to live, she fixates on the ivy vine outside her window. “When the last leaf falls,” she whispers, “I shall go too.