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YDS Publishing Simplified Readers. Level A2. Short Stories by O 'Henry.

1. The Last Leaf. Sue and Johnzi were two young women artists in New York.

They both dreamed of painting a masterpiece one day.

2. Sue was from the state of Maine and Johnzi was from California.

They shared a small, cheap studio apartment in Greenwich Village.

It was on the top floor of an old building.

Many young and poor artists had studios in that area in the 1890s.

2. Sue and Johnzi first met in a restaurant in Greenwich Village.

They talked about art, their interests and their wishes for the future.

They liked each other very much and became friends.

They decided to live and work together in the same apartment.

They moved to their small studio apartment in the month of May.

In November, Johnzi became very ill with pneumonia.

This disease killed many people in the city in those years.

Johnzi was so ill that she could hardly move.

Sue looked after her and gave her medicines.

Johnzi lay in her bed all the time.

Through the window by her bed, she often looked at the side wall of the brick building next door.

A doctor came to see Johnzi regularly.

He examined her and took her temperature each time.

One morning, the doctor quietly spoke to Sue in the hallway.

The medicines are not helping your friend.

She must have the will to get better.

That's her only chance to live.

But she doesn't want to live.

She thinks she's going to die very soon.

She must have some hope.

Doesn't she have any wishes or dreams for the future?

Well, she is an artist, you know.

She wants to go to Italy and paint the Bay of Naples one day answered Sue.

She told me that many times.

It's her biggest dream.

She says the painting will be her masterpiece.

Nonsense, the doctor said.

Painting can't help her.

Isn't she in love with anyone?

I mean, doesn't she have a boyfriend or something like that on her mind?

No, doctor.

She doesn't have anyone or anything to think about.

She loves painting.

But she can't paint now.

So she is very depressed, Sue said and added.

She wants to die.

I will do my best to make her well again.

But she must have the hope to live.

She must not want to die, said the doctor and left the apartment.

The doctor's words made Sue very sad.

She went to her room and cried there quietly.

Then she stopped crying and took her drawing board and drawing pencils.

She went into John's room with them.

She did not want to look sad.

So she began to whistle a cheerful song.

But Johnsy did not hear her.

She was lying in her bed with her head toward the window.

She was not moving.

Sue thought she was asleep and stopped whistling.

She arranged her drawing board and began to draw pictures for a story in a magazine.

While Sue was drawing, she heard a low sound coming from Johnsy's bed.

She quickly went near her bed.

Johnsy was looking toward the window and she was speaking to herself quietly.

Sue listened carefully to Johnsy's words.

Twelve, Johnsy said, in a low voice.

Then she said eleven and then ten and nine.

A few seconds later she said eight and seven at the same time.

She was counting backwards.

Sue got very curious and looked out the window.

What is she counting?

There is nothing outside, she thought to herself.

Out the window one could see only a bare garden and the blank brick wall of the house six meters away.

There was also an old ivy vine.

It was clinging to the brick wall.

Its branches were almost bare.

They looked like the bones of a skeleton and the roots of the ivy vine were decaying.

What are you counting, dear?

Sue asked Johnsy.

Six, Johnsy quietly said at that moment.

Then she began to speak to Sue.

She was still looking out the window as she spoke.

More and more leaves are falling from the ivy vine out there.

Just three days ago it had a lot of leaves.

There were about a hundred.

It was very difficult to count them.

I got a headache when I was counting.

But now there are only six left.

She said in a low and sad voice.

Oh, here goes another one.

The poor ivy has just five leaves now and very soon it won't have any.

That's true, said Sue.

But why are you counting those leaves, dear?

Johnsy was still looking at the ivy vine.

She said, the last leaf will fall in a day or two.

Then I will die too.

I will not recover.

Didn't the doctor tell you this?

Don't talk nonsense, please, said Sue, half angrily.

Those are leaves.

Trees lose their leaves every autumn.

You are going to get well.

The doctor said so.

Now drink the chicken broth in your cup.

You haven't finished it.

And I will draw my pictures.

Why don't you draw in the other room, asked Johnsy quietly.

I want to be near you.

That's why, answered Sue.

I must finish this drawing tonight.

Tomorrow I will give it to the magazine editor and he will pay me for it.

Then I will buy some sweet wine and beef chops.

We will have some good food.

Now stop looking at those stupid leaves.

Johnsy closed her eyes and then said, in a whisper,

I must watch the last leaf.

It will fall down very soon.

And I will go with it too.

I want to die.

I don't want to lie here and think all the time.

I hope the last leaf falls today.

Please stop thinking about death.

Try to sleep now.

I am going downstairs to bear man's apartment.

I want him to model for my drawing.

He will be the model for the old man in my drawing.

I will come back in a few minutes, Sue said.

Then she quickly went downstairs to bear man's apartment.

Bear man was an old, unsuccessful painter.

He was about sixty and had a long beard.

It was like the beard of Michael Angelo's Moses sculpture.

Bear man dreamed of painting a masterpiece and becoming famous.

But he only painted pictures for advertisements and didn't earn much money.

He also posed for young and poor artists.

Those artists could not pay the prices of professional models.

When Sue entered old bear man's workshop downstairs, he was sitting in the dark and drinking.

There was a blank canvas on an easel.

It was blank for many years because bear man never began to paint on it.

Sue spoke to the old man about John's wish to die and the falling ivy vine leaves.

Poor girl, the old man cried out after listening to Sue.

It is so foolish to think that you will die because the ivy leaves are falling.

John C is very ill, Mr. Bear man.

She thinks about foolish things because she has a very high temperature, Sue explained.

She thinks she will die when the last leave falls and she is waiting for it to fall.

I must help her.

She must not think like that, said bear man.

She must have hope and she will recover.

Then I will paint a masterpiece and make a lot of money.

We will go to Naples altogether.

There she can paint the bay.

But tonight I must pose for your drawing.

Come on, let's go to your apartment.

Sue and bear man went upstairs.

John C was asleep in her room.

She pulled down the shade of the window.

Then she led bear man to her work room.

Bear man and Sue stood in front of the window in Sue's work room.

They looked at the ivy vine outside for a while.

Then they looked at each other sadly.

They didn't say a word.

Afterwards bear man sat on a stool and began to pose for Sue's drawing.

Outside there was a very bad storm with a very strong wind and heavy rain.

The rain was mixed with snow.

When Sue finished drawing the old man figure bear man left.

Sue continued to draw all night.

She finished the drawing early in the morning.

Then she slept for an hour.

When she woke up she went into John C's room.

John C was awake in her bed again.

She was looking at the green shade on the window.

Pull up the shade.

She said to Sue in a whisper.

Sue pulled the shade up.

After the heavy rain and the strong wind there was only one ivy leaf left clinging to the brick wall.

This yellow leaf still had a green stem.

It was hanging from a branch about six metres above the ground.

It is the last leaf, John C said, in a very low voice.

It didn't fall in the storm last night.

I am surprised.

But it is going to fall today and I will die at the same time.

Sue put her face down on Sue's pillow and said,

Don't say that John C please.

You want to die but think of me.

What will I do without you?

John C continued to stare at the leaf.

The leaf stayed against the brick wall all day long.

It was there at night too.

There was a strong storm and heavy rain again that night but the leaf did not fall.

John C woke up very early the next morning.

She asked Sue to pull up the shade.

The last leaf was still there.

She looked at the leaf for a long time.

Then she called Sue.

Sue was heating some chicken broth over their small gas stove.

I have been very foolish, John C said.

I wanted to die but the last leaf has not fallen.

This teaches me a good lesson.

It is wrong to want to die.

Now you can give me some broth and some milk and please put up my pillows.

I want to sit up in bed.

I don't want to lie anymore and please bring me my hand mirror.

After looking at her face in the mirror she smiled and said,

Sue my dear, one day I will paint the Bay of Naples.

I really want to do it.

That afternoon the doctor examined John C again.

He looked quite pleased.

He called Sue to the hallway and said,

John C has a big chance now.

With your help and care she will recover soon.

Oh I am so happy to hear this.

I will do my best to help her get better.

Sue told the doctor.

Now I must go downstairs.

I have another patient there, said the doctor.

He is an artist too I suppose.

He is having a serious pneumonia attack.

He is old and very weak.

There is no hope for him but I will send him to the hospital.

He will be more comfortable there.

Sue was very sorry for old bare man.

She didn't tell John C anything about him.

The next morning the doctor examined John C again.

Then he stopped in the hallway and spoke to Sue.

I have good news.

Your friend is much better.

She is recovering very fast but she still needs to rest.

Just take good care of her.

She will be very well in a few days.

Then he spoke to Sue about bare man and left.

In the afternoon Sue went into John C's room.

She kneeled down beside her bed and put her arm around her shoulder.

I want to tell you something she said.

It's about Mr. Bare man.

The poor man died of pneumonia today in the hospital.

He was ill for only two days.

Just two days ago a neighbor found him ill in his room and called the doctor.

John C did not say a word.

She was shocked.

Bare man's shoes and clothes were very wet and icy cold.

And someone found a ladder outside.

It was against the brick wall.

There was a lantern near it and some paint brushes on the ground.

There was also a palette with green and yellow colors on it.

Look out the window my dear, said Sue to John C.

The last ivy leaf is still there.

It has not fallen down.

It did not move when the wind was blowing.

Do you know why?

It is the masterpiece of bare man.

He painted a leaf on the wall just for you.

He painted it when the last leaf fell down on the stormy night.

It was very cold and windy that night and the poor old man got very sick.

Now there were tears in both women's eyes.