The Skylight Room

"First Mrs. Parker would show you the double parlours. You would not dare to interrupt her description of their advantages... First published in 1906, 'The Skylight Room' is a short story written by O. Henry. The tale tells of a young woman, Miss Leeson, and her stay at one of Mrs. Parker's parlours. During her sojourn, Miss Leeson experiences hard times and is later rescued by a star. The story was first published in 1906, within a collection of short stories called 'The Four Million'. O. Henry (1862–1910), the pen name of one William Sydney Porter in North Carolina, was an American writer who started his literary career writing short stories while incarcerated for fleeing embezzlement charges. Despite the rough start, in less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of short story collections. Today, many of his works have been adapted into award-winning films, still arousing interest and adulation for literary gems such as 'The Gift of the Magi' (1905), 'Selected Stories', and 'The Ransom of Red Chief' (1907).