One of the most famous humorists in world literature, O. Henry created a unique panorama of American life at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, in grotesque situations, he conveyed the contrasts and paradoxes of his era, which opened up space for people with business acumen, whom the game of chance raises to the top of success, then throws to the very bottom of life. "Paris, midnight . On the dark waters of the Seine, mysteriously flowing past Vendme Square and the black walls of the Notre Dame Monastery, the flashlights play, an endless chain of lanterns stretching along the Champs Elysees and the Great Boulevards. The great French capital does not sleep.