The Last Leaf (Henry)
There were two young women, Sue and Johnsy, who lived in an apartment in Greenwich Village, New York. Sue was a strong and practical woman who took care of Johnsy, who was an artist and very sick with pneumonia. Johnsy believed that she would die when the last leaf on the ivy plant outside her window fell.
Sue did everything she could to make Johnsy feel better, but Johnsy remained convinced that she would die. One day, a old man named Behrman who lived in the same building as Sue and Johnsy, saw Johnsy looking at the ivy and asked her what she was thinking about. When Johnsy told him that she believed she would die when the last leaf fell, Behrman was moved to tears.
Behrman was an artist who had not sold a painting in 20 years and was struggling to make ends meet. He decided to paint a leaf on the wall in the exact spot where the real leaf would fall, hoping that Johnsy would not see it and believe that the last leaf had fallen.
One night, a strong wind blew and the last leaf fell. When Sue saw it, she was worried that Johnsy would give up hope and die. But when Johnsy saw the leaf on the ground, she was overjoyed and her health began to improve.
Sue went to Behrman's room to thank him for what he had done, but she found him lying on the floor, sick with pneumonia. Sue realized that Behrman had painted the leaf on the wall in the freezing cold, and she rushed to get help. Behrman was taken to the hospital, but he died a few days later.
Sue was very sad about Behrman's death, but she was also grateful for what he had done for Johnsy. Johnsy recovered from her illness and was able to go back to her art. The two women were very grateful to Behrman for helping them, and they placed a wreath on his grave to honor him.