The Last Leaf (Henry)
from the Collection «The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories»
Two young artists, Sue and Johnsy, lived in a small studio in a quaint district.
One day, Johnsy fell ill with pneumonia and was bedridden. The doctor told Sue that Johnsy had a one in ten chance of survival, but that her chances would be better if she wanted to live.
Johnsy had become fixated on an ivy vine outside her window, and believed that when the last leaf fell, she would die. Sue tried to distract her, but Johnsy was determined to watch the last leaf fall.
Sue enlisted the help of an old artist, Behrman, who lived in the same building.
He was a failure in art, but he agreed to pose as a hermit-miner for Sue's drawing. When they looked out the window, they saw that the last leaf was still clinging to the vine.
The next morning, Johnsy asked Sue to raise the shade so she could see the leaf. To their surprise, it was still there. Johnsy realized that she had been wrong to want to die, and asked Sue to bring her a mirror and some pillows so she could sit up.
The next day, the doctor told Sue that Johnsy was out of danger. Later, Sue told Johnsy that Behrman had died of pneumonia in the hospital. She then revealed that Behrman had painted the last leaf on the wall the night before, so that Johnsy would have hope and want to live.