O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), an American writer of outstanding short stories, known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and surprise endings.

"Between Rounds" is the tale of a lost child, the six-year old son of the owner of a boarding house with a colourful and ecclectic range of boarders. For the brief period of the child's absence the inhabitants pause in their regular activities and relationships. The interlude is described in a warm and gently humorous manner.