NOTE TO READERS

In order to maintain authenticity, as well as the flavor of the period, I have retained the original spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, and chapter and section divisions, except in cases of obvious typographical errors or where the meaning of the text was obscured. Nineteenth-century grammar, idioms, and punctuation deviate from those of today; writers sometimes used semi-colons instead of commas, idiosyncratic capitalizations, and variations in spelling. In a few cases, letters have been added to complete the spelling of a word or a word has been inserted to ensure that a sentence is comprehensible. Several of the stories include dashes in place of the names of towns, cities, and institutions. Authors such as Pauline E. Hopkins and Augustus M. Hodges make the point that their stories are true and that the name of the place or specific institution is omitted to protect the identity of the participants. There are a few silent punctuation changes.