E-text prepared by Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://www.archive.org/details/americana) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive/American Libraries. See http://www.archive.org/details/sonsandfathers00edwaiala SONS AND FATHERS by HARRY STILLWELL EDWARDS. Published by The J. W. Burke Company Macon, Georgia The First-Prize Story In The Chicago Record's series of "Stories of Mystery" This story--out of 816 competing--was awarded the FIRST PRIZE--$10,000--in The Chicago Record's "$30,000 to Authors" competition. Copyright 1896, by Harry Stillwell Edwards. Copyright 1921, by Harry Stillwell Edwards. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. TWO SONS. CHAPTER II. THE STRANGER ON THE THRESHOLD. CHAPTER III. A BREATH FROM THE OLD SOUTH. CHAPTER IV. THE MOTHER'S ROOM. CHAPTER V. THE STRANGER IN THE LIBRARY. CHAPTER VI. "WHO SAYS THERE CAN BE A 'TOO LATE' FOR THE IMMORTAL MIND?" CHAPTER VII. "BACK! WOULD YOU MURDER HER?" CHAPTER VIII. ON THE BACK TRAIL. CHAPTER IX. THE TRAGEDY IN THE STORM. CHAPTER X. "GOD PITY ME! GOD PITY ME!" CHAPTER XI. IN THE CRIMSON OF SUNSET. CHAPTER XII. THE OLD SOUTH VERSUS THE NEW. CHAPTER XIII. FEELING THE ENEMY. CHAPTER XIV. THE OLD SOUTH DRAWS THE SWORD. CHAPTER XV. "IN ALL THE WORLD, NO FAIRER FLOWER THAN THIS!" CHAPTER XVI. BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT. CHAPTER XVII. "IF I MEET THE MAN!" CHAPTER XVIII. HOW THE CHALLENGE WAS WRITTEN. CHAPTER XIX. BROUGHT TO BAY. CHAPTER XX. IN THE HANDS OF THEIR FRIENDS. CHAPTER XXI. "THE WITNESS IS DEAD." CHAPTER XXII. THE DUEL AT SUNRISE. CHAPTER XXIII. THE SHADOW OVER THE HALL. CHAPTER XXIV. THE PROFILE ON THE MOON. CHAPTER XXV. THE MIDNIGHT SEARCH. CHAPTER XXVI. GATHERING THE CLEWS. CHAPTER XXVII. THE FACE THAT CAME IN DREAMS. CHAPTER XXVIII. THE THREE PICTURES. CHAPTER XXIX. "HOME SWEET HOME." CHAPTER XXX. THE RAINBOW IN THE MIST. CHAPTER XXXI. THE HAND OF SCIENCE. CHAPTER XXXII. THE FLASHLIGHT PHOTOGRAPH. CHAPTER XXXIII. THE TRADE WITH SLIPPERY DICK. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE FACE OF THE BODY-SNATCHER. CHAPTER XXXV. THE GRAVE IN THE PAST. CHAPTER XXXVI. THE PLEDGE THAT WAS GIVEN. CHAPTER XXXVII. "WHICH OF THE TWO WAS MY MOTHER?" CHAPTER XXXVIII. UNDER THE SPELL. CHAPTER XXXIX. BARKSDALE'S WARNING. CHAPTER XL. THE HIDDEN HAND. CHAPTER XLI. WITH THE WOMAN WHO LOVED HIM. CHAPTER XLII. THE SONG THE OCEAN SANG. CHAPTER XLIII. THE DEATH OF GASPARD LEVIGNE. CHAPTER XLIV. THE HEART OF CAMBIA. CHAPTER XLV. THE MAN WITH THE TORCH. CHAPTER XLVI. WHAT THE SHEET HID. CHAPTER XLVII. ON THE MARGINS OF TWO WORLDS.