Produced by Marcia Brooks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) [Illustration: THE KINNEYS "Take care of Lily"] THE Bishop of Cottontown A STORY OF THE SOUTHERN COTTON MILLS BY JOHN TROTWOOD MOORE AUTHOR OF "A Summer Hymnal," "Ole Mistis," "Songs and Stories from Tennessee," etc. ILLUSTRATED BY THE KINNEYS "And each in his separate star, Shall paint the thing as he sees it For the God of Things As They Are." Kipling PHILADELPHIA THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY 1906 COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY JOHN TROTWOOD MOORE Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, 1906 _All Rights Reserved_ IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER, EMILY BILLINGSLEA MOORE, WHO DIED DECEMBER 14TH, 1903, THE FAITH OF THIS BOOK BEING HERS. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE PART FIRST--THE BLOOM. PROLOGUE--THE COTTON BLOSSOM 7 PART SECOND--THE BOLL. I. COTTON 13 II. RICHARD TRAVIS 18 III. JUD CARPENTER 27 IV. FOOD FOR THE FACTORY 39 V. THE FLY CATCHER CAUGHT 50 VI. THE FLINT AND THE COAL 64 VII. HILLARD WATTS 84 VIII. WESTMORELAND 92 IX. A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING 103 X. A STAR AND A SATELLITE 108 XI. A MIDNIGHT BURIAL 117 XII. JACK BRACKEN 127 PART THIRD--THE GIN. I. ALICE WESTMORE 143 II. THE REAL HEROES 151 III. FRANKLIN 154 PART FOURTH--THE LINT.