Produced by Suzanne Shell, Martin Pettit and the PG Online DistributedProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
THE QUEST OF THE SILVER FLEECE
_A Novel_
W.E.B. DU BOIS
1911
A.C. McClurg & Co.
_Contents_
THE QUEST OF THE SILVER FLEECE
_Note from the Author_ 3
_One_: DREAMS 5
_Two_: THE SCHOOL 12
_Three_: MISS MARY TAYLOR 16
_Four_: TOWN 23
_Five_: ZORA 33
_Six_: COTTON 42
_Seven_: THE PLACE OF DREAMS 53
_Eight_: MR. HARRY CRESSWELL 66
_Nine_: THE PLANTING 74
_Ten_: MR. TAYLOR CALLS 84
_Eleven_: THE FLOWERING OF THE FLEECE 99
_Twelve_: THE PROMISE 108
_Thirteen_: MRS. GREY GIVES A DINNER 122
_Fourteen_: LOVE 128
_Fifteen_: REVELATION 134
_Sixteen_: THE GREAT REFUSAL 146
_Seventeen_: THE RAPE OF THE FLEECE 154
_Eighteen_: THE COTTON CORNER 162
_Nineteen_: THE DYING OF ELSPETH 171
_Twenty_: THE WEAVING OF THE SILVER FLEECE 182
_Twenty-one_: THE MARRIAGE MORNING 191
_Twenty-two_: MISS CAROLINE WYNN 199
_Twenty-three_: THE TRAINING OF ZORA 210
_Twenty-four_: THE EDUCATION OF ALWYN 218
_Twenty-five_: THE CAMPAIGN 230
_Twenty-six_: CONGRESSMAN CRESSWELL 244
_Twenty-seven_: THE VISION OF ZORA 254
_Twenty-eight_: THE ANNUNCIATION 263
_Twenty-nine_: A MASTER OF FATE 271
_Thirty_: THE RETURN OF ZORA 283
_Thirty-one_: A PARTING OF WAYS 293
_Thirty-two_: ZORA'S WAY 309
_Thirty-three_: THE BUYING OF THE SWAMP 316
_Thirty-four_: THE RETURN OF ALWYN 328
_Thirty-five_: THE COTTON MILL 339
_Thirty-six_: THE LAND 350
_Thirty-seven_: THE MOB 364
_Thirty-eight_: ATONEMENT 371
THE QUEST OF THE SILVER FLEECE
TO ONE
whose name may not be written but to whose tirelessfaith the shaping of these cruder thoughts to forms more fitly perfect is doubtless due, this finished work is herewith dedicated
_Note_
He who would tell a tale must look toward three ideals: to tell it well,to tell it beautifully, and to tell the truth.
The first is the Gift of God, the second is the Vision of Genius, butthe third is the Reward of Honesty.
In _The Quest of the Silver Fleece_ there is little, I ween, divine oringenious; but, at least, I have been honest. In no fact or picture haveI consciously set down aught the counterpart of which I have not seen orknown; and whatever the finished picture may lack of completeness, thislack is due now to the story-teller, now to the artist, but never to theherald of the Truth.
NEW YORK CITY
_August 15, 1911_
THE AUTHOR