Stories by American Authors, Volume 7

"Stories by American Authors, Volume 7" by Various is an assembly of short stories composed in the late 1800s that tells many different stories of people, from funny to sad, and also comments on society and how people look within themselves. In "The Bishop's Vagabond", by Octave Thanet, we meet a beloved bishop in Aiken who struggles to connect with the less fortunate, like a beggar named Demming. Their first meeting is strange, as Demming makes up a story about his wife's death to get money, which starts a funny but meaningful series of events that shows us how tricky people are and how they interact with each other based on their social class. We also see the Bishop's daughter, Louise, change her ideas about love and respect as she gets to know Martin Talboys, who admires her from afar, all set against the backdrop of the South.