Praised by The New York Times as "a true singer of the people — white or black," Paul Laurence Dunbar published this short story collection in 1904, two years before his untimely death. The son of freed slaves, Dunbar was best known for his dialect pieces as well as distinguished for his poetry and prose in standard English.

These sixteen tales of the daily lives of African Americans in the post–Civil War South examine the promise of northward migration, the horrors of lynching, and the complexity of the relationships between former slaves and masters. Highlights include "The Scapegoat," concerning a lawyer who falls prey to envious rivals; "The Mission of Mr. Scatters," the tale of a con man brought to justice; and "Old Abe's Conversion," a thought-provoking look at generational differences in religious practice.