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Show I CONDENSED f I CLASSICS I I THE PILOT I 3 Bt JAMES PEWMORB COOPER J OmiaaaBm hi AlfrwJ Clark V Cooper was born In New Jersey In 1789, but when only about a year old removed to bis father's almost al-most feudal domain do-main at Coopers-town, Coopers-town, New York, where he died In 1R51. There he learned to know the wllde mess which plays so Important a part In his books, and there, too, he probably acquired that headstrong elf-assertlvenesa and disregard of the opinions of others which made him, whAlo one of the few most widely read anchors In the world, one of the most cordially detested Individuals to be found. He had a positive genius for Gritting In bad. While Dickens and Kipling deeply wounded one nation by their American Notes, they were pigmies pig-mies in this respect compared to Cooper. He could exasperate any and everybody and apparently cultlvnted with pleasure his habitual aptitudes. , Lowell wrote of him as "Cooper, who's written six volumes to prove he's as frood ns a lord." An EnKllsh magazine described him as a "billons braggart." n "Hnr," a "full Jackass," on "Insect," a "grub," and a "reptile." The "New Yorker" pleasantly wrote of hlmt "He Is as proud of blackguarding as a flsh-woninn flsh-woninn Is of. billingsgate. It ) as or growling to a bulldog, ne has the scorn and contempt of every well Informed In-formed American." ON a late afternoon of a winter's day, during the American Revolution, Rev-olution, a rakish schooner and a majestic frigate anchored well Inside a little bay on the northeastern coast of England. A whaleboat drove shoreward, shore-ward, a young officer .scrambled up the steep cliffs and a few minutes later a mysterious stronger was transferred to the friprvi'e's dv.ck. He answered to the Heme of "Mr, Gray" and was said to be merely a pilot, but he was greeted greet-ed with surprising deference. For no ordinary man would these vessels have ventured so near that coast of sandbars and hidden rocks. The wind was a mere ruffle of air. But the incessant mutter of the long, slow waves foretold that a storm was brewing. Ever more fitfully and faintly faint-ly blew the land-breeze; the mutter of the waters grew deeper. Only here and there did a few stars twinkle between the fast gathering clouds. It was time to beat out to open sea, If it were not even now too late. Men swarmed aloft and hung up the yards; sails ftnttered out; the anchor was pulled in; the frigate gathered headway. Then the faint breeze died. The spread of canvas can-vas hung useless ; the currents drove the ship shoreward. With a roar the wind came suddenly from the east. White spray dashed from the bow. Yet the Pilot patted the quarter-deck seemingly oblivious to danger. But open water wns far ahead and suddenly from the forecastle forecas-tle came that dreaded cry, "Breakers! breakers, dead ahead !" The Pilot shook off his trance of thought. His orders thundered forth, sailors snrung hither and thither at his bidding, the frigate swung about at his cry of "Hold on everything!" Tortuously she picked her way through the twisting channels, In darkness amid the bowlings bowl-ings of the great winds. She shivered from bow to stern as a hundred men loosed the huge mainsail. main-sail. The Jib was torn free with a crash like a cannon's blast, but the big sail held and the frigate bowed like a reed In the wind. White foam showed dimly upon both sides, but the Pilot kept the ship, as by a miracle, within a nurrow ribbon of dark water, ne took the wheel himself. Time and again the frigate seemed to have reeled free from peril ; time and again she plunged anew toward a welter of white water. But she drove ever on and at last she rode the great waves of the open soa. Not the storm alone hnd these ships dared. They were American vessels, lurking about an enemy's coast. This little bay had a peculiar fascination for two young lieutenants aboard. Edward Ed-ward Griffith and Richard Barnstable. Not far Inland lived Colonel Howard, a Tory who had fled from America when the colonists revolted. With him dwelt his niece, Cecilia Howard, beloved be-loved by Griffith, and his ward. Knth-erlne Knth-erlne Plowden, betrothed to Barnstable. Barnsta-ble. In St. Roth's abbey lingered, too, Christopher Dillon, a poor kinsman anxious to better his condition by wedding wed-ding the wealthy Cecilia. Redcoats lent a plcturesqueness to the venerable abbey, for a small garrison under Captain Borroughcllffe had been summoned sum-moned by the owner. For might that men knew. John Paul .Tones himself might be aboard these ships hovering nearby. While reconnoitering the next night. "Mr. Gray" and Griffith wore captured, br.t BorrougholifTo's drunkenness enabled ena-bled them to escape, Griffith was, how-over, how-over, retaken. The Impetuous Barnstable, fretting offshore- with his enormous cotswain. l.oug Tom Collin, had been nearly cut off from his schooner by an Kurdish Hitter, but he serambhsl arc:.-,! safety tied the drum beat to quarters. While broadsides roared and the decks grew slippery with blood, the little fighting ships met and grappled. Before Barn- j stable could lead his boarders to the enemy's deck, Coffin tumbled Into the sea. Shouting "Revenge Long Tom !" the lieutenant rushed with his men upon I iie foe. It was fighting at close quarters and the Issue was In doubt when the drenched and furious coxswain cox-swain emerged from the sea and with his harpoon pinioned the English captain cap-tain to his mast. In a few minutes the Americans were masters of the cutter. cut-ter. Cowering in that scene of bloodshed blood-shed the victors discovered the crafty Dillon, who pleaded to be sent off as a hostage, promising to return In person or to have Griffith delivered In his stead. His word of honor was trusted ana he was sent away with Long Tom. He luckily overheard Dillon's treacherous plot to entrap Barnstable's waiting party. The resourceful old seaman gagged Borroughcllffe and drove Dillon, Dil-lon, at the point of his harpoon, back to the waiting schooner. By this time, however, a battery on the cliff brought down the schooner's mainmast. She was driven from her course by heavy seas. The masts were felled and anchors an-chors dropped, but she plunged on like a bobbing cork In rapids. Barnstable would have stayed by his ship, but suddenly Long Tom seized him and hurled him over the bulwarks. "God's will be done with me," Coffin cried, above the wind's roar. Dillon's lifeless body was rolled upon the shore, but Long Tom's stayed with the sea to which he had dedicated his life. Surprise succeeded surprise at the abbey. Barnstable marched his shipwrecked ship-wrecked mariners into the building and they took possession, but they were soon made prisoners by the redcoats. Then the mysterious figure of the Pilot appeared at the door and behind him loomed the marines from the frigate. Colonel Howard, an unwilling prisoner, prison-er, was marched away with Cecilia and Katherine. who could not be down cast at the triumph of their lovers. Captain Borroughcllffe was freed, as was another Inmate of the abbey, Alice Duscombe. She had recognized the Tilot In his disguise when he was first enptured. They had been lovers, but she was so staunch In her love for her king and she so hated bloodshed that she had broken her troth to this "Mir. Gray," whom she addressed as John. She reminded him that did she but once call aloud his true name the whole countryside would ring with it. What that name was is never revealed, but there was but one sea rover who could strike stark terror into all English Eng-lish hearts. On board the frigate repeated conferences con-ferences were held between the. captain, cap-tain, Griffith and "Mr. Gray." Suddenly Sud-denly out of the fog drove a mountainous mountain-ous ship of the. line. The drum beat aboard the frigate, sailors leaped nimbly nim-bly about the deck, clearing for action. The women were led below and gradually gradu-ally order resolved Itself out of the chaos of shouting men. A terrific roar filled the air as three tiers of guns blazed a broadside from the English ship. A few sails aDd ropes were cut, hut the frigate's sailing power was hardly .affected. One chance ball struck the captain and hurled him to death. Griffith succeeded to the command com-mand and he was appalled as he saw the frigate hemmed about. To the east loomed the great, ship of war and far in the northeast the sails of another frigate. "What are we to do?" cried Griffith. "Fight them 1 fight them !' shouted the Pilot. "Let me proclaim your name to the men," Griffith appealed. But the Pilot refused. "Should we come to a (grapple," he said, "I will give forth the name as a war-cry and these English I will quail before It." The ship of war was distanced, but she cut off a retreat and the frigate ahead had been re-enforced by two others. The foremost maneuvered with the American frigate for position. Broadsides crashed and they grappled. The American guns raked her foe and left her helpless, with useless ropes dangling from shattered masts. The deck was cleared and as another enemy ene-my appeared, Griffith shouted, "Hoist i.way of everything!" Fifty men flew aloft upon the spars and white canvas can-vas was spread from every mast. The frigate lunged ahead, but It could not outstrip its rival, and the halt to give battle had enabled the ship of the line to draw up. Then, for a few breathless momnts, the Tilot leaped into command. Breakers Break-ers loomed ahead, but he drove the vessels straight Into the shoals, into narrow passages where white foam bubbled perilously close. The enemy dared not follow, and when night feB pursuit was hopeless. Colonel Howard, fatally wounded In the battle, lived long enough to see Cecilia Ce-cilia Howard and Katherine Plowden wedded by the chaplain to their lovers. His last words were spoken to Griffith. "Perhaps I may have mistaken my duty to America but I was too old to rbange my polities or my religion ; I I I loved the king God bless him " The frigate drove on to Holland, w-here the Pilot landed in a small bout that dwindled Into a black speck and disappeared In the setting sun. Twelve years later Cedilla Griffith saw her husband's hus-band's face cloud as he read in the newspaper of the death of a great man, but not even then did be divulge his name. He had promised to keep it secret. se-cret. He said only. "Our happiness miL-ht have been wrecked in the voyage voy-age of life hnd we not met the unknown un-known Pilot of the German ocean." Cor.yr:,:M, 1?:?. by the Post Pubii?hing Co. T'e Poston Pop'.). Ccpyric'.u in the V:v'Oii KiriMom. the r'om-.nien.s. its r.l'Tiws are! orndiiric Ics. umit-r the . otv.ti.iV- a-', by the Post Pul.lisl.ins; : ,-. . i.!.r.. Mass., U. S. A. All ticlua j r:.-iorvcU. |