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to guard the avenues of the American camp, he dispatched Captain Lawton in pursuit of the peddler.

Acquainted with all the passes of the hills, and indefatigable in the discharge of his duty, the trooper had, with much trouble and toil, succeeded in effecting his object. The party had halted at a farmhouse for the purposes 10 of refreshment, and the prisoner was placed in a room by himself, but under the keeping of the two men before mentioned; all that was known subsequently is that a woman was seen busily engaged in the employments of the household near the sentinels, and was particularly attentive to the wants of the captain, until he was deeply engaged in the employments of the 20 supper-table.

Afterwards, neither woman nor peddler was to be found. The pack, indeed, was discovered open, and nearly empty, and a small door, communicating with a room adjoining to the one in which the peddler had been secured, was ajar.

Captain Lawton never could forgive the deception; his antipathies to his 30 enemies were not very moderate, but this was adding an insult to his penetration that rankled deeply. He sat in portentous silence, brooding over the exploit of his prisoner, yet me

chanically pursuing the business before him, until, after sufficient time had passed to make a very comfortable meal, a trumpet suddenly broke on the ears of the party, sending its martial tones up the valley in startling 40 melody.

The trooper rose instantly from the table, exclaiming,

"Quick, gentlemen, to your horses; there comes Dunwoodie"; and, followed by his officers, he precipitately left the room.

With the exception of the sentinels left to guard Captain Wharton, the dragoons mounted, and marched out 50 to meet their comrades.

None of the watchfulness necessary in a war, in which similarity of language, appearance, and customs rendered prudence doubly necessary, was omitted by the cautious leader. On getting sufficiently near, however, to a body of horse of more than double his own number, to distinguish countenances, Lawton plunged his rowels into 60 his charger, and in a moment he was by the side of his commander.

The ground in front of the cottage was again occupied by the horse; and, observing the same precautions as before, the newly arrived troops hastened to participate in the cheer prepared for their comrades.

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its English setting and supposedly pro-British sympathies. Cooper was an intensely patriotic man, and his reply to the criticisms was a novel in which, as he said, the theme was patriotism. The idea of the story came to the author from a tale that had been told him, years previously, by John Jay, one of the greatest Americans of the Revolutionary period. The theme of this tale was the patriotism of a humble man who would suffer even the loss of his reputation for his country's sake. Besides this suggestion, worked out by Cooper in his story of Harvey Birch, there are many incidents which reflect actual conditions in the neutral Westchester country during the Revolution. These incidents Cooper got, in many cases, from men and women who had lived through them, for The Spy was written when the nation was yet young enough for its history to be included in a single lifetime. The setting of the story, and also the scenes which it describes, may be traced to actual experience, for Cooper had lived in Westchester and knew the country. Thus The Spy, like Leatherstocking and the sea-tales, is based on the actual life of the author. He wrote from first-hand knowledge, not purely from the imagination.

3. The Story of Chapters I-IV. The scene of The Spy is laid in Westchester county, New York, during the time of the American Revolutionary War. The British hold the city of New York. Mr. Wharton, who is striving to maintain strict neutrality until he sees which side is to be victorious, has removed his family from the city to his country home, the Locusts. His family, however, refuse to be neutral. His son Henry is a captain in the British army; his elder daughter Sarah is being courted by the British Colonel Wellmere; while the youngest, Frances, is in love with Peyton Dunwoodie, a Virginia major in the American forces; Miss Jeanette Peyton of Virginia, sister of Mr. Wharton's deceased wife, superintends the Wharton household. Near the Whartons lives the peddler, Harvey Birch, whose mysterious actions have led many to believe that he is a royal spy.

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

1. What is the scene of the events narrated in this selection? Point out the details in the descriptions of spring and autumn in the second paragraph. Do the descriptions of these seasons fit your locality?

2. What caused the uneasiness in the Wharton family? How do you account for Lawton's inquiry about Mr. Harper? Tell briefly of the

arrest of Captain Wharton as a British spy by Lawton of the Virginia dragoons. What disguise had Captain Wharton employed? How does the American officer receive the father's offer of a bribe?

3. Explain the reference by Captain Lawton to "the affair of Andrè," page 203, line 92. How do you account for Lawton's caution and watchfulness in guarding against the escape of Captain Wharton? What do you learn from Lawton concerning the distrust in which Harvey Birch was held by the American army? What personal experience has the American officer had with the peddler? When you have finished reading this chapter of The Spy, what things have so aroused your interest that you are eager to continue the story?

4. Point out samples of quiet humor in the selection.

5. Notice the custom of Cooper and Scott of introducing their novels with quotations from well-known authors; do present-day writers follow this example?

Library Reading. Read the other chapters of The Spy and report on them in class, using the following outline. The several topics may be reported on by individuals or by groups.

(a) The meeting of the mysterious "Mr. Harper" with Captain Henry Wharton and Harvey Birch at the Locusts, country home of the Whartons (chapters I-IV). What is your guess as to the identity of "Mr. Harper"?

(b) The arrest of Captain Wharton as a British spy by Lawton, of the Virginia dragoons (chapter V).

(c) The engagement of the two armies and the retreat of the British (chapters VI-VIII).

(d) The pursuit of Birch by Lawton and his escape only to fall into the hands of a gang of bandits called "Skinners" (chapters IX-X).

(e) The fortunes of the wounded at the Locusts (chapters XI-XIII).

(f) The second visit of the "Skinners" to Harvey Birch (chapter XIV).

(g) Romance at the Locusts (chapter XV). (h) Birch in the hands of the Americans (chapters XVI-XVII).

(i) The "reward" of the "Skinners" and the escape of Birch (chapters XVIII-XIX).

(j) Mysterious warnings as to the safety of the Whartons and their guests (chapters XX-XXI).

(k) An interrupted wedding; the attack of the "Skinners" (chapter XXII).

(1) Removal of the Wharton family and guests to safety (chapters XXIII-XXV).

(m) The trial of Captain Wharton and efforts for his release; his escape through the aid of Harvey Birch (chapters XXVI-XXX).

(n) Marriage of Frances and Dunwoodie; the fortunes of Harvey Birch; the death of Captain Lawton (chapters XXXI-XXXIII).

(0) Harvey Birch is rewarded by "Mr. Harper" (chapter XXXIV).

(p) Thirty-three years later (chapter XXXV).

Theme Topics. 1. Comparison of this story of Revolutionary times with "The Copperhead" by Augustus Thomas, played on the stage and for the screen by Lionel Barrymore. 2. Sympathizers of America, during the Revolution, living in England. 3. Sympathizers of England, living in America. 4. Character sketches of Harvey Birch; of Captain Lawton; and of Caesar.

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