The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-01
PRICE 8 CENTS.

properly to be called hen-pecked; and he was
especially fond of Hardwick, the st. John
pilot. On his way homeward, after taking
English craft up the gulf of Maine, Hardwick
always made stop at Cooks, and there L
have more than once seen him. He was per-
1ect giant OF a man, with huge chest and shoul-
ders, well built and proportioned His face
was tanned with the record of hundred
storms and thousand days of sea sunshine
A thick beard, matted and curly, seemed ac-
tually to support the chin, his great throat be-
ing entirely hidden except when he threw
back his head to give vent to a roar of laugh
ter which made the rafters ring. He was
enormously strong. / have seen him break
the handle of an oar across his knee, and
crush cocoanut between his hands. Alto
gether, Hardwick was more like an old Morse
Viking than a figure of to-day, and never
saw bim without a half developed feeling that
he might at any moment fly into the old ber-
serker rage!
One of the most striking scenes ever saw at
Cooks, that place of many odd adventures,
witnessed one rainv night in September. 1t
was pitch dark and the wind blew furously.
Several fishermen had taken shelter at Cooks
before l arrived, and in front of the blazing,
open fire we sat in the evening" listening to
tale of mine host. Tho rain dashing against
the windows and the sound of the surf ON the
shore mingled to produce continuous roar,
above which it was necessary for speaker to
raise his voice to be heard by the circle about
the hearth. 1t was in the neighborhood of ten
o'clock when there came thunderous knock
ing at the door. The s1persttious fishers started
as If the trumpet of doom had been sounded;
but before one had time to speak, the door
opened and in the midst Of a gust Of wind and
rain, Hardwick burst into the room. He had
evidently been drinking. His hat was gone,
his flannel shirt was open over his big chest,
while from every l6ck of his hair and beard,
the water ran in streams. He carried valise,
which he deposited with great deliberation up
on the table, looking significantly at il and
then at us before he spoke at ALL ''Hallo,
men," he said at last.-in his deep voice.
you're mostly strangers. bat I've seen stran-
gers before. I'm used to strangers. Halo,
Mother Cook. Here, YOU take care of this for
me-" He produced IRON his vest pocket q roll
OF bills which he proceeded 10 count with great
deliberation. Ninety dollars" lie announced.
That's pilot money" From another pocket
he then dragged mixture of bills and coin,
which with the same tipsy soemnity he count
ed, making the amount about forty-five dol
lars. Looking suspiciously around. Hardwick
then took from his hip pocket a revolver
which he laid conspicuousy beside the pile of
money upon the table; after which lie took
out his wallet containing one hundred and
twenty dollars more. There, he said, '.that's
about all: Halo, Penniman," catching sight
of me, sis that you? D. glad to see YOU
| wish you'd reckon up this money for me. ~"
While did this the giant toyed with his re-
volver until he managed to discharge it, send
ing bullet through the floor. Mother Cook
tuCiOupOn lutcIlorcu, Tue weapon from
him, and he consoled himself by taking out
from his valise dozen bottles of Scotch whisky.
Raising one to his lips he swallowed what
would have taken an ordinary man completely
off his feet, but which had no perceptible effect
upon Hardwick save to render him trihe
more talkative. Then he offered the bottles to
the men, who had thus far sat staring open
mouthed.
"Cook," the great pilot, said after he had
stretched his huge limbs towards the blazing
a in tha firGn co. Ia
square thing by you. I'm going to bring you
a ship; and when do it 1 want you to do your
duty by her." CAN right" Cook returned,
bring good one; I've been waiting for a
long time for the pulling of wreck" after
wards learned that Hardwick actually fulfilled
his promise. About two o'clock one morning
in early November, Cook was aroused by a tre-
mendous knocking and shouting. Upon OPEN
ing the door he found the pilot, who shouted
out: Come, old man, and see what I've
brought you.'' Getting into his tarpaulin,
Cook followed his FRIEND and discovered yes-
sci run high upon the beach near his boat-land-
ing. The wreck proved to be that of an Eng
lish vessel loaded with deal, which the owners
wished wrecked for the insurance. Cook "did
his duty by her." and even after sharing his
ill-gotten gains with Hardwick had a very
pretty penny remaining.
A very fancful and un-American legend is
told of lonely island in Passamaquoddy Bay,
upon which years ago stood an enormous tree,
the trunk and couple Of barkless limbs, which
seemed to have out-weathered the centuries
forming gigantic cross The tale told how a
young Indian brave, becoming converted to
Christianity by Catholic missionary, was by
the influence of mighty medicine man" con-
demned to die. He was brought to the island
to suffer death by fire, but the circumstance of
his bowling to this tree effected change of
sentence, and being fastened to il he suffered
martyrdom by arrows like St. Sebastian. The
deed having been done, the Indians embarked
for the mainland, but horrible tempest arose
in which the medicine man was lost. A canoe
containing several braves was driven back to
the island, where they were Mortified by dis
covering that the body of the martyr had dis
appeared, although the arrows which had
transfixed him remained undisturbed in the
tree. The tree stood lifeless and bare for ma
ny years, bleached white with numberless
storms, and of it the Indians of Point Pleasant,
in spite of the fact that they are Catholics had
peculiar dread. 1t was sh altered by light
ming about fifteen years since. -Taa
rea ltlr.'1 JOHN PENNIMAN. 1H.