were remembered and the commendations forgotten. Other circumstances
also came in now to add to his unpopularity in his own country. A local
quarrel in which he accidently became concerned, was followed by (p. 141)
consequences which affected his estimation throughout the whole land;
but the details of this will require a separate chapter.

CHAPTER VIII. (p. 142)

1837-1838.

Three miles from Cooperstown, on the western side of Otsego Lake, a low,
wooded point of land projects for some distance into the water. It
combines two characteristics of an attractive resort: beauty of scenery
and easiness of access. On these accounts Cooper's father had refused to
sell it when he disposed of his other lands. He had, in fact, specially
reserved it for his own use, and for that of his descendants. In 1808, a
year before his death, he drew up his will. In it he made a particular
devise of this spot. "I give and bequeath," ran the words of the
document, "my place, called Myrtle Grove, on the west side of the Lake
Otsego, to all my descendants in common until the year 1850; then to be
inherited by the youngest thereof bearing my name." Two small buildings
had been successively erected by him on the spot. The first he tore down
himself, but the second was set on fire after his death, by the
carelessness of trespassers using it, and burned to the ground. Shortly
after 1821, the only representative of the family living in Cooperstown
who was of proper age to be consulted, gave his consent, so far as he
was concerned, to the erection of a new building by the community. From
that time the Point came to be a place of general resort. To it fishing
and picnic parties were in the habit of repairing. An impression (p. 143)
sprang up, moreover, that the spot was public property. This impression
in the course of years advanced to the dignity of positive assertion. It
became in time a universally accepted belief in the minds of the
citizens that the place belonged to them. It then only remained to
furnish the explanation of how it had happened to come into their
possession. This was no difficult achievement. The story was soon
generally received that Cooper's father, instead of permitting the
public to use the Point, had actually made a gift of it to the public.

When Cooper took up his summer residence in the village, after his
return from Europe, he found the notion prevalent