The Eagle and the Wind

It was a cruel turn of fate that bonded Jeffrey Claus to the master of the Ribner Trading Post, who knew more than he would say about the disappearance of the one document that could give Jeffrey his liberty. Compelled to recondition weapons destined for the British threatening the rear flank of George Washington's beleaguered troops, the gunsmith found solace in the embrace of Henry Ribner's dynamic, scheming wife, Abigail, until the biting lash of a whip finally drove him to a desperate bid for freedom in the outlaw country of the Pennsylvania backwoods. When murder was added to the charges with which he was hounded by the county officials, only his love for the fair-haired Susan gave him the courage to pursue his quest into the camp of the enemy, where he earned the gratitude of Colonel Hartley by alerting his Colonial troops in time to save them from an ambush of the very guns that Jeffry had been forced to service. But Abigail Ribner had been right when she said that he would not forget her, and it was only after he had faced death at the hands of friends and foe alike that she relinquished the secret which was to determine his fate. In The Eagle and the Wind, Herbert Stover has added his most gripping story to a list of titles including Song of the Susquehanna, Men in Buckskin, Powder Mission, and Copperhead Moon, which have earned him a distinguished reputation as a dramatist of history.

About the Author :
Herbert Elisha "Bert" Stover, of Livonia, Pennsylvania, was a well-known area historian. Born at his homestead at the top of the mountain between Loganton and Livonia January 15, 1888, he was the son of Adam & Jessie (DeLong) Stover. He was married (June 9, 1917) to the former Elva Kyler who died in 1955. They had two daughters, Ann Stover McFate of English Center and Marjorie Murray of Williamsport; two grandchildren and four great grandchildren.Beginning at the age of 17, Mr. Stover was a school teacher. He taught in the schools of Brush Valley and schools of Huntingdon, Austin and Philipsburg. He also taught at Lock Haven State College and was the principal of the Lock Haven High School. Mr. Stover was the supervising principal of the Lewisburg School System for 25 years before his retirement in 1953. He was a graduate of Lock Haven State College and received his master's degree in Education from Bucknell University at Lewisburg. He also took several courses at PSU. After his retirement Mr. Stover did some graduate teaching at Bucknell.In the 1920s, he wrote short stories for many magazines across the country but was rejected nearly all the time. His short story "My Lesson" was accepted by True Confessions magazine in February 1929, but then the stock market crashed and the Great Depression followed.During World War II, Stover compiled a schoolbook titled History of Pennsylvania which was published in 1944 and circulated across the Commonwealth. This was followed by several historical novels that gained national acclaim, the most famous of which was Song of the Susquehanna (1949). Mr. Stover was a member of the Great Island Presbyterian Church in Lock Haven and an elder of the First Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg. He is buried at Dunnstown Cemetery.