Show t r Time To ToBy Spare By GERALD ANDREWS Retirement Adviser Remember Washington Irving If II Americans were polled on the question of their favorite author I have an idea that quite quito a few of us would reply Wash reply Washington Wash ington Irving With good reason Irving is ono one writer we wo all aU meet in high school The authorities author author- flies who run our educational system realized a 11 long time timo ago that its it's a 1 good idea to introduce youngsters to the antics of Rip Van Winkle the Headless Horseman horseman Horse Horse- man and the rest of the characters char actors who parade through the pages of those famous short stories Still we wo keep reading them beyond beyond beyond be be- yond childhood which means that Irving appeals to all ages His Ills art is that of the tho great story teller And like all great storytellers storytellers story story- tellers he has different virtues that appeal to different age groups Exhibit A myself When I Iwas Iwas Iwas was first exposed to the Headless headless Head head- less Horseman I thought he was wasas wasas wasas as terrifying an apparition as one could find on the printed page I fully shared the fear of Ichabod Crane Crano riding homo home through the darkness Today that scene strikes me asa as asa asa a delicious example of Irvings Irving's gift girt for humor Its It's also full of those little touches that bring literary characters to life Think of the gaunt schoolmaster clinging clinging cling cling- ing to his horse galloping for dear life liCe away from his pursuer Id I'd like to continue in this vein since Washington Irving is one of my favorite subjects However my precise subject just now is Irvings Irving's home You probably know that Sunnyside Sun Sun- north of New York City near Tarry ton is one of our priceless national possessions If youve you've never been there youve you've missed something really worth seeing Irving called Sunnyside a little old fashioned old stone mansion mansion mansion man man- sion all made up of gable ends and as full of angles and Ind corners as an old cocked hat So it The house and the grounds show how Irving lived The rooms are full of memorabilia things he owned bought and collected A tour through Sunnyside is an unforgettable experience That's as it should be Washington Irving Irv in ing Is an unforgettable American C. C |