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Show gjH MPia I CONDENSED 1 CLASSICS I if t THE LEGEND OF k SLEEPY HOLLOW $ i ? X x ? By WASHINGTON IRVING v X Y V j. Condensation by y X Mabel Herbert Umer JC JFTV. Washington I r- (jTh ving nai born In w?.. '"',i!Tt-jSi,'jft Ne,r Yrk ' itk3 vj ' -Vf'K "d d'el " ; . - -J "" "t home, "Son n y- .-j 4 mltie," on h. Hud- ttt ' i' Intended for the Vl In Trhich he "Vv '-J-?J hnd no Intere.t, -'-- - 3 tnipoverlahed by x the failure of J buainea. ventures, i'Vis-vkJ-,:-1 Irving turned to f 1 -3 literature a. a s, ") T profession, and JiV. .-.-TO.-aT made a auceess H ... ' 'I which won for -"-'i h 1 m a position at x:..iv, .-Jw&ifc-faMsSs. home and - abroad as the most Important Impor-tant American man of letters of his time. "Salmagundi" "Salma-gundi" and "Dledrlch Knickerbocker's History of New York From the Bcg-ln-nlna- of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty" a-nlned him a reputation reputa-tion by their satire and comic power. His later year, produced his lives of Goldsmith, Mahomet and Washington. The days of painstaking; Investigation of sources hnd not yet arrived) It was a. a man of letters rather than as a scbolnr that Irving wrote his historical books f the charm of his personality and the power to visualise people and clrcumstnnces helped him greatly. But his really creative and original work, such as the "Sketch-Book" and "Knickerbocker," "Knick-erbocker," will always find the most devoted readers of the earliest American Ameri-can man of letters. HERE In a sequestered cove of the Hudson lies the drowsy valley of Sleepy Hollow once a remote, enchanted region, abounding In haunted spots and twilight superstitions. supersti-tions. The dreamy, visionary Dutch folk, descendants of the early settlers, were given to marvelous beliefs. The most awesome wraith of this bewitched be-witched neighborhood was a headless figure on a powerful black charger, which at midnight rode forth from the church graveyard. i At every country fireside were told blood-curdling stories of the weird and ghoulish pranks of the Headless Horseman Horse-man of Sleepy Hollow. Perhaps the most superstitious soul throughout the valley, In the days just following the Revolution, was the country coun-try schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane. Tall, lank, long-limbed, he was a grotesque figure, yet not lacking In conceit. As was the custom, he led an itinerant itiner-ant life, boarding with the' farmers whose children he taught. Since he brought the local gossip and helped with the chores, his periodical visitations visita-tions were welcomed by the housewives. house-wives. . He also enlivened the long wintry evenings with direful stories of wltch-carft. wltch-carft. In a snug chimney corner before be-fore a crackling wood fire, there was fearsome pleasure In these blood-chilling tales. But for this gruesome enjoyment, how dearlj he paid when out alone at night. What menacing shadows beset his path ! Every snow-covered bush stood a sheeted specter in his way. However, It was not only these phantoms phan-toms of the night that disturbed his peacev for his days were haunted by the most bewitching of all wltches a woman. In his weekly singing class was Kat-rlna Kat-rlna Van Tassel, only child of a substantial sub-stantial farmer. Famed for her beauty and vast expectations, the enraptured Ichabod became her ardent suitor. Gloatingly he surveyed her fatheiV rich meadow lands, the overflowing barns, and the great sloping-roofed farmhouse filled with treasures of old mahogany, pewter and silver. All these rich possessions made Ichabod covet the peerless Kntrlna. The most formidable of his many rivals was the roysterlng Brown Van Brunt, nicknamed, from his herculean frame, Brom Bones. Ho was the hero of all the country round, which rang with his feats of strength and hardihood. A reckless horseman and foremost In all rural sports, he was always ready for a fight or a frolic. Yet even the old dames, startled out of'jtheir sleep as he clattered by at midnight, looked upon his wild pranks with more good-will than disfavor. This raetipole hero had chosen to lay siege to the blooming Katrina. And when on a Sunday night his horse was tied to Van Tassel's palings, all other suitors passed on in despair. Ichabod, however. In his role of singing master, made frequent visits at the f:irm. Neithpr old Van, an easy, Indulgent In-dulgent soul, nor his busy housewife. Interfered with the pedagogue's suit: yet his wooing was beset with difficulties. diffi-culties. Brom Bones had declared a deadlv feud, and as Ichabod shrewdly avoided avoid-ed a physical combat, he became the object of whimsical persecutions by Brom and his boon companions. They smoked out his singing school; broke Into and turned topsy-turvy his sehoiilhouse ; and still worse, taught a scoundrel dog to whine as a rival Instructor in psalmody to the fair Katrina. Kat-rina. One fine autumnal afternoon Icha- bod, In a pensive mood, sat enthroned on the lofty stool from which he ruled his laggard pupils with a slothful mlea. The buzzing stillness of the schoolroom school-room was broken by a galloping messenger, mes-senger, who brought an Invitation tc a "quilting frolic" that evening at Van Tassel's. Promptly dismissing school, Ichabod furbished up his only suit of rusty black, and soon rode forth a gallant cavalier to this bidding of his lady fair. Gunpowder, the bony old plow horse, borrowed from the farmer with whom Ichabod was domiciled, was a suitable steed for his long, gaunt frame. Jogging slowly along. It was after sundown when he reached Van Tassel's, Tas-sel's, where were gathered the farmer folk of the surrounding country. ' However, it was not the buxom lapses which held Ichabod enthralled, it was the sumptuous abundance of the supper table. Such luscious ham and chicken, and heaped platters of doughnuts, crullers and ginger cakes! Ichnhod's rapacious appetite did ample justice to this repast, while he gloated over the opulence of which some day he might be master. Soon the sound of fiddling bade all to dance. With Kntrlna as his partner, part-ner, smiling graciously at his amorous ogllngs, the lank, but agile, Ichabod clattered triumphantly about. While Brom Bones, sourly smitten with jealousy, jeal-ousy, kept broodingly aloof. Later, Ichabod joined the sager folk, who sat smoking and spinning tales of ghosts and apparitions, and of the headless horseman, that nightly tethered teth-ered his steed among the churchyard graves. Most terrifying were the adventures of those who, on dark nights, had met the gruesome specter. Even Brom testified that Ymce, overtaken by the midnight trooper, he had raced with him to the church bridge, where the horseman had vanished In a flash of fire. When at a late hour the revel broke up, Ichabod lingered for the customary custom-ary lovers' talk. What passed at that Interview with the heiress was never known, but when he finally sallied forth It was with a dejected, chop-fallen chop-fallen air. Had Katrina's encouragement been only a coquettish trick to secure her conquest of his rival? It was near the witching midnight hour that the crestfallen Ichabod pursued pur-sued his solitary travel homeward. All the stories of ghosts and goblins told that evening crowded hauntingly upon him. The night grew deeeper and darker as he approached the lonely churchyard church-yard sombrous scene of many of the tales. Suddenly through the leaf-stirred leaf-stirred stillness came the clatter of hoofs! Something huge and misshapen loomed above the crouching shadows. In quaking terror Ichabod dashed ahead, but the unknown followed close. Then the moonlight, through a rifting cloud, revealed the headless horseman ! More ghastly still, his head rested on the pommel of his saddle! sad-dle! Away they flew, Ichabod madly spurring Gunpowder, while the sinister sinis-ter horseman came galloping after. As they reached the haunted road, turning off to Sleepy Hollow, the girth of Ichabod's saddle broke. Gripping his steed around the neck, as the saddle sad-dle slipped beneath'' him, he still plunged on, with the ghostly rider pursuing. pur-suing. The church bridge, where In Brom Bones' tale the specter had vanished, was just ahead. Another moment and old Gunpowder was thundering over the resounding planks. Here Ichabod, casting a backward glance, saw the goblin rising In his stirrups and in the very act of hurling hurl-ing his head. The horrible missile crashed against Ichabod's cranium and he plunged headlong Into the road while Gunpowder and the ghostly horseman swept on. The next morning the old horse was found saddleless, grazing at his master's mas-ter's gate. But no Ichabod ! In the road by the church was found the saddle. Farther on was the trampled hat of the unfortunate pedagogue ped-agogue and close beside it a shattered shat-tered pumpkin 1 The whole neighborhood was aroused. Brom Bones' story and all the other weird tales' were called to mind, and the good folk sagely concluded that Ichabod had been cnrrled off by the headless horseman. Soon the school was removed to a less haunted sector. Another pedagogue peda-gogue reigned, and Ichabod became only a legend. It Is true that several years later nn old farmer, returning from New York, brought news that Ichabod was still alive; that fear of the goblin, and chagrin at his dismissal by the heiress, heir-ess, had caused his flight; that In another an-other part of the country he had taught school, studied law, and become be-come justice of the ten-pound court. But Brom Bones, who shortly after his rival's disappearance had led the blooming Katrina to the altar, was observed ob-served to look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related. re-lated. At the mention of the pumpkin pump-kin he never failed to laugh hpartily, which led some to suspect that he knew more about the matter than he chose to disclose. The old' country wives, however, maintain to this day that Ichabod was spirited away by the headless horseman. horse-man. And many gruesome tales of the pedagogue's fate are still told rouiid the wintry firesides of Sleepy nollow. Copyrlcht, t?19. by the Fost Publishing Co. (The Benton Post). Copyricht In th-I'nfted th-I'nfted Kincdom. the Dominions. Its Colonies Col-onies and dependencies, under the copyright copy-right net. by the Post Publishing Co., Boston. Mass., U. S. A. All rights reserved. |