The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Page 3
was a vast barn, that might have served for achurch; every window and crevice of which seemed bursting forth with thetreasures of the farm; the flail was busily resounding within it frommorning to night; swallows and martins skimmed twittering about theeaves; and rows of pigeons, some with one eye turned up, as if watchingthe weather, some with their heads under their wings or buried in theirbosoms, and others swelling, and cooing, and bowing about their dames,were enjoying the sunshine on the roof. Sleek unwieldy porkers weregrunting in the repose and abundance of their pens, from whence salliedforth, now and then, troops of sucking pigs, as if to snuff the air.A stately squadron of snowy geese were riding in an adjoining pond,convoying whole fleets of ducks; regiments of turkeys were gobblingthrough the farmyard, and Guinea fowls fretting about it, likeill-tempered housewives, with their peevish, discontented cry. Beforethe barn door strutted the gallant cock, that pattern of a husband, awarrior and a fine gentleman, clapping his burnished wings and crowingin the pride and gladness of his heart,--sometimes tearing up the earthwith his feet, and then generously calling his ever-hungry family ofwives and children to enjoy the rich morsel which he had discovered.
The pedagogue's mouth watered as he looked upon this sumptuous promiseof luxurious winter fare. In his devouring mind's eye, he pictured tohimself every roasting-pig running about with a pudding in his belly,and an apple in his mouth; the pigeons were snugly put to bed in acomfortable pie, and tucked in with a coverlet of crust; the geese wereswimming in their own gravy; and the ducks pairing cosily in dishes,like snug married couples, with a decent competency of onion sauce. Inthe porkers he saw carved out the future sleek side of bacon, and juicyrelishing ham; not a turkey but he beheld daintily trussed up, withits gizzard under its wing, and, peradventure, a necklace of savorysausages; and even bright chanticleer himself lay sprawling on his back,in a side dish, with uplifted claws, as if craving that quarter whichhis chivalrous spirit disdained to ask while living.
As the enraptured Ichabod fancied all this, and as he rolled his greatgreen eyes over the fat meadow lands, the rich fields of wheat, of rye,of buckwheat, and Indian corn, and the orchards burdened with ruddyfruit, which surrounded the warm tenement of Van Tassel, his heartyearned after the damsel who was to inherit these domains, and hisimagination expanded with the idea, how they might be readily turnedinto cash, and the money invested in immense tracts of wild land, andshingle palaces in the wilderness. Nay, his busy fancy already realizedhis hopes, and presented to him the blooming Katrina, with a wholefamily of children, mounted on the top of a wagon loaded with householdtrumpery, with pots and kettles dangling beneath; and he beheld himselfbestriding a pacing mare, with a colt at her heels, setting out forKentucky, Tennessee,--or the Lord knows where!
When he entered the house, the conquest of his heart was complete. Itwas one of those spacious farmhouses, with high-ridged but lowly slopingroofs, built in the style handed down from the first Dutch settlers; thelow projecting eaves forming a piazza along the front, capable of beingclosed up in bad weather. Under this were hung flails, harness, variousutensils of husbandry, and nets for fishing in the neighboringriver. Benches were built along the sides for summer use; and a greatspinning-wheel at one end, and a churn at the other, showed the varioususes to which this important porch might be devoted. From this piazzathe wondering Ichabod entered the hall, which formed the centre of themansion, and the place of usual residence. Here rows of resplendentpewter, ranged on a long dresser, dazzled his eyes. In one cornerstood a huge bag of wool, ready to be spun; in another, a quantity oflinsey-woolsey just from the loom; ears of Indian corn, and strings ofdried apples and peaches, hung in gay festoons along the walls, mingledwith the gaud of red peppers; and a door left ajar gave him a peep intothe best parlor, where the claw-footed chairs and dark mahogany tablesshone like mirrors; andirons, with their accompanying shovel andtongs, glistened from their covert of asparagus tops; mock-oranges andconch-shells decorated the mantelpiece; strings of various-colored birdseggs were suspended above it; a great ostrich egg was hung fromthe centre of the room, and a corner cupboard, knowingly left open,displayed immense treasures of old silver and well-mended china.
From the moment Ichabod laid his eyes upon these regions of delight, thepeace of his mind was at an end, and his only study was how to gain theaffections of the peerless daughter of Van Tassel. In this enterprise,however, he had more real difficulties than generally fell to the lot ofa knight-errant of yore, who seldom had anything but giants, enchanters,fiery dragons, and such like easily conquered adversaries, to contendwith and had to make his way merely through gates of iron and brass,and walls of adamant to the castle keep, where the lady of his heart wasconfined; all which he achieved as easily as a man would carve his wayto the centre of a Christmas pie; and then the lady gave him her hand asa matter of course. Ichabod, on the contrary, had to win his way tothe heart of a country coquette, beset with a labyrinth of whimsand caprices, which were forever presenting new difficulties andimpediments; and he had to encounter a host of fearful adversaries ofreal flesh and blood, the numerous rustic admirers, who beset everyportal to her heart, keeping a watchful and angry eye upon each other,but ready to fly out in the common cause against any new competitor.
Among these, the most formidable was a burly, roaring, roystering blade,of the name of Abraham, or, according to the Dutch abbreviation, BromVan Brunt, the hero of the country round, which rang with his feats ofstrength and hardihood. He was broad-shouldered and double-jointed,with short curly black hair, and a bluff but not unpleasant countenance,having a mingled air of fun and arrogance. From his Herculean frameand great powers of limb he had received the nickname of BROM BONES,by which he was universally known. He was famed for great knowledge andskill in horsemanship, being as dexterous on horseback as a Tartar.He was foremost at all races and cock fights; and, with the ascendancywhich bodily strength always acquires in rustic life, was the umpire inall disputes, setting his hat on one side, and giving his decisions withan air and tone that admitted of no gainsay or appeal. He was alwaysready for either a fight or a frolic; but had more mischief thanill-will in his composition; and with all his overbearing roughness,there was a strong dash of waggish good humor at bottom. He had three orfour boon companions, who regarded him as their model, and at thehead of whom he scoured the country, attending every scene of feud ormerriment for miles round. In cold weather he was distinguished by afur cap, surmounted with a flaunting fox's tail; and when the folks at acountry gathering descried this well-known crest at a distance, whiskingabout among a squad of hard riders, they always stood by for a squall.Sometimes his crew would be heard dashing along past the farmhouses atmidnight, with whoop and halloo, like a troop of Don Cossacks; and theold dames, startled out of their sleep, would listen for a moment tillthe hurry-scurry had clattered by, and then exclaim, "Ay, there goesBrom Bones and his gang!" The neighbors looked upon him with a mixtureof awe, admiration, and good-will; and, when any madcap prank or rusticbrawl occurred in the vicinity, always shook their heads, and warrantedBrom Bones was at the bottom of it.
This rantipole hero had for some time singled out the blooming Katrinafor the object of his uncouth gallantries, and though his amoroustoyings were something like the gentle caresses and endearments of abear, yet it was whispered that she did not altogether discourage hishopes. Certain it is, his advances were signals for rival candidates toretire, who felt no inclination to cross a lion in his amours; insomuch,that when his horse was seen tied to Van Tassel's paling, on a Sundaynight, a sure sign that his master was courting, or, as it is termed,"sparking," within, all other suitors passed by in despair, and carriedthe war into other quarters.
Such was the formidable rival with whom Ichabod Crane had to contend,and, considering all things, a stouter man than he would have shrunkfrom the competition, and a wiser man would have despaired. He had,however, a happy mixture of pliability and perseverance in his nature;he was in form and spirit like a supple-jack--yielding, but tough;though he bent, he never broke;
and though he bowed beneath theslightest pressure, yet, the moment it was away--jerk!--he was as erect,and carried his head as high as ever.
To have taken the field openly against his rival would have beenmadness; for he was not a man to be thwarted in his amours, any morethan that stormy lover, Achilles. Ichabod, therefore, made his advancesin a quiet and gently insinuating manner. Under cover of his characterof singing-master, he made frequent visits at the farmhouse; not that hehad anything to apprehend from the meddlesome interference of parents,which is so often a stumbling-block in the path of lovers. Balt VanTassel was an easy indulgent soul; he loved his daughter better eventhan his pipe, and, like a reasonable man and an excellent father, lether have her way in everything. His notable little wife, too, had enoughto do to attend to her housekeeping and manage her poultry; for, as shesagely observed, ducks and geese are foolish things, and must be lookedafter, but