The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-06-22

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counted to me the exploits Of many Of these
worthless and my b, art smoie me, when !
heard OF their great doings 10 days Of yore,
to think how heedlessly had once spor.ed
over their graves.
From the church the venerable Diedrleh
proceeded in his researches up the Hollow.
The genius Of the place seemed 10 hail It's
future historian. All nature was dive win
graduation. The quail whistled greeting
from the corn6eld the robin carolled song
Of praise from the orchard the loquacious
catbird flew from bush to bush, with restless
wing. proclaiming his approach IN every va
riety OF note, and anon would whisk about
and perk inquisiiively into his face, as Il to
get a knowledge Of his physiognomy ; the
woodpecker, also, tapped tattoo on the no..
low apple tree, and then peered knowingly
round the trunk to see how the great Died
rich relished his salutation; while the ground
squirrel scampered along the fence, and &C.
casionally whisked his tail over his head by
way of a huzza
The worthy Diedrich pursued his research
es in the valley with Characteristic devotion;
entering familiarly into the various cottages
and gossiping with the simple folks in the
STYLE of their own simplicity. confess my
heart yearned with admiration 10 see SO great
man. in his eager quest after knowledge,
humhly demeanng himself 10 curry favor with
the humblest; sitting patiently on three
legged stool, pat,ing the children, and taking
a purring grimalkin on his lap, while he con-
ciliated the goodwill Of the old Dutch house
wife and drew from her long ghost stories,
spun out to the humming accompaniment Of
her wheel.
His greatest treasure Of historic lore, how
ever, was discovered in an old goblin-lookng
mill, situated among rocks and waterfalls,
with canking wheels, and rushing streams
and all kinds OF uncooth noises. horse
shoe, nailed to the door to keep off witches
and evil spirits, showed that this mill was
subject 10 awful visitations. AS we approach
ed il an old negro thrust his head, all daboled
with -four, out of hole above the water
wheel, and grinned and rolled his eyes, and
looked like the very hobgoblin Of the place.
The lllustrious Diedrich fixed upon him at
once as the very one TO give him that invalu.
able kind of information, never ID be acquired
from books. He beckoned him from his nest,
sat with him by the hour on broken mill
stone, by the side Of the waterfall, needless
VI the HOlst VI TIC "dlcl SIdtlSl WI
the mill and | verify believe it was to his
conference with this African sage, and the
precious revelations of the good dame of the
spinning wheel, that we are indebted for the
surprising though true history of lchabod
Crane and the headless horseman, which has
since astonished and edited the world.
But have said enough of the good old
times of my youthful days let ME speak of
the Hollow as found it, after an absence of
many years, when it was kindly given me
once more 10 revisit the hauuts Of my boy
hood 1t was genial day as approached
that fated region The warm sunshine was
tempered by slight haze, 50 as to give
dreamy effect 10 the landscape. Not breath
of air shook the foliage. The broad Tappan
Sea was without ripple, and the sloops with
dropping sails slept on its CLASSY BOSOM
| Columns Of smoke from burning brushwood
rose lazIy from the folds of the hills, on the
opposite side at the river, and slowly expand
ed in mid air. The distant lowing of cow,
or the noon,ide growing Of cock, coming
family to the ear, seemed to illustrate, rather
than disturb, the drowsy quiet of the scene.
! entered the Hollow with beating heart.
Contrary to my apprehensions, | found it but
/ llltlc Cildll9tu. H0 vi iHtSiiSIl "IiIh
had made such rapid strides along every river
and highway, had not yet, apparently, TUNED
down into this favored valley. Perhaps the
wizard spell of ancient days still reigned
over the place. binding up the faculties Of the
inhabitants in happy contentment with things
as they had been handed down to them from
yore. There was The same little farms and
iarm-houses, with their old hats for the house
keeping wren their stone wells, moss covei-
ed buckets, and long balancing poles. There
were the same little rils whispering down to
pay their tributes TO the Pocantico; while
that wizard stream still kept on its course, as
Of old, through solemn woodlands and fresh
green meadows; nor were there wanting
joyous holiday boys 10 loiter along its banks,
as had done throw their pnhooks into the
stream, or launch their mimic barks.
watched them with kind Of melancholy
pleasure, wondering whether they were un-
der the same spell Of the fancy that once
rendered this valley fairy land TO me. Alas!
alas to me every thing now stood revealed
in its simple reality. The echoes no longer
answered with wizard tongues; the dream of
youth was at an end; the spell of Sleepy
Hollow was broken!
/ sought the ancient church on the follow
ing Sunday There i, stood on its green bank
among the trees the Pocantico swept by it
in deep, dark stream, where had so often
anged there expanded the mipond, as of
old, with the cows under the willows on its
margin, knee deep in water, chewing the cud
and flashing the flies from their sides with their
tails. The hand of Improvement, however,
had been busy with the venerable pile. The
pulpit, fabricated in Holland, had been super
seeded by one of modern construction, and the
front of the semi Gothic ediice was decorat-
ed by a semi Greek portico. Fortunately, the
two weathercocks remained undiSturbed on