St. Mary's beacon., 1854-04-20

II - &Nx&#z&# - sF01Ne were seen I'd
- Ter. and put their tongues
aud The self-imporiant
Led hat who, wien the
er, had returned 10 the
down The corners of his
\ shook his head, upon which
"a general shaking Of the head
out the assesnblage. II was de-
however. to take The opinion
Peter Vsnde-slonk, who sas seen
ing up the road. He was descen-
liz historian of that name, who
o. Of the earliest accounts Of
- Peter was the most an
e wonderful eys ss's ell 81
-
lfy In the most satisfactory
Tie assured the company that
let, handed down from his an
e historian, that the Kaatsklll
nohs had always been haunted BY
fr1beings, that. it was affirmed
bale great Hcndrick Hudson. the
rsscoyerertof the river, kept kind
Sof via there every twenty years, with
Bis cew of the Half Moon; being per-
Aitsd in this way to revisit the scenes
of ifs enterprise, and keep guardian
I.efe upon The river and the great city
led be hls name; that his father had
once seenlthem in their old Dutch dress
esIplayingAat ninepins in hollow of the
msuntain'. and that he had heard, one
simmer afternoon, the sound of their
balls, like distant peals of thunder.
TO makea long story stort, the COM
pany broke up aud returned to the more
important concerns of the election Rips
daughter took him home to live wi h her;
she had a snug, well-furished house,
and stout CHEEKY farmer for her hus-
band, whom Rip recollected for one of the
urchins that used to climb upon his
back. As to Rips son and heir, who
was the ditto of himself, seen leaning a.
gainst the tree, he was employed to
work on the farm, but evinced an here
ditary disposition to attend to any thing
but his business.
Rip now resumed his old walks and
habits he so found many ofhis former
cronies, though all rather the worse for
the wear and tear of time, and preferred
making friends amongst the rising gen.
sFFaatilpPgaa y With whom he soon grew into
home, and being arrived at that. hapy age
when man can do nothing with impu-
nifty he took his place once more on the
bench at the inn door, and was reveren-.
ced as one of The patriarchs of the vii
lage, and chronicle of the old times
"before the war" II was some time
before he could get into the regular
track of gossip, or could be made to
comprehend the strange events that had
taken place during his torpor-how that
there had been revolutionary war, that
the country had thrown off the yoke of
Old England, and that, instead of being
asubject Of his Majesty he was now
free citizen OF the United States. Rip,
in fact, was no politician; the changes Of
states and empires made but little inn
preston on him; but there was one spe-
cies of despotism under which he had
long groaned, and that was petticoat gov
| egnment. Happily that was at an end !:
i-he had got his head out of the yoke of
matrimony, and could 60 in and out
! whenever he pleased, without dreading
the tyranny of Dame Van Wrinkle
Whenever her name was mentioned,
however, he shook his head, shrugged
his shoulders, and cast up his eyes, which
might pass either for an expression u
resignation to his fate. or JOY at his de-
lliyerance.
lie used to tell his story TO every
Z TIER that arrived at Mr.. Doolittle'.
m He was observed, at first, to vary
!, Some points every time he, told it
wIHch was doubtless owing to bis havin:
so1recently awaked. II at last settles
! dom to precisely the tale have relate,
J and'not man, woman or child in II
. ahoEhood but knew il by hear
|. | Soss pretended to doubt the realit,
of II, and insisted that Rip had been on
ofhis head, and that The was one point o
ii he always renainedflighty. Th
Z cId. Dutch inhabitants however almo
! ! eersally gave ii fun credit. Even
\ IL they never hear q thund'
: m ii ! sa.siar afternoon about ii
! KntskiIl b! lhey say Hendrick Hudse
a6alhis erss are at their Ame
: l,ninepina; and il il common wish
an henpecked husbands 10 Il
us|rhborhood when life hangs heavy
: : thlir bands. that they might have
: qsliesing draught out Of Rip Van VIII
1: flagon.