The Trinity times., 1855-04-07
Extract from Irving's New Work.

The opening piece in the volume called
w olfret's Roost,' is humorous description
of the little old fashioned stone mansion al
made up Of gable ends, aud as full of angles
and corners as an old cooked hat,' which has
brcome well kI own to fame us the Sunny
Side, residence Of the genial author. How il
came to be selected as the abode of the i'm
mortal 'Diedrch' is recounted in a quaint
chronicle:
Years and years passed over the time-hon-
ored little mansion. The honeysuckle and
the sweetbrer crept up its walls; the wren
and phGbe bird built under the caves; it gra-
dually became almost hidden among trees,
through which it looked forth, as with hall
shut eyes, upon the Tappan Sea. The Indian
spring, famous in the days of the wizard
sachem, still welled up at the bottom OF the
green bank and the villa brook, which, as
ever. came bubbing down the ravine, and
threw itself into the little cove where of yore
the water>guard harbored their whale boats.
Such was the state of the Roost many years
since. at the time when Diedrich kncker
hooker came into this neighborhood, in the
course Of his researches among the Dutch
families for materials for his immortal history
The exterior Of the eventiul little pile seemed
to him lul Of promises. The crow.step ga
bles were Of the primitive architecture OF the
province. The weathercocks which surmount-
ed them had crOwcd in the glorious days OF
the New Netherlands. The one above the
porch had actually gttered OF yore on the
great Wander Ileyden palace at Albany
The interior of tie mansion fulfilled liz ex-
ternaI promise. Here were records OF old
times. documents Of the Dutch dJnasty, res
cued from the proiane hands Of the English
bv Wolfert Acker, when he retreated from
New Amsterdam. Here he had treasured
them up like buried gold, and here they had
been miracuIously preserved by St. Nicholas,
at the time Of the cOnffagration OF the KOost.
Here, then, did old Dicdrlch knckerbock-
er take up his abode for a time, and set "
work with antiquarian zeal 10 declpher those
precious documents, which, like the lost books
of Livy. have baflled the research OF the ior-
mer historians, aud it is the facts drawn from
these sources which give his work the prefer
ence in point of accuracy, over every other
history.
II was during his sojourn in this eventful
neioLb0rhood. that the historian II ufpO- ed
to have picked up many Of those legends
which have been given by him To the world,
or found among his papers. Such was tn
legend connected with the Old Dutch Church
of Sleepy Hollow"
viii regard to the sensation produced in
that slumberous region by the advent OF the
historian. listen 10 the characteristic story OF
the present narrator:
"a nd now a word or two about Sleepy llol-
low, which many have rasbly deemed iancl
full creation. like the Lubb rland OF mariners.
I, was probably the mystic and dreamy sound
of the name which first tempted the historian
of the Nlanhattoes into spell bound mazes.
As he entered, all nature seemed or hic
Cny,h IN oratulations. The quail whistled a
welcome from the corn field the loquaeious
cat. bird flew from bush 70 bush with restless
wing. proclaimng his approach. or perked
inonisitIvely into his face, as II - get know
ledge Of bis physiopnomy. The woodpecker
tapped a tattoo on the hollow apple tree, ond