Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-03-02
Kentil CObha1n's Ride.
By BILLY BRANscoMBE.

By BILLY BRANscoMBE.
Dear quaint old Tarrytown- on-the-
Hudson! A railroad runs through it, and
they get their mail / don't know how
many times a day, aud it boasts of boys
and girls boarding schools, but stray
away a short distance from the main
street, out of sight of the postoffice, out
of hearing distance of the boarding
schools, and the town immediately takes
on very sleepy, dull, drowsy look that
makes one loll along in the warm sun
shine or rest and smoke cigarettes under
the apple trees along the roadside. About
half mile to the north of the postoffice
one comes to the Pocantico, famed in
connection with the Pedagogic Ichabcd
Crane, and just beyond lies the old
Dutch church. There commences Sleepy
Hollow, the Arcadia of New York, a
place within radius of thirty miles of
the great city, as quiet as New York is
noisy, as kind as the city is cruel, as gen
erous as the city is selfish, as sleepy as
the city is quick. Sleepy Hollow, the
land of clear, babbling brooks and trout
/ and partridge, of chestnuts and apples,
of hickory nuts and pears, of sheep and
''No Trespassing" sign boards there.
Years come and 60, but 1.-THE Hollow
is as pleasant and the roads are as cool
and inviting as when Kenti Gotham
took her ride hundred and odd years
ago.
/ She wasn't Kentil Gotham then. She
was Kentil Requa, and lived near to
where the Croton aqueduct now crosses
the little Pocantico. There were few
stones left from the foundation of her
house when was there last, but I sup
pose they have all disappeared by this
time. The house lay some distance
away from the road, and the tall trees
| which grew around it on all sides hid it
| from view. The cowboys" passed it
unmolested, and while the land all
around it suffered from the repeated
raids and forays, the old Requa house
was undisturbed. The rebels never
thought of disturbing the home of young
Major Requa of General Washington's
staff, and any English officer who would
dare to modest the Requas would have
had to.offer an account Of his conduct to
Captain Gotham of his maiesty's forces.
The captain, of course, had some reason
Dentil Requa was sufficient reason for
any man. Kentil was not enough of a
rebel to stay away from her relatives in
| New York merely because the English
held possession of that city, and the cap
tain had met her there often enough to
have become completely captured He
was an attentive and handsome cavalier,
and Kentil Requa was certainly not dis
pleased with his attention.
Occasionally the captain ventured up to
Tarrytown and visited the Requas, until
the capture of Andre, when his visits
ceased, at Kentil's request She would
rather not see him for awhile than be
constantly dreading his capture. In vain
the gallant captain argued and reasoned.
He was obliged to obey.
After q week had passed Kentil began
to find the place very lonely. She wan
dered about the house and became, If
the truth must be told, trifle snappish
and cross to her mother and the children.
She tried every means to spend her time
happily, but she soon tired of the brook
and the harpsichord and her books. and
strayed up to the garnet and through the
clothes chest and f0ndled the laces and
bAkC ottfAS 1AAA AkAAAuACA AAAC AAA2E4uG san
dalwo0d. Then she spied one of her
brothers boxes in the corner and rum
mayed through that until she came
across an old faded rebel uniform
that George Requa had worn when
he first entered the rebel army
as q drummer, then boy OF sixtcen1 and
then Kentil walked to the garnet door,
bolted it and deliberately put on the
suit and admired herself il the dusty old
mirror in the corner and inflated the cap
tain's attitudes and threw her shoulders
back and pretended 20 twirl an invisible
moustache and played at being soldier
to her hearts content, and then wan
dered TO the little window aud stared
! out ct the fast reddening evening sky,
and st the swaying tree tops, around
which the hulking Crows were circling,
and then her gaze wandered down to the
bend in the path below and she saw her
brother dashing up the house on : horse
which was licked with foam, and whose
faded air showed bard riding. Forget
ting everything else IN her FRIGHT, she
brushed down stairs and out "a The gate.
Her brother started when he saw her.
but Immediately recognized her.
sLet me have ! fresh horse, Kenkil ?
I rasred inc young major. ssIhe red
/ costs Gre after me. and hlaclE's given
Out