Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-02-12

at MS neelS, nOOtlng AFTER MN, ana point
ing at his gray board. The dogs, too.
not one of which he recognized for an
old acquaintance, barked at him as he
passed. The very village was altered: it
was larger and more populous. There
were rows of houses he had never seen
before. and those which had been his ia
miliar haunts had disappeared Strange
names were over the dOOrs-strange faces
at the windows-everything was strange.
His mind now misgave him: he began to
doubt whether both he and the world
around him were not bewitched. Surely.
this was his native village. which he had
left but day before. There stood the
kaatSkill mountains-there ran the sill
yer Hudson at a distance-there was
every hill and dale precisely as it had
always been.-Rip was sorely perplexed,
THAT tlagon last night" thought he.
has added my poor head sadly"
1t was with some difficulty that he
found the way to his own house. which
he approached with,silent awe. expecting
every moment to hear the shrll voice of
Dame Van Wrinkle. He found the house
gone to decay-the roof fallen in. the
windows shattered, and the doors off the
hinges. y half-starved dog, that looked
like Wolf, was sliulking about it. Rip
called him by name. but the cur snarled.
showed his teeth. and passed ON. This
was an unkind cut indeed.-"Mv very
dog" sighed poor Rip, has forgotten
me-"
lie entered the house. which. to tell
the truth, Dame Van Wrinkle had ALWAYS
kept in neat order. 1t was empty. for
Torn, and apparently abandoned. This
deSolateness overcame all his connubial
fears-he called loudly for his wife and
children-the lonely chambers rang for
moment with his voice, and then all
again was silence.
He now hurried forth. and fastened to
his old resort. the village inn-but it too
was gone. a large rickety wooden
building stood in its place, with great
gaping windows, some of them broken.
and mended with old hats and petticoats.
and over the door was painted The Tn
ION Hotel, by Jonathan Doolittle." In
stead OF the great tree that used to shell
ter the quiet little Dutch inn of wore,
there now was reared "A tall naked pole
with something on the top that looked
like red night-cap. and from it was
fluttering flag. on which was a singular
aSsemblage of stars and stripes all this
was strange and incomprehenSible. He
1 recognized on the sign. however. the
ruby face of King George. under which
he had smoked 80 many peaceful pipe.
p but even this was singularly metamor-
phoscd. The red coat was changed for
= one OF blue and buff. Il sword was held in
a the hand instead of a sceptre. the head
. was decorated with cooked hat. and
b, underneath was painted in large charac-
e tiers. GENERAL WA>HINGTON.
= There was. a. usual. crowd of folk
i about the door. but none that Rip rrcol-
e lectcd. The very character of the people
. seemed changed. There was a busy.
busting. di>putatiouS tone about it. in
f stead of the accustomed phlegm and
t drowsy tranquility. He looked in vain
= for the sage Nicholas Nedder. with his
Il broad face. double chin. and fair long
= pipe, uttering clouds of tobacco smoke
II instead of idle Speeches or Van Bummel
}. the schoolmaSter, doing forth the con-
p tents of an ancient newspaper In place
a of these, a lean bilious-looking fellow.
" with his pockets full of handbill,. was
o haranguing vehemently about rights of
e -election-members of Congress
= -liberty-Bunker's hill-heroes of seven
1t ty-siX-and other words that were per-
9 feet BabyloniSh iargon to the bewidered
d Van Wrinkle.
:. The appearance of Rip, with his long
p grizzled beard, his rusty fowling-piece
v his uncouth dress, and the army OF
ID women and children that had gathered al
y his heels, soon attracted the attention OF
Is the tavern politicians. They crowded
III round him, eying him from head to foo,
t. with great curiosity. The orator hustled
up to him, and drawing him partly aside
he inquired on which side he voted. Rip
10 stared III vacant stupidity. Another
n short but busy little fellow pulled him 10y
I'd the arm. and rising on tiptoe, inquired il
ne his ear whether he was Federal or Dem
OF ocrat. Rip was equally at loss to com
Up prehend the question: when knowing
he >elf-important old gentleman. in sharl
or cooked hat, made his way through tn
IN crowd. putting them to the right and lief
as with his elbows aS he passed, and plant
ok ing himself before Van Wrinkle. with ON
lir arm akimbo the other resting on hi
ny cane. his keen eyes and sharp hat pent
a trating, as it were, into his very soul
al demanded in an austere tone wha
as brought him to the election with gu
NJ on his shoulder, and a mob AT his heels
mt and whether he meant to breed riot i
up the village.