The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-07
TIE had now entered the skirts of the
 H village A troop of strange chill l dren ran at his heels, hooting after

' ID had now entered the SKlrtS or tne H village A troop of strange chill
 dren ran at his heels, hooting after him and pointing ct his gray beard. The dogs, too, not one of which he recog- nized for an old acquaintance, parked at him as he passed. The very village was alterei: 1t was larger and more populous. There were rows of houses which he had never seen before, and those which had been his familiar haunts had disappear ed. Strange names were over the doors strange faces at the windows-every- thing was strange.
 Ills mind now misgave him; he began to doubt whether he and the world around him were not bewitched. Surely this was his native village which he had left but the day before. There stood the Kaatskill mountains-there ran the sil- yer Hudson at a distance-there was every hill and dale precisely as 1t had always been. Rip was sorely perplexed. That fiagon last night" thought he, ''hGs added my poor head sadly"
 It 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 shrlll 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. A half-starved dog that lOOhsu llke NOlI was SkulklnS aDOuC IL. Rip called him by name. but the cur snarled showed his teeth and passed on. This was an unllind cut, indeed. My very dog," sighed poor Rip, "has for gotten me!'
 He entered the house, which, to tell the truth, Dame Van Wrinkle had always kept in neat order. It was empty, for lorn and apparently abandoned. This desolation overcame all his connubiaI fears-he called loudly for his wife and chdren-the lonely chambers rang for a .loment with his voice and then all again was silence.
 He new hurried forth and hastened to his old resort, the village inn-but 1t, too was gone. A large, rlckety wooden building stood in It's place, with great gaping windows, some of them broken and mended with old hats and petticoats, and over the windows was painted, '"rhe Union Hotel, by Jonathan Doolittle." In stead of the great tree that used to shell ter the quiet little Dutch inn of yore. there now was reared a tall naked pole with something on the top that looked like red nightcap, and from 1t was futtering flag on which was a singular assembage of star5 and stripes-all this was strange and incomprehenslble.
 He recognized the sign, however, the ruby face of King George under which he had smoked so many a peace full pipe; but even this was singularly metamorphosed. The red coat was changed for one of blue and buff, a sword was held in his hand instead of a scep- ter, the head was decorated with a cock ed hat and underneath was painted In large characters, General Washington.
 There was, as usual a crowd of folk about the door, but none that Rip recol- lected. The very character of the peo- pie seemed changed. There was a busy, k,n I41x,. ,4r4t .t- stead of the accustomed phlegm and drowsy tranquility. He looked in vain for the sage. Nicholas Vedder, with his broad face, double chin and fair long pipe, uttering clouds of tobacco smoke instea1 of idle speeches; or Van Bum mel, the schoolmaster, doling forth the contents of an ancient newspaper. In place of these, a lean, bilious looking fellow, with his pockets full of hand bills, was haranguing vehemently about rights of -elections-members of ess-liberty-Bunker hlll-heroes of '76- and other words, which were a per- feet Bsbylonish jargon to the bewilder- ed Van Wrinkle.
 The appearance of Rip, with his long grizzled beard, his rusty fowling piece his uncouth dress and an army of wom- en and children at his heels, soon at tracted the attention of the tavern poli- ticians. They crowded around him, eye ing him from head to foot with great curiosity. The orator hustled up to him. and, drawing him partly aside inquired Ion which side he voted?' Rip stared in vacant stupidity. Another short but busy little fellow pulled him by the arm, and, rising on tiptoe, inquired in his ear, where he was 0 federal or democrat?'
 Rip was equally at a loss to compre- hend the question, when a knowing, self important old gentleman. In a sharp cock ed hat made his way through the crowd putting them to the right and the left with his elbows as he passed, and plant ing himself before Van Wrinkle, with one arm akimbo. the other resting on his cane. his, keen eyes and sharp hat penetrating, as it were, into his very soul demanded, in an austere tone, what brought him to the election with a gun on his shoulder and a mob at his heels, and whether he meant to breed riot in the village?" Alas gentlemen cried Rip, somewhat dismayed "I am a poor quiet man, a native of the place. and a loyal subject of the king, God bless him.
 Here general shout burst from the bystanders-"A tory! tory! a spy! a refugee hustle him! away with him!' It was with great difficulty that the self important man in the cooked hat re- stored order; and. having assumed a ten fold austerity of brow, demanded again of the unknown culprit. what he came there for, and whom he was seeking. The poor man humbly assured him that he meant no harm. but merely came there in search of some of his neigh bors who used to keep about the tav- ern.
 well, who are they? name them.'' Rip bethought himself a moment, and inquired:
 "Wheres Nicholas Vedder?"
 There was silence for a long while | when an old man replied, in a thin. pip | ing voice. Nicholas Vedder! why, he ,s l dead and gone these eighteen years | There was a wooden tombstone in the churchyard that used tn tan all ahoni