The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-09-11

rustic brawl occurred in the vicinity
the neighbo rs always shook their heads
and said: "I warrant Brom Bones is at
the bottom of it,"
| And this rantipole hero had set his
eyes upon Katrina Van Tassell He was,
indeed, giant in the path not only of the
schoolmaster, but of all the other youth
full adventurers who Fsought the strong
hold of the damsers heart When the
other youths saw the horse of Brom
Bones hitched to the fence in front of
! Farmer Van Tassers house they wisely
rode on. The signal that Brom Bones
was sparkling was enough to keep his
rivals away.
How womens hearts are wooed and
won is a mystery to old bachelors-mat-
ters of riddle and admiration. Some
women seem to have to their hearts but
one point of door of access, while others
have a thousand. 1t is a great triumph of
skill to gain the former, but a greater
proof of generalship to overcome the lat
| ter; for a man must battle for possession
| at every door and window. He who wins
a common female heart is entitled to re-
nown, but he who makes conquest of the
heart of a coquette and keeps his sway
is, indeed, a hero. Now, let those explain
1t who can, but it is a fact that from
the time Ichabod Crane began to pay his
addresses to the plump Katrina the in
fluence of Brom Bones visibly decreased.
His horse was no longer seen tied to the
fence on Sunday nights, and a deadly
feud gradually grew up between him and
the pedagogue of Sleepy Hollow.
Brom. of course, would have liked to
fight the matter out after the manner of
the knights of old-that is. in single COM
bat-but the schoolmaster was too con-
scious of the superior strength of his rival
to give him an opportunity of picking
a quarrel. There was something particu-
larry exasperating In this obstinately pa
ciic system of Ichabods and Brom
Bones, although he had boosted that he
would double the schoolmaster up and
lay him on Il shelf in his own school
house, was reduced to playing boorlsh
practical jokes upon him. Bones and his
gang harried his hitherto peaceful do
mains. They smoked out his singing
school by stopping up the chimney, broke
into the school house at night and turned
everything topsy-turvy, so that Ichabod
began to think that all the witches in the
country held nocturnal meetings there.
Worse than all, Bones took every oppor-
tunity of ridiculing Ichabod in the prese-
ence of the fair Katrina, and had
scoundrel dog which he taught to whine
in most ludicrous manner, and intro
duced to the heiress as a substitute for
the schoolmaster as an instructor in
psalmody.
Matters went on in this manner for
some time without producing any percep-
tible difference in the relations of the
three parties; Ichabod. Brom and Ka-.
trina The schoolmaster clearly had the
best of the situation as it stood. One
day, as Ichabod sat majestically on his
stool of authority in the little school
house, messenger rode up and an
nounced to him that there was to be a
"quilting frohcy. that evening at Mynheer
Van Tassers and his presence was de-
sired At once all was hustle in the,
drowsy schoolroom. The schoolmaster by
the help of the birch. accelerated the
children on the road to knowledge with
such energy that school was dismissed
an hour earlier than usual and the young
imps burst forth yelping and racketing
about the green in joy at their early dis
missal. .s-A
The gallant Ichabod spent at least an
extra half hour at his toilet. brushing