The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-01
e0FYR0G@TN900 aY 0VNR9G N0NG ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


due energy of Dame Van Wrinkle Rip
and his dog used to take refuge in TIE
shade of the trees and on the benches
before this tavern, joining there the as
sembed philosophers and sages of the
| place. There was a swinging sign pro-
jecting from the door of the place, and
on the sign was painted the rubieund
picture of His Sacred Majesty King
George III, wisest and best of monarchs.
In a chair, which he moved only from
time to time, so as to keep in the shade,
sat all summer the landlord. Nicholas
vedder, who smoked his pipe constantly
and seldom was heard to speak, though
he dominated his little council completely.
They could tell by the way he smoked
whenever he approved or disapproved of
what the schoolmaster. Derrick Van
Bummel, read from a month-old paper,
or where he eereed or disagreed with
the opinion advanced by his attendants
in their discussion of grave matters and
important affairs.
For a time Rip and Wolf found
sanctuary in the delightful company, put
at last Dame Van Wrinkle descended upon
the saloon and, driving Rip away, did not
hesitate to attack even that great and
worthy man, Nicholas Vedder himself,
charging him with being a partner IN
crime with her worthless husband. So
Rip and Wolf took to roaming over tie
mountain again, as being able to fild
| in their seelusions the only bit of peace
allowed them.
| When Rip wandered off with his dog
and his gun upon these expeditions of his
he was not in a hurry to return. the
birds and the brooks sang to him and did
not nag and scold him. The mountains
were his friends and he liked to stretch
himself at length upon some slightly place
and gaze languidly at the broad river
flowing calmly below, the msts now and
then gathering about the summit of some
distant peak, the play of sunshine and
shadow in the valley and the gorges, and
the trees waving their tops in some gen
tie and refreshing breeze. 1t was upon
one such occasion as this-when Rir was
''loafing and inviting his soul,' or, as it
would probably be called now, ''reverting
10 the primitive man'-that the adventure
befell him which has made his name ia
nous and linked it forever with that OF
the great navigator dscoverer and eX-
plorer. Sir Henry Hudson.
| He threw himself late one afternoon,
upon knoll which. covered with noun
tain heritage, crowned the brow of prec-
pice. Through an opening between the
trees he could overlook all the lower
country for many miles of rich woodland.
He saw the river far, far below him NOV
ing in it's silent but majestic course with
the reflection of a purple cloud, lag
ging sail here and there sleeping upon its
CLASSY bosom until it was lost in the blue
highlands The mountains began to throw
their long, blue shadows over the valley
and Rip, with sigh, realized that it was
time to go home and that it would be
| dark before he could arrive there. WITH
the terrors of Dame Van Wrinkle before
him he was preparing to descend when
| he heard a voice from the distance shout
ing rip Van Wrinkle! Rip Van Winkle!"
lie could see no one, though he looked
carefully around Only a solitary crow
was winging its way overhead-and the
crow could not have called rip Van
| Winkle" He thought it had been his
fancy and was again preparing to descend
the mountainside when again he heard
the voice shouting clearly and distinctly,
Rip Van Winkle Rip Van Winkle."
Wolf now gave a low gTowl and, with
he hair on his back bristling up, crept
close to his masters side, and gave an
apprehensive look down the glen.
id ir, hn md
saw a strange figure slowly toiling up the
rocky defile bending under the weight of
something which he carried upon his
back. He was the strangest figure Rip
ever had seen. He was a short, square,
old fellow, with thick, bushy hair and a
grzzled beard. He was dressed in a
cloth jerkin strapped around the waist,
several pairs Of breeches-the outer one
ample of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES with
rows of buttons down the sides and bows
Of ribbons at the knees. On his back he
bore stout key, which seemed full of
liquor. Rip had seen such figures in an
old Dutch painting which hung in the
| oarlor of Dominic Van Schac, but never
in real life before. He felt sort OF
vague terror stealing over him, but when
the stranger made signs for Rip to APP
oroach and help him carry the keg up the
ravne the good -natured fellow could not
refuse and went to his assistance. Rip
was rather shy of his new acquaintance,
but, mutually relieving each other, they
at length clambered to the top of the
gully evidently the dry bed of a noun
lain torrent. AS they toiled up Rip heard
every now and then long, low rumbling
sound, which seemed like the sound OF
distant muttering of one of the mountain
storms which gather in the recesses of the
Kaatskills, threats of which often can be
heard before they sally forth from their
Businesses to break over the valleys. In
fact sometimes even now these transient
thunder storms can be heard at their
work in the interior of the mountains
when the air is clear outside and re-
mains so, the storms beginning and end
ing in the nfountain defiles At least these
lrumblings were considered to be those OF
unseen storms until the adventure of Rir
Van Wrinkle put new phase upon the
matter and COMPOUNDED the scientists and
the weatherwise with veritable history
which offered another explanation.
Passing through cleft at the heat
of the pass which they had assembled RiI
saw before him on the memorable occa
| sion recorded a sort of mountain amphi
theatre, small, and surrounded by perpen
dicular cliffs. In it was gathered an as
semblage- such as few men of modern
| +t,,,au have looked upOn. On a green tY