Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-09

dAA dDOuI Lie SlOIlCS AA0 nAS"s
would help the neighbor women: But
he did not like to farm. The neighbors
called him hen pecked husband.
When his wife would grumble IN ms
ears for him to work, the way ne had
| to get rid Of her was to take his gun
and his dog Wolf and go to the WOODS
or go to town and set on bench III
front Of the inn and his his old three
foot pipe. And other hen pecked nus,
bands would come to the Inn anu
smoke their pipes.
Nicholas Vadder was the inn keeper;
Dame Van Wrinkle would come and
growl at the hen pecked husband Tor
letting Rip set around. ~,
One fine autumn day Rip Van VIM
kle took stroll for squirrel shoot. ne
took his meal with him. He would
share his meal with Wolf his dog: me
woods were on the Catskill mountains
On one side Of the mountains he could
see for miles rich woodlands and the
lonely Hudson. On the other side OF
the mountains was a valley which was
wild and lonely. And Rip heard the
call RIP Van Winkle' Wolf bristled
up his back and gave low groWl. KIP
looked but could not see any body. He
looked again. He saw man In the
carrying a key Of liquor on his back
The man wanted Rip to help him car
ry the key Of liquor up the mountain
side. w., 49,.
When Rip and the man came to the
place where some men were playing
nine pins Rip was very much fright
ened when he saw these men playing
nine pins. They played aWile and they
treated Rip with some fIagon. Then
Rip went to sleep and slept for twenty
years. ".
When he woke up he looked around.
He could see an old rusty gun lying
beside him. He Euld see nothing OF
Wolf. He called Wolf a few times.
There was no Wolf to be seen. He call
ed again but no stir. He made up his
mind that Wolf had gone home. He
got up and walked around. It was
bright spring morning. The birds were
singing. He was hungry. He started
home Then he finally reached the vii
lage. Everything was different from
what it was twenty years before, but
Rip thought it was only night.
Everything was strange to Rip. Even
the inn was different from what 1t was
when Rip Van Wrinkle left the village.
There was not man that Rip Van
Wrinkle knew or not house. Rip went
home first Everything had rotted down
and there was no Dame Van Wrinkle.
He went to the inn. The tree was chop
ped down that stood in front Of the
inn. Everything was different. He
went in. There were men gazing and
staring at Rip. The men asked Rip
what his name was. He said Rip Van
Wrinkle Rip asked where Nicholas
Vedder was. One man said Nicholas
Vedder was dead and had been for
eighteen years. Where is Brom
butcher. He went to war and we
don't know If he was killed or taken
prisoner. sla II l.
Rips heart died away. Every answer
puzzled him. There was a lady with
baby in her arms walking through the
crowd. Rip asked her what her name
was. She said Judith GARDENER. And
your mothers name was Dame Van
Wrinkle and your fathers name. Oh he
is gone twenty years and nobody
knows where he went. His name was
Rip Van Wrinkle. Where is your moth
er. She too, has died. She burst
blood vessel when an English peddler
was there. She died shortly after my
father left 49, 81.
Rip caught his daughter in his arms
and went home with her to live.
g.. Louise Deuser, age II,
Hedrick, Ia, r. No. 2.