The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-03-26

burghcfs and still more their wives
rich In the legendary lore 80 Invaluable
10 true history. Whenever, th"r fore, ne
happened upon genuine Dutch fArnil}'
snugly shut up In It's low-roofed farm
house, under the spreading sycamore. he
looked upon II ma . little. clnsped volume
of black letter and studied II with the
zeal Of bookwotm
The result OF all these researches was
u history Of the province during the reign
of the Dutch governors. which he pup
liHhed some years since There have been
various opinions as 10 the literary char
. acter Of this work and-to tell the truth
! II IL not a whit better than II should he
Its chief merit is It's scrupulnur accuracy
which. indeed was little questioned NJ
its first appearance
Rut this arcuracv has since been com
I pletclv established and Il II now admitted
into all collections Of historical works n-
u book ~ unnursiionuble authority, TN"
/ old gentleman died soon after IN" appear
Hnce Of this work and. now mat he N
dead and gone, N cannot DO much hhrn
to say that his time might have been
much better employed In weighticr la
bors.
lie, however, was apt to ride his hobby
In his own way though II did nov
end then kck up the dust little II
the eyes OF his ncighbors and grievc th'
spirit of some friends for whom he fel
his errors and follcs are remembered nov
moro In sorrow than In anger and II
/ begins To he suspected that he never in
/ tended TO injure or offend any one
/ But however his memory may lie ap.
prcciated by the esj,ics, II Is still held
dear by many folks whose good opinion
II worth having, particularly by certain
biscuit makers who have gone so far a.
/ to imprint his likeness upon their New
York cakes, and have thus given him q
chance for Immortality almost equal Il
being stamped on a Waterloo medal or q
Queen Anne frrthing such, then, was
the standing OF the eminent antiquarian
among whose papers wss found, after his
death. the story of Rip Van Wrinkle and
,vhosc reputation II sufticien, to guaran.
tee It's absolute truth.
Whoever has made voyage up the
Hudson must remember the Kaatskill
mountains, They are dismembefed
branch ~ the great Appalachian family
and arc seen away 20 the west OF the
river. swelling IN into n noble height
md lording II over the surrounding Coun.
| try. Every change ~ season, every
change OF weather. indeed every hour o'
the day produces some change In the
thins, aud they arc regarded by all the
good wives. far and near. h perfect
| harometerr
when the weather is fair and settled
they are clothed In blue and purple
and print their hold outlines on the clear
evening sky. Rut sometimes when IN,
rest ~ the landscape 4. cloudless-ihey
viii gather n hood Of srsy vapors about
/ their SUBMITS which IN the last rays ol
the setting sun, will glow and light M
| like crown OF glory
Al the foot of these fairy mountain,
the yoyascr up the hudson may hNv,
deserted tho light smoke curling up from
n village whose shingle roofs slenw
among N" trees Just whore tho blue IN.
lands melt away into the fresh greer
of the nearer. landscape II is n littl,
village " great antiquity wing beer
founded nv some Of the Dutch coionie,
IN the early times ~ tho province ms
,bou, the time Of the beginning Of IN,
government " the good Peter stuyVesa nj
tmay no rest IN peace), and there wer,
some NJ the houses NJ the original set,
tiers still standing within few years
huit OF small yellow bricks brought from
Holland, and having lst,lcod windows nnt
gnhlcd fronts sutmountcd by weather
cocks
In that same village. and In one o
these very houses which. 10 tell IN,
truth. Was sadly time worn and weather
heaten--there lived many years since
while the country wns yet province "
Great Britain, n simple, good aulrcd fsl
low NJ the name ~ Rip Van Wrinkle n,
was n descendant ~ tho fnmnu. Vat
Wrinkles who figured ~ gallsntly In IN,
chivnlrous days ~ the whr.l,ke Pete
Stuyve-ant and accompanied him TO IN,
siepe Of Fort Christian
Rln Inherited however. little Of IN,
martial character nf his ancestors 4
hs. hecn recorded that he was n simple
good natuted msn ue was more thar
tha,-he was Kind neishbor and an obe
dient. hen -pccked husband Indeed I,
the hitter circumstance might be owinS