The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-18

with Jealousy, kept broodingly aloof.
Later, Ichabod joined the sager folk.
who sat smoking and spinning tales of
ghosts and apparitions, and of the
Needless horseman, that nightly teth-
cred his steed among the churchyard
graves.
Most terrifying were the adventures
Of those who, on dark nights, had met
that gruesome spectre. Even Brom
Bones testified that once overtaken bv
the midnight trooper, he had raced
with him to the church bridge, where
the horseman had vanished in a flash
of fire.
When at a late hour the revel broke
up, lchabod fingered for the custom.
airy lovers talk What passed at that
interview with the heiress was never
known, but when he finally sailed
forth it was with a detected, chop
fallen air
Had Katrina's encouragement been
only coquettish trick to secure her
conquest Of his rival?
1t was near the witching midnight
hour that the crest-fallen Ichabod pur-
sued his solitary travel homeward.
All the stories of ghosts and COLLINS
told that evening now crowded haunt
ingly upon him.
The night grew deeper as he ap-
preached the lonely churchyard-
sombrous scene of many Of the tales.
Suddenly through the leaf-stirred still
ness came the clatter Of hoofs. Some
thing huge and misshapen doomed
above the crouching shadows.
In quaking terror Ichabald dashed
ahead, but the unknown followed
clase. Then the moonlight, through
rlfting cloud, revealed the headless
horseman! More chastity still. his
read rested on the pommel Of his
saddle
Away they flew, Ichabod madly
squirting Gunpowder while the sinister
horseman came galloping after.
AS they reached the haunted road,
turning off to Sleepy Hollow, the girth
Of Ichabod's saddle broke. Gripping
his steed around the neck, as the sad
die slipped from beneath him, he still
plunged on, with the ghostly rider pur-
suing.
The church bridge. where in Brom
Bones tale the spectre had vanished,
was just ahead. Another moment and
old Gunpowder was laundering over
the reSoundlng plankS.
Here Ichabod, casting a backward
glance, saw the goblin rising in his
stirrups and in the very act of hurting
his head.
The horrible missile crashed against
1chabod's Uranium and he plunged
headlong into the road-while Gun
powder and the ghostly horseman
swept on.
n t1a al
found saddleless, grazing at his mas
ters gate. But no Ichabod,
In the road by the church was found
the saddle. Farther on was the
trampled hat of the unfortunate peda-
! gogue-and close beside it a shattered
pumpkin.
The whole neighborhood was arous-
ed. Brom Bones story and all the
other weird tales were called to mind
and the good folk sagely concluded
! that Ichabod had been carried off by
| the headless horseman.
Soon the school was removed to a
| less haunted section. Another peda-
gogue reigned, and Ichabod became
only a legend.
| 1t is true that several years later
an old farmer, returning from New
York, brought news that Ichabod was
! sui dilfS ludI lcdl VI lilc SODllIl, anu
chagrin at his dismissal by the
! heiress, had caused his flight; that in
another part of the country he had
taught school, studied law, and become
justice of the Ten-Pound Court.
Brom Bones, who, shortly after his
rivals disappearance. had led the
blooming Katrina to the altar, was OBJ
! served to look exceedingly knowing
! whenever the story Of Ichabod was re-
! lated. At the mention of the pumpkin,
he never failed to laugh heartily,
which led some to suspect that he
knew more about the matter than he
chose to disclose.
The old country wives, however,
maintain to this day that Ichabod was
spirited away by the headless horse
man. And many gruesome tales of
| the pedagogue's fate are still round
the wintry firesides of Sleepy Hollow.
| Copyright. 1919, by the Post Publish
! ing Co. (The Boston Post) Copyright
| in the United Kingdom, the Dominions,
| its Colonies and dependencies. under the
| copyright act. by the Post Publishing
reserved. published by special ar
| rangement with the Mcclure Newspaper
! Syndicate. All rights reserved)
! THE Wreck of the Grosvenor." by
w. Clark Russell, as condensed by
James B. Connolly, will be printed to-
morrow.