The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1941-08-21
lE||',sa1dI EIFIslI!
RdHIs,s
new YORK
BY NORTH CALLAHAN

For a long time had wished to
see Tarrytown Knowing that in fond
and fanciful childhood eyes, most of
as had seen it many times through
Washington Irving's classic. 1.-THE
Legend of Sleepy Hollow" That,
feel, is nay favorite story. And !
believe many of you readers share
his feeling. For who can forget
those afternoons in school when with
tense and mixed emotions we read
aloud the immortal passages of des-
cription which that master of poetic
prose poured around the sleepy lit
tie community. So feeling, | betook
myself on recent afternoon up the
lordly Hudson River to Tarrytown, a
place of fact and fancy.
-oOo--
It still requires imagination to see
the village as we know il. Several
times ! stopped to ask passers-by
in the modern little suburb in which
found myself where Tarrytown
was. And each time | got the same
answer, you're in it right now"
But somehow ! couldn't believe it. |
kept looking around for the coy,
picturesque farmhouse, Katrina Van
Tassel and the little log schoolhouse
where lchabod Crane held noisily
forth But now there are only dreamy
reminders Of these. Not that | ex-
peeted more; but somehow it is hard
to give up those long-set images
which have fingered in the mind for
/ years.
-oOo-
True there is the little church
where Washington Irving was
vestryman. 1t quantity stands beside
the road which marks the center of
Sleepy Hollow. In its rustic door is
large key-hole that recalls visions
81 Brom Bones and Hans Won Kill
'er. Across the road, the soft, grassy
ililslde is lined with modern houses,
and electric street lights cleaning
N the run are little suggestive of the
mellow autumnal moon that guided
ne nightly counting of the lankv
ichabod. Below this hill concrete
bridge spans the lazy creek and near
1t sign reads, The Headless Horse
man Bridge" Gazing at it, l blinked
my eyes as l turned them away to-
ward the broad sweep of the blue
hudson and back again to green Of
the forest shrubbery above. CouId Il
really be here? Then almost uncon-
clously looked long into the dark
ana SHALLOW stream for the pumpkin
winch was said to have been eound
mere later. All / saw was an emntv
gasoline can.
ihen | went up the nearby hill tn
the little cemetery where Washing.
TON irving is buried. A pause at his
stately tomb and on to scan tho
names on more remote stones Dutch
names abound there and YES tbera
1t was, the name of Van TasssI
carved in solemn granite. And the
names Of HART, butcher, Orsor. See
and Burkhoutt. all Sleep Hollow peo-
pie who lived in Revolutionary
tunes They must have known Irving
felt. They were to be enyied On
the tombstone of sailor was this
inscription.
Here Ives the body of James
Barnerd
Who departed this. life the of
March
l1os. in the 4S year of his age.
Inc bosterous winds and Neptunes
waves
have tost me to and fro
by Gods decree you plainly see
I'm harbored here below"
600
BY the edge of this primeval grave
yard Is the Tarrytown Dutch Church.
Much like 1t was 243 years ago. its
slender steeple rises among the an
clent trees to set off in rustic boau-
~ the pictorial quaintness of the
scene. About this whole place there
IS the breath of yesterday. Inside
the church, kindly old gentleman
was anxious to show me the Mai,
finishing the hard. straicht-up
benches and the high and circular
detached pulpit. Within the isolated
santcum of this rostrum, early mini
<sers OF our land expounded the
uospel to their heedful flocks. And
oack of the front seats which faced
the audience, and where sat the lords
o. me manor, | noticed the windows
were about eight feet from the
ground, This, learned, was so built
0 keep away prying Indians.
900
But the afternoon had lengtbe7ed
ana twilight shadows were creepjnc
across the face of Sleepy Hollow.
outside, did not see so much the
modern scene. Before me were Wis
IONS OF the home of Van Tassel.
WIN roasting apples before the fire
place and above the elimmerinp
CHINA in the closets fa+ s,,,, =