awaked. It at last settled down precisely to the tale I have related, and not a man, woman, or child in the neighborhood, but knew it by heart. Some always pretended to doubt the reality of it, and insisted that Rip had been out of his head, and that this was one point on which he always remained flighty. The old Dutch inhabitants, however, almost universally gave it full credit. Even to this day they never hear a thunder-storm of a summer afternoon about the Kaatskill, but they say Hendrick Hudson and his crew are at their game of ninepins; and it is a common wish of all henpecked husbands in the neighborhood, when life hangs heavy on their hands, that they might have a quieting draught out of Rip Van Winkle's flagon. NOTE. The foregoing tale, one would suspect, had been suggested to Mr. Knickerbocker by a little German superstition about the Emperor Frederick der Rothbart, and the Kypphauser mountain: the subjoined note, however, which he had appended to the tale, shows that it is an absolute fact, narrated with his usual fidelity : — "The story of Rip Van Winkle may seem incredible to many, but nevertheless I give it my full belief, for I know the vicinity of our old Dutch settlements to have been very subject to marvellous events and appearances. Indeed, I have heard many stranger stories than this in the villages along the Hudson; all of which were too well authenticated to admit of a doubt. I have even talked with Rip Van Winkle myself, who, when last I saw him, was a very venerable old man, and so perfectly rational and consistent on every other point, that I think no con scientious person could refuse to take this into the bargain; nay, I have. seen a certificate on the subject, taken before a country justice, and signed with a cross, in the justice's own handwriting. The story, therefore, is beyond the possibility of doubt. D. K." POSTSCRIPT. The following are travelling notes from a memorandum book of Mr. Knickerbocker: The Kaatsberg, or Catskill Mountains, have always been a region full of fable. The Indians considered them the abode of spirits, who influenced the weather, spreading sunshine or clouds over the landscape, and sending good or bad hunting seasons. They were ruled by an old squaw spirit, said to be their mother. She dwelt on the highest peak of the Catskills, and had charge of the doors of day and night, to open and shut them at the proper hour. She hung up the new moons in the skies, and cut up the old ones into stars. In times of drought, if properly propitiated, she would spin light summer clouds out of cobwebs and morning dew, and send them off from the crest of the mountain, flake after flake, like flakes of carded cotton, to float in the air; until, dissolved by the heat of the sun, they would fall in gentle showers, causing the grass to spring, the fruits to ripen, and the corn to grow an inch an hour. If displeased, however, she would brew up clouds as black as ink, sitting in the midst of them like a bottle-bellied spider in the midst of its web; and when these clouds broke, woe betide the valleys! In old times, say the Indian traditions, there was a kind of Manitou or Spirit, who kept about the wildest recesses of the Catskill Mountains, and took a mischievous pleasure in wreaking all kinds of evils and vexations upon the red men. Sometimes he would assume the form of a bear, a panther, or a deer, lead the bewildered hunter a weary chase through tangled forests and among ragged rocks, and then spring off with a loud ho! ho! leaving him aghast on the brink of a beetling precipice or raging torrent. The favorite abode of this Manitou is still shown. It is a great rock or cliff on the loneliest part of the mountains, and, from the flowering vines which clamber about it, and the wild flowers which abound in its neighborhood, is known by the name of the Garden Rock. Near the foot of it is a small lake, the haunt of the solitary bittern, with water snakes basking in the sun on the leaves of the pond lilies, which lie on the surface. This place was held in great awe by the Indians, insomuch that the boldest hunter would not pursue his game within its precincts. Once upon a time, however, a hunter who had lost his way penetrated to the garden rock, where he beheld a number of gourds placed in the crotches of trees. One of these he seized, and made off with it; but in the hurry of his retreat he let it fall among the rocks, when a great stream gushed forth, which washed him away and swept him down precipices, where he was dashed to pieces, and the stream made its way to the Hudson, and continues to flow to the present day; being the identical stream known by the name of the Kaaters-kill. SUGGESTIONS OF TOPICS OF INQUIRY. What is the general character of this sketch? What is a barometer? How is the word applied in the first paragraph? Explain the sentence, "The blue tints of the upland melt away into the fresh green of the nearer landscape." Find a similar passage in the first paragraph of The Widow and her Son. Compare the two descriptions. What is the force of the word profitable in the expression "an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor”? Is labor usually profitable? Was Rip's labor profitable? Why? or why not? What was the condition of Rip's farm? Why is it called his patrimonial estate? What is meant by a "torrent of household eloquence"? "A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use." To whom does this apply? What is the force of the word mellows? How did Rip escape from labor and his wife's tongue? Describe the dog, Wolf. Describe the stranger whom Rip met on the mountain. Who composed "the most melancholy party of pleasure he had ever witnessed"? What contradiction does there seem to be in this expression? What is a paradox? What effect did the liquor have on Rip? Narrate the story till he reaches the village. What changes does he perceive in the village? What is going on in the village? What is the result of his inquiries for his old companions? What causes the greatest confusion in Rip's mind? How many in the company are named Rip? / What comforting news does Judith, his daughter, tell him? How is the whole mystery cleared away? Who corroborates the story? Why is he authority? How did Rip pass the rest of his life? Select two or three humorous sentences or expressions, and state why they are at all funny. Commit to memory the first paragraph of this sketch. Turn the last paragraph into sentences, each of which shall be exactly equivalent in meaning to the corresponding original sentence. IT was a brilliant moonlight night, but extremely cold; our chaise whirled rapidly over the frozen ground; the postboy 5 smacked his whip incessantly, and a part of the time his horses were on a gallop. 1 Saint Francis (1182-1226), founder of the order of Franciscan Friars. Saint Benedight (about 480-543), founder of the order of Benedictine Monks. 2 Hight, called. Good fellow Robin, Robin Good-fellow, Puck, a celebrated fairy, the "merry wanderer of the night," who figures largely in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, and in many stories of which the scene is laid in England, Germany, and Northern Europe. 3 Curfew (Fr. couvrir, to cover; feu, fire). The curfew (cover-fire) was the ringing of a bell at eight o'clock at night as a signal to the inhabitants to put out fires and retire to rest. This custom, which was established in the reign of William the Conqueror (who reigned 10661087), is still retained in some of the country districts in England. 4 Cartwright. See note, p. 107. 5 Postboy (Lat. posta, posita, placed, a station where relays of horses are kept for carrying the mails, etc.), a boy that drives a post chaise; that is, a carriage for conveying travellers or letters from one station to another. |