The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. (Washington Irving).
Chapter I.
Let’s go back into the past – far back, to the good old days of America. Tarry town is a little village on Hudson River.
Not far away, there’s a quiet valley. Sleepy Hollow is its name. People over there tell many stories about magic and ghosts. The most important of these is the legend of a Headless Horseman.
Ichabod Crane teaches the children in Sleepy Hollow. He is tall and thin and he has got long arms, big hands and feet, a little head and cold green eyes.
The students in his school usually work well. When they don’t he hits them with a big stick. After school, he walks some of the younger schoolboys’ home. He likes seeing their beautiful older sister and meeting their mothers (and getting nice things to eat). Ichabod eats, sleeps and lives with the families of his students. After a week in one house, he puts all his things into a little bag and moves to the next family.
From time to time, he helps the men with their work on the farm. He always looks for easy things to do, here and there. At other times, he stays with the young children in the house- telling the stories or getting them to sleep. This makes their mothers very happy.
In the evenings, Ichabod teaches singing to makes some extra money. On Sundays, he directs his singers in the church. He feels very important then. Country women usually think teachers are interesting. Teachers know more than farmers, they speak better, and they like nice things, too.
Ichabod can talk to young women very easily. The farmers’ sons watch and listen but they are afraid to speak in front of him. After school, Ichabod reads for hours about witches and black magic. Before he knows it, it’s night time and he can’t see his book!. When he walks home, all the little noises in the night make him feel afraid. Then he begins to sing and this makes him feel brave again.
Ichabod likes to listen to the old women of the village when the tell stories of ghosts and haunted houses. He loves the legend of the Headless Horseman. Ghost stories are exciting when he’s sitting in a nice, warm room. But they are frightening when he’s walking home later on a cold, dark night. He often thinks that he hears the Headless Horseman not far behind him!.
Chapter II.
In the day Ichabod forgets about ghosts and witches. The only thing he thinks about is Katrina Van Tassel. He is under her spell. The Van Tassels have the biggest farm in the valley. When Ichabod walks past, he always stops to look at its fields and its farmhouse. Who gets all this when her father Baltus dies? Katrina, of course.
Katrina is Baltus Van Tassel’s beautiful young daughter. She is eighteen and an only child. Ichabod thinks a lot about the farmer’s beautiful daughter. He knows he must make Katrina love him!. A number of the farmer’s sons like Katrina, too. The most important of these young men is Brom Van Brunt. He is big and strong, and he is always ready for fight or a laugh.
When the others farmer’s sons see Brom’s horse in front of Van Tassels farm in the evening, they know that Brom is visiting Katrina. But Ichabod doesn’t lose hope. He begins visiting Van Tassel’s farm every day to help Katrina with her singing.
In the late afternoon, Baltus smokes happily and Katrina and Ichabod walk under the trees. Brom watches angrily. But nobody sees him. Brom and his friends begin to play tricks on Ichabod. When Ichabod teaches Katrina to sing, Brom teaches his dog to howl. At night, they move all the books and chairs in the school. In the morning, Ichabod arrives. He begins to think all the witches in the country meet in his school after nightfall.
One afternoon Baltus Van Tassel’s servant arrives at the school door. He asks Ichabod to go to a party that evening at Van Tassel’s farm. Ichabod can’t wait!. You can leave school an hour early today. He tells all the schoolboys. He borrows a tired old horse for the night. The horse’s name is Gunpowder and he usually works in the fields.
Chapter III.
It is early evening when Ichabod arrives at Van Tassel’s farmhouse. All the farmers from the neighborhood are at the party with their families. When Brom arrives, everyone is happy to see him. (Not Ichabod, of course!) Brom’s horse is big and strong. His name is Daredevil, and only Brom can ride him. Ichabod feels happy when he sees all the good things to eat and drink in the farmhouse. Then he sees Katrina talking with Brom and he feels angry again. Someone begins playing music in the next room. Ichabod knows Katrina loves to dance. He smiles when he remembers Brom can’t dance.
Ichabod knows he sings well, and he also dances wonderfully. When the dances finishes, people begin to talk about the ghosts in Sleepy Hollow. Brom tells the most exciting story. Some nights when I ride through the village, the Headless Horseman follows me, he says. When I get to the bridge in front of the old church, Brom goes on. The Headless Horseman always stops. His horse can’t step on the bridge! And the rider and horse disappear in a flash of fire.
Soon the party is over and everyone begins to leave. Before Ichabod goes, he tells Katrina about his love for her. But something goes badly wrong, and soon Ichabod leaves Van Tassel’s farmhouse quickly and quietly. Without looking left or right he rides away through Sleepy Hollow. The night is very dark. Ichabod thinks about Katrina and he feels terrible. Then he hears a noise.
He looks back over his shoulder and sees something big, black and frightening in the dark night behind him. He’s very afraid. At first he can’t speak. In the end he asks weakly. Who are you?. The figure doesn’t answer.
Chapter IV.
Then Ichabod slaps Gunpower on the back and the old horse gallops away!. The ghost follows them on his big black horse. When Ichabod makes Gunpower walk slowly, the ghost makes his horse walk slowly, too. Usually, when Ichabod is afraid, he sings to fell braver. Now he opens his mouth but no noise comes out.
When Ichabod gets to a hill, he looks back. Now he can see the ghost is headless! The rider’s head is on the saddle in front of him. At first, Ichabod is very afraid and can’t move. Then he slaps and kicks Gunpower and makes gallop away again! And the headless horseman follows him.
Soon Ichabod sees the church and the bridge through the trees. He remembers Brom’s story. The ghost can’t go across the bridge! Ichabod gallops across the bridge and looks back over his shoulder. To this day sitting in front of the fire, people in Sleepy Hollow like to tell ghosts stories. And everyone’s favourite is the legend of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.
INSTRUCTIONS:
READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT, BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A TEST.
