by A. South

Created on: September 03, 2008

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a spooky tale written by American author Washington Irving. The short story takes place in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., a small Dutch rural town nestled in a valley near Tarry town in the Catskill Mountains.

In the story, schoolteacher Ichabod Crane falls in love with the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel and begins to court her. But Katrina, the only daughter of a wealthy farmer, has another suitor, Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt. Unlike Ichabod, Brom is muscular, strong and handsome and he brags wildly about the number of fights he had been in. While Ichabod is a humble schoolteacher, Brom and his gang, astride their massive steeds, cause trouble around town. Meanwhile, Ichabod is lean, lanky, nervous and superstitious.

One dark night, Ichabod attends a party at the Van Tassel residence. He rode there on a horse he borrowed from a friend, Hans Van Ripper. The horse, named Gunpowder, is young and spirited and brings Ichabod to the party on edge.

At the party, Ichabod, Katrina and the guests enjoy a large, Dutch feast of cakes, pies, fruits, broiled, smoked and roasted meats. After dinner, the guests start dancing and while Ichabod twirls with Katrina on the dance floor, Brom Bones sits in the corner glaring at Ichabod and the woman he desires.

Soon, dancing subsides and everyone sits down to listen to haunting stories about ghosts, goblins and legends of the town. The story that holds the attendees with most rapt attention is the legend of the Headless Horseman. The legend goes that there is a Hessian trooper who had his head shot off by a stray cannonball during the Revolutionary War. Now, he rides back and forth to the scene of the battle, searching for his head that he lost in battle.

Ichabod, shaken by the story and even further unsettled by the prospect of riding home on Gunpowder, leaves the party. On the way home, Ichabod is chased by the Headless Horseman. The chase is harrowing, through the dark woods and spooky bramble. The chase ends at the bridge, where Ichabod believes the horseman throws his head at him.

The next morning, Gunpowder is found at his master's (Has Van Ripper) house without Ichabod. The town searches for the missing schoolteacher. They find Gunpowder's saddle, and near the bridge, they find Ichabod's had and, a few yards away, the remnants of a shattered pumpkin.

After the mysterious tragedy, Katrina has no choice but to marry Brom Bones, who is storied to "look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod Crane was related."

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