THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL, PORTLAND SATURDAY ; EVENING, SEPTEMBER 33, '1907
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Stori es' V That" -Neve r Gr ow
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RIP VAN WINKLE
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" ANY yean ago, In email Tfllagt fa tht CaUldH
'taccsWBA then lived eimple, good-natured -
:,' jfc2r,Mnxd Hip Van Winkle., AD tht chfl.
dreo f lit rflJajh bred Hip, and nothing pleased him
ttcwthaa fly kites and abort
loved to fijb and bunV loo. ,Ha .would tramp miles
' Uurougbttf iropUir!UigunonUbouldef. Butwhfl
Rip pent hit days in tbi wsjr,'tb ttacm oa W$ tun
at tD t&bg down, hia place waa gaiof to rack and
win aiidWclUlirtnwert dreaaed inraga.
' Jit wm happj. In faeCbe wonld-ratter atam
than wort .When hia wifa told him how idk and care
leal bt waa, Jlip ahrugd hia ahouldera, shook hia bead,
oat up hia eya and aaid nothing.
( Hip bad dog, called Wolf, whom he loved dearly,
-V but Sink 5-n Winkk diaCkcd Wolf, for the aaid be waa.
lazy and good for nothing, too.
HE WOULD often aay to Wolff
Toot old man. Mrs. Van Winkle kadj you
truly a dog! Ufa at home; hut nerer mind. I
will ahrayi atand by you."
Wolf would wag hia tail and look into hia maater'a
faeeaalf ha onderitood.
One day Rip took hia gun and atarted off with Wolf
into the mountain. Ht thought if be tot aon aqulf
cia and took tbeaboma to hia wife tbey would put her
in good humor. After walidng a long wy, bt lay
down to rest, and while be lay suiting be beard afar off
toioea calling, Rip Van Winkle I Rip Van Winkle!"
lie eat np and looked around, but eedng nothing,
be thought he waa dreaming. lit had hardly atarted
homeward when be heard again! '
"Rip Van Winkk I Rip Van i Winkler Wolf
wrinkled up hia back, growled and akuiked p to . hia
jnaater.
R1
IP aaw down ia the glen atrange little figure.
glowr toiling up the rock. Tbe figure waa that
of a atrangt little man,' witb thick.'' bushy hair
and grboled beard. A be came Dearer, Rip saw that be
earned on. hia shoulder a keg. 'When be aaw Rip, be
asked him to help him with hia load. Rip, alwey wO
ing to help any one. took the keg mai followed this queer
little figure up a narroV guQy.
During all their long climb. Rip and his companion
poke not a word. At last they reached the top of the
mountains, and there, on a krel spot, were a number of
these odd-looking men playing ninepins. No two were
dressed alike, but every one had a knife in hia belts One
had a long head,jwith a broad face, and small, piggish
eyes. . Another seemed to be aD nose, and wore a big;
white hat with a long, red cock'a ta3 coming out of U.
TT THEN TJf awvfce. the sua was shining bright.
. II tubbed hia eyes and aaid to himself, "I
.must hare akpt all night Slowly the bkib
y of the atrange littk men and the wine keg came back
tobim,
-Oh! Ihat.tHne! Tat'flcked ineried Rip.
wWbat jabaS I aay ta nrjr wifer
He kxked around for his gun, but there b Its place
was an old one. all rusty and falling apart, bethought
that the queer little men bad stolen bis good gun, and,
at a joke, bad put the old one in its place. ' Wolf, too,
had gone. He whistled for Wolf and shouted his name,
but still he did not cornel lie rose to walk, but "Oh I
ohr be cried, with pain in bis urnbe.. "This sleeping out
of doors does not agree -ith me. 1 seem to be okL
lie waa to stiff that he could hardly get through the
thickets and branches.
6.
o
,NE of them," who seemed to.be;the commander.
waa old and fat He was dreaaed ingreenand
he wore a hlgb-erowned bat,' red aloduPtani
black shoes, witb rosettes on them.
Aa Rip and hia companion' aunffupon'them,''they
H stopped playing and -stared .at-Rip. His.loicea
knocked togetber.witb fright They-ran to-Riptook
the keg, and all began to drink fat turn from itThey
then offered it to Rip, who,' In feax and trembling; took w
drink.,- All thl time not a word wu spoken.
By aafby. Rip grew bolder and took anothefaaci
still another, drink from the keg, for he found it the very
best thing he had ever tasted. Rut soon hia eyes began
to swim and his bead fell forward in deep sleep.
H
E FELT very hungry, -too,. and. weak,. and.
though he dreaded to meet his wife, be felt he
must go on or starve among the mountains.
When he reached the village, be saw many people, but
none be bad ever seen before. They all stared at him
with-surprise, and th children pointed at his long, white
beatd.
Everything seemed atrange and, strangest of all
he appeared like an old man.
Poor Rip was very much worried, and said to him
self, That drink last night baa addled my poor bead."
With difficulty, he found his way to bis own bouse,
'expecting every moment to hear the voice of his scolding
anfc Rut no, all was quiet
A poor, ialf -starred dog lay by the house. It
looked Eke Wolf, and Rip called him by name, but ha
only showed his teeth and passed by.
a
i jTY DOG has forgotten me," thought Rip.
iVJL
He went up to the house, but it war
empty. He called aloud for hu wife and
children, but H was silence. . He then, with fear in hia'
heart, turned hia poor, tottering steps to the village
etreet again..
He had just strength enough left to get to the old
tavern and here some men, bearing the noise of the chil
dren whu followed him. came out to see what was the
matter. To their surprise, they saw a ragged eld man.
with a long, white beard, carrying a rusty old gun ia his
hand. '
him,
"Who are you, and whence came jwaT" they asked
1 am Rip Van Winkle." he said.
At this they all laughed, and one num said:
- f : '
44 T T 7 HY, it is twenty years since Rip Van Winttej
V left here. He went away from home with
in gun, and has never been heard of since.
Hia dog came home without him, but whether he shot
himself or was carried away by the Indians, no one caa ,
tell . Hia wife has jfjen dead these ten yean back. Why
old man, you must be dreaming.'
"No, I am not dreaming," said Rip. "1 was young
Rip Van Winkle once.. Now I am old Rip Van Winkle.
Does nobody know meP
Just at this moment a woman, tottering out among
them, put her hand to her brow and, peering into hi
face, said:
Sure enough, it ia Rip Vn Winkle himself. Why
where have you been these twenty years V ,
Rip atory waa soon told. He had alept on fh
.mountains twenty years! V.
Xo this day, when the people ia lie 'Ci!--'"1 r
taint hear thunder, they aay it is little cr:r.'. '.i raj
rypg ninepins.. . . ' .
1