Ichabod spent a long time getting ready for the party. He had an old black suit of clothes. It was his only suit. He brushed it carefully. When Ichabod looked at himself in a mirror, he was very pleased.
“How handsome I look,” he thought. “Tonight, I’ll win Katrina’s love – I’m sure of that. But I must have a fine horse to ride to the party. Where can I get one? Perhaps I can borrow a horse from Hans Van Ripper.”
Hans Van Ripper owned the farm where Ichabod was staying this week. Ichabod asked to borrow a horse from him. The farmer decided to play a trick on the schoolmaster.
“Yes, you can borrow one of my horses, Ichabod,” he said. “I’ll lend you my best one.”
5
But when Ichabod saw the horse, he was very surprised. It was old and thin, and it had only one eye.
“Is this your best horse?” he asked the farmer.
“Yes,” replied Hans Van Ripper. “He’s very strong and he runs as fast as a bullet from a gun. His name is Gunpowder.”
Gunpowder did run fast. But he also had a very bad temper. Hans Van Ripper did not tell Ichabod about this. He pointed to the saddle on the horse’s back.
“This is my best saddle,” the farmer said. “Please take care of it.”
Ichabod climbed onto the expensive saddle, and he and Gunpowder started their journey to the Van Tassels’ party. Ichabod and the horse were both very thin and they looked very strange together! Ichabod was not a good horse rider. He sat uncomfortably on Gunpowder’s back. As he rode, he moved his long thin arms up and down, like a bird’s wings. His loose black coat flapped in the wind. He looked like a huge black bird.
It was a beautiful autumn afternoon. The leaves on the trees were red and gold. As Ichabod rode along, he heard the sounds of birds singing. He rode through fields of golden corn, and fields of apple trees. He began to feel hungry. He began to think about cakes and pies.
Al last, Ichabod arrived at the Van Tassel’s farmhouse. The party had already started and many of the farmers from the area were there with their families. Everybody was dressed in their best clothes. Their clothes were very colourful and bright.
The most beautiful girl at the party was Katrina. Everybody admired her. She was laughing and talking to the guests. Ichabod looked at her and he smiled.
But soon, the schoolmaster had an unpleasant surprise. Brom Bones was also at the party. He had come on his big black horse, Daredevil. Brom was standing in the middle of a group of his friends. He was telling stories in a loud voice. Everybody was laughing at his stories.
“Oh, no!” thought Ichabod. “Why is that man here?”
When Brom Bones saw Ichabod, his face became angry. Ichabod hurried away, into the dining room. And when he entered that room, he forgot about Brom Bones at once. He even forgot about Katrina!
In the dining room, a great table was covered with all kinds of wonderful food. There were dishes of cooked meat. There were plates of cakes and pies. Ichabod started eating at once. As he ate, he looked around the room and smiled.
“One day, all this will be mine,” he thought.
At that moment, Katrina’s father came towards him.
“Are you enjoying the party, Ichabod?” Van Tassel asked. “Please eat as much as you want. We have plenty of everything.”
After the meal, nearly everybody danced. Ichabod like dancing very much. When he danced, he moved his arms and legs very quickly. He looked very strange! But he did not know this.
“I’m a very good dancer,” he told himself.
Ichabod started dancing with Katrina. Soon, everybody in the room was staring at them. Some people began to laugh.
“How strange Ichabod looks,” they said to each other. “Why does he dance in that way?”
Brom Bones did not dance. He sat by himself in a corner. He stared angrily at Katrina.
“Brom is jealous because Katrina is dancing with me,” thought Ichabod. “That’s good.”
6
After the dancing had finished, Ichabod felt tired. He joined a group of people by the fire. They were telling stories to each other. Brom Bones was one of the group.
At first, the stories were about the war between Britain and its American colony. But then people started to tell ghost stories. Ichabod listened carefully. He was always very interested in ghost stories.
Several people from Sleepy Hollow were at the party. They started talking about the Headless Horseman.
“The Horseman is riding again,” said one man. “Nobody had seen him for a long time. But this month, several people have seen him. Every night now, he rides from the graveyard and he doesn’t come back until just before dawn.”
“Yes, that’s right,” said another man. “And did you hear about poor old Farmer Brouwer? He met the Headless Horseman on the road. The Horseman pulled Brouwer up onto his terrible black horse and he rode away with him. He rode until he got to the small bridge near the old church. Then the Horseman threw Farmer Brouwer into the river and he rode away, making a noise like thunder.”
Suddenly Brom Bones spoke.
“I’ve met the Horseman too,” he said. “But I wasn’t afraid of him. I’m a better horse rider than he is.”
“Did you really meet him?” someone asked excitedly. “How did you meet him? Tell us what happened.”
“I met him on the road one night,” replied Brom Bones. “I asked him to race with me. So we raced our horses to the old church. But my horse, Daredevil, was faster than his horse. I won the race easily. And when we got to the bridge near the church, the Horseman disappeared in a flash of fire.”
“You were very brave,” said someone.
Ichabod listened to Brom Bones’s story. Then he himself told a story, about evil spirits in the forest. But it was not as interesting as Brom’s story. Any nobody said, “You were very brave” to Ichabod.
At last, the party finished, and it was time to go home. Ichabod went to find Katrina. He wanted to spend a few minutes alone with her.
“You’re looking very beautiful tonight,” he told the young woman. “May I come to see you tomorrow afternoon? I want to speak to you about something very important. I want to ask you a question.”
But Katrina did not look very happy or friendly. She did not want to be alone with Ichabod.
“No, I’m sorry,” she said. “I won’t be at home tomorrow afternoon.”
Ichabod was surprised. “Oh!” he said. “May I come tomorrow evening then?”
“No, I won’t be here in the evening either,” Katrina replied.
“Well, can I come the next day?”
“No, I’ll be busy all this week,” said Katrina. “Now please excuse me. I have to say goodbye to our other guests.”
A few minutes later, Ichabod saw Katrina with Brom Bones. They were talking together and laughing quietly. Then Brom Bones held Katrina’s hand and kissed it. Katrina was looking very pleased and happy.
“What is happening?” Ichabod asked himself. “Does Katrina really like Brom Bones more than me? That’s not possible! I can’t believe it! Perhaps she wants to make me jealous.”
Ichabod did not say goodbye to Katrina. He left the party quickly. He felt very sad, and he felt very angry too. He went to the stable – the place where the horses were
7
kept – and he found Gunpowder. Gunpowder was asleep. But Ichabod kicked the horse and it quickly woke up.
Ichabod climbed onto Gunpowder’s back and he rode slowly away.