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This story by Washington Irving has been adapted into Special English.
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- The valley known as Sleepy Hollow hides from the world in the high hills of New York state.
- There are many stories told about the quiet valley.
- But the story that people believe most is about a man who rides a horse at night.
- The story says the man died many years ago during the American revolutionary war.
- His head was shot off.
- Every night he rises from his burial place, jumps on his horse and rides through the valley looking for his lost head.
- Near Sleepy Hollow is a village called Tarry Town.
- It was settled many years ago by people from Holland.
- The village had a small school.
- And one teacher, named Ichabod Crane.
- Ichabod Crane was a good name for him, because he looked like a tall bird, a crane.
- He was tall and thin like a crane.
- His shoulders were small, joined two long arms.
- His head was small, too, and flat on top.
- He had big ears, large glassy green eyes and a long nose.
- Ichabod did not make much money as a teacher.
- And although he was tall and thin, he ate like a fat man.
- To help him pay for his food he earned extra money teaching young people to sing.
- Every Sunday after church Ichabod taught singing.
- Among the ladies Ichabod taught was one Katrina Van Tassel.
- She was the only daughter of a rich Dutch farmer.
- She was a girl in bloom…much like a round red, rosy apple.
- Ichabod had a soft and foolish heart for the ladies, and soon found himself interested in Miss Van Tassel.
- Ichabod's eyes opened wide when he saw the riches of Katrina's farm: the miles of apple trees and wheat fields, and hundreds of fat farm animals.
- He saw himself as master of the Van Tassel farm with Katrina as his wife.
- But there were many problems blocking the road to Katrina's heart.
- One was a strong young man named Brom Van Brunt.
- Brom was a hero to all the young ladies.
- His shoulders were big.
- His back was wide and his hair was short and curly.
- He always won the horse races in Tarry Town and earned many prizes.
- Brom was never seen without a horse.
- Sometimes late at night Brom and his friends would rush through town shouting loudly from the backs of their horses.
- Tired old ladies would awaken from their sleep and say: "Why, there goes Brom Van Brunt leading his wild group again!"
- Such was the enemy Ichabod had to defeat for Katrina's heart.
- Stronger and wiser men would not have tried, but Ichabod had a plan.
- He could not fight his enemy in the open, so he did it silently and secretly.
- He made many visits to Katrina's farm and made her think he was helping her to sing better.
- Time passed, and the town people thought Ichabod was winning.
- Brom's horse was never seen at Katrina's house on Sunday nights anymore.
- One day in autumn Ichabod was asked to come to a big party at the Van Tassel home.
- He dressed in his best clothes.
- A farmer loaned him an old horse for the long trip to the party.
- The house was filled with farmers and their wives, red-faced daughters and clean, washed sons.
- The tables were filled with different things to eat.
- Wine filled many glasses.
- Brom Van Brunt rode to the party on his fastest horse called Daredevil.
- All the young ladies smiled happily when they saw him.
- Soon music filled the rooms and everyone began to dance and sing.
- Ichabod was happy dancing with Katrina as Brom looked at them with a jealous heart.
- The night passed, the music stopped, and the young people sat together to tell stories about the revolutionary war.
- Soon stories about Sleepy Hollow were told.
- The most feared story was about the rider looking for his lost head.
- One farmer told how he raced the headless man on a horse.
- The farmer ran his horse faster and faster.
- The horseman followed over bush and stone until they came to the end of the valley.
- There the headless horseman suddenly stopped.
- Gone were his clothes and his skin.
- All that was left was a man with white bones shining in the moonlight.
- The stories ended and time came to leave the party.
- Ichabod seemed very happy until he said goodnight to Katrina.
- Was she ending their romance?
- He left feeling very sad.
- Had Katrina been seeing Ichabod just to make Brom Van Brunt jealous so he would marry her?
- Well, Ichabod began his long ride home on the hills that surround Tarry Town.
- He had never felt so lonely in his life.
- He began to whistle as he came close to the tree where a man had been killed years ago by rebels.
- He thought he saw something white move in the tree.
- But no, it was only the moonlight shining and moving on the tree.
- Then he heard a noise.
- His body shook.
- He kicked his horse faster.
- The old horse tried to run, but almost fell in the river, instead.
- Ichabod hit the horse again.
- The horse ran fast and then suddenly stopped, almost throwing Ichabod forward to the ground.
- There, in the dark woods on the side of the river where the bushes grow low, stood an ugly thing.
- Big and black.
- It did not move, but seemed ready to jump like a giant monster.
- Ichabod's hair stood straight up.
- It was too late to run, and in his fear, he did the only thing he could.
- His shaking voice broke the silent valley.
- "Who are you?"
- The thing did not answer.
- Ichabod asked again.
- Still no answer.
- Ichabod's old horse began to move forward.
- The black thing began to move along the side of Ichabod's horse in the dark.
- Ichabod made his horse run faster.
- The black thing moved with them.
- Side by side they moved, slowly at first, and not a word was said.
- Ichabod felt his heart sink.
- Up a hill they moved above the shadow of the trees.
- For a moment the moon shown down and to Ichabod's horror he saw it was a horse.
- And it had a rider.
- But the rider's head was not on his body.
- It was in front of the rider, resting on the horse.
- Ichabod kicked and hit his old horse with all his power.
- Away they rushed through bushes and trees across the valley of Sleepy Hollow.
- Up ahead was the old church bridge where the headless horseman stops and returns to his burial place.
- "If only I can get there first, I am safe," thought Ichabod.
- He kicked his horse again.
- The horse jumped on to the bridge and raced over it like the sound of thunder.
- Ichabod looked back to see if the headless man had stopped.
- He saw the man pick up his head and throw it with a powerful force.
- The head hit Ichabod in the face and knocked him off his horse to the dirt below.
- They found Ichabod's horse the next day peacefully eating grass.
- They could not find Ichabod.
- They walked all across the valley.
- They saw the foot marks of Ichabod's horse as it had raced through the valley.
- They even found Ichabod's old hat in the dust near the bridge.
- But they did not find Ichabod.
- The only other thing they found was lying near Ichabod's hat.
- It was the broken pieces of a round orange pumpkin.
- The town people talked about Ichabod for many weeks.
- They remembered the frightening stories of the valley.
- And finally they came to believe that the headless horseman had carried Ichabod away.
- Much later an old farmer returned from a visit to New York City.
- He said he was sure he saw Ichabod there.
- He thought Ichabod silently left Sleepy Hollow because he had lost Katrina.
- As for Katrina, her mother and father gave her a big wedding when she married Brom Van Brunt.
- Many people who went to the wedding saw that Brom smiled whenever Ichabod's name was spoken.
- And they wondered why he laughed out loud when anyone talked about the broken orange pumpkin found lying near Ichabod's old dusty hat.