tall,but exceedingly lank,with narrow shoulders,long arms and legs,hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves,feet that might have served for shovels,and his whole frame most loosely hung together.His head was small,and flat at top,with huge ears,large green glassy eyes,and a long snipe nose,so that it looked like a weathercock,perched upon his spindle neck,to tell which way the wind blew.To see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day,with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him,one might have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending upon the earth,or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield. 8 His schoolhouse was a low building of one large room,rudely constructed of logs,the windows partly glazed,and partly patched with leaves of old copybooks.It was most ingeniously secured at vacant hours by a withe twisted in the handle of the door and stakes set against the window shutters,so that,though a thief might get in with perfect ease,he would find some embarrassment in getting out;an idea most probably borrowed by the architect,Yost Van Houten,from the mystery of an eel pot. The schoolhouse stood in a rather lonely but pleasant situation,just at the foot of a woody hill,with a brook running close by,and a formidable birch tree growing at one end of it.From hence the low murmur of his pupils'voices,conning over their lessons,might be heard in a drowsy summer's day,like the hum of a beehive,interrupted now and then by the authoritative voice of the master,in the tone of menace or command,or,peradventure,by the appalling sound of the birch,as he urged some tardy loiterer along the flowery path of knowledge.Truth to say,he was a conscientious man,and ever bore in mind the golden maxim,"Spare the rod and spoil the child."Ichabod Crane's scholars certainly were not spoiled. 9 I would not have it imagined,however,that he was one of those cruel potentates of the school who joy in the smart of their subjects;on the contrary,he administered justice with discrimination rather than severity,taking the burthen off the backs of the weak,and laying it on those of the strong.Your mere puny stripling that winced at the least flourish of the rod was passed by with indulgence;but the claims of justice were satisfied by inflicting a double portion on some little,tough,wrong-headed,broad-skirted Dutch urchin,who sulked and swelled and grew dogged and sullen beneath the birch.All this he called "doing his duty by their parents";and he never inflicted a chastisement without following it by the assurance,so consolatory to the smarting urchin,that "he would remember it,and thank him for it the longest day he had to live." 10 When school hours were over,he was even the companion and playmate of the larger boys;and on holiday afternoons would convoy some of the smaller ones home,who happened to have pretty sisters,or good housewives for mothers,noted for the comforts of the cupboard.Indeed it behooved him to keep on good terms with his pupils.The revenue arising from his school was small,and would have been scarcely sufficient to furnish him with daily bread,for he was a huge feeder,and though lank,had the dilating powers of an anaconda;but to help out his maintenance,he was,according to country custom in those parts,boarded and lodged at the houses of the farmers whose children he instructed.With these he lived successively a week at a3 tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it looked like a weathercock, perched upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew. To see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him, one might have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending upon the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield. 8 His schoolhouse was a low building of one large room, rudely constructed of logs, the windows partly glazed, and partly patched with leaves of old copybooks. It was most ingeniously secured at vacant hours by a withe twisted in the handle of the door and stakes set against the window shutters, so that, though a thief might get in with perfect ease, he would find some embarrassment in getting out; an idea most probably borrowed by the architect, Yost Van Houten, from the mystery of an eel pot. The schoolhouse stood in a rather lonely but pleasant situation, just at the foot of a woody hill, with a brook running close by, and a formidable birch tree growing at one end of it. From hence the low murmur of his pupils’ voices, conning over their lessons, might be heard in a drowsy summer’s day, like the hum of a beehive, interrupted now and then by the authoritative voice of the master, in the tone of menace or command, or, peradventure, by the appalling sound of the birch, as he urged some tardy loiterer along the flowery path of knowledge. Truth to say, he was a conscientious man, and ever bore in mind the golden maxim, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” Ichabod Crane’s scholars certainly were not spoiled. 9 I would not have it imagined, however, that he was one of those cruel potentates of the school who joy in the smart of their subjects; on the contrary, he administered justice with discrimination rather than severity, taking the burthen off the backs of the weak, and laying it on those of the strong. Your mere puny stripling that winced at the least flourish of the rod was passed by with indulgence; but the claims of justice were satisfied by inflicting a double portion on some little, tough, wrong-headed, broad-skirted Dutch urchin, who sulked and swelled and grew dogged and sullen beneath the birch. All this he called “doing his duty by their parents”; and he never inflicted a chastisement without following it by the assurance, so consolatory to the smarting urchin, that “he would remember it, and thank him for it the longest day he had to live.” 10 When school hours were over, he was even the companion and playmate of the larger boys; and on holiday afternoons would convoy some of the smaller ones home, who happened to have pretty sisters, or good housewives for mothers, noted for the comforts of the cupboard. Indeed it behooved him to keep on good terms with his pupils. The revenue arising from his school was small, and would have been scarcely sufficient to furnish him with daily bread, for he was a huge feeder, and though lank, had the dilating powers of an anaconda; but to help out his maintenance, he was, according to country custom in those parts, boarded and lodged at the houses of the farmers whose children he instructed. With these he lived successively a week at a