not the case with the redoubtable Brom Bones;and from the moment Ichabod Crane made his advances,the interests of the former evidently declined;his horse was no longer seen tied at the palings on Sunday nights,and a deadly feud gradually arose between him and the preceptor of Sleepy Hollow. 30 Brom,who had a degree of rough chivalry in his nature,would fain have carried matters to open warfare,and have settled their pretensions to the lady according to the mode of those most concise and simple reasoners,the knights-errant of yore-by single combat;but Ichabod was too conscious of the superior might of his adversary to enter the lists against him.He had overheard a boast of Bones that he would "double the schoolmaster up,and lay him on a shelf of his own schoolhouse,"and he was too wary to give him an opportunity.There was something extremely provoking in this obstinately pacific system;it left Brom no alternative but to draw upon the funds of rustic waggery in his disposition,and to play off boorish practical jokes upon his rival.Ichabod became the object of whimsical persecution to Bones and his gang of rough riders.They harried his hitherto peaceful domains;smoked out his singing school by stopping up the chimney;broke into the schoolhouse at night,in spite of its formidable fastenings of withe and window stakes,and turned everything topsy-turvy,so that the poor schoolmaster began to think all the witches in the country held their meetings there.But what was still more annoying,Brom took all opportunities of turning him into ridicule in presence of his mistress,and had a scoundrel dog whom he taught to whine in the most ludicrous manner,and introduced as a rival of Ichabod's to instruct her in psalmody. 31 In this way matters went on for sometime,without producing any material effect on the relative situation of the contending powers.On a fine autumnal afternoon,Ichabod,in pensive mood,sat enthroned on the lofty stool whence he usually watched all the concerns of his little literary realm.In his hand he swayed a ferule,that scepter of despotic power;the birch of justice reposed on three nails,behind the throne,a constant terror to evil-doers;while on the desk before him might be seen sundry contraband articles and prohibited weapons,detected upon the persons of idle urchins,such as half-munched apples,popguns,whirligigs,fly cages,and whole legions of rampant little paper gamecocks.Apparently there had been some appalling act of justice recently inflicted,for his scholars were all busily intent upon their books,or slyly whispering behind them with one eye kept upon the master;and a kind of buzzing stillness reigned throughout the schoolroom.It was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a Negro,in tow-cloth jacket and trousers,a round-crowned fragment of a hat,like the cap of Mercury,and mounted on the back of a ragged,wild,half-broken colt,which he managed with a rope by way of halter. He came clattering up to the school door with an invitation to Ichabod to attend a merrymaking or "quilting frolic"to be held that evening at Mynheer Van Tassel's;and having delivered his message with that air of importance and effort at fine language which a Negro is apt to display on petty embassies of the kind,he dashed over the brook and was seen scampering away up the hollow,full of the importance and hurry of his mission. 1010 not the case with the redoubtable Brom Bones; and from the moment Ichabod Crane made his advances, the interests of the former evidently declined; his horse was no longer seen tied at the palings on Sunday nights, and a deadly feud gradually arose between him and the preceptor of Sleepy Hollow. 30 Brom, who had a degree of rough chivalry in his nature, would fain have carried matters to open warfare, and have settled their pretensions to the lady according to the mode of those most concise and simple reasoners, the knights-errant of yore—by single combat; but Ichabod was too conscious of the superior might of his adversary to enter the lists against him. He had overheard a boast of Bones that he would “double the schoolmaster up, and lay him on a shelf of his own schoolhouse,” and he was too wary to give him an opportunity. There was something extremely provoking in this obstinately pacific system; it left Brom no alternative but to draw upon the funds of rustic waggery in his disposition, and to play off boorish practical jokes upon his rival. Ichabod became the object of whimsical persecution to Bones and his gang of rough riders. They harried his hitherto peaceful domains; smoked out his singing school by stopping up the chimney; broke into the schoolhouse at night, in spite of its formidable fastenings of withe and window stakes, and turned everything topsy-turvy, so that the poor schoolmaster began to think all the witches in the country held their meetings there. But what was still more annoying, Brom took all opportunities of turning him into ridicule in presence of his mistress, and had a scoundrel dog whom he taught to whine in the most ludicrous manner, and introduced as a rival of Ichabod’s to instruct her in psalmody. 31 In this way matters went on for sometime, without producing any material effect on the relative situation of the contending powers. On a fine autumnal afternoon, Ichabod, in pensive mood, sat enthroned on the lofty stool whence he usually watched all the concerns of his little literary realm. In his hand he swayed a ferule, that scepter of despotic power; the birch of justice reposed on three nails, behind the throne, a constant terror to evil-doers; while on the desk before him might be seen sundry contraband articles and prohibited weapons, detected upon the persons of idle urchins, such as half-munched apples, popguns, whirligigs, fly cages, and whole legions of rampant little paper gamecocks. Apparently there had been some appalling act of justice recently inflicted, for his scholars were all busily intent upon their books, or slyly whispering behind them with one eye kept upon the master; and a kind of buzzing stillness reigned throughout the schoolroom. It was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a Negro, in tow-cloth jacket and trousers, a round-crowned fragment of a hat, like the cap of Mercury, and mounted on the back of a ragged, wild, half-broken colt, which he managed with a rope by way of halter. He came clattering up to the school door with an invitation to Ichabod to attend a merrymaking or ”quilting frolic“ to be held that evening at Mynheer Van Tassel’s; and having delivered his message with that air of importance and effort at fine language which a Negro is apt to display on petty embassies of the kind, he dashed over the brook and was seen scampering away up the hollow, full of the importance and hurry of his mission