Легенда о Сонной Лощине
Found Among The Papers Of The Late Diedrich Knickerbocker.
Therewasacontagionintheveryairthatblewfromthathauntedregion;itbreathedforthanatmosphereofdreamsandfanciesinfectingalltheland.SeveraloftheSleepyHollowpeoplewerepresentatVanTassel’s,and,asusual,weredolingouttheirwildandwonderfullegends.Manydismaltalesweretoldaboutfuneraltrains,andmourningcriesandwailingsheardandseenaboutthegreattreewheretheunfortunateMajorAndréwastaken,andwhichstoodintheneighborhood.Somementionwasmadealsoofthewomaninwhite,thathauntedthedarkglenatRavenRock,andwasoftenheardtoshriekonwinternightsbeforeastorm,havingperishedthereinthesnow.Thechiefpartofthestories,however,turneduponthefavoritespectreofSleepyHollow,theHeadlessHorseman,whohadbeenheardseveraltimesoflate,patrollingthecountry;and,itwassaid,tetheredhishorsenightlyamongthegravesinthechurchyard.
Thesequesteredsituationofthischurchseemsalwaystohavemadeitafavoritehauntoftroubledspirits.Itstandsonaknoll,surroundedbylocust-treesandloftyelms,fromamongwhichitsdecent,whitewashedwallsshinemodestlyforth,likeChristianpuritybeamingthroughtheshadesofretirement.Agentleslopedescendsfromittoasilversheetofwater,borderedbyhightrees,betweenwhich,peepsmaybecaughtatthebluehillsoftheHudson.Tolookuponitsgrass-grownyard,wherethesunbeamsseemtosleepsoquietly,onewouldthinkthatthereatleastthedeadmightrestinpeace.
