The Girl of Sleepy Hollow

Chapter 7

Old Man Skipper was fast asleep on the porch of his old log cabin. He snored loudly as he rocked back and forth in his old rocker chair. Rose and Lara stepped onto the porch and looked down at the old man. Then they looked at each other.

"I ain't waking him up" Lara said. "Last time I tried to wake a sleeping man I nearly got my hand sliced off."

Rose gently stepped up to the rocker. "Mister Skipper, sir?"

"You still alive in there?" Lara said.

Rose shoved her friend. "I wouldn't wake him so rudely if I were you. This man could have valuable information." Rose gently shook the old man's shoulder. "Skipper, wake up. We need to talk to you."

The old man snorted loudly, then opened his eyes. He slowly sat up in his rocker and stretched his back. The bone underneath made a loud popping sound that made Rose cringe. Mr. Skipper rubbed his eyes then looked at the two girls.

"Well, good morning, young ladies" he said. "I wasn't expecting company. Otherwise I would have worn my best britches."

"It would have been nice for you to have worn shoes too" Lara said, eyeing the old man's hairy feet.

Rose shushed her friend. "Mr. Skipper, we're here because you know something we need to ask you about."

"Well, ask away! It's been awhile since I had a nice conversation. Especially with young folk like yourselves. What do you want to know?"

"This is about something that happened years ago. About Ichabod Crane."

The old man looked surprised for a moment. He leaned back in his rocker and stroked his grey beard.

"It's been a long time since I heard that name" he said. "I don't believe anyone's brought up that man since I had color in my hair. What about him?"

"After Ichabod's disappearance, you claimed to have seen Crane out west. Is this true?"

"It sure as heck is!" the old man said. "I saw him in the middle of January the year he disappeared."

"Can you give us some more details?" Lara asked.

The old man stroked his beard, his face deep in thought. "It was about seventeen years ago. I was working Horace Van Ripper's trading company. It was my job to deliver goods in and out of the Hollow. One day, I was assigned to deliver cider to several states out west. I stopped in this one city--"

"Do you remember what city it was?" Rose asked.

The old man thought for a moment. "No. But I do know it was out west."

"We already know that" Lara said. "But how did you see Ichabod?"

"I was walking down the street after a delivery to this wealthy man, when I stopped by at the courthouse. And that's when I saw him."

"You saw him?" Rose asked.

He nodded. "I saw him with my own eyes. Could hardly recognized him, but he was there. He had gone and became a judge at the courthouse. Saw him when he was on his way to a trial. Heard the felon there got hanged."

"Did you talk to him?" Rose asked.

"Naw, I was too busy. I was late for my next delivery."

"Did you hear someone say his name?"

"Nope. There wasn't anyone else around."

Lara pressed a hand to her face. "Did you even see his face?"

"Naw, he was walking up the courthouse steps. Had his back turned to me then disappeared into the building."

"Then how are you so sure it was him?" Rose asked.

"He was mighty thin!" the farmer said. "I remember Master Crane being a real slim fellow. And they had the same hair too."

"That's it?" Rose said.

"Yeah. Ichabod Crane was an odd looking fellow. Can't find too many people who look like him."

Rose frowned. This man was completely useless. She cleared her throat.

"Well, thank you Mr. Skipper" Rose said. "But I think that's all we need to hear."

"You sure you don't want to hear more?" the old man said.

"I'm sure there's nothing else you can tell us."

Rose took Lara's wrist and began pulling her away from the house. The farmer waved goodbye as the girls left. Rose didn't wave back.

Rose and Lara spent the next hour wondering around the town square. It was growing late in the afternoon. Shops were beginning to close for the day. People walked down the street home after a long day's work. But Rose wasn't ready to go anywhere.

"Well," said Rose. "That farmer was worthless."

"Why?" Lara said. "I thought the information he gave us was sound enough."

"No, it wasn't. He thought he saw Crane. There's no solid evidence that he actually saw him." Rose kicked a pebble down the road. "That farmer's just a crazy old man after all."

"So you think Ichabod was killed?" Lara asked.

"Not entirely. I just can't really believe Ichabod was killed. Whether that farmer was crazy or not, there's still a good chance he ran off. We just need something solid."

"Well, what did the schoolmaster tell you?"

"He said that several people believed he left west to become a judge or newspaper columnist."

"Well, we can't just travel west to search for him. It's not like we can hitch a ride on my papa's old trading wagon and ride out west."

Those words struck Rose with an idea. "Lara, your father worked in trade?"

"Yeah. He worked in the same company as that crazy old farmer. Horace Van Ripper's company. What does that matter?"

"So that means that your father has traveled out of town before? Possibly west?"

"Well, yes. He went everywhere. But never talks about it. He hated that job."

The idea slowly grew in Rose's mind, making her stomach giddy. "Lara, did your father ever spend the night in other towns?"

"Of course, he did." Lara narrowed her eyes. "Rose, what are you getting at?"

"Didn't you tell me the other day your father collected newspapers?"

"He does. The man can't go one morning without reading a newspaper. So he keeps all the newspaper from his travels as a back-up if the paper doesn't arrive. It's one of his quirks. Other than drinking."

"So your father has newspapers from out west?"

Lara stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Rose, whatever crazy idea is in that head of yours, you better spit it out."

"Think about it, Lara. They saw Ichabod became either a judge or a columnist. What do those two jobs have in common?"

"Lots of assertion? Vulnerability to bribery?"

"No, both deal with the newspaper. A columnist writes for it. And if a judge is elected, you're bound to see his name in the paper."

Lara looked confused, but then slowly began to catch the idea. "Rose, you're a genius."

"If Ichabod Crane wrote for the newspaper, then there's bound to be an article he wrote somewhere. And if he was elected for anything, then his name would've defiantly shown up in some newspaper."

"So what's your plan?"

"Lara, you need to find those papers your father has. Find ones that were written around sixteen years go or less. Try to find Ichabod's name somewhere. If it's there, that's proof that he did run off. Meet me by the bridge tomorrow morning. And bring the papers."

"Alright. But what are you going to do until then?"

"I want to find out more about Ichabod's relationship with my mama. That could have some importance. I think I know who to see."