Wolfert Webber, or Golden Dreams by Washington Irving
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club was in session, composed principally of regular Dutch burghers, though mingled occasionally with persons of various character and country, as is natural in a place of_such motley population .

beside the fireplace, in a huge, leather-bottomed armchair, sat the dictator of_this little world, the venerable Rem, or, as it_was pronounced, "Ramm" Rapelye . he_was a man of Walloon[1] race, and illustrious for_the antiquity of_his line, his great- grandmother having been the first white child born in_the province . but he_was still more illustrious for_his wealth and dignity . he had long filled the noble office of alderman, and was a man to_whom the governor himself took off his hat . he had maintained possession of_the leather-bottomed chair from_time immemorial, and had gradually waxed in bulk as he sat in_his seat of government, until in_the course of years he filled its whole magnitude . his word was decisive with_his subjects, for he_was so rich a man that he_was never expected to support any opinion by argument . the landlord waited on him with peculiar officiousness,-- not that he paid better than his neighbors, but then the coin of a rich man seems always to_be so_much more acceptable . the landlord had ever a pleasant word and a joke to insinuate in_the ear of_the August Ramm . it_is true Ramm never laughed, and, indeed, ever maintained a mastiff- like gravity and even surliness of aspect; yet he now_and_then rewarded mine host with a token of approbation, which, though nothing more nor less_than a kind of grunt, still delighted the landlord more than a broad laugh from a poorer man .

[1] a people of French origin, inhabiting the frontiers between France and Flanders .a colony of one hundred and ten Walloons came to New_York in 1624 .

" this_will_be a rough night for_the money diggers," said mine host, as a gust of wind bowled round the house and rattled at_the windows .

" what ! are they at their works again ? " said an English half- pay captain, with one eye, who was a very frequent attendant at_the inn .

"Aye are they," said the landlord, " and well may they be . they've had luck of late . they say a great pot of money has_been dug up in_the fields just behind Stuyvesant's orchard .Folks think it must_have been buried there in old times by Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor ."

" fudge ! " said the one- eyed man of war, as he added a small portion of water to a bottom of brandy .

" well, you_may believe it or not, as_you please," said mine host, somewhat nettled, " but everybody knows that_the old governor buried a great deal of_his money at_the_time of_the Dutch troubles, when_the English redcoats seized on_the province . they say, too, the old gentleman walks, aye, and in_the very same dress that he wears in_the picture that hangs up in_the family house ."

" fudge ! " said the half- pay officer .

" fudge, if_you please ! but didn't Corney Van Zandt see him at midnight, stalking about in_the meadow with_his wooden leg, and a drawn sword in_his hand, that flashed like fire ? and what can he be walking for but because people have_been troubling the place where he buried his money in old times ? "

here the landlord was interrupted by several guttural sounds from Ramm Rapelye, betokening that he_was laboring with_the unusual production of an idea . as he_was too great a man to_be slighted by a prudent publican, mine host respectfully paused until he_should deliver himself . the corpulent frame of_this mighty burgher now gave all the symptoms of a volcanic mountain on_the point of an eruption . first there_was a certain heaving of_the abdomen, not unlike an earthquake; then was emitted a cloud of tobacco smoke from_that crater, his mouth; then there_was a kind of rattle in_the throat, as if_the idea were working its way up through a region of phlegm; then there were several disjointed members of a sentence thrown out, ending in a cough; at_length his voice forced its way into a slow, but absolute tone of a man who feels the weight of_his purse, if_not of_his ideas, every portion of_his speech being marked by a testy puff of tobacco smoke .

" who talks of old Peter Stuyvesant's walking ? ( puff) . have people no respect for persons ? ( puff-- puff) .Peter Stuyvesant knew better what to_do with_his money than to bury it ( puff) . I_know the Stuyvesant family ( puff), every_one_of_them ( puff); not a more respectable family in_the province ( puff)-- old standards ( puff)-- warm householders ( puff)-- none of your upstarts ( puff-- puff-- puff) .Don't talk to_me of Peter Stuyvesant's walking ( puff-- puff-- puff-- puff) ."

here the redoubtable Ramm contracted his brow, clasped up his mouth till it wrinkled at each corner, and redoubled his smoking with_such vehemence that_the cloudy volumes soon wreathed round his head, as_the smoke envelops the awful summit of mount Aetna .

a general silence followed the sudden rebuke of_this very rich man . the subject, however, was too interesting to_be readily abandoned . the conversation soon broke forth again from_the lips of Peechy Prauw Van hook, the chronicler of_the club, one of_those prosing, narrative old men who seem_to_be troubled with an incontinence of words as_they grow old .

Peechy could, at any_time, tell as_many stories in an evening as his hearers could digest in a month . he now resumed the conversation by affirming that, to_his knowledge, money had, at different times, been digged up in various parts of_the island . the lucky persons who had discovered them had always dreamed of_them three times beforehand, and, what_was worthy of remark, those treasures had never been found but by some descendant of_the good old Dutch families, which clearly proved that_they had_been buried by Dutchmen in_the olden time .

"Fiddlestick with your Dutchmen ! " cried the half- pay officer ." the Dutch had nothing to_do with_them . they were all buried by Kidd the pirate, and_his crew ."

here a keynote was touched that roused the whole company . the name of captain Kidd was like a talisman in those times, and was associated with a thousand marvelous stories .

the half- pay officer took the lead, and in_his narrations fathered upon Kidd all the plunderings and exploits of Morgan,[1] Blackbeard,[2] and_the whole list of bloody buccaneers .

[1] sir Henry Morgan (1637-90), a noted Welsh buccaneer . he_was captured and sent to England for trial, but Charles II ., instead of punishing him, knighted him, and subsequently appointed him governor of Jamaica .

[2] Edward teach, one_of_the_most cruel of_the pirates, took command of a pirate ship in 1717, and thereafter committed all sorts of atrocities until he_was slain by lieutenant Maynard in 1718 . his nickname of "Blackbeard" was given him because of_his black beard .

the officer was a man of great weight among_the peaceable members of_the club, by reason of_his warlike character and gunpowder tales . all his golden stories of Kidd, however, and of_the booty he had buried, were obstinately rivaled by_the tales of Peechy Prauw, who, rather than suffer his Dutch progenitors to_be eclipsed by a foreign freebooter, enriched every field and shore in_the neighborhood with_the hidden wealth of Peter Stuyvesant and_his contemporaries .

not a word of_this conversation was lost upon Wolfert Webber . he returned pensively home, full of magnificent ideas . the soil of_his native island seemed to_be turned into gold dust, and every field to teem with treasure . his head almost reeled at_the thought how often he_must_have heedlessly rambled over places where countless sums lay, scarcely covered by_the turf beneath his feet . his mind was in an uproar with_this whirl of new ideas . as he_came in sight of_the venerable mansion of_his forefathers, and_the little realm where the Webbers had so_long and so contentedly flourished, his gorge rose at_the narrowness of_his destiny .

" unlucky Wolfert ! " exclaimed he; "others can go to bed and dream themselves into whole mines of wealth; they_have but to seize a spade in_the morning, and turn up doubloons[1] like potatoes; but thou must dream of hardships, and rise to poverty, must dig thy field from year's end to year's end, and yet raise nothing but cabbages ! "

[1] Spanish gold coins, equivalent to $15 .60 .

Wolfert Webber went to bed with a heavy heart, and it_was long before_the golden visions that disturbed his brain permitted him to sink into repose . the same visions, however, extended into his sleeping thoughts, and assumed a more definite form . he dreamed that he had discovered an immense treasure in_the center of_his garden . at every stroke of_the spade he laid bare a golden ingot; diamond crosses sparkled out_of_the dust; bags of money turned up their bellies, corpulent with pieces- of-eight[1] or venerable doubloons; and chests wedged close with moidores,[2] ducats,[3] and pistareens,[4] yawned before his ravished eyes, and vomited forth their glittering contents .

[1] Spanish coins, worth about $1 each .[2] Portuguese gold coins, valued at $6 .50 .[3] Coins of gold and silver, valued at $2 and $1 respectively .[4] Spanish silver coins, worth about $ .20 .

Wolfert awoke a poorer man than ever . he had no heart to_go about his daily concerns, which appeared so paltry and profitless, but sat all day long in_the chimney corner, picturing to himself ingots and heaps of gold in_the fire . the next night his dream was repeated . he_was again in_his garden digging, and laying open stores of hidden wealth . there_was something very singular in_this repetition . he passed another day of reverie, and though it_was cleaning day, and_the house, as usual in Dutch households, completely topsy-turvy, yet he sat unmoved amidst the general uproar .

the third night he went to bed with apalpitating heart . he put on_his red nightcap wrong side outward, for good luck . it_was deep midnight before his anxious mind could settle itself into sleep . again the golden dream was repeated, and again he_saw his garden teeming with ingots and money bags .

Wolfert rose the next morning in complete bewilderment .a dream, three times repeated, was never known to lie, and if_so, his fortune was_made .

in_his agitation he put on_his waistcoat with_the hind part before, and this_was a corroboration of good luck .[1] he no longer doubted that a huge store of money lay buried somewhere in_his cabbage field, coyly waiting to_be sought for, and he repined at having so_long been scratching about_the surface of_the soil instead of digging to_the center .

[1] it_is an old superstition that to_put on one's clothes wrong side out forebodes good luck .

he_took his seat at_the breakfast table, full of_these speculations, asked his daughter to_put a lump of gold into his tea, and on handing his wife a plate of slapjacks, begged her to help herself to adoubloon .

his grand care now was how to secure this immense treasure without its being known . instead of_his working regularly in_his grounds in_the daytime, he now stole from_his bed at night, and with spade and pickax went to work to rip up and dig about his paternal acres, from one end to_the other . in a little time the whole garden, which had presented such a goodly and regular appearance, with its phalanx of cabbages, like a vegetable army in battle array, was reduced to ascene of devastation, while the relentless Wolfert, with nightcap on head and lantern and spade in hand, stalked through_the slaughtered ranks, the destroying angel of_his own vegetable world .

every morning bore testimony to_the ravages of_the preceding night in cabbages of all ages and conditions, from_the tender sprout to_the full- grown head, piteously rooted from their quiet beds like worthless weeds, and left to wither in_the sunshine . in vain Wolfert's wife remonstrated; in vain his darling daughter wept over the destruction of some favorite marigold ." thou shalt have gold of another- guess[1] sort," he_would cry, chucking her under the chin; " thou shalt have a string of crooked ducats for thy wedding necklace, my child ." his family began really to fear that_the poor man's wits were diseased . he muttered in_his sleep at night about mines of wealth, about pearls and diamonds, and bars of gold . in_the daytime he_was moody and abstracted, and walked about as_if in a trance .Dame Webber held frequent councils with all the old women of_the neighborhood; scarce an hour in_the day but a knot of_them might_be seen wagging their white caps together round her door, while the poor woman made some piteous recital . the daughter, too, was fain to seek for more frequent consolation from_the stolen interviews of her favored swain, Dirk Waldron . the delectable little Dutch songs with_which she used to dulcify the house grew less_and_less frequent, and she_would forget her sewing, and look wistfully in her father's face as he sat pondering by_the fireside .Wolfert caught her eye one day fixed on him thus anxiously, and for a moment was roused from_his golden reveries ." cheer up, my girl," said he exultingly; " why dost thou droop ? thou shalt hold up thy head one day with_the Brinckerhoffs, and_the Schermerhorns, the Van Hornes, and_the Van Dams .[2] by St .Nicholas, but the patroon[3] himself shall_be_glad to_get thee for_his son ! "

[1] a corruption of_the old expression " another-gates," or " of another gate," meaning " of another way or manner"; hence, " of another kind ."

[2] Names of rich and influential Dutch families in_the old Dutch colony of new Amsterdam .

[3] the patroons were members of_the Dutch west India company, who purchased land in new Netherlands of_the Indians, and after fulfilling certain conditions imposed with a view to colonizing their territory, enjoyed feudal rights similar to_those of_the barons of_the middle Ages .

Amy shook her head at his vainglorious boast, and was more than ever in doubt of_the soundness of_the good man's intellect .

in_the meantime Wolfert went on digging and digging; but the field was

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