Rip van Winkle by Washington Irving

Rip Van Winkle

Rip Van Winkle is a kind, good-natured, neighborly man who lived at the foot of the Catskills while the United States was still a colony of Britain. Although descended from great soldiers, he is peaceful, even obedient, to his quite domineering wife. Children, women, and dogs love him, and his only flaw is that he is incapable of doing any work from which he could make a living. During his long sleep, the world gets along fine without him.