How does crane spend his afternoons and evenings?

I believe he reads historical books.

He spent his evenings with the old Dutch wives, and he spent his afternoons as a companion to the older boys. He also occassionally walked the smaller boys home.

Text Evidence:

"When school hours were over, he was even the companion and playmate of the larger boys..."

"Another of his sources of fearful pleasure was, to pass long winter evenings with the old Dutch wives..."

You are right too Jill but also Ichabod is fascinated by Cotton Mather’s History of New England Witchcraft, and he is a firm believer in it and in the supernatural generally. Indeed, he often spends all afternoon reading this history before heading home for the week