story

In the nineteenth century,Mugo Libiru,a famous prophet of the Kikuyu tribe,foretold that a fig tree at Thika,twenty-six miles north of Nairobi,would wither and die on thr day Kenya would become a white man's colony,but that one day the white man would return the land to the africans.He foresaw the coming of the railway which he desribed as "an iron snake with many legs" like an earthworm.Kibiru's prophecies proved to be so accurate that for many years the tree at Thika was regarded as sacred.Even the white men took the prophecy seriously,for they built the tree up with earth and put aconcrete wall around it would not fall.These measures were domed to fail.Shortly before Kenya officially became independent,it had decayed completely,fulfilling the prophecy made over seventy years before by Kibiru.

RIP

Rip is an amiable though some what hermitic man who enjoys solitary activities in the wilderness,but is also loved by children to whom he chastises him,his home and farm falling into disarry due to neglect.One autumn day,Rip is escaping his wife's nagging,wandering up the moutains with his dog wolf.Hearing his name being shouted,Rip discovers that the speaker is a man dressed in antiquated Dutch clothing,carrying a keg up the moutain ,who requires Rip's help.without exchanging words,the two hike up to an amphitheatre like hollow in which Rip dicovers the source of previously-heard thunderous noises.Therise a group of other ornately-dressed,silent,bearded men who are playing nine-pins.Through there is no conversation and Rip does not ask the men who they are or how they know his name,he discreetly begins to drink some of their liquor and soon falls asleep.He awakes in unusual circumstances,it seems to be morning,his gun is rotted and rusty,his bezrd has grown a foot long,and wolf is now here to be found.Rip returns to his village where he finds that the recognizes no one.Asking around,he discovers that his wife has died in a war or gone somewhere else.He immediatly gets into trouble when he proclaims himself a loyal subject of king George3,not knowing that the American revolution has taken place of George3.Rip is also disturbed to find another man is being called Rip van winkle(though this is in fact his son,who has now grown up). the man he met in the moutains.Rip learners are rumored to be the ghosts of hendrick(henry) Hudsons crew.Rip is told that he has apparently been away from the village for twenty years.An old local recognizes Rit and Rip's now adult daughter takes him in.Rip resumes his habitual idlness and his tale is solmnly taken to heart by the Dutch setters,with other henpecked husbands,after hearing his story wishing they could share in Rip's good luck.

biography

Washington Irving(april3,1783,november28,1859)American author ,short story writer,essayist,poet,travel book writer,biographer,and columnist.Irving has been called the father of the american short story.he was born in new york city as the youngest of 11 children .Early in his life Irving developed as passion for books.He studied law privately in the offices of Henry Mstreon1798,brokolst Linvingston1801,and john Ogde.Irving's success in social life and litrature was shadowed by a personal tragedy.