Which sentence from the article MOST CLEARLY shows that Ichabod Crane spent a lot of time reading scary stories?

Editor's Note: This is the first in a three-part series telling the story of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and the Headless Horseman. The tale was written byAmerican author Washington Irving in the early 1800s. The story of the curious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane takes place in 1790 in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town, New York, as he settles into his schoolhouse.

There is a small town along the Hudson River in New York. It is called Tarry Town. Not far from this village is a little valley among the hills. It is one of the quietest places in the world. A small stream passes through it. Only the sound of the birds ever interrupts the calm.

This hidden valley is known as Sleepy Hollow. A magical feeling seems to hang over the land. Some say a German doctor put a spell on this place. Others say an old Native American chief held his ceremonies there. Certainly, the land is still under the spell of some strange power. The people of Sleepy Hollow have all kinds of odd beliefs. They often see strange sights. They hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood is filled with strange tales.

The main spirit in this region is a headless man riding a horse. People say it is the ghost of an old soldier. They say his head was knocked off by a cannonball. Ever since he died, his ghost has haunted the valley. The ghost rides around each night. He goes looking for his missing head.

This ghost is known as the Headless Horseman.

A Teacher Named Ichabod Crane

Some 30 years ago, a man came to Sleepy Hollow. He was a teacher named Ichabod Crane. He was a tall, skinny man with long arms and legs. He had huge ears and a long nose. Ichabod was so skinny that he almost looked like a scarecrow.

His schoolhouse was a building with one large room. It stood in a pleasant place at the bottom of a hill. A small stream ran nearby. From here, his students' voices could be heard on a summer's day.

Ichabod Crane was friends with some of his older students. On holiday afternoons he would walk some of the smaller ones home. It helped him to be friendly with his students. This was because he lived with their families, too. It was the custom in Sleepy Hollow for the teacher to stay at his students' houses. Ichabod Crane lived with a different family each week. He slowly made his way around the neighborhood. He kept all his things in a sack.

Ichabod Crane did not want to trouble his hosts. He found ways to make himself useful. He helped the farmers make hay and cut wood for the fire. He helped the mothers by looking after their children. In this way, he got along well enough. He seemed to have a wonderfully easy life.

No Tale Was Too Scary For Him To Enjoy

The teacher is usually an important man to the women in small towns. They consider him a kind of gentleman. Ichabod Crane was made especially happy by the smiles of all the country damsels. On Sundays, he would gather grapes for them. Sometimes he would take walks with them, too. The other men would hang back. They were jealous of his style and grace.

People were always happy to see Ichabod Crane. The women considered him to be a very smart man. He had read several books all the way through. One of these books was Cotton Mather's "History of New England Witchcraft." It was filled with scary stories.

Ichabod Crane loved these stories. No tale was too scary for him to enjoy. After school, he would often lie down outside on the grass. He would study Mather's dreadful tales until it was too dark to read. Then he would make his way home. Every sound of nature excited his imagination. He would listen to the croaking of the toads and the hooting of the owls. Ichabod would sing songs to keep himself from getting frightened. The people often heard his voice floating through the hills.

He Jumped At The Sound Of His Own Steps!

But he could not help being frightened. What scary shapes and shadows appeared on his path! How often he jumped at the sound of his own steps! How often he was startled by some howling in the trees! He was sure it was the headless horseman!

But all these were simply phantoms of his own mind. Daylight always put an end to them. Ichabod might have lived a pleasant life, after all. Then one day, a being more confusing than any ghost crossed his path. This being was a woman.