Mystery storys book?

I don't remember much but i'll include whatever i remember here: The book is split to two stories, one if them is about this man, i forgot his name, and i think he is a teacher at this school. I remember he fell in love with this beautiful girl, i think she is the mayor's daughter or someone like that, but another guy who was probably more rich and known also liked her. so they compete for her love i think. At the near end of the book, he goes to this forest near a graveyard and the church, that is rumored to be haunted and he encounters someone or something on the way thats is riding a horse i think and was headless probably. We never really know what happened to the protagonist but there were rumors made by people in the village he used to live in. One of them was that he went to another town and became a lawyer, i think and another was that he was dead and his ghost was haunting the forest now. so the ending was an ambiguous ending. the second story was about this man and his friend who were on their way to the man's wedding with the princess of this kingdom but they got ambushed on the way and the man died and his friend pretended to be the prince and when he arrived, he told them that he lost his friend on the way, and they believed him since they never met the prince, i guess. but the real prince somehow came back and took his princess back somehow. Thats all I can remember, any help would be greatly appreciated!

I think the first story is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, if that helps.

>2 Kathy_Moon: yes! thanks for your help!

The second story sounds like a gender-swapped version of The Goose Girl by the Brothers Grimm, although in that story the princess' servant rather than a friend forced her to change places and knew she was still alive.

Could the second story be The Spectre Bridegroom, also by Irving?