Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-04-28
GREAT GOD
PAN
BY
KEITH G II d o N

Ifenham arrived at Cantlco at l-oO.
At . Norton's silent, efficient serving
man was formally introducing him to
the Hutch-his for a month-a squat,
oriental looking building standing in
shc tempered shade of the pines and
urches ana containing all those touches
Of home comfort usually ascribed to
feminine hands, but found in the mod
ern bachelor quarters.
At 2:3O. his tweed suit changed for a
more informal costume, lie emerged
from the low, broad doorway, stirred
by pagan desire to get closer still to
nature out into the dim, cloisteral
places of the woods, where he might
float delicously upon sea of silence,
whose calm was unbroken save by the
ripple of Il bird note or the swapping of
a twig.
81 say, this is great"' burst from
his lips luXuriously as he drew in long
whiffS of the suave air with its warm,
elusive scent of sweet growing things.
This is life. This is what man was
meant for"
AS he ceased speaking he lifted his
face to the soft breeze that caressed
his cheek like spirit hand and thought
unfattering things of civilization. What
after all did this boa5ted condition
mean? What but crowded cities with
stone where turf should be, the roar OF
trains, shrieking of whistles, whizZinS
of autos, Gathering of hoofs and the
ind Cyrin Of off =
thought of II now, looking as he was
straight into natures smiling. inscruta-
BILE face. 1t all seemed supremely ride
ulous Fauns and satyrs, hamadryads
and naiads had been wiser.
AT the end OF an hours walk he
found that the path ended abruptly at
grassy knoll. For few moments
| Trenham gaZed with an appreciation
| too deep for words. Then. with sigh
of contentment he sank down upon the
| thick grass and stretched himself out,
his head resting in the hollow of his
clasped hands, his eyes narrowed to
| Sits like gatekeepers who would say
| to the beauties about them, "One at n
time, please"
| And presently the Sits became mar
rover and narrower
Spring" he murmured musinGly, rs
just bursting into young summerhood."
| Then his lips twitched slightly, and he
| tried again.
THAT apple tree looks like some
sweet, sedatc Quaker lady
lie stretched his eyes open wide, as
! IL to fling of some irresistible intlu-
ence.
Good Lord, am l poet after alp
he demanded comically of the shad-
owy self that always attends us, but
never SO pulpably as in solitudcs. And
then he smiled and lay staring up into
| the great arch OF the blue above him.
| Again the Sits grew narrow, almost
| irperceptible \ line from poem
learned in youth trailed across his
mind. Great Pan is dead"
"Its lic." he murmured drowsily
Great Pan is not dead. Great Fan -
The murmur ended in Il knowing
smile. the smile of one who has learned
for Il certainty what fools most mortals
be. and that in turn faded into gravity
Trenham slept.
ITS regular sleeping beauty of q
place-has breathless, charmed air
as if it were under a spell. l believe
there are fairies or godllngs to be dis
! covered
So had Natica Duke written to
friend soon after coming to Canticc
for the summer. There We're few
houses in the region half doZer
within twenty miles-and her first i'm
preston of the country was only deep
cned by her long. solitary strolls. She
had a mystical feeling that there was
something to be discovered-some Sc
cret that she was forever on the verge
of.
Cooling, gnome or fairy, she fancied
might rise in her path at any momen
without causing her any surprise, anc
so 1t was without dismay that she
stopped short ut the edge Of the wooc
one day upon finding her favorite spo
already occupied.
For the fraction of n second she haI
believed. Then she wholly disbelieved
No godlings would appear IN tan OK
fords. Sandals were the utmost ont
could conccde! Still, as a mortal tn
sleeping youth before her was worti
|