The Washington herald., 1909-10-10
THE SPIRIT OF THE WOODS.

| 1 remember, as a little child, when
| the woods was fun of haunting fears
for me. loved it's mystery. and drew
from its thousand influences elm lows
that are wholly inseparable from the
forest II was this delight that made
me venture there when my Heart was
! palpitating with fear OF the dark shad-
ows and the mysterious whisperings. One
tries as vainly 20 recall the rapture OF
early impressions as OF lost music or lost
love
To feel the fun significance Of the
woods one must live In II when a child
II has. besides. IT'S spirit inhabitants.
which ii only suggests. nyriads Of animals.
many enthusiastically small, such as those
feeding upon leaves and ascending in a
graduated scale 10 the monsters OF the
animal creation. II is true. as YOU say
| that the immense forms OF tropical for
ests are not met with In our temperate
zone, but little childs idea OF geo
graphical distribution is indistlnct. and
everything that ever existed and every
thing that ever happened is a possibility
TO the mind OF a child.
As / grew older the ninglIng fears
and delights became more coherent. and
began 20 note the perfection OF form
and color IN an indistinct sort OF way
which added 70 my pleasure. The cool.
gray stems or bolls OF thousands OF
trees. the sweep OF green above, the
warm browns Of earth. and fallen leaf
below
The spangled moss covering the gnarled
roots, the rocks thrusting their huge forms
through crevices. the hayward stream
fretting among wlIdernesses OF reed
and root, the sunlight breaking through
the leaves. the quivering shadows at my
feet. and over and around all that haunt
ing presence that seemed about 20 speak
Not a suggestion Of human existence
IN all this. but that winding path-who
made 1t here? Robinson C-usoe discovers
footprint! AS II In sympathy, our
whisks a chpmunk from his hole and
fastens his two half-frightened eyes upon
me, and is gone Ike a fash. The path
leads 20 pool and there the teemlng
life has its own fascinatlons-eyes that
peer up at one from the depths Of water.
wings that rustic with a fash OF color
from the skies I sit wholly absorbed
upon the log thrown across the pool.
Long-legged spiders run 20 and fro
over the shining surface The dragon
hy sails by-look out for snakes,
AlAN WISE Nlu HGUp4t WHO knew more
about things that children love. say that
the dragOn-fy is only a snake doctor. for
all his handsome showing and that when
he appears his patients are IN the neigh
bOrhOOd. There comes one now, gliding
majestcally across the pond, HIS head
lifted eagerly the sinuous folds sweep
ing their lengths OF yellow and black
just below the water. The beetles whirr
among the bushes. The frogs splash
In and out OF the water. The birds hop
cautiously down and drink, but one does
more than this-he skins across the
lake again and again, Just letting his
long wing brush the surface scattering
about him a shower OF bright drops.
He IS Joined by mate, and another and
another. There they 60. just clearing the
water for a rod. then splashing against
it again like skipping stones the boys
delight IN.
A rush OF cool air as from an open
door-the light has shifted from zenith
to horizon. The sun throws long lances
among the trees. Looking TO the west I
see the aisle the architrave. the
stained-glass window Of the first cathe- 4
dral." Gods first temple A strange.
weird hum of myriad voices so in
harmony with the scene as 70 steal In
unnoted, greets me. I give one long
look around then flee through the tangle !
OF green briers toward the clearing, for /
Il Is night IN the forest
ALICE GARDINER wHIPPLER
Tho O1iru. October. 1903.