The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-09-08
A CONCERT


Have you found that out already"
George asked and smiled at her.
We're all in love with Gloria"
Pan took her hand from her mouth
where it had flown the instant she
realized her thoughts had been ex-
pressed aloud
OF course, She knew George was
in love with her friend. Who could
held it?
She felt awfully sorry for him. He
must be unhappy about it.
George meantime did not seem par
ticulary unhappy, he seemed rather
amused.
You're a native.child," he said fin
ally. DO you like music?"
NO." Pan answered. THAT is,
nUver heard any. L like dance rec
ords on monographs swell enough, be-
cause they don't try tobe anything but
tunes in special sort of tife, but
don't care for the classical things"
Then size added:
Il ought to Aunt MaHle says
1 haven't any musical sense. because 1
didn't like the way ourE piano steacher
played at her concert"
I'm sure l shouldn'tseither," George
answered, and Pan felt,suddenly justi-
fled in her dislike of Miss Ethridge's
hurry-scurry endering of various "clas-
sical' selections.
There's a nice concert tonight"
George went on. Better come with
me. Well have a bite of dinner first
In quiet little restaurant I'know Of"
Not for worlds would he have missed
the chance of taking this young girl
to her first copcert! George had lived
in Of ~ oaH
travelled, flirted, intrigued and tasted
most of the experience of life-until
most of them had lost their capacity
to enjoy living. AT least they had
been educated beyond the enjoyment
of simple pleasures.
He was rewarded, beyond his great
est hopes.
He would have been sufficiently re-
warded by the joy that lit up Pans
dark eyes, and the flush that came into
her pale skin. Think of being asked
to dinner in a real restaurant with a
fascinating man, It'wastthe first time
this had happened to her.
George wisely took her to a tiny
French restaurant where they served
a simple table dhote meal and where
Madame knew most of her. customers.
1t was of course, quite grand to the
child new TO the city.
The big concert hall awed her. She
listened, entranced, 10 the well modu-1
lated buzz that rose from a couple of
thousand throats.
Isn't it pretty?" she whispered. ut
sounds like the hum of bees in the
sun"
George smiled. The buzz of talk be-
fore a concert always annoyed him.
Suddenly however he found the gi-
gantic humming-not pretty, but at
least bearable.
New York that winter had the best
music in the world, and this was one
of the most famous orcheStras with a
conductor of international reputation.
She's getting the finest of every
thing for first taste.' he thought. Il
wonder how she'll take it?'
Then when the symphony started he
forgot his comrade, and lost himself
as he always did in the soaring sweep
ing melody by the symphony.
There was a symphony !, an intermis-
matte close with a Scriablin's over
powering "Poeme de PExtase, TRULY
ecstacy in music, ecstacy so great as
to be almost unbearable. AS the music
rushed to its crescendo, with strings.
brasses, woodwinds and drums and
over all the echoingInotes of Nthe or
gan, George became conscious, of the
girls hands gripping the arms of her
seat so tightly that the bones stood up
from the flesh.
He turned ever so slightly Pan
was staring ahead with flushed face
and wide eyes, her chest rising and
falling with her quick. agitated breath
ing. When the last note echoed away,
or rather melted into the thunderous
applause, Pan was crying.
you poor child" George said and
laughed a little. Il shouldn't have
started you off on,something so emo
tional. Come along, I'll take you home
and tell Gloria to put you to bed"
Pan wiped her eyes and protested
md apologized. She felt she had ut
ely disgraced herself.
I'm sorry" she kept repeating.
Don't be sorry for being youthful