Scranton Central HS December 1956 Yearbook (Scranton, PA) - Guest Access

THE PIPES OF PAN Linda Donaghue '57 Who can dispute a miracle? ~I\ '- ~~- ~~ '). I had b en walking alon through th country id when I am to a path leadin~ off th road into th wood . The path, haded by tree on both ide ofTered reli f from th blazing ummer sun; I decided to follow it. It wa a well-trodden path, wind- ing downhill through tre and .mall hrub . I felt th dim stilln s of the fore t · I he itated nervou ly a f w moment , fe ling a strange apprehen ion, then continued walk– ing. I vOOn heard the ound of water and tepping from the path through orne bu he, aw a moun– tain tream o clear and sparkling that one could barely tell it depth by ight alone. The water ru. hed and I aped playfully over the mooth ston which cover d the bottom of th . tr am. n thi ide of the bank, tree overshadowed the water a it lay till and calm, separated from the rapid current. DECEMBER, 1956 ...{ . .;~ W ilma McGinnis "60 My fear gradually having left me I sat down on a large rock pro– jecting over the water. In a few minut I was o relaxed that I felt drowsy. The movement of the water ov r th rocks and the sound of the wind in the tr es lulled m into happy oblivion. I swayed with the rhythms of natur around me. I had lo t all ense of tim and wa leaning pa sively again t life when th melody began. It crept up o qui tly that my en es were hardly aware of it. Growing in harmony with every breath of nature, it ab orbed my whole If. Plaintive unearthly, it gra ped my heart gent– ly th n wrenched it from me. My oul and mind wer buoyed to such heights that tears arne to my yes and tremor of ec ta y pas ed through my body. The melody pre– vailed a olo with the accompani– ment of the wind, the tre s and th water. It beckoned and reached out to me to follow but o enthrall d wa I that I wa pow rl s to move. Then it began to ub ide leaving my cru hed and torn oul limp. Suddenly it was gone. I emed to wake from a trance. As I became awar of my urroundings I was in tantly afraid. Scrambling from th rock I ran tumbling and ga ping from the forest, racing to find th open road, to find orne sign of human life. Da hing up the seemingly endless path I finally reached the highway. I breath d wildly forcing the air of civilization into my lungs and hur– ri d along the road. I stopp d not once until I aw the houses of people· th n I thought of what I had experienc d, wondering at it. Thought forced them elve into my mind; but I, in terror, turned from th m hoping to keep them clo d in the pa t. The rapture of the moments before had cea ed and now wa replaced by fright. I knew I would always r member this after– noon, when I had become lost in the heart of natur and time had pa ed me by· but no one else would ever know, except perhap Pan. The Fleeting Season Arthur Jenkins, '57 When tinted leave form arpet!> To hield the gra y green, And the barren bough of nature tand stark again t the sky The time i h re for winter; And autumn pa. es by. 5