Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-10-08
JOHNSON.

@1u- EI0DdDiy there nave OltcH pcVu
men named johnson. But this particu-
lar man had certain peculiarities mark
ing him off from all others of the
name or any other name.
He was bashful, timid man.
CO the stoop in the evening, when all
his fellow boarders gathered to talk
and gossip and flirt in the gathering
twilight, he sat apart, very kindly, very
benevolent, but placid to the point OF
Indifference, apparently taking no in
terest in the general life
You might have thought that john
son despised all their tribe had you
sever observed that when no girl was
looking at him he was always looking
at some girl.
After | had known Johnson for some
months and struck up an easy going,
undemonstrativ friendship with him,
ventured one day to ask him how 1T
was that he, who seemed to have no
girl friends, seemed to take such inter-
est in all girls in general and, vice
versa, how he, who seemed to admire
all girls in general, made friends with
none in particular.
He was mildly astonished. He had a
great many girl friends, he explained;
probably a much larger number than l
myself had.
"Wno are they Where do they live?
When do you see them? Why don't you
present some of us to them? Why all
this mystery, in fine?"
He didn't think most Of the fellows
would care to be presented. AS for my
self, I probably knew some of his girl
friends quite as we'll as he did.
He was not very denfiite; he never
gave surnames. First names are quail
ties of heart and beauties of face and
form and graces of manner, all sorts
of charming little details that made me
simply long to be presented, but never
a solid, graspable name and address.
After a little while / got to accept
the whole enormous and increasing
circle of misty girls as close and per-
sonal friends of my own. 1t became an
every evenings romance to sit on the
stoop with Johnson and talk them over.
Don't you think Miss Jones has
something of the head of Diana?" l
would ask.
And Johnson would shift round
quietly to study Miss Jones over his
paper as she talked to the boys, until
he had quietly and composedly made
up his mind.
"Well, yes. There is little likeness,
certainly. Diana, perhaps. had a finer
curve to the chin, and / think her nose
was a little straighter, and Miss Jones
hasn't anything like Diana's noble
forehead. But the nape of the neck
has just those little curly wisps that
Diana has, and l almost think it fits
more squarely and handsomely on the
shoulders"
One day light dawned on me. At
first fought against it, fought desper-
ately Still, the doubt had to come out.
johnson" 1 said, fixing him with
my eye, johnson, hate to ask you,
but tell me, straight now, is our Clara
-"
paused. Johnson seemed to shiver.
&c
our Diana. Diana of the Crossways;
are all our girls only girls of fiction,
creations of the authors creating on
his pad?"
He frightened his jaw, looking me
fair and square in the eyes. Then
spoke.
''They are. What matter?"
| knocked the ashes out of my pipe,
very sadly, against the iron railing OF
the stoop Then / smiled very dole
fully--I meant to be kind-and we
parted in silence.
We never spoke of these things to-
gether again. After that we sat apart
Oh Lie StOOp. JOuuSOl SILL dlleCl6u 10
devour his evening paper, still in real
ity occupied his time reading into
Miss Jones and Miss Brennan and Miss
Everybody else traits of likeness to the
heroines of the books he reads, taking
interest in the girls of the house only
as they helped him to realize the ways
and looks of the girls of fiction.
AFTER a while | could stand the thing
no longer. The stoop seemed peopled
with shadowy Claras and Dianas,
stately creatures or charming. by
whose side the girls of reality did not
show UP well. l left the house. To
Johnson my goodby was:
well, so long, old man. You meant
well, but you've spoiled my life"
He still sits on the stoop; you can
see him any evening. now that the
stoop season has opened again, calm,
gentle, contemplative.
He probably has better time than
have; there are no worries over his
love affairs; no jealousies, rivalries, or
heartbreaking quarrels, no preventing
Asireun, stances NO financial cares