Connecticut western news., 1909-09-16
BILLY THE BORE.
He Was Very Different From the
 Poet and the HaIfbaCk.
By TEMPLE BAILEY.

fld blond, with broad shoulders and ! smile that was like sunshine on q bloomy day. But among the girls of the college these qualities counted for little, for they worshiped at the shrine of the poet and of the halfback. The poet had long hair, and so had the half back. but otherwise they had nothing in common except that they both loved Dulcie DraytOn.
 Billy loved Dulcie too. But he hadn't half a chance. for the poet wrote son nets to Dulcies eyebrows, and the half back let her shine in his reflected foot ball glory.
 Now and then she consented to make Billy happy. Yes, 1 will walk with you," she told him graciously one Oc- tober day, "only we mustn't go very far, for 1 have an engagement with the halfback."
 "AIl right" said Billy and promptly forgot his watch.
 The haIfback was raging when they finally reached Dulcie's home. we have missed the game" he said. "Of course if I had been playing I couldn't have waited; but, as it is, 1 have hung arOund"-
 Billy forgot his watch" Dulcie apol- ogized, "and we didn't realize how late it was"
 II should think he would bore you to had left them. "How can you stand that fellow?"
 He's not bad," Dulcie defended. "Of course he hasn't such an awful lot of brains. and he hasn't done such won derful things as you have, lS1t he's got an aWfully good disposition"
 And the halfback, remembering his own grumbling and growing. said "Oh. well,' uncomfortably and won 1ered if Dulcie was hitting at him.
 few days later the poet took Dulcie to task about Billy You danced with him four times last night" he saiC, and I wanted you to sit out those lost two in the conserva- tory with me. I had a new poem to read to you. It was about young Oc- tober's golden eyes, and it is dedicated to you"
 "Read it to me now" said Dulcie "I'd love to hear it."
 ''The atmosphere isn't right" the poet fretted. not here on the campus but last night there was little moon. and there were red roses on the lat tice.'
 Billy is an awfully good dancer" Dulcie reflected, which, as the poet generally got tangled up even in twostep, was not tactful.
 For several days after that, how ever, the rivalry between the poet and the halfback was so intense that Billy was left completely in the back ground.
 The poet sat up half the night writ ing verses, and the theme was Hove, love, love-" and he claimed every spare moment of Dulcie's time to read them to her.
 'He writes about my hair," she told Billy, land calls it soft spun silk shimmering in the sunshine.'"
 "I don't see the use of stringing out lot of shimmering sunshine sen tences when your hair is too beautiful to be described" said Billy bluntly.
 Dulcie smiled up at him. "After all, like the way you put it, Billy" she said, "and Pm glad you like the color of my hair"
 ''I love it," Billy stated, land love you, Dulcie."
 "Oh, oh, you mustn'tr Dulcie pro- tested.
 Well, not now, if you don't want me to, but I shall tell you again, Dulcie," Billy answered.
 And he will,' Dulcie told her most intimate friend that night. He will ask me over and over again"
 "Well, of course you couldn't marry him." said the intimate friend calmly, mot such a bore"
 II am not sure that Billy deserves that nickname" said Dulcie. He doesn't talk moonshine like the poet or brag of himself like the halfback, but he does say some nice, sensible, good hearted things, and he has lovely smile"
 The intimate friend sat up and look eu dI ucI. well, u all lAIIISSS SAS said; q believe you are half in love with him. How you can think of him when you have the choice of two such men as the poet and the halfback is more than I can understand"
 But are they really in love with meY' Dulcie demanded.
 'They have asked you to marry them, haven't they?" Marion asked.
 Yes. But somehow it seems to me that they are always thinking of them selves. But Billy thinks of me"
 ''Oh," Marion said softly, 'I know what you mean. If ysu married the poet OF the halfback you would have to worship at their shrines. while Billy would worship at yours.' Yes" said Dulcie. that's it. and man who loves you that way can't exactly bore you, can he?"
 "No, he can't" said Marion, "but of course you can never tell how long t will last"
 "Sometinles 1 have thought l should ike tO I)lt them tO q tpSt as ladies did