Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1925-07-18
A Dull
Fellow
By FRANK WALL
20. 1925. Western Newspaper Union.l

he walked out ut five o'clock as quietly
ming, and this morning he came back
just as quietly. What does man like
that want with u vacation anyway?
He's such dull fellow" murmured
Billy Delaine languidly. III ever
want to die Of ennui I'll make him fall
in love with me-"
Johnson didn't hear her, and 1t
wouldn't have made any difference If
he had. He was trying to cOnceh-
trate his attention on his job and that
was taking all his energy.
This dull fellow was shaken to the
soul. He had gone away as part Of
the routine Of life. There had been a
time when the thought Of vacation
would have conjured up wonderful pic
lures In his mind, but nothing now
seemed able to give him q thrill. Per-
haps he lived too much In groove.
Where the others looked on life as u
series OF gay adventures to be sought
deliberately as one seeks entertain
ment in a theater, he took his adven.
lures on paper. He found his romance
in the short stories he wrote so untir-
ingly in all his spare time. Sometimes
he wondered If he was chasing the
shadow and missing the substance of
life; yet he must have known that ro-
nance and passion are always round
the corner. One Is liable to run into
them at any time.
and that indeed was what happened
to this dull fellow, and perhaps that
was what made him take his expert
ence so seriously. He had lived in a
world of illusions, you see, creating
people to suit himself, playing with
the imaginary passions OF imaginary
men and women, and now fate was
playing with him.
He went to the coast prepared to en-
Joy himself in his own quiet fashion,
and on his first day there he met
Daphne Russell, whom he had known
years ago. He would have walked past
her in his absent-minded way, but she
came up and greeted him; and even
then he didn't know her at first. There
was some excuse for him, too, for in
the intervening years since their last
meeting, she had changed almost be-
yond recognition.
What Is the feminine equivalent for
a dull fellow? Whatever it was, that
was the way Daphne had been head
ing as inexorably as rivers head to the
sea. Then she went to live in Cana
da, and Johnson had not seen her for
seven years, and now, when he met
her he could only stare at her in
amazement.
For this piece Of lovely usefulness
was not the Dahpne he had known.
Her profile had taken on an exquisite
delicacy. Her mouth trembled to q
thousand moods. Passion stirred visit
fully in her dark eyes. Her hair looked
as If painted by moonlight.
Something leaped in Johnson's
heart. something that famed passion
ately and throbbed and hurt.
"Oh. I'm so glad to see you," she
cried. II came back from Canada
and couldn't find any one know. 1t
seemed as though all my friends had
gone. And then came here for
lonely vacation and I met YOU"
''Your vacation isn't going to be
lonely at ALL" said Johnson firmly. II
am the Committee Of Welcome ap-
pointed to meet you. After you've
been through our program you'll never
want to leave home again"
"You talk in just your old lovely
way" she murmured contentedly. II
never knew whether you were in
earnest or not"
And he looked at her quietly. Eyes,"
he said. II never was so much in
earnest"
And after that new life began for
Johnson and perhaps for Daphne also.
They had long evenings of the most
perfect comradeship, evenings when the
whole world seemed to be drenched
with sheen beauty. That was the
way he saw it anyway. 1t brought
him out Of his shell amazingly. Ne
became gay, brilliant, tender. all In
turn, until It seemed that Daphne
must have transferred to him some
Of her own secret OF living wildly.
Life danced ahead Of him, reckoning,
leading him on, whispering all kinds
Of wonderful promises; and he be-
lieved them all.
And so the vacation went by, each
day sinking in turn into that strange,
bottomless pit men call the past, and
leaving in its place one still more won
derful. And to both Daphne and
johnson, as the last day approached,
there came q resolution which they
guarded resolutely from each other I'M
til the time should come.
They sat together staring at the
sea on that last evening. The beauty
Of the night was all about them, en-
folding them in its strange glamour.
johnson turned slowly and looked into
the wistful loveliness Of Daphn9s
eyes. He leaned towards her, and she
turned.
1--WE something to tell you," she
said.
There was queer dryness in his
throat. He couldn't speak.