M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1857-01-01
FIirts-and FIiEtatiOns.
BY NUMA.
She gave me back my rings and said:
l cannot love you more
l begged, and plead, aud prayed TO her,
She pointed TO the door,

pleasant is the reputation ofbeing fast.
Pious old ladies turn their eyes to
heaven in holy horror. Old fogies
look at their marriageable daughters,
and, patting themselves little slyly
on the back, say, she's too much like
her fathe,-she won't be caught by
such trash-8he knows the worth Of
such stuff. Little boys at their moth
er's knees promise, in their innocent
prattle, that they never, never will be
| like you. Prophets and prophecies
are numerous, all coinciding entirely,
until you, yourself, are struck with the
singularity of the coincidence, and
think that, perhaps, "you may spend
the remnent Of a life, grown misera-
Bile by crime, in the dusky recesses of
a county jail" and so you reform.
If you are caught in any scrape, the
requisite number of 81 told you SOS +"
are said, and you are forgotten until
some other unlucky adventure causes
your name to be remembered.
Not so with the Firt; no, worse than
this-worse than having your name a
by-word--is the reputation of being a
flirt for yoW are aeyer forgotten
aever can you return to the walks of
respectable life again-never can you
enjoy the exquisite pleasure ofhaving
a true sweet heart.
You see a young lady that "you
love with all the ardor ofyour impas
stoned nature;" you are seen on the
street with her, more superhuous pity
is shed over her than if you were a
raging lion ready and willing to de-
your. A kind friend steps in, and,
in confidential whisper, informs her
of your cruel disposition, and, to prove
what desperate fellow yon are, cites
numerous instances in which yOu have
been " thrown" to show how cruelty
you have treated certain friends, tS-
males, of his.
The young lady shakes her pretty
head and says: I'll show him how tc
fiirt"-and she does ; gives practical
lessons.
The friend meets You on the street
and, in a hail-fellow-well-net tone
says: $50, you're off with that girl,
heard. You put on your most killing
puppy air, and with a smile say
eyes, got tired OF it," for you don't
want people TO think you are Tilted ev-
cry time. But your smile is such as
you give to a funny story whose point
is hidden or you can't understand ;
besides, he heard it--always knew he
would-be always does.
Another kind friend, in a very pat
ronizing pat-you-on-the-head tone,
says, Don't take it so hard----it ac'Ll
hurt for day or two, but never mind
it.
You reply in a very braggadocio
style, Yes, l suppose it will. Yes,
you lying hypocrite, you know it will;
It has been two weeks since you were
Tilted, and how do you feel n0aO ?----
The friend consoles you for a half an
hour, you standing all the time with
the puppy air on your face, trying to
fight it through; but all the time
"You feel certain longing,
'Tis not like being sick,
But think you'd like amazing
To give him one good kick"
And woe be unto you if, by your
actions or anything at all, you show
the wound ; for if You do every young
damsel whois just budding into wom-
anhood thinks there is agood chance
for her to show how she can finesse.
And you, poor innocent, never can be
brought to believe that these dove-like
eyes could or would do'you an injury,
or that those longlashes
care but to hide the sharpness of the hook;
are mighty easily took in. Thus you
are tossed, or rather played, "tip-cat"
with till the players are tired. You
then congratulate yourself that you
will have peace and quiet. But not
80; ior you are "button-holed" by a
friend who, with rather left-handed
sort of compliment, says, "Now,
come, tell fellow; you know all
about such things; you've been in
them 65ore." You listen while he
relates a story so much like some Of
your scrapes that you turn to
look at him to see that he is not quiz
zing; but no, that face is too earnest
for quiz, and beside, you are more
firmly persuaded when you hear his
anxious tones aking you to tell him
show to do" After having length
ened your "phiz" to correspond with
his, you tell a "fellow how to do2"
which means you give him advice
that you wouldn't follow yourself,
heartily cursing everything like J9'rts
and JeirtGtions.
Ooo.ooo-o.~~o~D~-~-~oo.~
Nothing as quickly ruins govern
ment, whether in a family Or a school,
as frequent and excessive threats Of
absurd punishments.
~~.~.~~-~~-~-~-~-~~~~~~
Every Igood habit corrects a bad