The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-10-21
FlirtatIOn.
A STORY WITH A MORAL.

Inc world would naruly De worth
living in if it were not for Irritation" :"
exclaimed the gay and thoughtless Isa-
bel Lee, as she laughingly entered her
aunt's room.
81 hope you are not serious" she
said.
"There's nothing like Irritation p
cried the merry Isabel. "But you look
reproachful, angry"
ooh, | am not angry" replied Mrs.
Berford, with melancholy smile.
"But you are displeased."
"Your words awaken recollections
which cause me to feel sad, Isabel; !;
that's all. Sit down here by my side,
and you shall hear story of one of
my fiirtations, which may change your
mind"
Isabel sat down, looking thoughtful,
and her aunt continued:
"When was young, like you, dear
child, was quite as gay and thought
less as yourself-Iwas called a coquette,
and, shame to confess it, glorified in
the name, until the occurrence Of the
painful event l am about to relate.
"Half a dozen times a year / used
to visit C, and spend week or
two in the pleasant society in that place.
There frequently met pale, hand
some, sensitive young man, named
Gilborne, who paid ME very flattering
attentions, making me the theme of
several poetic effusions, and with whose
partiality was very well pleased. l
was warned by many well-meaning
friends against encouraging the adj
dresses of so impulsive person as
Gilborne, who, they said, was more
serious than ], and who might end by
falling more deeply in love with me
than l expected or desired. / laughed
at the idea, and finding the attentions
of the young poet still agreeable 1 con-
tinued to receive them until it was too
late"
"Too late! How so, aunt ?"
"Why, to my astonishment, he one
day made a passionate declaration of
love and offered me his hand"
"And You did not love him?"
"No. child, I was merely pleased
with him. But even then l did not
suppose that his love was more than
the result of sudden impulse, which
would pass away with my visitto c..
So l respectfully declined his offer,
laughed at the idea of marrying at
that age, and begged him to dismiss
the subject from his mind. On the
following day l left c., and returned
Letter and poetry followed me,
breathing the most passionate devotion,
and burning with the eloquence OF
love. They bore no name, but l knew
they were from Henry Gilborne. /
was beginning to be very much annoyed.
took counsel with my friends,
and resolved to send all future epistles
back to him unopened. / returned
two letters in this manner, and received
no more; but three or four weeks after
received newspaper, in which there
was sonnet addressed to me, under a
fictitious name, and signed with his
initials. He had discovered new
mode of reaching me with his passion
ate illusions; and from that time a
sonnet of song, singed H
came to me from the c. Gazette,
nearly every week.
AT this time Mr.. Berford was paving
me his addresses. He was one of ma
lures noblemen-frank, generous, firm
In what he considered right, and a
gentleman in his manners. Having
learned a lesson from the unhappy ter.
mination of my last Irritation, l received
Mr.. Berford's attentions in differ
ent manner from what I had been
accustomed to do, and in short time
We were married.
| The ceremony took place in church.
| loved Mr.. Berford. Gilborne was Al
that moment quite forgotten, and / was
perfectly happy. / had not thought
to disturb the peace of my mind-the
calm repose of my heart, which 1 had
so willingly, gladly given away-untiI
as we were passing from the church
my eyes fell upon a wild, hageared
figure, standing near the door.
! 1t was Gilborne. His face was
dreadfully pale, his lips ashy, his ewes
CLEANED with an unnatural brightness
and he trembled in every limb. j
started, uttered suppressed cry, and
shuddering, clung to my husbands
arm. A pang went through my heart
a pang of remorse and dread which ]
shall never foroet il