Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-06-13

On hearts and affairs the fires are dead
But that brave faith has not lived in vain,
And this was all our watcher said.
-
FLIRTS AND FILTRATION.
"But l am afraid she is a great firt. .
Yes but not half as bad as he is. "
These two remarks | could not help
oyerhearing the other day in the "row,"
and very strong desire came over me
to politely accost the authors-two
nice-looking, gentlemanly persons-and
ask them if they would kindly favor
me with definition Of the word hirt "
| do not believe that there is any word
in the English language which has a
less distinct meaning and conveys such
different Impressions to different
minds. You sit next to lively and
amusing young lady at dinner, and
find that her conversational powers, if
not vastly intellectual, are at all events
quick, and as there is considerable
freshness and some amount of origin
ality in her remarks, yoU talk the whole
of dinner time, and are not unwilling
to renew the conversation when you
meet in the drawing room afterwards.
After yo1r fair young friend, to whom
perhaps you are principally indebted
for having spent very pleasant even.
ing, has been carried home by her
mamma, You casually remark to your
hostess, How very agreeable Miss
Dash is. Whereupon madam reiOins,
"Oh yes, she is very vivacious, but !
fear she is a sad firt." "Anything but
sad, you said to yourself "but how,
firt? In what way does that indetin-
able word apply to the charming Miss
Dash ?" You recollect that at ball two
or three nights ago You were introduced
to Miss Blank, and your friend who in
troduced you warned you previously
that she was can awful firt, you
| know" We'll, you find that Miss Blank
had a way of leaning very heavily on
your arm, looking up dreamily into
your eyes before she answered the most
commonplace remark, and holding your
hand with almost masculine grasp when
waltzing or, should you be the sharer
of her tolls through the Lancers, you
discovered that she had habit Of
greeting you with smile and shake
of the hand whenever you met her in
the last figure of that maay dance,
Her conversational powers you soon be-
come aware, were limited. She APP
peared to think it to be her meek duty
to hang upon your words with fasci-
Mating gaze--if may use such an ex-
preston and to look as if she invested
every triAing remark you made with a
sublime dignity far beyond the occasion.
True, she never seemed in hurry to
be taken to her chaperOne, and pos
sessed wonderful faculties for imbibing
tea aud lounging in quiet corner till
her next partner discovered her, and if
she was not engaged for the next dance
she evidently expected you to "sit it
out" with her. But her behavior has
not assisted you towards the informa.
tion you thirst for as to the meaning of
the term fiirt," for, as far as you can
divine her character, proverbially gal.
liant as YOU are, you cannot resist the
impression that in Miss Blanks case
hirt is only another word for bore,
and hirt is certainly the prettier ex.
prerssion of the two. On another occa-
sion-say at picnic or in grand stand
you find yourself next to Mrs. Three.
stars, who is apparently eight and
twenty, or thereabouts, and who has, to
your knowledge, four or five charming
children (supposing, of course, that
YOU aHow that child en- ever can be
charming), and whose lively rattle and
{ raceiul manners compel you to con-
fess as you dress for dinner that you
have really passed a much more pleas
ant day than you had anticipated. In
the course OF dinner, while you are
silently wishing that Mrs. Thrcestars
were sitting beside you instead OF the
inane beauty or dull old dowager to
whom the exigencies Of "going down
to dinner" have allotted you, you hear
the name of the Indy yotl are thinking
of mentioned. Somebody-some kind
soul who never would say an unkind
word, except from sheer sense OF
dnty-iustantly remarks; ooh, yes
she is very nice, but am afraid she is
dreadful flirt." Again that incompre.
hensible word. It seem to be like the
rain which falls upon the just and the
unjust. The notion of Mrs. Threestars
and Miss Blank being joined in the
same category. What can it all mean ?
You turn to the dowager by your side
and say;
"Do you know Mrs. Threestars, Mrs
Propper?'
Mrs. Proper Canning herselD-"I
am acquainted with her, yes.
You-"I have met her. She seems
to me to be very entertaining"
Mrs. Propper--"f believe she is a
great iavorite with gentlemen"
You-"Not with ladies |"
Mrs. Pepper Well, you see, there
, are certain men whom you call dispar-
agingly ladies' men and so l suppose
there are ladies who are-who are
You-(savagely determining not to
, help her out)-"Who are what"
, Mrs. Propper-" Don't you under
standP Well-more at home in mems
r society than in women's.
You-"Ah And is that the meaning
of the word flirt which l heard just
? now applied to our friend Mrs. Three
J stars %
/ Mrs. Propper-"Perhaps it is"
i You-"Then we men ought to fee
r deeply indebted to firts, and highly
! honored by their preference. sincere
ly hope thai you are flirt, Mrs. Prop
per-"
t and genial laugh, and Mrs, Proper