Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-12-19
WHOLE NO. 1862.
ONLY A BIT OF HARMLESS FLIRT
ING"
BY VIRGINIA + TOWNSEND.

BY VIRGINIA TOWNSEND.
That was alI-was it, eh How
very complacehtly you speak IL, my
good sir, With tina. half-sneer curling
your mouslached llr, and that sp.
proved twirl Ct your walking slick
which you learned wi yoor Euclid
last year.
And so il was 'oniy bit of harm.
less flirting just by way of relaxa-
tion from your healtb-injuring
studies suppose when you sat
night after night, in the fire. shine
OF The pleasant little parlor watching
the bushes which drifted over the
sweet, half-drcoping face by your
side? Nothing more than this when
yon ringed those soft, flowing curls
round your fingers or glided your
arm aronnd the girlish waist, and
the little trembling hand which was
lifted as deprecatory movement
was caught and held half-unwilling
prisoner in your stronger grasp !?
And then (you remember it) what
low sweet words you used to whis-
per In her ears just before parting,
as you stood together in the dimly
lighted hall, and how full of grace
and respectful fopdness was the
manner in which you bent down
your lips to the fair young FORE
head.
And then (did you learn il by
practising at the mirror p ichdt
language there was in your eyes,
when the soft dark ones OF your
companions were sometimes lifted
to your ownl-a language such as
your lips could never have spoken,
for 40 words could recognize the de-
votion, the love which seemed tele-
graphed straight ieom your heart to
your glances.
What charming moonlight ram
bles you used to have too. How the
light arm which rested upon your
own would tremble as you pre- 'sed II
and murmured sentimental SCRAPS of
poetry you had gathered from Bry.
ant and Byron, LongfeIlow and
Landon And l am not sure you
did not at such times forget there
was such word as flirting in your
vocabulary. There was somewhat,
in the serene, searching glances of
those summer stars, somewhat in
the white, solemn moonlight which
lay above and beneath you that 10
spite of yourself, brought gale of
holier memories, tide of higher and
nobler emotions into your soul.
You haven't forgotten either,
those long summer afternoon rides,
with the great prayerful arms of the
trees crossed above you-nor the
twilights passed under the broad,
vine wrapped portico, nor the songs
she sang you while you stood by the
piano and turned over the leaves of
her music and solicited one, just one
more of those exquisite little love
lyrics of Moore's saying with that
glance of yours, and you know Just
the right time TO give 1t eneUt, that
the sweet words would sound still
sweeter if they came to your ears
through the medium of one voice.
You know she loved you. There
now, don't elongate your features
with that look OF innocent surprise or
meek resignedness, just as though
the idea had never entered your era
mum, aud the thought never tickled
your vanity before. You know, | say
that she loved you-that her heart
would quicken at the sound of your
football, and the blush that she could
not conceal, fash into her cheek at
the tones of your voice. You knew
that during those long two years you
were drawing tighter and tighter
around the heart of your young and
unsuspecting victim, the chains from
which she could not release herself
without suffering, which might be to
her greater than that OF death. Don't
tell me your intentions were harmless,
yon never .nronosed. never told her
you loved her, and all that sort OF
thing. You did tell her you loved her,
aye, a thousand times you told this,
by tone and deed, and look, inst as
emphatically as though your lips had
sworn it.
And then, how calmly, how courte-
ously at the last you said farewell to
her, wishing her that lifetime Of hap
piness which your work had forever
blasted.
And now, sir, whatsoever be your
social position, how broad soever be
the lands of your fathers-how deep
soever be the Golfers of your gold,
you have debased yourself and dis
honored your manhood. GO forth in
to the world, and let your carriage be
as proud, and your air to woman as
chivalric +; your honor as untarnished
as ever, but remember, that the stain
is on your soul. You have done al
most the foulest wrong to another
man can do. You have stolen
baseIy. deliberately stolen, the one
priceless treasure of woman's
heart-its affections.
You have robbed her of her trust
in human goodness and truth, and
though if she be true woman she
will summon enough of pride to
hide from the world that never cica-
trising heart wound, its pain will
not be the less terrible to be borne.
You have robbed another of the
love and confidence which should
have been his, for that heart will
never learn the sweet song of its
youth again and though the wife of
his bosom, she sits in the shadows
of his heartbstone. still, the fountain
from which you took the seal will
/ ever yield It's fresh sweet waters az
before.
And siE, for those words, 'BAgM.
LESS FLIRTING. under which specious
name you have silenced the stil,
small voice of your conscience add
behold with cool compIacency and
exultatlon the ruin you have
wrought, write down deliberate
heart-breakirg and remember chat
for ell these things God will bring
you to Judgment
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