The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-11-08
AN .ESTHETIC FLIRT.


Perhaps because he was called
Paul Clarkson, which, we must own,
is a very romantic name, or perhaps
because he had five sisters and no
Others: from one of these causes, or
from quite different cause-what
matters it, since the fact is the same?
Mr.. Paul Clarkson was githoutd doubt
an aesthetic fiirt. How much of a
firt he was, perhaps he himself
hardly realized; it all came so natu-
raj to him. He was handsome fel-
low, young Paul. He had tall,
well made gure, a pale but very
expressive face, and good deal OF
warm. brown hair. No woman with
such eyes could have kept from fiirt
ing; so let US not bee too nard on
this man, especially as tor some
time he did no one any harm. he
wrote poems, which his fair friends
greatly admired. Iegods, what sad
poems they werel In them Mr..
Clarkson fiirted with death just as
he flirted with women. He sat al
her feet, and called her pretty names.
II his stern mistress had turned
around shaply, and made him take
her for better or worse, / hardly I'M
agine he Eould have been very
willing bridegroom; but es the grim
lady Just then seemed 10 want pGae
of him-as lungs. liver and heart
were all they should be-this verse
flirting with death was all very nice.
Mr.. Paul was apparently very much
distressed at having to live. He
wanted no good dinners, not be; he
wanted no books, of course not; he
wanted no club; he wanted no pret-
tv yoman TO tiirt with. What in
the world did he want, then? He
wanted to be absorbed in the spirit
of things, he desired to g.oY part OF
the infinite: he yearned TO mlngie
with the heavens blue, or to be a
roseleaf, or cloud. or 4 sunbeam
or a weed; in short. anything but
what he was. A very sad man was
Paul Clarkson. Being so sad, was il
not natural that he should turn fIr
sympathy to the softer sex? One
friend could not have satisfied bis
great nature; his comforters were
many. Let us SEE who they were
To begin with, there vas MiEs
Blandon, very strong on the cues.
ton of womans rights clever
handsome, if somewhat masculine
looking woman, OF whom men most.
ly stood in awe. ClarksOn found out
"a tender place in her heart and
walked into it. Think she thought
for long time that he was going to
ask her 10 be his wife, Then there
was the beautiful Miss Sanford, with
the pale face, and the large, lovely,
sad looking eyes; was she not beauty
itself, and, as such, should she not
be worshipped? Then there was
Mrs. Clifford, quite young, aid very
nice to look at too; and she wrote
poems almost as sad az Mr. Clark
sons own. Her marriage had been
great mistake. She was thrown
wholly away on the commonplace
Clifford: so she resigned herself to
the writing of melancholy verse.
Q bards, bards, what would you be
without your griefs! Even as chill
dren are who have no playthings.
Mr. Clarkson's grief was that he
had once been engaged TO a girl OF
whom he was getting rather tired,
when in the most unexpected man
ner she got tired of him, and threw
him over, and endowed him with a
wrong. Mr.. Clarkson felt very badly
or said he did. 1t is quite impossi-
bic TO say what he did not get out
of that grief of his. OF course its
prime use was a seasoning TO his
poems. Then it was great help to
those nice firtatons | have spoken
of. A man with bligh.ed affections
may go much further in flirting than
a man who is heart-whole The dear
crea ture comes naturally for conso-
lation. Did Clarkson make the best
of Lis opportunity? | think he did.
He wrote | don't know how many
poems to his faithless lady; these
poems he recited to other fair ladies;
he plunged into all sorts of dissipa-
tions. not because he was naturally
addicted to such things, but he was
so extremely unhappy. He was a
very desperate man, and cynical;
why. he believed in nothing, al
ways excepting friendship, between
men and women.
/ have mentioned three OF his
friends: let me not forget Miss Kin
lake, who played so beautifully, and
besides composed such wonderful
music. The amount of friendship
with women, and the amount of
good wines Mr.. Clarkson's grief re-
ouired to console it, were most sur
prising; but we all know how bad is
an affair of the heart 1t chanced
one night that Mr.. Clarkson met at
a reception Miss Hilda Ford She
was not a girl. She was about tbir-
ty; she was very pretty, and not at
all aesthetic. She had a good intel
lect, though, and loved poetry genu-
inely. Her voice was unusually low
and sweet; it had a strange, thrill
ing music in it. She lived with, her
mother in the country; but they
made frequent visits to London.
Now when Cla rkson saw her he fell
n love at first sight. He loved ey-
.rything abou her-ber full, beau