The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-05-12
THE MARRIED FLIRT.
New York Worsd.i

With the summer weather comes on the harvest time of the female married fiirt. She abounds in every town and city in the world, but in modern times she Is the queen of the summer There Is no resort so much or so little frequented that she will not manage to make at leas, one scandal there during the season. And yet the female married firt, with her versatility and genius in this direction. and her gorgeous wardrobe. Is thrown in the shade by the male married fiirt of New York. He stands alone in his glory.
 Whether he be native or an alien, the freedom of a great oveEgrown, busy city. brings out his natural productions in way which would be totally impossible in a smaller town. His methods and his protestations are dismally monotonous. Whether young or old, rich or poor, ugly or handsome. he works always on one set of linex Sometimes he is young and rather green in the business. Then he IS very daring, vowipg eternal devotion. of fering his life, his love, his hopes, and his ambitions The woman whom he has married may be the mother of three little children, but with the reckiessness of youth he offers them, too. A childless widow, in answer to one of these whole sale young men, said You have only one thing in the world that really wan, your baby-and while your wife would doubtless be very glad to get rid of you she will not part with it." If he is asked If he loves his better half. he winces for a moment, but only for moment. They 2 are fr1ArAi2 and eh ie a,l clever, but they are uncongenial. un- suited to each other, and now when i, is too late he has discovered his elective affinity The vanity of the average man Is so great that not even in conducting a love affair can .e be brought to acknowl- edge that his taste has ever been defec- tive. That woman is his wife must be a sufficient guarantee of her attractive ness. In time. however, the junior fiirt attains the tact and proficiency of his older brother, the man who married when he was twenty-one, "too soon for a man to know his own mind" "He is fond of society. his wife is not. she is jealous and makes his home unpleasant his career has been much affected by her lack of and so on and SO on. He wants some one who can understand him and encourage him in his higher work Such woman, for instance, as plump young widow of his acquaintance--for the widow is the legitimate prey of the married fiiu. He argues sShat. having become accustomed 10 thee seltishness. decei, and inconsistencies of one man. she can more readily pu, up with these pleasing traits in another Ten chances to one her experience has taught her wisdom. and she sees through and is disgusted with him but she has sufficient wit and in- difference to conceal her opinion. The most disgusting specimen of this tribe is the man with the invalid wife. whose demise, according to him. is simply question ot time, and of not long time" He is not wid- ower. but he hopes to be: and when he is free " Ia gentle and comprehensive way of saying: When my wife, the wo- man whom l have sworn to love, honor and protect, dies off" there may be chance for the object of his adoration He seems to say to her: "It is true have shown myself to you as heartless. ruthless wretch: bu; then, Anne Bcleyn married Henry ElIl., knowing his charsc- ter. She lost her life through the exper- lment; but in the nineteenth century we are too advanced to behead our stum- bling The woman who listens to such tales may expect to perish by the far more cruel method of neglect and coldness. But of course her death will be attributed to pneumonia or consump- ton. Think of such men having the inn pudence to mention the word love-a word so beautifully defined by woman: . Loves virtue for heroes as white as the
 snow on high hills.
 And immortal. as every great. soul is that
 struggles, endures, and fulhlls."
 What if mans wife does not alto gether fulfill his expectations? If he is brave and manly. he puts his disappoin,- ment under lock and key: and he will not open the closet, even for his own in- spection. Such burdens are never light ened or made more bearable by calling
 n other people to help carry them. Ger 'ainly not by calling in frivolous and -apricious woman. Lamentable as di- rorces are, they are a thousand times better for soul and body than counting the weeks and days of life linked with one's own. The idea of men or women who have claims upon respectable soci- ety walking about with murder in their hearts, is hideous. Not that all married airss have gone so far. Some of them are idly catering to vanity only; but there
 IS always the chance of fierce torrent of passion, that will be as uncomfortable as an eagre, sweeping all before it. The most decent of these married fiirts, if the term decent can be applied at all. is the man who never mentions his wife at all. Silence. utter and absolute. at least is due
 he injured one. But, whether these men be young or old, fascinating or tire some. they bear near resemblance one
 o another, and their signs and symbols iraw them as closely together as the Ma 'onic grip. Take them altogether, with put dwelling on their wickedness. they Ire set of mendacious bores, and no sensible woman, whether maid, wife or widow, can possibly tolerate them, unless, indeed, for the intense amusement which heir vanity and sclfpraise afford.