Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-31

IA the right place
THIS kind II nirt l. fog one. admire,
and AT the same tsRe sincerely pity.
She cant help being what she Is. aud
she Is altogether charming in being Il.
50 that, although one feeis quite sure II
being forgotten the moment one Is cut
az sight, il is very delightful 10 bask IN
the sunshine for the moment. | pity
her, too. because so few persons under
stand her and almost everybody blames
her for being the firt she really cannot
help being As well blame hunming
bird for not being = barnyArd fowl and
LAYING good. useful eggs. BE. prefer
huInming birds 10 poaitry-at least
sometimes.
Ia distinction 10 the unconscious dirt
we have the scientific nirt. She by no
means practices her little arts because
sAe can't h,slp il. bar lays her plans and
studies her tactics as seriously as Napo-
leon or Wellington ever did. She hifts
just as men 90 cunning or fishing, be-
cause they enjoy the sport Of stalking
their game or playing their trout, and
when the deer is killed or the fish landed
II immediately becomes lost To interest
and the sportsman Is absorbed in look
ing out for the next prize.
The scientific fiirt does not beam upon
every conner as the unconscious dirt
does-she selects her subject with skill
and care. A man must have the power Of
amusing her; he must have quickness
of comprehension and the capacity Of
suffering aud Of feeling TO make il
worth her while to throw hook and
bait in his direction. Great stupid fell
lows, or men filled with an absorbing
love Of some profession or Of art or Of
their own selves, are quite uninteresting
10 the scientific fiirt. To carry our
similo a little farther. they are not
game fish," and she treats them with
supercihous indifference or good natured
contempt She likes . man who will
tilt with her. break q spear in his own
defense, but finally succumb TO her SUI
perior prowess; she likes, Of all things,
to see him try to persuade himself that
he likes some other woman better than
be does her, and to calmly swoop down
and bear him away.
But perhaps this swooping operation
belongs more exclusively to q class Of
experts who may fairly be ranked as
predatory fiirts. This class cares very
little for any man not already appropri-
ated by another woman. They like
young married men, or men engaged to
be married, and it is with an unholy joy
that they survey the conscientious strug-
giles their victims often make in the be-
ginning. Twas interested once in watch
ing the progress of such an affair, which
ran its course literally under my eyes at
q fashionable summer hotel in Switzer-
land.
The flirt was a woman Of singular
charm Of manner and voice; not es-
pecially handsome, but with great gray
eyes, which she managed to perfection,
and a cloud of soft dead gold hair, out
Of which she looked upon the world with
innocent surprise and inquiry. The sub
ject was an English army officer, and "a
fine looking fellow as ever saw. but
awfully spoiled by iattery. The bride
/. was q nice little person with common
place written all over her pretty little
face and figure and her highly respect
able English toilets. They sat opposite
each other at the table d'hote, where l
also took my dinner for the sake Of
studying the company.
My seat was next to the bride and my