The St. Johns herald., 1896-06-06
A WOULD BE FLIRT.

IT a woman really IS III lOV0 Wltn
 her husband, she cannot expect to have
 very good time at dance"
 So spoke the dearest little woman in
 all the world late one evening on re-
 turning from a pleasant entertainment
 given by one of our neighbors, as she
 sank wearily into one of the big sofa cushions that adorned the couch of our room.
 I knew by the curious way she had acted during our short walk home that something was troubling her pretty head, so preserved a discreet silence after the utterance of the above remark. She gave me a quick glance to notice the effect of her words, and seeing me busily engaged in removing bunch of white carnations from the lapel of my dress coat she continued:
 "She may enjoy herself after a fashion, but in order to thrill as she did as girl it is necessary to be interested more or less in somebody else. ''
 Still I kept silent, and gathering courage from pure lack of opposition she went on:
 "f I were only able to f1irt, I could get along famously. have often seen other women add this variety to their lives, and as far as I could ever find out no harm resulted.
 "Pray do not abstain from any such enjoyment on my account, !" I interposed.
 Don't flatter yourself, my dear" she said. "I have the inner consciousness that have tried and failed-yes, failed utterly"
 "Tried what?'
 "Tried to f1irt, you goose. I Idetermin- sd to try it just as an experiment.. I'll tell you all about it if you won't inter rupt me and will be real good to me for the rest of my life.
 "Yes, tried desperately to imagine myself an i'll treated woman; that I hated you terribly, and finally to make myself believe that such person as Godfrey Gordon never existed, but to what an end Just as fancied was succeeding, you would bob up serenely into vision and there you would stay, no matter how hard I tried to forget you. '
 Of late, after the many social func- tions we had attended, had noticed disposition on the part of my wife to answer only vaguely to my inquiries as to whether she had enjoyed herself at Mrs. So-andso's musicale, or Miss Somebody's reception, but l never sup posed for moment there was anything serious on her mind, as the above some what gloomy expression indicated. So I turned all attention to hear what might be called confession.
 Maybe you would not be averse to being given all opportunity to use my insurance money, or else judge ill the divorce court might be prevailed upon to render his decision''-
 But here my remarks were cut short by a demonstration that would hardly look we'll in words-in fact, should be at loss how to express such a mani festation of feminine protestation.
 When she had resumed state that made intelligibiiity possible, she broke forth:
 "Now. Godfrey, that is too unkind for anything. When come to you to tell you all, you stand there and make fun of me. You had better be careful, young man. It may be worse than you suppose. You know what your favOrite, Congreve, says:
 Heaven hath no rage like love to hatred turned Nor hell fury like a woman scorned.
 "So keep real good till I have finished.
 "You see, before l was married, whenever I went to dance, there was always some one-four or five in fact whom I thoroughly liked, and on whom I could count to speak to me before the evening was oyer and with whom could have pleasant chat and dance. So, no matter how distasteful my pres ent partner might be, my anticipations were pleasant enough to make up for the present.
 "There were certain men who per haps were not actually in love with me (she said this with perfectly straight face), but who invariably felt disposed to drift in my direction, so that was kept perpetually buoyed up while talk ing with the stupid ones and absorbed after they did speak to me by delightful uncertainty as to what the future might bring forth. That, of course, was before l met you, dear.
 "When go to dances now, seem to lose remembrance of the fact that am married, and with woman's vanity I begin to be painfully aware that the very men who would have stood on their heads had I asked it in the past could not count on now to take the least interest in me or to talk other than the dreariest platitudes. They were painful ly polite, would advance toward me with few commonplace remarks, and when they favored me at a german with | some glittering trinket, for which I used to be crazy, I felt as though it was an expression of charity, portraying that. having made my choice, I must | abide by it and not expect any very great | exertion on their part.
 1T drifted from bad to worse till I reached a state of desperation, and when I saw Mrs. Sweetly gazing fondly into Dicky Robinson's eyes the other evening I said to myself, There is a woman who | really lives, and the reason she does is because she forgets she is married.
 "Then it was, Godfrey, dear, that I | tried to force myself to forget that you had ever crossed my path-that is, of course, only when went to some social l gathering. You know you are so fond of your cigars.