The Press., 1902-01-02
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS
 A Story Giving Some Excellent
 Views on Flirtinr.
lo oOOo oC0oo0Gooe

together W1tn movement or con- tempt, as though she were crushing a heart between them. What about | that?'
 "Oh, nothing" replied quietly. She seemed to be annoyed because was not annoyed.
 "Why shouldn't firt if want top she inquired again.
 "Oh, why not, indeed, my dear lady," ! returned, and then, lowing low, I added, "I am everlastingly at your service"
 "Y-you? Oh, couldn't flirt with you"
 "Why not? If I am deficient in in- tellectual capacity-I accept your dic- tum that the pursuit sharpens the in- tellec-you see, it might benefit me if you were to make use of me-" s-. She looked at me with frank smile so charming that-well, it made me angry to think that she should fiirt with any one else. | "It isn't that" she remarked bright ly. '.The fact is I don't like the heart breaking part of the business. To en- joy flirting thoroughly the person one firts with must be devoid of heart."- | "Well?" I asked.
 She shrugged her shoulders.
 "I'm afraid I shouldn't enjoy it with you.'
 Because I have heart!'
 "That, should imagine, is the infer ence," she remarked superciliously.
 nodded.
 "And is there the further inference | that you have-er-no heart" l asked. | "Oh, not necessarily; because"- She paused and then went on: Its like this, you see: In Irritation the wO- man, as a rule, is the initiator, and that being so she is prepared to place | exactly the correct amount of impor- tance on anything that is said." "In other words, she says things which she doesn't mean and listens to things which are also not meant, eh?"
 "That, fancy. is flirting" she said. I shook my head in disapproval.
 "1t's bad thing morally" remark ed. ''It tends to pervert ones sense of''--
 Sense of fiddlesticksv' she cried. Really, Hector, I am surprised to hear you. A good Irritation is'-
 "Like imitation diamonds I inter- rupted.
 "But''-she fixed her eyes on me 'but if one doesn't want to run the risk of losing the real'- l "Oh, now you are carrying the simile too far" I said 'In lovemaking'- Her face assumed an expression of utter disinterestedness.
 "You are beyond me now, Hector"
 "In the interests of the public, firt- ing ought to be sternly suppressed" I | said.
 She laughed airily.
 "That's because you love one Wo. man, my dear boy" She waited to see whether I would contradict her and then went on, "One cannot expect man who is i'll love to tolerate the firt- ing propensity in the woman he loves"
 I stared hard at her. Her words | just allowed of an interpretation other than the one that I loved her; but I l was not at all certain that dual inter- pretation was in her mind. | You mean?'' I asked. l "Oh, Hector, how blind you are! I mean that you never did see any one you cared for so much as you care for me. And I"-, E
 She paused, and flood of tenderness swept over her face.
 "Yes-and you?" I asked eagerly.
 "Surely you know" she murmured. "Surely you have seen"- | "I haven't seen anything" I inter- rupted hotly, except that you have kept me hanging around you for months, and-and-you know so well that love you more dearly than life."
 A smile flashed across her face and the tenderness vanished.
 '"There nowv' she cried. What did I say? There isn't any fun in flirting with a man of keart. You say what you mean and you mean what you say. You can't call that fun. Besides, it's very embarrassing"
 I controlled myself with an effort.
 'I beg you pardon, Alison," I said, with dignity. "I quite agree with you l-theres no fun in it, and it's very em- barrassing-for me-"
 We stood staring at each other for some moments, she with a smile on her face and I with scowl on mine. I had been fooled once more.
 I bore the silence until it threatened to turn my brain.
 elf you were man, would demand aD apology" I said stifhy.
 ''If I were a man-but men don't firt with each other, do they"
 ignored the question.
 "But seeing that yousare woman"- | c,I,o
 'T shall accept my dismissal and and go away" -a
 I could have kicked myself for hav- ing said that. "A s#
 "But, He.tor''- she began; but would not allow her to go on.
 "Oh, no doubt you would like me to remain to he made fool of again. I said sarcastically; but unfortunately can't. As you say, I have a heart, and"-
 eve all have," she murmured, and her tone was the same as the one she had before deceived me with.
 "You needn't begin with that again. said coldly; "not that you could take me in with remark so obviously un- true."
 Her face stiffened slightly.
 sWhy not call spade a spadeY she said. T am a liar-that is what you mean?'
 Something of the kind," I said, for was deeply hurt. ''One who says things which she doesn't mean is, take it, a. You will excuse me if I leave the word unsaid."
 "Oh, yes; but you are quite wrong, you know. All firts are not nars.'
 "They say things which they don't''-
 "You don't understand" she inter- rupted. They say things which they don't mean perhaps, but they may mean them all the same." I shrugged my shoulders.
 "Please excuse me for being so