The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-08-14
"A FLIRTATIo ON

Fanchette sank into my wicker chair
and sighed, while | busted myself with
the teapot Fanchette usually comes to
tell other peoples Joys or sorrows, and
if she has ever had any of her own no
Dne ever knew II, 50 glanced across
the vase of nodding roses interroga-.
lively 7~Hry --'s' = %. ''sr's,-'T
She tapped the floor with her absurd
" pointed toe and failed to answer my
Fery direct question The water bub-
tled In the brass kettle and the teacups
executed a jingling dance as Fan
shette's nervous foot struck against the
light table. poured out the fragrant
golden liquid, and Fanchette sighed
igain. .~
Lob dearr' she exclaimed.
Il am not going to ask you any ques
lions" I announced proudly as l drop
ped lump of sugar in my cup.
"NoP' said Fanchette, and we re-
lapsed into silence.
Il suppose" she said after pause,
'you would not disdaln to listen to to
story would your
81 should be delighted to hear it."
"Of course it is not about myself
she faltered
The girl had a fatal at of being sym
pathetic, OF drawing peoples conf
Fences from them, of saying sweet, com
forting things, when they had laid tl.eiF
troubles before her.
"a very dangerous gift"
Eyes; a two edged sword replied
Fanchette savagely.
Gwen. a man came to see her one
day He was engaged to friend of
hers, and they had quarreled. 1t was
simple lovers quarrel and would have
mended itself, healed by kisses and ca
resses, but when the man told my
friend about it she happened TO be in
sympathetic mood and opened her eyes
very wide, shook her head sadly and
assured him of the pain which 1t gave
her to know that her friend could be
80 cruel.
$50 the man felt very righteous and
much abused and decided that his
fiancee needed to be punished. He did
not go near her for three weeks, and
she told my friend that life was not
worth living. So this professional
sympathizer told her to stand on her
dignity and not to write to him; that
she would bring things around all in
good time. ,s,sr--tr,er-S.-.'-------1
-7tss~..kAIi this time the dlsconsolate lover
paid regular visits to my sympathetic
friend Sometimes she scolded him,
and sometimes she was kind But to
her amazement she made no progress
toward reconciliation. He was big
blond, stubborn as a Greek, but just
the kind of man woman can Irvine
around her finger. She tried smiles
and dignified lectures, she was coquet-
tishly sweet, but nothing moved him.
He said he was quite contented as he
was and would not forgive Mildred.
Then she told him he was inhuman, a
cruel brute, monster.
"And he only laughed
"You see, the trouble was she had
been used to coquetting with young
fellows. He was older, shrewder and
even more of flirt than she, and he
understood her.
zone day his fancee came and ac-
cused her of flirting with him She
called her an INSCRIPTIONS coquette
and ragged and wept, and they both
went into mysteries, but each declared
the man was not worth crying about,
but that it was each others reprehen-
sible conduct which made them sor-
rowful OF course the end of it was
that my friend had to tell him to stop
coming to see her, and then-oh, and
then
"Well, and them?
Fanchette leaned a hot cheek on a
slim hand ooh, it's a silly story he
said he loved her and not Mildred"
Outrageous
"Of course It was. He said 1t was her
Fault that she had brought out all the
arts and graces and smiles of coquetry
TO plead for Mildred, but had done the
very worst thing in the world to bring
about a reconciliation, And he said he
would never cease his attentions until
she said she loved him Well, what
could she do?"
"Do, Fanchette Send him away with
very sound scolding ringing in his
ears What a question:
well she didn't. She was a foolish
girl and listened to him And well, Of
course. she was fond of him, but she
said she was not and laughed at him,
laughed at his anger and his shame
and sent him away vowing revenge
'Nas that right? 1t made her unhap-
py; 1t made him miserable; 1t lowered
his opinion of women But she graft
fed her scruples. That's all Of the sto-
ry. Give me another cake"
She leaned back in the wicker chair,
the tendrils Of golden hair clustered on
her white forehead The freight shone
on her upturned round chin and white
throat
"And the seQuel%
"What do you think it isg"
'Wcn he came back thirty times and
at last won her, as persistent men do,
especially when they know a girl likes
them, as this man certainly did"
Really, do you think SOP"
''Of course. He saw through the "
flo farce You look flushed Fanchettpp'