Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-10-01
DAILY STORY
1T is TO FLIRT.

LOriEinal.l
My Russian friend Otterhoff asked
me to explain the English word fiirt.
To do SO l told him this story:
when l was IA young man one win
ter / caught the roller skate craze. l
went to rink, put on pair of skates,
started out OH the floor and-Sat down.
| got up and, shutiling to the rail in
closing the rink. grasped it and started
10 go around, clinging to it. l hadn't
gone far before l met a young girl
who had one hand on that same rail.
| would rather have met herd of cat
tie on precipice. Either | must leave
the rail to her, taking my chance of
going on the back of my head, or for
ever surrender my self respect. l kept
my self respect and surrendered the
rail.
Il was repaid by nod of thanks
from the girl, accompanied by Il very
sweet smile. As soon as she had pass
ed L grasped the rail and drew q sigh
of relief. Presently l saw the same
girl coming again. She Skatcd better
than |, who was on the rollers for the
first time, and l thOught-indeed, l
hoped-she would this time return my
| sacrifice by giving way to me. She
| did not. AS she approached | SAW q
| faint trace of amusement on her face,
| especially in her eyes; then when with
| in n few feet of me she east them
| down as if much panied to accept
| from me what was due to her sex.
| Again my Gallantry prevailed. and
| moved to what was to me imminent
| danger ana again won mute thanks,
| conveyed by the eyes and lips. / con
| sidered them ample recompense even
| for so great sacrifice.
| well. ever few minutes the girl
| would come round, meet me, and
| would get out of her way. | was
| gradually getting a trifle used to my
skates, but did not drop any of my
| woebegone expression at being Obliged
to trust myself to them.
| BY and by began to think that the
| girl had become familiar enough will
her skates to trust herself on the rini
| at least for the few moments neccs
sary to our pasSing-but she showed
no disposition to do so. though ut oul
meetings her gratitude found more at
tractive expression. Indeed, | was he
ginning to take positive pleasure IL
my sacrifices when they were inter
| rupted.
| The girl was approaching me for thu
seventh or eighth time when a youn:
man skated up to her and said in ;
surprised tone:
| "Why. Miss kitty, what are you do
ing hanging on to the rail-you, one o
the best skaters in the rink?'
The girl laughed. flung me look full
of merriment and, loosing her hold
sailed out ON to the floor like a bird.
Never has an inability to do any
thing troubled me so much as not t
have been able to make a similar dis
play of my own craftsmanship. Th
| girl darted hither and thitber grace
| fully. while l was still clinging to tn
rail- Then the young man who hat
spoken to her caught her hand, ant
, together they skinned the surface lik
| a pair of swallows. She seemed t
take q malicious pleasure In fitting b.
: me. at times some of her ribbons fiut
tering in my face, just to show m
how independent she was of that raj
to which I was chained. Once whe
she passed me, collecting all my nerve
let go and took a few Independent
strokes. My feet flew into the air, an
with the thud that followed was mir
: gled smothered laugh from my to'
), mentor as she whisked away.
e "The next evening was at the skat
ing rink, and the next and the mex
\ 1t was not until the fourth evenin
; that / saw again the girl who ha
fooled me. When 1 did she was ska
ing with the young fellow who had b'
trayed her skill on the rollers TO INT
81 AS she passed me she did not motto
me any more than II 1 We're a. Wort