The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1908-07-17
1t Is to Flirt.


MY Russian friend Otterhoff asked
me to explain the English word fiirt.
To do SO / told him this story:
when l was young man one win
ter l caught the roller skate craze. l
went to a rink, put on pair of skates,
started out on the floor and-sat down.
got up and, shutting to the rail in
closing the rink, grasped it and started
to go around, clinging to it. l hadn't
gone far before i met 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, OF for
ever surrender my self respect. l kept
my self respect and surrendered the
rail-
II was repaid by nod of thanks
from the girl, accompanied by very
sweet smile. AS soon as she had pass
ed | grasped the rail and drew a sigh
of relief. Presently l saw the same
girl coming again. She skated better
than /, who was on the rollers for the
first time, and l thought-indeed, /
hoped-she would this time return my
sacrifice by giving way to me. She
did not. AS she approached l saw
faint trace of amusement on her face,
especially in her eyes; then when with
in a few feet of me she cast them
N
from me what was due to her sex.
Again my gallantry prevailed, and l
moved to what was to me imminent
danger and again won mute thanks,
conveyed by the eyes and lips. l con-
sidered them ample recompense even
for SO great a sacrifice.
"Well, every few minutes the girl
would come round, meet me, and |
would get out of her way. l 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 with
her skates to trust herself on the rink
at least for the few moments neces-
sary to our passing she showed
no disposition to do so, though at our
meetings her gratitude found more at
tractive expression. Indeed, l was be-
ginning to take a positive pleasure in
my sacrifices when they were inter-
rupted.
The girl was approaching me for the
seventh or eighth time when young
man skated up to her and said in a
surprised tone:
"Why, Miss Kitty, what are you do
ing hanging on to the rail-you, one of
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 bird.
Never has an inability to do any
firing troubled me so much as not to
have been able to make a similar dis
play of my own craftsmanship. The
girl darted hither and thither grace
fully, while l was still clinging to the
rail. Then the young man who had
spoken to her caught her hand, and
together they skinned the surface like
pair of swallows. She seemed tt
take malicious pleasure In fitting by
me, at times some of her ribbons fut
tering In my face, just to show me
how Independent she was of that raj
to which I was chained. Once wheI
she passed me, collecting all my nerve
| let go and took few Independent
strokes. My feet flew into the air, ant
with the tbud that followed was min
Eled a smothered laugh from my tor
mentor as she whisked away.
1.-THE next evening was at the skat
ing rink, and the next and the next
/ 1t was not until the fourth evening
| that / saw again the girl who hat
fooled me- When did she was skat
ing with the young fellow who had be
trayed her skill on the rollers to me
As she passed me she did not notice
me any more than IL I were worn
of the dust, but looked up into thu
face of her attendant with an ex
preston Of admiration and devotion
passed her purposely number o
times during the evening-for l coult
now skate indifferently- hoping to Sc
cure some slight recognition, but sh
paid no attention to me till she passe,
me Just before leaving the rink, ant
then all got was an amused smile.
II think by this little incident | hay
conveyed to you one meaning Mt leas
of the word dirt When the girl frs
saw me and had just chung to tn
rail, she took to 1t herself on purpos
to force me to let go. Then she KEEP
up her pretense for the purpose o
bothering me. But her real objec
was to attract my attention, to pu
herself in my way. to charm me as
snake would charm bird-in othe
words, to flirt. Do you see?'
Eyes, see. But when a ma
plays that same game with a woma
what do you call him-a fiirtY'
Certainly not. There Is no word /
our language to express what 70
mean. 1t is the woman only VIII
flirts."
| aknJ WOW fnnk No no RI in this Ifttl