The Portland daily press., 1892-05-28
A DILEMMA.

Mr.. Eertram Lamar sat on the arm OF
o chair in the hall of the hotel at Scar
borough and idly swung his foot. Mr..
Lamar was bored An extended ac-
quaintance with til ...ng man forces
me to confess that | 4.s not often af-
ficted in that way. We know that no
man can aspire to be of the highest
fashion without constantly experiencing
the pangs of this distinguished ailment,
and yet Mr.. Lamar was unquestionably
of the highest fashion. The most cursory
glance would tell you this. Any ono
could see that he belonged to the best
people, that he was used to the best
people, that only the best people would
be bearable to him. But now he was
genuinely bored.
| Ladies passed-old ones, who swept
up the dust with trains, and who creaked
as they moved, as if they wanted oiling;
young ones in light frocks and wide,
Powered hats cast a shadow over the
clearest eyes. They kept banging open
the glass doors and going out into the
blaze of sun beyond, with bursting
into bloom of lace parasols, OF coming
into the cool Of the hall, with the rus
ting, silken sheathing of the parasols
suddenly furled and the tapping of little
heels on tie hard floor. He never
glanced at them. But they did at him
swiftly, obliquely-from under their
hat brim, out of the shadow. He looked
away, with raised chin and indolently
dropped eyelids.
There was one girl--she kept going to
and fro-aud as he looked on the ground
he could see the hem of her dress and
her feet. They were pretty feet in yell
low shoes, small and pointed. MI.
Lamar found himself Illuminating. '.Sup-
pose the head is as pretty as, the feet.
But it never is. There's law of COM
pensating which prevents that. The
head which belongs to those feet is
tl1irty-fve." And he looked up. The
head matched the feet to perfection.
Mr.. Lamar felt thathe didn't look bored
any longer. Rather, however, than
sacrifice this dearly bought and enviable
condition of being, he turned his back
on that enchanting head, and sauntered
into an adjoining room. There would
be no one to look at there.
The room was empty, cool and dim. It
had oak chairs and tables and writing
desks, sea green walls and q great win
dow opening on the balcony. Outside
there were ladies of uninteresting ages
sitting under a forest of parasols. Be-
yond were velvety sweeps of close crop
ped turf, dappled with short shadows
shrinking to the tree roots. Splinters Of
dusty sunlight crept down the boles of
the stately elms and trembled on the
white dresses Of passing girls. Mr.. La
mar felt that he might gaze upon this
prospect for on infnitude of time and re-
main bored.
But fate willed otherwise. AS he en-
tered the room he saw something on the
floor near the table. He picked it up. It
was q band about an inch and a half
wide, covered with puckered yellow rib
bon, and with one end run through a
clasp of dull silver showing monogram
in small diamonds. There was bunch
of narrower yellow ribbon besides the
clasp, each end finished with little
tongueless silver bell. 1t appeared to
Lamar from some hanging flaments of
thread that the two ends had once been
stitched together. He looked curiously
at his find
"What can it be?' he unused, staring
at it.
We have said that he was young, and
came of the best people, and with the
best people there is always a doubt as to
whether they wear such vulgar things as
stockings or possess such uncomfortable
Things as legs. "Wings, not legs and
feet, shall move them," as the poet grace
fully expresses it.
Lamar first thought he would take it
to the Office, but curiosity compelled him
TO study it. 1t might be worn round the
neck; but no, it was not long enough.
He drew the severed ends together and
held it off from him, cycling it obviously
and refectively pulling his small NOUS
tache. Oh, yes, of course. Now he
saw. How dense he'd been A bracelet.
Holding it together he pushed his hands
through it and it swung on his wrist.
81 don't think I ever saw bracelet
just like that before" he thought. NOV
ing it around and looking at it with his
head on one side.
And then, as he looked at it, came a
sudden fash of Weakening light, and for
moment he stood staring at it IN
stupefed horror as it hung over his
wrist. With the return of conscious
ness he crunnpled it up and crushed it
into his pocket. What should he dc
with it? If he took it to the Office the
owner would never dare to claim it. II
he found out wha she was he would
never dare to offer it.
He could imagine thescene. A lovely
and youthful lady is discovered walking
in the corridors. To her appears Mr..
Bertram Lamar in full evening dress,
with white pink in his buttonhole.