The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-09-07
AN AMOROuS DILEMMA
BY GILBERT HINk.

(Copyright)
Harold Stout was an anemic youth
with great aspirations.
His physical appearance and his
Christian name-the latter hitched
to him before he had passed the bald
and rudy stage of early cradlehood-
led people who knew him to remark
that he would probably never amount
to much.
The people were, in a sense, correct
In their differences; but Harold was a
fair hand with q tennis racket and
thought we'll Of himself.
Anyway, in the absence Of some one
more herculean, he Is hereby assigned
to duty as the hero Of this particular
story.
Kindly overlook his shortcomings.
From early childhood he always kept
, his hair parted at the proper angle
and smoothed correctly over his fore
head. This practice Of boyhood led
inevitably to the proper thing In neck
ties. trousers properly creased and
furled above shoes that could be de-
pended upon to be somewhere near
the prevailing style, although a little
too large. perhaps. to be called nifty
Harold was a prime favorite with
the young suffragists In the town
where he boarded with his folks. He
was fairly at home on the blandishing
line, and his work never interfered
with his social duties.
He spent his evenings away from
home, II the social elect of the town
had anything in the way Of appropri-
ate diversion scheduled. Being good
waltzer, and also able to turn the
leaves of the latest popular song for
the lady at the piano without spiking
the harmony with an ill-advised re-
versal, he had q chance to meet all OF
the nice girls OF the town, and was
often seen escorting one or more OF
them home after the hostess had been
thanked for the ice cream.
Sooner or later, Harold had walked
home with every young woman in the
town. and the rougher boys. who
couldn't go to party without whiting
down q collar. began to hate him.
With all Of his social appearances
Harold was not in love. The young
women probably considered him very
nice in the capacity Of an attendant
but demurred at taking him to sup
port.
There came a time. though. when
Harold slipped of into the abyss o
love, and having never been In the
abyss before. he felt strange.
Two sisters-twin sisters-consti
tuted the stumbling block over which
] he lost his equilibrium. He met them
one pleasant evening, at an informa
| affair at the home Of Miss SPOTS. The
affair was informal because Miss
Spots father. a blacksmith, desired
! to live an unpretentiOus life.
The twins were named Louise ant
Eloise, respectively and respectfully
They looked very much the same. l
| was easy to tell them apart-whel
they were tagged. Otherwise not.
When Harold was introduced, h
told them they looked very much alike
They replied that they had been toll
the same thing. before, which wa
/ probably true, as they had resemble'
each other all along.
The remark. however inane, was tn
! wedge which broke up the converse
ton into convenient blocks. The,
) learned that he liked tennis, becaus
It was an outdoor game, but dislike'
football, because the players becam
too dusty. He learned that they wer
practicing q duet and liked banan
I cream, but couldn't row.
| After the party adjourned Harol
found himself walking home with tn
twins. He supplied one-third OF tn
II conversation, but didn't presume t
II distinguish between Louise and e
oise. He avoided any mistake b
saying Miss Stone" which was tn
last name of either Of the twins O
their fathers side.
They walked slowly on the wa
home, and were much better acQuain
ed when they arrived. which show
that Harold was alive to the situation
II Before leaving for his own home h
decapitated rose In the front law
at the home of the Misses Stone, an
in the quiet of his room kissed IL
petals, afterward putting It CAREFUL
away in q mail-order catalogue
press.
- There we're other symptoms Of Low
noticeable before Harold retired. An
. when he awoke the next morning
Z was broken out with It
Z He was q youth who came to CO,
= illusions and meals quickly. He deve
z oped q case of mumps In four day
: after being exposed. which shows tbs
Z he was, in q way. quite precocious.
: Being thus constituted. he knee
Z right OF that he was In love with on
3 Of the twins. Not being able to distil
Z guish between them. he was unable
: say which one he loved. but he wa
& certain he could tell in two guesses.
- IT, .oo~x{o&lDn that ho UNA rnon