Las Vegas optic., 1914-10-10
AN AMOROUS DILEMMA
BY GILBERT HlNK.


CnIlBIlan ndm6-lne ldILeT HltcuSu
to him before he had passed the bald
and ruddy stage of early cradlehood-
led people who knew him to remark
that he would probably never amount
to much.
The people were, in sense, correct
In their inferences; but Harold was a
fair hand with a tennis racket and
thought well 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 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, If 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 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 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 off into the abyss of
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 informal
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 and
Eloise, respectively and respectfully.
They looked very much the same. 1t
was easy to tell them apart-when
they were tagged Otherwise not.
When Harold was introduced, he
told them they looked very much alike.
They replied that they had been told
the same thing before, which was
probably true, as they had resembled
each other all along.
The remark, however inane, was the
wedge which broke up the conversa-
ton into convenient blocks They
learned that he liked tennis, because
1t was an outdoor game, but disliked
football, because the players became
too dusty. He learned that they we're
practicing duet and liked banana
cream, but couldn't row.
After the party adjourned Harold
found himself walking home with the
twins. He supplied one-third of the
conversation, but didn't presume to
distinguish between Louise and Ell
oise. He avoided any mistake by
saying Miss Stone" which was the
last name OF either of the twins on
their fathers side.
They walked slowly on the way
home, and were much better acquaint-
ed when they arrived, which shows
that Harold was alive to the situation.
Before leaving for his own home he
decapitated a rose in the front lawn
at the home Of the Misses Stone; and
In the quiet Of his room kissed its
petals, afterward putting it carefully
away in mail-order catalogue to
press.
There were other symptoms of love
noticeable before Harold retired, and
when he awoke the next morning he
was broken out with 1t.
He was youth who came to con
clusions and meals quickly He deyeI-
oped case of mumps In four days
after being exposed, which shows that
hs was, In way. quite precocious.
Being thus constituted, he knew
right off that he was In love with one
of the twins. Not being able to distin-
guish between them, he was unable to
say which one he loved, but he was
certain he could tell in two guesses.
The conviction that he was uncer-
tain which Miss Stone he loved trou.
bled him greatly at his work the day
following his introduction, and one
customer complained that be put
nfra xvherrv flavor IN the ica oraor,