Werner and Elaine Dannheisser, East Hampton residents for many years, are now being celebrated by the Museum of Modern Art in New York for the art collection the couple amassed during the last decade and a half, which is to say, from the beginning of the '80s art boom to the present day. The tribute is MoMA's way of thanking the Dannheissers for donating this formidable collection to the museum.

This is perhaps the only chance to see the Dannheissers' collection, since it will not be preserved intact, and most of it will probably end up in storage. The collection is on view at the museum until Jan. 20, with larger works rotated through the exhibit at intervals, since MoMA's space is limited.

East Hampton residents may remember Elaine Dannheisser from the scandalously unkind, unfair, know-nothing report on the New York art world which aired on "60 Minutes" last year, which virtually ridiculed Ms. Dannheisser for her taste and made much of her singular looks.

"Good Art"

Ms. Dannheisser's taste is certainly adventurous; but, since she was creating a collection of artworks which would be donated to the museum, she was not particularly concerned with finding works that would look good over a sofa, which seemed to comprise in its entirety what "60 Minutes" considered "good art."

In the entire Dannheisser collection there were only a few works of quiet beauty (Sigmar Polke and Brice Marden come to mind) which could have been placed with any success over a sofa. But so far as the Dannheissers were concerned in their collecting, questions of interior decoration were of no concern whatsoever.

Hard To Like

In fact, a number of Dannheisser artworks are among the most difficult-to-appreciate of their time, and many people who visit the brightly lit Dannheisser exhibit will leave it, as I did, with a violent headache.

One specifically unpleasant work, Bruce Nauman's "Learned Helplessness in Rats (Rock and Roll Drummer)" (1988), features a noisy video projection of a rock-and-roll drummer, counterpoised with two videotapes of a rat in a maze, set beside an acrylic section of the maze itself.

The terrible noise from this work echoes through the entire gallery installation, colliding with the harsh laughter emanating from another Nauman installation nearby, thus creating, literally, an assault upon the senses.

The photographer Cindy Sherman's equally disturbing "Untitled #250" (1992), gives a lurid large-scale photograph in which the artist appears to be composed of dismembered body parts, sex toys, and excrement. In a far gallery, in an artwork by Robert Gober, a human leg seems to emanate from a wall.

While the Dannheissers collected work that was greatly hyped at the time and, as a result, is all too familiar to art world regulars (the intensely marketed work of Jeff Koons; the dreary and cliched floor pieces by Carl Andre), the Dannheissers also managed to obtain less easily seen works which have certainly added to MoMA's collection. Robert Storr, curator of the exhibit, was particularly delighted with the addition of "classic Minimalism, neo-Expressionism, neo-Dada, process, and conceptual art and new forms of photography" which came to the museum through the Dannheissers.

For this reviewer, the most exciting works, and the most enjoyable, were also some of the least celebrated: particularly the all-too-easily overlooked conceptual work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres and the double-sided transparency painting of Sigmar Polke. Thanks to the Dannheissers, the MoMA now has the most extensive holdings of these artists to be found in the United States.

Keifer And Beuys

Other highlights of the exhibit include paintings by Anselm Kiefer, a vitrine by Joseph Beuys, the quixotic landscape photography of Thomas Struth, and the uncanny sculptural work of Katharina Fritsch.

Art is, in the end, a delicate endeavor, and artists of today, however venturesome or transgressive, need patrons to sponsor their work and museums to house it. Uptown from MoMA, the Ganz collection is going to auction at Christie's at the same time that the Dannheisser collection is on view at MoMA; the two exhibits show that the kinds of collecting and connoisseurship possible within the art world are many and varied, and so too are their ultimate ends.

Whatever one may think of the individual works in the Dannheisser collection, the collection as a whole seems to define a moment in art-world history: a generation's taste for art which was formed by an avaricious gallery scene and represented by work that is primarily bizarre, shocking, and unappealing.

It was good of the Dannheissers to care enough about art to collect such aggressive and difficult work, and good of them, as well, to find a home for it at the Museum of Modern Art rather than place it on the auction block. What history will make of the collection, or the Dannheissers themselves, time alone will tell, but there is no doubting this couple's generosity, or their commitment to the art of our time.

As New York City goes, so goes Main Street, East Hampton.

That's how Michael Dadario sees it, anyway.

Mr. Dadario is the executive director for stores and operations, nationwide, of Banana Republic, the clothing retailer. Banana Republic, which has 246 branches, will open another one soon at 35 Main Street - vintage brick-front quarters that last season housed a high-end women's clothier called Kapsiki.

The store is coming to the village, said Mr. Dadario, because of the "crossover." With 11 branches in New York City, weekenders, he thinks, will also shop at its branch here. "It seems appropriate," the executive said, adding that he had been seeking the "right spot" in East Hampton Village for six or seven years.

More Charm

No matter that Banana Republic also has a 7,000-square-foot store in Bridgehampton Commons, where both men's and women's wear can be had (only women's clothes will be sold on Main Street). The chain's parent company, the Gap, also has shops in Bridgehampton, one for adults, one for kids.

The space here, about 6,800 square feet, will have "more charm," said Mr. Dadario. Renovated, with the approval of the Village Design Review Board, it will resemble "a residence - with several little rooms inside."

He declined to say how long the lease will run (Bridgehampton's branch has seven years to go), or what the space costs.

How Women Dress

But he did have thoughts on how women dress these days - "the same all week."

At least 50 percent of the city's employers have "a relaxed dress code," he observed - no more "power suits all week and jeans on the weekend." Now it's slacks, skirts, and tops.

And that's what will be for sale - along with shoes, intimate apparel, jewelry, and fragrances.

Banana Republic plans to remain open year-round.

A rising chorus of complaints about a steel barrier erected by William Rudin to protect a dune restoration project at his oceanfront residence washed up at the Bridgehampton Citizens Advisory Committee on Nov. 12.

In a unanimous vote, members asked the Southampton Town Board to rescind the temporary permit it gave Mr. Rudin to build the barrier, called a cofferdam, stating that it was responsible for exacerbating erosion caused by successive stormy weekends and destroying "precious beach property."

Fred Cammann, a committee member, urged the group to take a stand against the 300-foot-long structure, which rises 15 feet above the beach. "It's empirically obvious that this has had a destructive impact," Mr. Cammann said. "I'm totally convinced this is a failed experiment."

Town Board Gave Okay

Mr. Rudin received permission from the Town Board to erect the cofferdam at his Dune Road property while First Coastal Corporation of Westhampton Beach installed a "subsurface dune restoration system" of giant sandbags buried at a contour, and plantings.

The agreement settled a $75 million lawsuit against the town brought by Mr. Rudin and eight neighbors.

Although the Town Board held a special meeting on Monday to discuss erosion problems that have wiped out a stairway, left cesspools exposed at Scott Cameron Beach, and forced it to shore up the dune there, it did not withdraw the permit, which expires early next month.

"Hot Spot"

The erosion has forced Mr. Rudin's neighbor Edward Padula to move his house back, away from danger, while high tides have cut off beach passage around the structure.

"I understand how someone can look at this and say it's Westhampton all over again," said Mr. Rudin this week. "This problem has been going on for five or six years. The damage that was done would have happened if the cofferdam wasn't there."

He laid the problem to a "hot spot," or low point in the barrier sand bar, that he said has slowly been making its way from east to west.

"The storms that have come up have made the situation worse," he said. "Hopefully, the beach will come back as it always has and the situation will resolve itself."

Natural Or Manmade?

Mr. Rudin said contractors were delayed somewhat by the storms but are now working overtime and on weekends to get the project finished by Dec. 10.

Robert G. Dean, an oceanographer from the University of Florida, inspected the site last weekend, he said, and concluded that the scouring, which occurred on either side of the cofferdam, was a natural storm occurrence.

But committee members and a number of guests who attended an open house held by the group disagreed.

"The damn beach was there before he put this up, and now the beach is gone," said Ted Damiecki, a Bridgehampton resident.

Fears Precedent

Peter Hopping, a committee member, commented that if the structure remained in place much longer, Mr. Rudin would find himself "with a steel fortress surrounded by water."

Another visitor, Gregg Petersen, said he feared the project would set a precedent for neighbors who would want to protect their own property.

Their efforts would be doomed to failure, he said, adding, "The only people who think they can do anything are in the dune restoration business."

Neighbors, Too?

David Muller, a caretaker for Mr. Rudin's neighbors Sandy and Rona Schneiderman, said the beach had already built itself back up, but committee members scolded him for his defense of the project.

"Are they going to build one, too?" asked Mr. Cammann of the Schneidermans.

"You're condemning him and you haven't given him a chance," Mr. Muller said of Mr. Rudin.

"He's already had his chance, and it's not working," shot back Mr. Hopping.

Public Restroom

On a less controversial note, John Rand, a committee member who has led a one-man crusade for the construction of a public restroom in Bridgehampton, announced that his efforts may pay off.

Mr. Rand told the committee that Robert Duffy, the town's director of land management, has agreed a public restroom should be a priority and has offered to help find a place on town property to build it.

Earlier this year Mr. Rand canvassed business owners on Main Street, who unanimously agreed a bathroom was needed. Many offered to contribute toward the cost of construction, he noted.

Keith Davis, the owner of the Golden Pear Cafe, sees the day when as many as 150 franchises will be serving his muffins, homemade soups, and sandwiches across the country, and he wants to take local investors along for what he hopes is an entrepreneurial success story.

Mr. Davis, who announced plans last summer to take his Pear Tree Group Inc. public, outlined a 12-year growth plan and took time out to celebrate his first restaurant's 10th anniversary at Southampton's Polish Hall on Friday.

"We believe we have a brand and a concept that have some potential," he said. "We think we are going to penetrate upscale markets - the main street, malls, and cities."

Mr. Davis started his first cafe on Main Street in Southampton. He has since added branches in East Hampton, Bridgehampton, and Westhampton Beach.

To raise start-up capital for the proposal, he launched a private stock offering in September through First Summit Securities Inc. of New Jersey, which will allow investors to buy a stake in his company for as little as $625.

Known as a small-business offering, or 504-D, the method was approved by the Federal Government in 1992. It allows businesses to raise up to $1 million without incurring the expenses associated with large-scale underwritings.

Stock Offering

The entrepreneur said he was about halfway to his $900,000 goal already.

Investors have until Dec. 15 to purchase a minimum of 250 shares of stock at $2.50 apiece. Each share carries the right to buy another share at the same price, $2.50, over a two-year period beginning Dec. 15, 1998.

Mr. Davis would like to see more than a dozen Golden Pear franchises operating on Long Island and in the metropolitan area by Dec. 15, 2000.

His plan is to raise additional capital at that time through an initial public offering in the over-the counter market.

Heading West

"That will give us a chance to stop, look around, and take a good look at the company," he said. "It's one thing to manage a store 15 minutes away from you, it's something else to set up shop in Manhattan."

Long-range, he plans to expand further along the Eastern Seaboard before heading west.

"It will take a good seven years to get over to California," he said. "But that's part of the growth plan. We want to expand intelligently."

Along the way, he will be seeking investors who are willing to put up between $190,000 and $250,000 to own a Golden Pear franchise and do things his way, including following proprietary recipes and buying from approved suppliers.

Turnaround

Although Mr. Davis admits it is far too early to peg a value on the stock, he is aiming for a price range from $7 to $10 at the time of the public offering.

While that would represent a nifty turnaround for investors, Mr. Davis, 34, hopes those who buy into the company have as long-term a viewpoint as he does.

"I'm in no hurry," he said. "I intend to be president and C.E.O. of this company for the rest of my working life. I plan to spend the next 25 to 30 years transforming this into a national brand."

Going National

Using as an example Boston Market, a similar restaurant business that quickly established 1,200 franchises and then experienced problems, Mr. Davis said a common mistake was to try to expand too fast, and perhaps lose control of quality.

Mr. Davis began thinking of franchising several years ago. The idea of going national is more recent. "I went to a conference," he said, "and I was challenged in a big way to develop a big, bold goal."

AMAGANSETT

Miller to Melissa and Mary Bazar, Town Lane, $360,000.

Accumano to Jonathan Wallace, Dolphin Drive, $265,000.

Klein to Joseph and Nancy Walker, Broadview Road, $900,000.

Basher Jr. and John Jilnicki (trustee), Hedges Lane, $1,100,000.

BRIDGEHAMPTON

Follini to Lawrence and Claudia McCarthy, Topping's Path, $215,000.

Arone to Cliffeton Green, Millstone Road, $250,000.

EAST HAMPTON

Bortee to Esther Krohn, Fieldview Lane, $365,000.

Rempe to Max Rempe and Carolyn Boyle, Osborne Lane, $177,000.

Delsener to Robert Marc and William Roach, Middle Lane, $1,600,000.

Tabor to Jane Brody and Jill Linder, Oyster Pond Road, $270,000.

Davis to Arnold Kusnetz and Debra Rosenblatt, Anvil Court, $391,000.

Fedi to Chris and Zanetta Classens, Accabonac Road, $215,000.

Conklin estate to Thomas and Lianne Miller, Three Mile Harbor Road, $320,000.

MONTAUK

Chiaramonte to Harry and Rita Sinnamon, Tuthill Road, $350,000.

Krow to Joan Kopsick, West Lake Drive, $180,000.

Lang to Jeanne Levy-Hinte, Old Montauk Highway, $1,550,000.

NORTHWEST

McVicar to Andrew Baker and Risa Peters, Musket Lane, $287,000.

SAG HARBOR

Tiska to Ocean View Farms Ltd., Cliff Drive, $270,000.

Chase to Michael Eicke, Burke Street, $390,000.

Fink to Nan Goldin, Concord Street, $300,000.

SAGAPONACK

Shaw Jr. to Brenda and Wade Nichols III, Crestview Lane, $1,060,000.

SPRINGS

Gillham to Shelby and Kate Werwa, Longwoods Lane, $225,000.

Holstein to Edward and Fernande Wagman, Isle of Wight Road, $380,000.

WAINSCOTT

Zodiac Homes Inc. to Barry Dobinsky and Rosemary Schorr, Cowhill Lane, $280,000.

WATER MILL

Meyer to John Kleinschmidt and Alexander Grant, Rosewood Court, $427,000.

McCulley to Maurice and Harriet Wittenberg, Farmstead Lane, $280,000.

DeLasala to Donna Parker, Montauk Highway, $930,000.

Mesdag to Belesis Const. Corp., Deerfield Road, $275,000.

If they could have seen the mayhem on the rocks Saturday morning up at the Lighthouse, the striped bass would surely have thought they were winning their battle with surfcasters.

The surf, spawned by the storm that spun off the coast beginning Friday, was big and especially threatening on the rocks under the Montauk Lighthouse. So threatening, in fact, that the casters' usual rock perches were submerged and the casting was being done, nervously, from the "top platform," as they call the highest level of rocks in front of the Light, placed there two years ago for erosion control.

The top platform, behind which stretches a chain-link fence to keep people off the Lighthouse's Turtle Hill, is 15 to 20 feet above sea level, even at high tide. Even so, Saturday's surf was big enough to make for some harrowing fishing.

Wary Casters

Joe Gaviola has been applying hot packs to his back since Saturday morning, and is walking in bent posture. He had started the morning to the west near "the bluffs." Gannets were everywhere, he said, diving on the herring that were mixed up in the blankets of white water. But soon he saw the surfcasters, including his brother, Dennis, and Paul Melnyk, migrating toward the Lighthouse. He followed. A wary line of casters had formed along the top platform and were catching fish.

Mr. Gaviola said he took a position next to Mr. Melnyk and began to cast. "I made two casts, then a wave came that picked me and Paul up and slammed me against the fence, and Paul landed with his head in my lap. It tore my lure bag off, my [neoprene] helmet, and my hat."

Undaunted, or nearly so, Mr. Gaviola and his companion continued to fish, along with several other casters who had likewise picked themselves up after a drubbing.

Ravenous Bass

On the first cast after regaining his composure, he caught a 20-pound striper which tore off to the north with the flooding tide. He was forced to follow his catch down to beach to land it. He returned in pain to his spot on the top platform to hook into another bass of about the same size. Again, he had to climb down off the rocks and walk north along the beach to a place where he could make a stand. Mr. Melnyk landed a 33-pounder the same way.

Fishermen who were there said the bass bit all through the flood tide, slack tide, and into the ebb. It was then it got even more dangerous, as hooked fish had to be retrieved via well-timed clambering down the face of the rock escarpment between waves.

Twenty and 30-pound fish were caught on Saturday morning, but the leader board in the Montauk locals tournament of bass-fishing surfcasting has remained unchanged for over two weeks now.

When weather permitted, bass fishing from boats continued to excel. Rob Aaronson, captain of the Oh Brother boat out of Montauk, reported bass being caught by his anglers using most every means available, including eels, bunker, and diamond jigs. It's been a busy season in the charter boat business. The legs and knees of its captains are tired of navigating the rolling docks. You can tell by the limp.

Altenkirch Precision Outfitters shop of Hampton Bays reports excellent bass-from-boats fishing up that way. A shop outing on Tuesday resulted in 35 fish up to 30 pounds, and "Doctor Stan," the shop's fly-fishing guru, took 25 smaller fish from the beach the same day, first employing his surfcasting rod, then his lighter spinning rod, and finally his fly rod. At night, bass are being caught in the Shinnecock Inlet using "snakes," as eels are affectionately known, and live herring. This coming season Alten kirch's will have a charter boat for inshore charters.

The money is in the budget, a contractor has been chosen, and the Federal Aviation Administration has already set money aside for improvements to the runway at the East Hampton Airport, but if the Town Supervisor and the Town Board's incoming Democratic majority have their way, the improvements will not move forward as planned - even if it means paying for a smaller project out of the town's pocket.

"I'm not willing to move [runway] 10-28 forward," Supervisor Cathy Lester stated flatly at a work session of the board last week.

Supervisor Lester, Councilman Peter Hammerle, and Councilman-elect Job Potter were to meet with the F.A.A. this morning to discuss scaling back the project. "We want the F.A.A. to look at it from the town's perspective," Ms. Lester said.

Set Public Forum

At the same work session, the Republican Town Board members, still in the majority for another month and a half, scheduled a public informational meeting on the project as currently planned, inviting representatives from the F.A.A. and the airport's consulting engineer to speak to residents about the repaving and revamping of runway 10-28.

"There's been so much misinformation," Councilman Len Bernard said in calling for the forum. To help "clear it up," he said, the town should have the experts clarify just what is on the agenda for the runway.

Supervisor Lester, who has been asking for a public hearing on the entire airport layout plan, of which the runway improvements are only a part, scoffed at Mr. Bernard's suggestion.

"The F.A.A. will explain why we need La Guardia here," she said.

Sending A Message

A public hearing would send the wrong message to the F.A.A., the Supervisor believes, especially given the fact that she will ask the Federal agency this morning to consider amending the project.

"I don't want to confuse the F.A.A.," she said at the work session.

"It's the public that's being confused," Councilwoman Nancy McCaffrey shot back.

Councilman Thomas Knobel, Mrs. McCaffrey, and Mr. Bernard, who, along with the Republican Councilwoman-elect, Pat Mansir, were excluded from this morning's meeting, approved a public meeting on the project for Dec. 5. But it seems clear the repaving of runway 10-28 will not proceed as planned regardless of what happens on that date.

Majority's Goals

At the very least, the Democrats believe the current plans would need State Environmental Quality Review before proceeding.

Councilman Knobel, who, as the Town Board's liaison to the airport, has spoken on behalf of the town in the past where the F.A.A. is concerned, suggested that if he was not going to be included in today's discussions, the Supervisor should relieve him of his duties as airport liaison.

She declined to do so, but said on Tuesday, "There's going to be a clear majority of the board who have different goals for the airport . . . We want to speak [to the F.A.A.] with a unified voice."

Scaled Down?

The F.A.A. apparently requires the runway be repaved to 100 feet wide. The 100-foot width meets the agency's safety standards for all planes flying into the airport.

It will probably take scores of meetings to convince the F.A.A. to fund a 75-foot-wide repaving, as the Democrats will ask.

The Republicans have cautioned that if the project does not move forward, the F.A.A. will want to recoup nearly $180,000 already invested for engineering plans and will withdraw all its funding for the runway project as well.

Questions Meeting

"I'm not going up there with the idea of not moving some project forward," the Supervisor said on Tuesday. But, given the election results, she does feel the town now has an "obligation" to see it moves forward on a smaller scale.

As for the Dec. 5 meeting, the Supervisor questioned the Republican board members' goals. "They're having a public meeting on a project I'm going to ask for an amendment on," she said. "I don't know what they intend to accomplish."

An editorial on the runway project appears in this issue.

Requests for variances and permits purportedly made necessary by builders' errors have been backing up at the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals like the traffic that clogs Montauk Highway in Southampton each morning. More and more people, it seems, are blaming their contractors for improperly placed pools, accessory buildings, and other infractions of the town code.

Adam Miller, the attorney for the zoning board, said last week that since he came on the job in January, there have been 10 cases - about 10 percent of all the cases the board has ruled on in that period - in which applicants have blamed the misplacement, not only of pools and small structures, but of their very houses, on their contractors.

The board has been hesitant to approve any of the requests, calling the problems that applicants cite "self-created hardships."

Last week, from his office at the law firm Farrell Fritz in Bridgehampton, Mr. Miller said that many people building houses here are seeking cheaper labor, and are therefore signing contracts with out-of-town companies that might not be familiar with the town code. Such cost cutting is, he said, "costing them more" in the end.

Donald Sharkey, the town's chief building inspector, said that "local contractors may have a bit of an edge" when it comes to knowing just what can and cannot be done at a building site, and that most of "the guys out here" do adhere to regulations. Nonetheless, "dubious" construction procedures sometimes come to light.

Often, those seeking to build on the South Fork do not take into account the time and money that might eventually have to be spent on variance requests. When the zoning board denies permits for structures that have already been built, applicants might be required to remove them, and that can be expensive. "People are surprised at how strict the Z.B.A. is out here," Mr. Miller said.

The owners of one house recently claimed that a pool had been placed in the wrong part of the property by the contractor. They asked the zoning board for variances that would allow the pool to remain there. The board said no. "The contractor's name had come up before," Mr. Miller said. Nonetheless, the owners had signed a contract that made them, not the builder, responsible for any errors. The board requested that any illegally situated parts of the pool be removed.

Rachel Kleinberg hired two Port Jefferson contractors who were unaware of local setback regulations to install a pool and a patio at her house in Springs, and violated those regulations in the process. The patio contractor told her that he wasn't even aware that a building permit was required before work could begin. Ms. Kleinberg confessed that she, too had been ignorant of the requirements. The Z.B.A. granted her two variances, of under four feet each, though one board member voted against her request.

"Contractors have to be more responsible," Mr. Miller said. The owners can sue them in civil court, as well as bring action with the East Hampton Town Home Improvement Contractors Licensing Review Board, he pointed out.

Jon Tarbet, who served as the Z.B.A.'s attorney before Mr. Miller, said that out-of-town contractors aren't always to blame. "Locals don't always know the code either," he said. He added that people buying houses as investments or second residences "may have never spent any time here, and have no core knowledge."

Mr. Tarbet recalled an application last year for height and pyramid variances filed after the house was built, in part by an East Hampton builder. The board denied the application and asked that the gabled ends of the roof be cut off. That case is still pending, he said.

Both Mr. Miller and Mr. Tarbet agree that contractors should be held more liable.

Next Thursday, the East Hampton Town Board will discuss changing the code to allow the licensing review board to levy steeper fines. A requirement of 10 hours per year of continued education in any building-related field could also be included.

As it stands, the code requires that all home improvement contractors licensed in East Hampton must agree to abide by all local zoning ordinances. Ignorance of the code is grounds for the denying a license or its renewal.

Yet, contractors who build houses from the ground up need no license and no insurance. The board is considering a change to the code that would require that any contractor working on a job costing more than $500 obtain a license.

Ms. Kleinberg suggested that the Building Department should provide "easy-to-read lists that tell homeowners the dos and don'ts of construction." That information, she said, along with code education for contractors, could prevent mistakes and tighten the loophole that allows owners who flaunt regulations to blame their contractors.

John Hatgistavrou, owner of Ionian Development in Wainscott, said that since he has a crew of up to 60 people on a job, someone on the site is always familiar with local regulations. He recommended that owners hire local contractors. If they hire out-of-town builders, he recommended consulting a local surveyor or attorney.

Those prepared to spend a large amount of money on a construction project should hire the most qualified people at the beginning of the project, not after it's finished, he said. "If you buy cheap, you buy twice," he said.

Since January, the East Hampton Town Building Department has issued 1,062 building permits, of which 140 were for new houses and 189 for swimming pools. About $125 million has been spent on additions and new construction from January through July.

Because the Building Department makes as many as 280 inspections a month, mistakes are bound to be found. But one deinal after another has made it clear that the zoning board plans to hold everyone to the code, even if the owners bought their property sight unseen.

Following a series of shoplifting arrests in East Hampton, detectives have been on the watch up Main Street and down Newtown Lane for suspicious-looking shoppers. On Saturday, they said, they caught yet another consumer taking a five-finger discount.

Louis Anthony Hillen, 44, of Fairview, N.J., reportedly told police he was headed to Montauk and decided to do some Christmas shopping along the way.

Detectives said they found him with $4,928 worth of ill-gotten booty, including a pair of three-and-a-half-foot-high sculptures valued at $2,000.

An Odd Bulge

The sculptures, elongated stainless-steel depictions of Adam and Eve by William King, were on display at the Arlene Bujese Gallery at 66 Newtown Lane.

Detectives staking out the street said they saw an odd bulge running down the back of Mr. Hillen's jacket and into the seat of his trousers, and decided to question him.

They said they found in his car a $139 pair of women's shoes from Coach Leather, a $119 brown suede vest from Mark, Fore and Strike, and a $195 gold-trimmed mirror from Rumrunners. All three shops are on Main Street.

Southampton Galleries

Four other items - a still life painting, an American Indian "dream catcher," and two sculptures tagged at $800 and $900 - are believed to have been taken from two shops in Southampton Town: Legendary Collectibles and the Sundance Gallery.

Mr. Hillen was charged with possession of stolen property and grand larceny, both felonies, as well as three counts of petty larceny. Bail was set at $750. Unable to raise it, he was sent to the county jail in Riverhead.

East Hampton Village Police Chief Glen Stonemetz said his colleagues in the Southampton Town Police Department were pursuing their own charges.

Local Men Charged

East Hampton Town police, meanwhile, charged three local men with cocaine and marijuana possession Saturday afternoon after a traffic stop on Montauk Highway in Montauk.

After clocking a 1990 Chrysler allegedly going 53 miles an hour in a 40-m.p.h. zone, police signaled the car to stop. As it pulled over, the police report stated, the driver, Rodney Spearmon of Whalebone Village, East Hampton, and his two passengers were observed making "overt movements" inside.

Two officers approaching the car allegedly noticed a strong odor of marijuana. The three were asked to step out of the vehicle.

Officers spotted a plastic bag and tinfoil on the floor of the car, both containing marijuana, police said. Searching further, police allegedly found a film canister containing more marijuana and a small amount of crack cocaine.

Police said an additional piece of crack was found in the possession of one of the passengers, 24-year-old Harold E. Breault of Hildreth Place, Springs.

Mr. Breault, Mr. Spearmon, and the third man, Emory J. Jones, 31, of Springs-Fireplace Road, East Hampton, were charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, both misdemeanors.

Car Registration

Mr. Spearmon was additionally charged with operating a vehicle with a suspended registration. Police said a computer check revealed the car's registration was suspended in October.

Mr. Jones was later released on $500 bail; Mr. Breault was released on $350 bail, and Mr. Spearmon was released on his own recognizance.

Southampton Town police made a drug-related arrest of their own a week earlier, charging a Sag Harbor man Nov. 3 with crack possession and loitering.

Turnpike Arrest

An officer observed Robert Joseph Wilson, 33, of Dartmouth Road stop his car at Huntington Crossway around 7:20 p.m. and pick up a passenger, then drive north on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike to the corner of Scuttlehole Road and stop again, letting the passenger out.

Police spoke with Mr. Wilson, who allegedly revealed he had been trying to buy crack and that he had a small quantity in his possession.

He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and first-degree loitering, misdemeanors. Allegedly driving his car up the alleyway next to Estia restaurant and knocking over a street tree in the process earned an East Hampton man a criminal-mischief charge on Nov. 12.

The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m., police said. At around 4:30 that afternoon, 25-year-old Gene E. Lamonda of Springs-Fireplace Road turned himself in at town police headquarters on the advice of his lawyer. He was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, and released on his own recognizance to appear in court.

Angry Letters

Aggravated harassment was the charge for an East Hampton man accused of continuously harassing his estranged wife with angry letters.

Kathleen Bennett called police on Nov. 8 after finding one such letter in a plastic Ziploc bag under her car's windshield wiper. The letter, from her husband, Ronald L. Bennett of Joshua Edwards Court, contained "obscenities" directed at Ms. Bennett and her children, police said.

Ms. Bennett provided other letters to police, and an arrest warrant was issued. Police picked up Mr. Bennett on Friday and charged him with second-degree aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor.

He was released on his own recognizance.

Police Take A Trip

In other arrests, Jeffrey W. Krouse of Hampton Bays was picked up on Friday by village police in Harrison, N.Y., on a warrant issued by East Hampton Town Justice Court.

Mr. Krouse, 25, reportedly failed to make an appointment with his probation officer and then failed to answer the resulting charge in court last month. He was on probation after pleading guilty to a charge related to "the health and safety of the environment."

Justice Roger W. Walker released him on $300 bail, with a new court date next month.

A State Supreme Court Justice in Riverhead has ordered Oxford Health Plans, the health insurance company, to continue providing in-home nursing care for an East Hampton infant who, doctors say, could die without it.

The company has threatened to cut off the coverage. Its attorneys are scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 1 to argue the case.

Oxford, the managed-care company under contract to provide major medical coverage to the Casey family of Georgica Woods Lane, has been paying for intermittent in-home nurses for Christopher Casey, who was born on April 25, since his discharge about two weeks later from North Shore University Hospital.

Infant At Risk

Christopher was a patient at North Shore for about six weeks, where a team of a dozen specialists treated him for life-threatening congenital conditions, including esophageal reflex and apnea. Breathing stops and starts unpredictably in individuals who have apnea.

Because the baby was diagnosed as being at high risk for sudden infant death syndrome, his doctors recommended 24-hour nursing care.

Oxford, however, reduced the number of daily nursing hours it will cover from 12 to six, and has threatened, almost weekly, to cut off coverage entirely, according to Anne Casey, the child's mother.

Oxford's Response

In response to inquiries, Michael Barlow, the company's manager of "media relations," said Oxford was "making every effort to resolve these issues with the family and is providing nursing care pending the result of the legal proceeding."

Christopher and his mother were the subject of a July Star article recounting how Mary Ellen McMahon, an East Hampton Village public-safety dispatcher, and Mary Mott, an emergency medical technician, worked with Mrs. Casey to get the infant breathing again after he regurgitated his formula, choked, and became cyanotic - blue from oxygen deprivation.

Christopher was rushed to Southampton Hospital, where he remained for two days.

Dr. Barbara J. Cusumano of Southampton Pediatric Associates wrote twice to Oxford, reiterating her opinion that the infant "needs 24-hour nursing care" as neither parent is a medical professional, nor should they be "expected to act in that capacity."

Fear Of Infection

In a Sept. 19 letter, the doctor added, "I do not feel keeping a young infant in the hospital, as has been suggested by your company, is the answer either, because of the obvious detrimental effect this would have on an infant's development, as well as risk of nosocomial infection."

Nosocomial refers to infections patients may contract while in a hospital.

Mrs. Casey notes in legal papers that Oxford "insists that I can be trained to insert the suction tube deep into my son's trachea to clear it when it clogs and . . . to resuscitate in the event of respiratory arrest."

Justice Howard Berler issued a temporary restraining order on Nov. 6, forcing the insurance company to continue its nursing coverage. He issued a continuance of the order on Monday.

"Lethargic" At Birth

Christopher was born at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, after a 48-hour labor during which Mrs. Casey experienced bouts of abnormal bleeding. The baby was "lethargic" at birth, had difficulty nursing, and lost weight soon after.

Despite his mother's efforts to communicate to the medical staff that "something was wrong," the nurses said "I was just nervous," Mrs. Casey recalled. Mother and baby were discharged after the now-standard 48-hour stay, the baby weighing less than 5 pounds.

Stopped Breathing

Soon after their return to East Hampton, Christopher stopped breathing and went "limp," his mother said. After examining him at Southampton Hospital, Dr. Cus u mano referred the infant to specialists at North Shore.

Mrs. Casey recalled having "almost collapsed, with a newborn to be transferred, and I had to sit on the phone" to secure authorization from Oxford.

"If you're vulnerable, and don't get it together to call them," she observed this week, "they don't have to pay."

Deny Home Nursing

Mrs. Casey was referring to the common requirement by managed-care companies that patients and/or their families secure permission from a company administrative representative before being admitted to a hospital.

After the six-week hospitalization, Oxford denied the home nursing care. The couple decided to hire a nurse "on our own," starting with a night shift, as Mrs. Casey was unable to sleep.

Mrs. Casey said that soon after the Star article about Christopher's rescue appeared, Oxford "suddenly" agreed to cover a single 12-hour shift. That became eight hours, and now it is six.

"Every week, they say, 'This is the last week,'" the mother said. The cost of 24-hour private registered nursing care can be as high as $1,000 a day, she said.

High Costs

Meanwhile, the Caseys have spent more than $3,000 on special formula for the baby and $10 apiece for a variety of prescriptions and co-payments to physicians, totaling several hundred dollars. That is in addition to their annual insurance premium of more than $5,000 for family coverage under Oxford's "Freedom" plan, one of the insurer's top-of-the-line policies.

Mrs. Casey said the North Shore doctors told her they had "never seen a case like this."

"They still have no prognosis," she said. "The stress is enormous. I'm exhausted."

Mrs. Casey and her husband, Daniel, a contractor, also have a daughter, Katie, 41/2.