8-MAID UP

found her face getting harder, with frequent frowns, and she became often irritable, shouting at him about little things, and always seeming annoyed at something he said or did.

One Saturday, for instance, they had a few guests for dinner, and after a pleasant evening John offered to help with the clean-up.

Mary snapped, "I don't feel like doing it! Here is an apron, you do it!" John was surprised, but thinking that maybe Mary did not feel right, he did what he was told with his usual equanimity. This was the evening that John would remember later as the beginning of Mary's changed attitude.

From that day on, he began having to do the dishes at night by himself and do other little chores which Mary asked him to do. His job, being a very easy one (the business was making money almost by itself, and his secretary could easily have handled the whole thing for him) John was never too tired to do what he was asked to do. Mary lately seemed deep in thought and sometimes he found her looking at him preoccupied. "What's the matter, darling? See a ghost?" asked John.

"No," Mary said mysteriously, "I keep wondering about something." But she would not tell him what it was and he forgot about it for the time being.

One day when he came home, he found Mary in a little better spirits, almost as if she had made up her mind about something. She said: "I have decided to give a little costume party Friday night."

John hoped this would liven her spirits so he decided to go along with what ever she wanted.

Then Mary added, “And I have decided I want you to dress as a girl."

"Me?" said John, embarrassed. "What for?."

"Well, I think you would look pretty all dressed up and I want to see how you'll look."

"I won't do it" said John having second thoughts.

"Yes you will," said Mary harshly, "I have already bought all you need."

"No use arguing about it" he thought. "Maybe she will change her mind."

But coming home from the office the next day, the first thing Mary said was, "I want you to try on the outfit for the costume party, to make sure it fits. I want you to look really nice and natural."

"Not now," said John. Then Mary became almost hysterically angry. He had never seen her before like this. She started shouting and crying and tried to slap his face and hit him over the head. John defended himself as well as he could without hurting Mary. "You will do as I say," said Mary trying to hit him with every word.

John almost became afraid of her. He said quickly; “Alright, alright, if that is what you want."

TV FICTION CLASSICS -9

Mary's tantrum subsided then, saying calmly, "Good, come upstairs, and I will help you dress."

In the bedroom upstairs John was surprised to see the entire bed covered with feminine finery, undies, bras, stockings, dresses, panties, women's shoes, almost a whole wardrobe. "I bought you many things, so you could choose for yourself what you think looks best on you." First, take a good long relaxing bath," she ordered.

"Okay, that I don't mind," said John. He went into the bathroom and soon the water was splashing as he washed himself thoroughly. When Mary heard him in the water, she came in the bathroom, and before John could protest, she had dumped a cupful of bath salts with strong feminine perfume in his bath.

"The perfume is 'MY SIN,' dear, you will like it."

"How appropriate," he thought, reflecting on how much Mary had changed during the last few months.

Their marriage had quickly deteriorated especially in the last few weeks. Mary had become cold towards him. They slept in separate bedrooms now, and the way Mary treated him one might think that she had begun to think of him as her slave or something. He wondered if she blamed him for not being able to have children. When John stepped out of his bath, Mary came in again and handing him a razor and a spray can of shaving cream said, "I want you to shave the hair off your body, so you will look really feminine. Legs, underarms, breasts, arms, everything!" she commanded.

"But what will people say when I go swimming and see my bare legs, arms and chest?"

"Maybe you won't have much time to go swimming" said Mary.

"What does that mean? You know I have plenty of time," he argued. Mary did not even bother to answer that and left the bathroom.

"Well, no use risking another tantrum. What price peace?" When he finished, he looked in the bathroom mirror and was surprised at what he saw. His breasts, without hair, looked large and feminine, the nipples standing out as if they had suddenly swollen. His body was smooth and looking down at himself for the first time he admitted to him-