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and that was--the way my hair had looked. Than on my temp- les being closely cropped in a boys haircut had been the sour note. Every time Mother had done my hair she had brushed and brushed to make sure it would lie flat to my head and give the illusion of long hair combed back to a bun. Had anyone inspected it closely the deception would have immediately been apparent. With Mother's passion for neatness and good grooming ingrained in me, those short rag- ged ends had been the principal obstacle to my enjoyment of her clothes. So, with that constantly recurring memory and the thought, still nebulous, that I might wish to peat some time I began to let my hair grow. I strictly lim- ited the barber to trimming my neck and before more than 2 or 3 months the hair on the side of my head was long enough to meet at the back.

Strangely none of my family noticed this, for I kept it smoothly combed, until one Friday afternoon when the cir- cumstances preceeding my first experience almost exactly re- peated themselves. Clean from my bath, though it was still early in the afternoon, I was sitting talking to Mother while she dressed, and at something I said she playfully rumpled my hair. It's length was immediately apparent and she stood there a moment fingering it before she said, "Goodness, K--, but your hair is long. I can't imagine why I haven't noticed it." Then she turned my head to look at my neck, and continued, "Thank fortune it looks neat. Why have you been deliberately letting it grow on the sides." For a moment I hesitated, but, I as have said, there were few secrets between us so I explained, truthfully, that I had felt so uncomfortable with the girl's hairdo and my bristly temples I didn't want there to be a repitition of this. Mother, somewhat puzzled, asked, "But Dear, Why? I didn't know you were planning to wear my things again

"

I explained further. Telling her that it hadn't been done with any plan in mind, but just because of the feeling I had had before. Mother could easily understand that for she would have felt just the same had she been in my posi- tion. So she rumpled my hair playfully again, and after looking at me a moment with her head to one side, said with