55.

ried dinner to be sure we had time. As excited as I was I forgot completely the clothes I was wearing until Dad asked me after dinner and in a very sarcastic tone, if I was planning to go as I was. Taken completely unawares I looked blankly at him until Mother excalimed, "Oh hea- vens, there isn't time for K---to change, he can go as he is." Really the thought hadn't occurred to me at all, but I was delighted at Mother's suggestion. Dad, however, was of a different mind, saying that we would surely see eople we knew, and what would they think.

"They wont think anything," said Mother, "Unless you give the secret away. You know good and well that he looks every bit as much a girl as Sis or I do so there wont be a bit of question."

I was delighted--tingling all over with excitement like I did that day at Aunt's and more than willing to try it Dad grouched some more but when Mother said that she stayed home if I did, he gave in. Mother whipped me upstairs and in a twinkling had me out of my sweater and blouse and into the silk print dress and black pumps. Then she freshened my make up, and, as the evening was chilly, provided me with one of her coats--a bulky blue tweed that looked very well over my frock.

Then we were off, and as we drove to the Ball Park, Mother gave Dad a bit of a lecture, telling him to forget that I was "K---" and to think of me only as "Gloria" with- out fail. My name, conjured out of nowhere that day at Aunt's had always tickled Sis, and whenever I was in fem- inine clothes thereafter she constantly used it, princip- ally bec use she knew it teased me But her repetition, particularly over that weekend had been so constant that Mother had begun to use it unconsciously and Dad had even slipped and used it a 'few times--to his vast annoyance.

But with Mother's instructions fresh in their minds all went well that night. We were fairly surrounded by people we knew, and I was introduced to a number of them as "Gloria". To my utter satisfaction every one of them accepted me for what I appeared to be without question,