59.

can give one to K‒‒‒. His hair is plenty long and if it doesn't work he can get it cut off with no harm done".

Though there was only a nebulous hope that I would be able to take advantage of my long hair, I was neverthe- less very reluctant to part with it, and I told Sis, "Noth- ing doing". Too, I thought that with it all curly I would have to get it cut and thus be right back where I started. But Mother, though unwilling to practice on Sis, didn't feel that way about me, and over my protests told Sis that it was a good idea and that they would do it the next morn- ing. Mother, as I have said, really loved to work with her own hair and was wonderfully adept at it, and was, I think, itching to try out this new thing. On me, of course, there was no risk if it did go bad. Dad too, to my amaze- ment, seconded the idea when he heard of it that night. He secretly hoped it would be a failure and that I would have to get a crew cut.

So right after breakfast the next morning Mother sat me down and started to work. She went through the whole routine, winding the hair on curlers, wetting it with the foul smelling solution, and after a proper time putting on the second solution and then a shampoo. Finally she put it up in pin curls and left it to dry Not till after lunch was my hair dry, then Mother combed the curls out and I could see what she had done. All the hair was nicely curled and Mother combed it back and forth till she got it into a perfect casual bob just right for a girl my age. Mother and Sis were delighted with the result and I was simply overcome, I looked so wonderful.

After I had time to study the result the sickening thought occurred to me that I couldn't appear in boy's clothes with that hairdo, and it was much too curly to ever hope that it could be made to lie down. As the re- alization flooded through me I felt sick all over. There was no good reason for it as my long hair had done me no good, but how painful it was nevertheless. But at least I thought I can enjoy it for one day, so I said to Mother "Gosh, Mom, I can't let anyone see me this way, you simply