27.

is doubly hard.

Mother was constantly in attendance, and while it was extremely hard on her too, it did keep her mind off Father I was kept inlbed, flat on my back for almost 6 months, and dur- ing that time I didn't have a haircut. My hair grew rapidly so when I was first let up--for an hour a day--I had a terrible mop of hair--it was so long it touched my shoulders.

Mother had often joked about it while I was in bed, threat.- ening to cut it herself but never getting around to it. But when I did begin to be allowed up, all its ugliness was so apparent Then one afternoon Mother sat down saying that she knew she could not do as well as a barber but she could improve my appearance She did too. She evened it out and shortened it so I ended with an attractive and not too short bob.

My previous shaggy lock had only messiness, Mother's work transformed it into a wholly feminine hair do. It changed my appearance so much it amazed us both. For a short time I enjoy ed the novelty of my appearance but that soon gave way to a feel ing of shame and I begged Mother to cut it further even though it be a poor job. I think she would have had she not suddenly realized that I had been up for more than my alloted time that day and so hurried me to my bed without further ado. With no mirror available I quickly forgot it

My best and practically only friend in the few months of my active life there had been a girl, Patsy, who lived in the other house on the block. Before I became sick I had seen more of hor than all the other children I knew combined. When I had been in bed all those months I had seen nothing of her but when I was allowed up it was considered that I wasn't contagious and she began to drop in often. It was very pleasant indeed to see her again, and Mother equally welcomed her calls for they gave her some freedom from the endless task of nursing and amusing me When Patsy first : me she called me the wild man, and con- stantly joked on that vein for there was nothing feminine about my shaggy locks. But when she first saw me with the bob she al most fell over with surprise. For some unexplainable reason she was much attracted by it and all that afternoon could hardly keep her hands off my hair trying various arrangements.