37.

themselves, for, after all the only real difference between alothes of 12 year olds is that a dress is substituted for pants. At that time I received the feminine name I've used ever since..now as much a part of me as the one I was christened with. Mother suggested that I choose my own and after long thought I adopted Charlotte. As I write this, Charlette, is a real entity, having her own bank account, driver's license, etc. And she knows and is known by more people than her alter ego. Too, Mother at this time began to buy things especially for me, so that before long I had quite an assortment of dress- es, shoes, underthings and the little accessories that ådd so much to a feminine wardrobe. he really bought me more than I could possibly use, but I think she did so knowing that variety added immensely to my otherwise drab life.

C

• 9

Of course, Patsy and her Mother saw me frequently, and the doctor at least once a week. He was just as surprised when he saw me in dresses for the second time. To my utter disgust, however, he agreed with Mother that it seemed to i keep me quiet and as such was a good idea. Then came the night, after I'd gained a bit of self-possession, that Mother invited Mr. and Mrs. E..and Patsy to dinner. Mr. E... of course, knew of me, but I felt horribly uncomfortable at having a man who knew the real me see me as a girl--it was the epitome of the "sissy" business. He obviously felt just as uncomfortable and for a time things were very strained. But as the evening wore on he began to loosen, as I did also, and we parted quite naturally. Later on I learned that his preconceived feeling of disgust had left him when he saw that I looked and acted naturally feminine--with none of the revolting mannerisms of the usual female impersonator. In fact, he later told Mrs. E... that he would never believe that I wasn't a girl who had for a time masqueraded as a boy As time went on we became fast friends, though to this day he treats me as a girl no matter how I'm dressed The E..family and the doctor were the only ones that knew of my change and they all kept it a secret, so until I later appeared as an Impersonator, no one else in the town knew about me.

After about a month of continuous feminine life, and some