feeling unlike anything I had ever known. I luxuriated in this new found pleasure as long as I dared, fearing that someone would return to the house and discover me. It was only for about fifteen minutes; and then I carefully folded the gown and returned it to its place. I knew then that this was to be the first act in a long series of similar experiments in dressing. From that time on I hungrily look- ed forward to the opportunity for more such experiments, each time familiarizing myself with as many other feminine garments as time would permit.
By the time I raached high school my sisters had moved out of the house to homes of their own, and my experiences became limited to the wearing of a slip and nightgown of my own which was carefully hidden from my mother. During this period of my life I found myself very much occupied in such masculine activities as football, wrest- ling, and gymnastics, and out-of-school time consumed by working at odd jobs to supplement the family income which had been drastically curtailed by my father's death when I was sixteen. My TV activities had all but disappeared, and once again became relegated to a fan- tasy world.
Then the war in Korea broke out. I was shipped to the Orient and found myself in a world far removed from the one which my fan- tasies conjured. The endless days of filth and danger seemed only to accentuate the desirability of feminine clothing and living. There was, of course, no opportunity to fulfill this gnawing urge. The consolation lay in the realization that, should I survive, an d I could return to and once more participate in the softness, clean- liness and fragrance of a feminine world.
Shortly after returning home, my mother remarried and I started living alone for the first time. I gradually acquired a small ward- robe, limited largely because of my embarrassment in going into stores and purchasing feminine clothing. The largest segment of this wardrobe was a collection of nightgowns in which I could luxuriate every night of my life.
The inevitable finally happened. I discovered my first issue of TVia and learned about the Chevalier D'Eon. I was soon in con- tact with Marie and purchased my first wig and a collection of cos- metics. Until this time my activities had been confined simply to dressing. I was now eagerly anticipating my first complete tran a- formation into a feminine personality. The accomplishment of this transformation was to a large degree made possible by my meeting
3.