Even more so when I could only give odds and ends of time.

She

When I had changed, she brought my cousin to her room. told her that it was me that had been taking the things and that I was going to work out paying for them and that as long as I did they'd keep my secret. My cousin reminded her mother that she'd been spanked. My aunt said I was too big for her to spank if I fought her. I agreed not to fight it. I don't know if my aunt would have so duplicated my cousin's punishment without her prompt- ing. I hadn't been whipped at home for some time and never the knees and on the bare flesh. There had been six spankings at home, but now there were only two. After the second time, my cousin seemed to be satisfied and just lost interest.

over

My aunt didn't surprise me at all. I had to do all kinds of housework at home as did the other boys where there weren't girls in the home. I had been afraid that my cousin would say something or tease me but she never did. My aunt was quite a tease, but even she didn't tease me. After the first few times she didn't even go with me while I changed. If someone came in unexpectedly

I could step down into the cellar or to the stairway upstairs.

I don't know if you could call housework womanly back then or not. Those were the days of the handpowered washing machine, crank wringer, and scrubboard. It was even before Brand X and ordinary detergent. Just a few soap powders and lots of yellow bar soap and elbow grease. But it gave me a lot more chance to move around in a dress than I'd ever managed on those short walks in the woods.

As I said, my aunt just didn't seem to pay any attention at all to me. But there were some pleasant changes as things got cleaned up and straightened out. It was as if it gave her a place

to start. She did more and more of her own housework. Over and over, the dishes would be done by the time I got there. I'd at least start the washing Sunday evening and my aunt then could hang out a line full first thing Monday morning right up there with the most ambitious wives in the neighborhood. Now my uncle was saying how much better she was doing and I think this helped her interest too.

Electric lights were quite new. Most of my school homework and my aunt's housework had been done by coal oil lamps. But now