thirteen dollars for three pairs. My love of shoes was such an imputus toward selling shoes that in only a few weeks I was top man.

I tried on shoes secretly in the stock room and was familiar with their fit and feel. I wore a ten in girl's shoes and all the styles were bought in tens. Since I actually knew how the different types felt and looked on my foot I was able to convey this to the customers. Other clerks had no such advantage. An advantage I never revealed to them but an advantage I nevertheless enjoyed.

Once, Mr. Jones asked me after a sale:

"You told that girl you knew how that shoe felt on the foot and encouraged her to buy a more expensive pair. How did you know how it felt, you sounded so damn convincing?"

"Just sales talk, just sales talk", I answered, embarrassed. But I knew Mr. Jones read more into this clumsy answer than he acknowledged.

During the first few months I rented an apartment and at night practiced my dressing in female attire to my heart's content. My body stopped growing and I started to attain a more attractive appearance. I kept my arms and legs shaved smooth and arched my eyebrows in a slow meticulous manner so as to allay suspicion. I did, however, suffer some embarrassment during and after my attempts to feminize my appearance. Once, after waiting on a girl who was sort of laughing with her friend, instead of proceeding to get some shoes to show her, I lingered instead behind a shelf compartment only feet from the two girls.

"Did you notice his eyebrows are arched?" one said.

"Sure, I told you he was queer" the other said laughingly. "How did you know, have you ever seen him before?"

"Only in here, but you can tell. I've seen his kind. I'll bet his legs are shaved too. Let's try to get him to bend over. I'll drop a shoe and when he reaches for it I'll accidentally let my heel catch under his cuff. I'll bet they're shaved."

On hearing this first accusation of an abnormality I was some - what thunderstruck, but still amused and excited too. I didn't fear the girls, instead I decided to allow their plan to succeed and see the results. I had read all about transvestism and knew that some who practiced it get a satisfaction out of being caught at it or

23.