Transvestia

authority. In the mirror, he candidly observed the couples in the booths, idly drinking and chatting. Some were clearly lovers (he could tell- they were holding hands and playing footsie.) He smiled good-naturedly at his own image and broke into a wide grin as he assayed the probable outcome of that tete -a-tete. An old harridan, over-stuffed and over-painted, came in, clambered up on a stool next to Henry and in a gravelly voice ordered "A double Five-Star". When served the brimming glass, she first toasted Henry and then the crowd. "Come on! Drink up! When Gertie has fun, everybody has fun!". Now it was obvious even to inexperienced Henry how Gertie earns her wherewithal, and it dawned on Henry that there were establishments of pleasure of a variety not yet sample by the staid executive, Henry J. Detweiler. But true to his upbringing, Henry rejected the thought, not a little reluctantly, but because if Ellen ever found out. That chill reminder put a damper on his new-found plea- sure, so he threaded his way out of the bar into the darkening street.

A winking sign spelled out I-M-P-E-R-I-A-L H-O- T-E-L, reminding him that he must find accomodations for the night. He entered the faded opulance of the hotel lobby and approached the desk. The authority of his Diner's Club credit card legitimized his lack of luggage, and in due time Henry was assigned a room on the seventh floor of that notable hostelry. With the usual bribery to the bellboy, he was shown to room 712. Once in, he hurled his portfolia onto the concave bed--that emblem of his profession had no place in the rejuvenation of Henry Det- weiler! "Ah, now I'm free! he exclaimed aloud, ever so elated that for once he would do as he pleased. He flopped into the tired easy chair and at once began assembling his plans for the evening. "First there will be dinner- and then a show. "But it wouldn't really be much fun without company he reflected, suddenly aware of the fact that one cannot make an entirely new life so quickly. "But on with it anyway!

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As he readied himself in the bathroom, he noted his image in the spotted mirror. A rather younger-looking man looked back. "Oh, the forehead is a little high", he mused, but consoled himself with the sage comment.. "A high forehead is a token of a powerful brain within. Whether this self-delusion was sincere or not doesn't