Transvestia

matter. He felt like a new man.

Some time later at Jack Venable's Club, Henry was seated at a corner table, menu in hand, napkined waiter at his side. Lavishly unconscious of cost, from the Table d' Hote, he ordered a martini, breast of pheasant sauteed in wine, a Caesar's salad, and all of the other appurte- nances of a gourmet's meal. Though the food was rather good, for some reason the sumptuous meal did not seem as pleasant as he had anticipated. Perhaps it was the muted silence of the place- a silence scarcely disturbed by the clink of silverware, or the unobtrusive music issuing from hidden speakers. Still, he did dine in regal style, taking an inordinate amount of time; so thought the waiter. Up- on leaving, another impulse caused Henry to purchase a handfull of 50¢ pana talas- - one of which was thrust into his mouth at a jaunty angle and ignited amid clouds of fragrant smoke. "This is really living... He thought.

Now it is 8:00 P. M., the streets have darkened and Henry is not about to call it an evening and retire--not yet! He is drawn toward the brightness of a still-active business corner and slowly sauntered in that direction. Finding nothing particularly interesting there, he con- tinued his leisurely pace a number of blocks further up- town, pausing only now and then to examine a shop window, or to watch the city folk hurry along the street oblivious to everything. After a scotch-and-soda at a crowded bar, he resumed his patrol of the streets with a refreshed devil- may-care air. The new Henry imagined himself as a dis- tinguished man about town-- a young and vigorous yachts- man, tall, handsome and gallant--a truly ambitious image, facts being what they are. To complete his concept of his new self, the thing lacking seemed to be a curvaceous young lady to grace his arm. 'Ah, yes.. . a gay blade such as I wouldn't be doing the town alone! He did feel the need for feminine company. But alas, his conscience pricked him. He couldn't possibly violate his marriage Vows by actually picking up a girl" That much of the conformist in Henry remained.

But such thoughts are not easily dismissed. Poor Henry felt his grasp on the interesting evening slipping and he struggled manfully to sustain the feeling he had come to like. While in this mood of wishful thinking, an especially