suspected I had cracked up. I hadn't, though, because I was waiting for the right moment to spring my surprise on them.

"Nancy - Betty," I asked, "if you could suddenly grow long hair, how long would you like it?” Betty was the first to answer.

"About as long as my fall is now." Nancy said she'd like hers about eight or ten inches long-some length that she could style and care for easily.

"Girls," I said, "I think I can fix you up. I have a patent on a hair grower that is like no other hair grower in the world." I could see they were eager to hear more.

"It works on the principle of a weed killer that stimulates a plant so much it grows itself to death," I explained, "except the stimulant in my product, of course, is weaker and is controlled. The average hair grows about a half inch a month. My grower boosts the hair producing cells in the follicles so they will produce many times faster then normal, yet it controls the production so it won't kill those cells. Simple, huh? But, when the cells return to normal after a treatment of grower, they relax so much that the hair will not grow over an inch for the next several months. Remember, they are a little tired after all that work; so don't expect your hair to grow very much until around Christmas time. Any questions?"

Nancy smiled and said, "How soon can I get my treatment?"

"Me, too." echoed Betty.

"Right now, if you wish," I said, "go get a towel to put over your shoulders." I went to the bedroom and got a jar of thick, creamy liquid. "I had a dickens of a time killing the odor of this stuff, but it doesn't smell too awfully bad."

As I started Nancy's treatment, I explained, "Your hair will grow until you wash this stuff out; then it will grow about a half an inch during the deceleration period of a day. I have to be careful when applying this not to get it where you don't want hair to grow. I've found that most hair follicles are merely dormant and not dead." I very carefully worked the solution into Nancy's scalp until her roots were covered, then I formed a tiny 'widow's peak' on her forehead. "It will tingle a little at first," I said, "but that will only last less than an hour; and once the solution

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