RANSVESTIA

effeteness was regarded not only as a common characteristic, but per- haps a qualification. Wendell was certainly well qualified. And he pros- pered. Well, I could go on with interesting and amusing facts about our neighbor but that would not advance the story particularly. One fur- ther thing, though, needs to be mentioned and that was Wendell's view of women which was un-typical of his fellow members (how's that for a pun?): Wendell adored beautiful things — and he adored women whom he could make beautiful. Unlike many other arbiters of taste and style, Wendell maintained the viewpoint that the feminine mode of beauty was supreme and consequently he stressed these points in his stylings for his clientele. It was often remarked that clients of Wendell's were never in "style" — but, it was always added, they had no need to be. His creations were characterized by such features as long, flowing hair styles, full figures, draped elegantly in rich fabrics that never disguised, never detracted from the wearer.

You realize, of course, that I'm repeating a lot of things I've over- heard. Things like the young girl who was thrown out of Wendell's es- tablishment because she was wearing one of those metallic dresses "Let her go to a service station!" Wendell was supposed to have scream- ed. On the other hand, it was reliably repeated, Wendell had also taken a misguided young thing home to his place and carefully invested her with a wig and gown from his own personal collection.

Oh, yes one last last point: Wendell's favorite object of adornment was himself. But that comes as no surprise, does it? He didn't do too badly at it and as he told me on that long afternoon when we talked, his mother had practically raised him as a girl. Practically, as it turned out. Yes, Wendell loved beautiful things. Which was why he hated my step-mother and the elphantine twins.

Meanwhile, back at the barbecue pit, Wendell was saying, “it's too bad poor Cinderella has to stay home and sweep the hearth

"When she could be out getting her ashes hauled,” I finished.

“You have a vile mouth sometimes," he said. “As I was saying, be- fore I was so rudely interrupt-ed, it's a shame poor Cinderella doesn't get to go to the Ball." He sighed meaningfully.

The Ball I forgot to mention that, didn't I? Well, it was the annual charity bash for the hi-soci of our area, which is pretty high at that for