RANSVESTIA

Alan's monologue was interrupted by a sharp rapping of the door knocker, which announced the arrival of the postman with a package, as otherwise he would have put jut letters through the mail slot. Alan greeted the postman with a smile, as they were old friends, and received in turn a flat, oblong package addressed to his mother. Noting the return address he commented that it must be a birthday present from Aunt Jennifer, his mother's sister. While he was looking at the morning paper that he had picked up fromt he porch when collecting the mail, he heard his mother give a deep sigh and say, "Oh, not again."

He looked up and inquired, "What's the matter, don't you like Aunt Jenny's gift?"

"It's not that," his mother replied. "Actually I do, for it is three pairs of my favorite make pantyhose, a very expensive type and a lovely shade of beige, but she has again sent the wrong size. She did the same last Christmas and reluctantly I had to give them to the Good- will Industries. I told her of this when she visited last month, but apparently she forgot."

Alan murmured absently, "That's too bad," and resumed reading his paper. As a result he did not notice the rather odd expression that came over his mother's face as she looked at him. Consequently, he was not only taken back, but believed he had not heard aright when she said, "Instead of my giving them away this time, why don't you wear them?"

Getting his mother to repeat her remarks to make certain he had heard correctly, he replied with some indignation, "You must be out of your mind. Why would I want to wear women's stockings?" And adding somewhat illogically, "And furthermore if they are too large for you wouldn't they also be too large for me! After all we are the same size." This was true for although Alan was only 15 he was tall for his age, and while slight in build was in nearly all respects the same size and weights as his mother. She often wore his old shoes while gardening, and her coats and robes fitted him when he had to throw on the nearest thing in a hurry.

His mother, ignoring his comments about "women's stockings," and referring only to the subject of size, replied, "That is true, but if you