ings and pulled the corset around me and managed to fit it tight enough to keep it from slipping down and was trying to fasten the suspenders when she came in. Well! She got awfully angry and practically ripped the things off me. She sure scolded me, enough to make me cry and promise not to do the like anymore. About two or three weeks later, one night when we were sitting by the fire, me on her knee, she asked me whether I would like to be her little girl instead of her little boy. Not really understanding, I said "I don't know" and I did not. How- ever, she told me that she had always wanted a little girl of her own and that the next day we would see what we could do about it. The next day came and she had prepared for it. I do not know whether she had bought the clothes or whether they were her own hand-me-downs, made to suit my size. She proceeded to dress me in the clothes and evidently she knew the sizes necessary, for all fitted very well, though, naturally there was no corset. At first I did not like it, but she said that I had to be fair, if I wanted to be a girl I would have to dress like one. So I was dressed as a girl for two whole years or more, until we came as a fami- ly to this country, Canada. My Aunt wanted to keep me, but my father would not hear of it. So I had to have my long grown hair cut and my mother would not let me bring my clothes with me. I had to leave with my Aunt the lovely dresses with their laces and ribbons, my pretty pantalettes

At

and stockings and shoes. I will not spend any time on telling of the sailing trip over here, but we landed in Quebec City in June of nineteen-hun- dred-and-ten. Life in the new country was fun and, of course, I had to go to a school. I was soon quite immersed in school life, playing baseball, soccer, but not too well, and the next few years passed in a mixed sort of way. I know that I was shy and probably sissified. I avoided contact with boys, but knew every girl in class. With a talent for Art, I was called upon most often for work and even my teachers would call on me for special work of that kind, es- pecially at Christmas. special times of the year, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving or History, with Pageants, I was quite at home. I designed set- tings, costumes, etc., and generally took part in the pro- ceedings. It seemed inevitable that, being small in stature, I was chosen for feminine roles, especially the ones the girls would not take, like ugly sis- ters or witches. In those early teenage plays and concerts I was made up as a female in plays like Cinderella, Snow White, even Uncle Tom's Cab- in. All this dressing, of course, pleased me very much and some of the costumes were grand. Then, naturally, I grew older and I kind of graduated into a concert and play com- pany and the variety widened. This company was one which consisted mostly of the boys of a club, of which I was a member, and of those who were interested in plays, etc., the same as I. They were, also,

of around the same age group - eighteen and nineteen.

Two other boys and myself became "leading ladies"; it was a very good training ground for me. We managed a new play every three months and got them from French and Company of New York, at that time. I remember, very well, playing in "Lady Winder- mere's Fan", "Charlie's Aunt" and "Smilin' Through", a- mong others, and various one act skits, such as "Please Pass the Cream", in which I emp- tied a pitcher of milk all over one of the boys. My favorite, I think, was "Smilin' Through' a costume play in part. One of the photos which shows this costume I still have.

I liked costume plays and still love and own costumes. We, also, put on western skits, of which I have costumes, all ladies, of course. The westerns were our own make believe tales, of one acts, and I guess they were kind of ragged. All of this, though, was for me a wonderful way of being a girl, which was what I wanted.

During this time, at school and in the playing, I came to know my dear wife, my best critic and helper, who was my other self and who forgot my blunders and forgave my faults and, eventually, married me. Fitting into this time, I had, of course, perfected my art talents enough to make a liv- ing. I finally had to give up the play business and really settle down, but made up my mind that I was still going to wear dresses when time suited. This was, of course, understood by my wife, after we had talked everything over and decided

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