The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-10-18

small crowd. The girls I got to know afterwards seemed to think I was quite an Adonis, Judging from the way they smiled at me, and made my playful conquests easy.
 Troubled by Flushing
 On stepping into the street from my mothers door, although it was quite dark, and there was nobody about, ] pulled my cap over my eyes and look ed down at the ground.
 The cap I was wearing belonged to a boy friend, and the first thing ' wanted to do was to buy cap for myself, and a collar and tie. l walked some miles to Brixton to make these purchases.
 It was @ cold January morning in 1916 and I don't think I found boy s clothes so warm as the girls clothes had thrown off. Perhaps it was that had not got accustomed to the tight-fitting things While I waited outside a draper's | shop that was not yet open, 8 pretty | girl looked around as she passed me and gave me a sweet smile that made me blush. I was glad she didn': stop, because real boys are not in the habit of blushing, and had not beer a sham boy long enough to overcome | that feminine frailty.
 In fact all the two years of my adventure, blushing gave me more | trouble than any other point in my | disguise. was always in the habit | of blushing, and I could not shak: off the habit by changing my clothes So much did blushing trouble me | that I used to read advertisements in the newspapers about cures fo1 | blushing, though I never got so fal 1 as to try any of the prescriptions.
 Buying Q Cap. | I trembled all over on entering the l shop, which seemed very silly thing for a girl to do, though if any girl will try what I was doing, she will soon find out how difficult it is. If blushed at the glad-eye I got on the pavement I blushed still redder as asked the girl behind the counter for mans cap.
 l was certain lHdI Slle lIIOuSIlL lily voice was not a male voice, though tried all I could to speak in deer tones. Very likely no suspicion what ever entered the girls mind, but inn agination goes a very long way when a girl is wearing the clothes of the opposite sex.
 It never struck me for a moment that I was doing anything wrong, o1 that the law would ever have anything to say to me on the matter. l simply thought 1t was a free country, sup pose, and that people could do wha1 they liked so long as they didn't dc anything to hurt anybody.
 I certainly wasn't out to hurt any body. My conscience was quite clear I was helping my family and read! to do my bit for my country by be coming a war-Worker.
 | I could not become a soldier. Tha was beyond the limits of masquerad ing. Later on I shall tell you hoy 1t was on reaching military age anC on being ordered to report myself a the recruiting office that I was finall! compelled to declare myself not boy at all, but a common or gardel girl
 A Bit of Swagger. Vel, I bought the cap, the collar and tue tie, and soon put them or taking. good looks at myself in sho window, where the face and figure 0 Charlie Capon could be seen. I was vain enough to think that compared very well with most of tn
 the young men in thed istrict, and was astonishing how comfortable was beginning to settle down to. m 3 double life.
 After the first day, strode out int a the street with slightly bolder stel