a "drafted man," when I came to the regiment. The colonel took me to the
residence of a lady friend who rode on horseback a good deal, and as he
let her into the secret, she helped fix me up. All I had to do was
to remove my cavalry jacket, and she put the dress on over my head. I
always supposed they put on these dresses the same as men put on pants,
by walking into them feet first, but she said they went over the head.
I felt as though my pants were going to show, but she gave me some
instructions about keeping the dress down, and I began to feel a good
deal like a woman. The dress fit me around the waist as though it was
made for me, and when it was all buttoned up in front I felt stunning.
She and the colonel made a bustle out of newspapers, and a small sofa
cushion of eider down was placed where it would do the most good. After
the dress was all fixed, she got a wig and put it on my head, and a hat,
with a feather in it, and then pinned a veil on the hair, so it reached
down to my rose-bud mouth. Then she took a powder arrangement and
powdered my face, put on a pair of long gauntlets which she usually
wore, and told me to look in the glass. When I looked into the glass I
almost fainted. The deception was so good that it would have fooled the
oldest man in the world.

The colonel said he was almost inclined to fall in love with me himself,
and he did put his arm around me and squeeze me, but I didn't notice
any particular feeling, such as I did when his lady friend was fooling
around me. That was different. Well, I was an inveterate smoker at that
time, so I took my pipe and a bag of tobacco, and put it in a pocket of
the dress, and some matches, and we went out doors. The colonel took
my tiny number eight boot in his hand and tossed me lightly into the
saddle, then he mounted his own horse and we rode around the suburbs
of the town, so I could get used to the side-saddle. I got him to stop
behind a fence and let me have a smoke out of my pipe, and then I told
him I was ready. He gave me a pass, and told me to go out on the road
the corporal was on, and if he let me pass out of the lines to go on
to a turn in the road, where a squad of our men were on a scout, and
to report to the officer in charge, who would bring me in all right, by
another road, but if the corporal attempted to search me, to do as I had
been told to do. After I had knocked the corporal down, if I would give
a yell, the officer who was outside woul