miss?”
“Yes, please.” I’d often wished he weren’t there to observe my comings and goings, but his presence was proving to be a comfort during Father’s absence.
I waited under the awning as he flagged down a motor taxi. It wasn’t only because of the distance that I was treating myself to a ride; my sanitary pads had an annoying tendency to slip and chafe when I walked. I supposed other women experienced the same problem, though I’d never discussed the embarrassing issue with anyone, not even Daisy.
“Where to?” the doorman asked as a taxi pulled up.
“Wanamaker’s, please.”
He opened the door for me and spoke to the driver. “Take the young lady to Wanamaker’s.”
I thanked him as he swung the door shut. Aunt Ida would say the city was spoiling me even more than I already was. And I would have to agree.
—
Organ music played in the background as I entered the main floor. I looked up and let my mouth hang open like a child full of wonder as my gaze followed the progression of balconies that rose to a domed skylighted rotunda. The glistening glass cabinets and wide aisles festooned with colored lights tempted me to wander about the bustling main floor. I marched to the store directory, saw that the book department was up on the eighth floor, and took a lift straight there.
A diligent search through the piles of books in the health section began to seem fruitless until one promising title caught my eye: The Four Epochs of Woman’s Life: A Study in Hygiene. Theauthor was Anna Galbraith, MD. A woman! After making sure no one observed me, I scanned the table of contents. “Puberty,” “Anatomy of the Generative Organs,” “Menstruation,” “Marriage”—all worthy topics—but when I saw the chapter titled “Sexual Instinct in Women,” my heart fluttered with the thrill of victory. I’d struck gold.
The salesgirl didn’t appear to notice the title, and I breathed easier as she wrapped it in brown paper. After paying with cash so no name would be associated with the purchase, I left the store as swiftly as I could manage, afraid some floorwalker would stop me. I felt certain I must look as guilty as a shoplifter.
—
The occasion of reading my book called for opening a box of chocolates Father had bought me from Maillard’s. After telephoning down to the concierge for a pot of orange pekoe, I changed my pad and put on my wrapper and a pair of slippers. Soon the tea arrived on the dumbwaiter, and I settled onto the sofa to educate myself.
CHAPTER 1
PUBERTY
Sexual Changes; Ages of Puberty; Physical Changes at Puberty;
First Onset of Menstruation; Psychic Changes at Puberty
I looked up at the empty room. Who was I trying to fool? I flipped straight to the most important chapter.
CHAPTER 8
SEXUAL INSTINCT IN WOMEN
Sexual Instinct in Women; Excessive Coitus;
Causes of Sexual Excitability
Dr. Galbraith categorized women into three classes: those with little or no sex feeling, those with strong passion, and the majority—a moderate appetite. At first I put myself into the “having little sex feeling” category, but that would have me in the same boat as Aunt Ida, so I settled on the middle category. At least the doctor said that most women experienced sexual appetite, and she didn’t bother preaching that it indicated a deficient character.
I popped a chocolate into my mouth, sipped my tea, and read on. The next paragraph had a surprise. When women experienced sexual excitement, it caused a congestion of blood in the genital organs. When the congestion peaked, there was a reflex movement called “orgasm.” I’d never heard that word. It was equivalent, she said, to the male orgasm that occurred when men ejected the seed of the baby. In the woman this consists of a movement of the tubes and uterus, and it causes a suction that draws the spermatozoa up into its interior, resulting in pregnancy. I wasn’t sure I wanted to experience such a thing. It reminded me of bathwater
“Yes, please.” I’d often wished he weren’t there to observe my comings and goings, but his presence was proving to be a comfort during Father’s absence.
I waited under the awning as he flagged down a motor taxi. It wasn’t only because of the distance that I was treating myself to a ride; my sanitary pads had an annoying tendency to slip and chafe when I walked. I supposed other women experienced the same problem, though I’d never discussed the embarrassing issue with anyone, not even Daisy.
“Where to?” the doorman asked as a taxi pulled up.
“Wanamaker’s, please.”
He opened the door for me and spoke to the driver. “Take the young lady to Wanamaker’s.”
I thanked him as he swung the door shut. Aunt Ida would say the city was spoiling me even more than I already was. And I would have to agree.
—
Organ music played in the background as I entered the main floor. I looked up and let my mouth hang open like a child full of wonder as my gaze followed the progression of balconies that rose to a domed skylighted rotunda. The glistening glass cabinets and wide aisles festooned with colored lights tempted me to wander about the bustling main floor. I marched to the store directory, saw that the book department was up on the eighth floor, and took a lift straight there.
A diligent search through the piles of books in the health section began to seem fruitless until one promising title caught my eye: The Four Epochs of Woman’s Life: A Study in Hygiene. Theauthor was Anna Galbraith, MD. A woman! After making sure no one observed me, I scanned the table of contents. “Puberty,” “Anatomy of the Generative Organs,” “Menstruation,” “Marriage”—all worthy topics—but when I saw the chapter titled “Sexual Instinct in Women,” my heart fluttered with the thrill of victory. I’d struck gold.
The salesgirl didn’t appear to notice the title, and I breathed easier as she wrapped it in brown paper. After paying with cash so no name would be associated with the purchase, I left the store as swiftly as I could manage, afraid some floorwalker would stop me. I felt certain I must look as guilty as a shoplifter.
—
The occasion of reading my book called for opening a box of chocolates Father had bought me from Maillard’s. After telephoning down to the concierge for a pot of orange pekoe, I changed my pad and put on my wrapper and a pair of slippers. Soon the tea arrived on the dumbwaiter, and I settled onto the sofa to educate myself.
CHAPTER 1
PUBERTY
Sexual Changes; Ages of Puberty; Physical Changes at Puberty;
First Onset of Menstruation; Psychic Changes at Puberty
I looked up at the empty room. Who was I trying to fool? I flipped straight to the most important chapter.
CHAPTER 8
SEXUAL INSTINCT IN WOMEN
Sexual Instinct in Women; Excessive Coitus;
Causes of Sexual Excitability
Dr. Galbraith categorized women into three classes: those with little or no sex feeling, those with strong passion, and the majority—a moderate appetite. At first I put myself into the “having little sex feeling” category, but that would have me in the same boat as Aunt Ida, so I settled on the middle category. At least the doctor said that most women experienced sexual appetite, and she didn’t bother preaching that it indicated a deficient character.
I popped a chocolate into my mouth, sipped my tea, and read on. The next paragraph had a surprise. When women experienced sexual excitement, it caused a congestion of blood in the genital organs. When the congestion peaked, there was a reflex movement called “orgasm.” I’d never heard that word. It was equivalent, she said, to the male orgasm that occurred when men ejected the seed of the baby. In the woman this consists of a movement of the tubes and uterus, and it causes a suction that draws the spermatozoa up into its interior, resulting in pregnancy. I wasn’t sure I wanted to experience such a thing. It reminded me of bathwater
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