Dear Sir, - I am a regular reader of "London Life", and have always found it most interesting, catering as it does for all classes of its readers, but I am more than specially interested in the Wallace Stort stories and the letters from one-legged girl readers, which is, I suppose', only natural, as I am a one-legged girl myself, and like a good many others have developed what is sometimes referred to as "the one-legged kink".
I am twenty-eight years of age and have been one-legged since I was eighteen when my right leg was amputated close to the hip, thus leaving me with a short stump as a memento of my amputated right leg.
In appearance I am very fair, being known to all my friends as "One-legged Blondie". I brush my hair well back in a rather long smooth sleeky bop, well below my shoulders, and as I seldom wear a hat my hair is very much admired. I am about the average height, but must admit to being more than ordinarily plump. I have always been on this side, but since I became one-legged, I have put on weight considerably, which, I think, is due to the fact that I am unable to get about as quickly as I used to do on two legs, being compelled to use a crutch as a means of support under my right armpit to take the place of my amputated leg. My friends+ however. tell me that my soft curves, soft bust and full rounded hips, greatly enhance the appearance of my full, one-legged figure.
I, of course, only require a single stocking, which is always one of the American roll type, which I keep in a tight position with a dainty garter just above the knee. This does not necessitate my using suspenders, and so I do not wear corsets, but in their place I wear a very tight-fitting uplifting brassiere, which is admirably fitted to the fullness of my ample bust. Owing to the shortness of my stump, I cut off practically the whole of the right leg of my wide French knickers, and sew it up at the bottom which makes a very smart frilly sock, and obviates the unsightliness of an empty portion of my underwear dangling helplessly below the end of my amputation. I also shorten and sew up the right leg of my pyjama trousers to obtain a smart effect.
Owing to the extreme fullness of my figure I have my crutch made specially for me. It is of the bow type, and sprung under the shoulder rest and at the hand grip and also at the bottom, where it fits into a pliable rubber shoe. The shoulder rest is well padded and yields comfortably to the pressure of my shoulder as my whole weight is thrown on my crutch, and the springs give me a rather fascinating feeling under my armpit as they slightly move up and down with my hopping movements. My crutch is well in towards my body and under my stump as it takes the place of my lost limb, causing the rubber shoe to silently plop on the ground quite close to my single foot. I much prefer a single crutch, although I am aware that it has a decided tendency to uplift my shoulder, but it does undoubtedly bring into prominence
my one-legged condition, which a pair of crutches would not do.
I am employed in the of~ice of a large factory, and am the senior shorthand typist there (hence this letter being typewritten) and have a fair number of others under me. ~y a rather peculiar coincidence one of the girls is one-legged also, but in all other respects we are absolutely the opposite of each other. She is very dark and slim and has had her left limb amputated, leaving her with a long, tapering stump which is rounded off at the knee, whilst I am extremely fair and plump, and have only just a short stump. The only thing in which we are alike is the fact that we are both one-legged and that we both. use a single crutch, although hers is one of the slender pole type. I was very interested to read her letter which she signed "One-Legged Typist," and also to read the previous week the letter from "One-legged barmaid," as it seems that she and I have a little in common in regard to our mutual condition, and that is by using the hand grip of the crutch to rest the end of our respective stumps upon when it is necessary to have both hands free. I do have to do quite a lot of filing in cabinets which causes me to stand up and I find this attitude quite useful and restful as it takes off a lot of weight, especially when I am performing my toilet and putting on my make-up in front of my mirror.
There are, of course, certain things, which I am debarred from doing, but on the other hand there are quite a lot which I can manage to do when one makes up her mind to overcome as far as possible the fact of her loss. There is, however, one thing which: I find impossible to overcome, and that is to reduce my plumpness, and so I have given up the idea, although, of course, the width and roundness of my hips cause my dress to fit me extremely tight, which naturally makes very noticeable the extent of my amputated condition, as the very full rounded remainder of my lost limb unmistakably strains itself against the taut material of my dress at each hop as I lean upon my crutch, and it also has the same effect, if not more so, when f am sitting down, but my boy tells me that he finds my figure much more fascinating than if I were the ordinary type of girl. He is a very charming boy, no one could help but like him because he is considerate and kind in every way, driving me to and from the office when the weather is bad, which causes the buses to always fill up. I often wonder what he can see in me to make him so frightfully keen on taking me about all over the place.
Talking of busses, I slipped off one some time ago, and rather badly sprained my ankle, and until it got better I had to hop about on a pair of crutches, but I was jolly glad to revert back to my single crutch as soon as I possibly could; but I learned afterwards that f was not nearly so glad as my boy was.
I can honestly say that I have never had any regrets about my condition since my leg was amputated, and now, after all these years of hopping about on a single crutch f think I can truthfully say that I actually prefer my present condition as there is something about being one-legged which, although it is impossible to describe, is a very elusive though yet fascinating feeling, which of course, can only be experienced by such as myself. My one-legged colleague has told me the same thing. For my part, I should not like to be different than I am, as I infinitely prefer my one and only to the best pair of legs in the world.
Yours truly,
A One-Legged Blonde.