webster jean-daddy long legs

www.librear.com JeanWebsterDaddyLongLegs

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DaddyLongLegsJeanWebster

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BlueWednesday

The first Wednesday inevery monthwasa Perfectly Awful Dayaday to be

awaitedwithdread,enduredwithcourageandforgottenwithhaste.Everyfloormust

be spotless, every chair dustless, and every bed without a wrinkle. Ninetyseven

squirming little orphansmust be scrubbedandcombedandbuttoned into freshly

starchedginghams;andallninetysevenremindedoftheirmanners,andtoldtosay,

`Yes,sir,'`No,sir,'wheneveraTrusteespoke.

Itwasadistressingtime;andpoorJerushaAbbott,beingtheoldestorphan,had

to bear thebrunt of it. But this particular first Wednesday, like its predecessors,

finallydraggeditselftoaclose.

Jerushaescapedfromthepantrywhereshehadbeenmakingsandwichesforthe

asylum'sguests,andturnedupstairstoaccomplishherregularwork.Herspecialcare

wasroomF,whereelevenlittletots,fromfourtoseven,occupiedelevenlittlecotsset

inarow.Jerushaassembledhercharges,straightenedtheirrumpledfrocks,wiped

theirnoses,andstartedtheminanorderlyandwillinglinetowardsthediningroomto

engagethemselvesforablessedhalfhourwithbreadandmilkandprunepudding.

Then she dropped down on the window seat and leaned throbbing temples

againstthecoolglass.

Shehadbeenonher feet since fivethatmorning, doingeverybody's bidding,

scoldedandhurriedbyanervousmatron.Mrs.Lippett,behindthescenes,didnot

alwaysmaintainthatcalmandpompousdignitywithwhichshefacedanaudienceof

Trusteesandladyvisitors.Jerushagazedoutacrossabroadstretchoffrozenlawn,

beyondthetallironpalingthatmarkedtheconfinesoftheasylum,downundulating

ridgessprinkledwithcountryestates,tothespiresofthevillagerisingfromthemidst

ofbaretrees.

Thedaywasendedquitesuccessfully,sofarassheknew.TheTrusteesandthe

visitingcommitteehadmadetheirrounds,andreadtheirreports,anddrunktheir

tea, and nowwere hurrying home to their own cheerful firesides, to forget their

bothersomelittlechargesforanothermonth.Jerushaleanedforwardwatchingwith

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curiosityandatouchofwistfulnessthestreamofcarriagesandautomobilesthat

rolledoutoftheasylumgates.Inimaginationshefollowedfirstoneequipage,then

another,tothebighousesdottedalongthehillside.Shepicturedherselfinafurcoat

andavelvethattrimmedwithfeathersleaningbackintheseatandnonchalantly

murmuring`Home'tothedriver.Butonthedoorsillofherhomethepicturegrew

blurred.

Jerushahadanimaginationanimagination,Mrs.Lippetttoldher,thatwould

getherintotroubleifshedidn'ttakecarebutkeenasitwas,itcouldnotcarryher

beyondthefrontporchofthehousesshewouldenter.Poor,eager,adventurouslittle

Jerusha,inallherseventeenyears,hadneversteppedinsideanordinaryhouse;she

couldnotpicturethedailyroutineofthoseotherhumanbeingswhocarriedontheir

livesundiscommodedbyorphans.

JerushaAbbott

Youarewanted

Intheoffice,

AndIthinkyou'd

Betterhurryup!

TommyDillon,whohadjoinedthechoir,camesingingupthestairsanddownthe

corridor,hischantgrowinglouderasheapproachedroomF.Jerushawrenchedherself

fromthewindowandrefacedthetroublesoflife.

`Whowantsme?'shecutintoTommy'schantwithanoteofsharpanxiety.

Mrs.Lippettintheoffice,

AndIthinkshe'smad.

Ahamen!

Tommypiouslyintoned,buthisaccentwasnotentirelymalicious.Eventhemost

hardenedlittleorphanfeltsympathyforanerringsisterwhowassummonedtothe

officetofaceanannoyedmatron;andTommylikedJerushaevenifshedidsometimes

jerkhimbythearmandnearlyscrubhisnoseoff.

Jerushawentwithoutcomment,butwithtwoparallellinesonherbrow.What

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couldhavegonewrong,shewondered.Werethesandwichesnotthinenough?Were

thereshellsinthenutcakes?HadaladyvisitorseentheholeinSusieHawthorn's

stocking?HadOhorrors!oneofthecherubiclittlebabesinherownroomF`sauced'

aTrustee?

Thelonglowerhallhadnotbeenlighted,andasshecamedownstairs,alast

Trusteestood,onthepointofdeparture,intheopendoorthatledtotheportecochere.

Jerushacaughtonlyafleetingimpressionofthemanandtheimpressionconsisted

entirelyoftallness.Hewaswavinghisarmtowardsanautomobilewaitinginthe

curveddrive.Asitsprangintomotionandapproached,headonforaninstant,the

glaringheadlightsthrewhisshadowsharplyagainstthewallinside.

Theshadowpicturedgrotesquelyelongated legsandarmsthatranalongthe

floorandupthewallofthecorridor.Itlooked,foralltheworld,likeahuge,wavering

daddylonglegs.

Jerusha'sanxiousfrowngaveplacetoquicklaughter.Shewasbynatureasunny

soul,andhadalwayssnatchedthetiniestexcusetobeamused.Ifonecouldderiveany

sort of entertainment out of the oppressive fact of a Trustee, it was something

unexpectedtothegood.Sheadvancedtotheofficequitecheeredbythetinyepisode,

andpresentedasmilingfacetoMrs.Lippett.Tohersurprisethematronwasalso,if

notexactlysmiling, at leastappreciablyaffable;sheworeanexpressionalmostas

pleasantastheoneshedonnedforvisitors.

`Sitdown,Jerusha,Ihavesomethingtosaytoyou.'Jerushadroppedintothe

nearestchairandwaitedwithatouchofbreathlessness.Anautomobileflashedpast

thewindow;Mrs.Lippettglancedafterit.

`Didyounoticethegentlemanwhohasjustgone?'

`Isawhisback.'

`HeisoneofourmostaffluentialTrustees,andhasgivenlargesumsofmoney

towardstheasylum'ssupport.Iamnotatlibertytomentionhisname;heexpressly

stipulatedthathewastoremainunknown.'

Jerusha'seyeswidenedslightly;shewasnotaccustomedtobeingsummonedto

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theofficetodiscusstheeccentricitiesofTrusteeswiththematron.

`This gentlemanhas takenan interest in several of our boys. Youremember

CharlesBentonandHenryFreize?TheywerebothsentthroughcollegebyMr.er

thisTrustee,andbothhaverepaidwithhardworkandsuccessthemoneythatwasso

generouslyexpended. Otherpayment thegentlemandoes not wish. Heretofore his

philanthropieshavebeendirectedsolelytowardstheboys;Ihaveneverbeenableto

interesthimintheslightestdegreeinanyofthegirlsintheinstitution,nomatterhow

deserving.Hedoesnot,Imaytellyou,careforgirls.'

`No,ma'am,'Jerushamurmured,sincesomereplyseemedtobeexpectedatthis

point.

`Todayattheregularmeeting,thequestionofyourfuturewasbroughtup.'

Mrs.Lippettallowedamomentofsilencetofall,thenresumedinaslow,placid

mannerextremelytryingtoherhearer'ssuddenlytightenednerves.

Ùsually,asyouknow,thechildrenarenotkeptaftertheyaresixteen,butan

exceptionwasmadeinyourcase.Youhadfinishedourschoolatfourteen,andhaving

done so well in your studiesnot always, I must say, in your conductit was

determinedtoletyougooninthevillagehighschool.Nowyouarefinishingthat,and

ofcoursetheasylumcannotberesponsibleanylongerforyoursupport.Asitis,you

havehadtwoyearsmorethanmost.'

Mrs.LippettoverlookedthefactthatJerushahadworkedhardforherboard

duringthosetwoyears,thattheconvenienceoftheasylumhadcomefirstandher

educationsecond;thatondayslikethepresentshewaskeptathometoscrub.

Às I say, the question of your future was brought up and your record was

discussedthoroughlydiscussed.'

Mrs.Lippettbroughtaccusingeyestobearupontheprisonerinthedock,andthe

prisoner looked guilty because it seemed to be expectednot because she could

rememberanystrikinglyblackpagesinherrecord.

Òfcoursetheusualdispositionofoneinyourplacewouldbetoputyouina

positionwhereyoucouldbegintowork,butyouhavedonewellinschoolincertain

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branches;itseemsthatyourworkinEnglishhasevenbeenbrilliant.MissPritchard,

whoisonourvisitingcommittee,isalsoontheschoolboard;shehasbeentalkingwith

yourrhetoricteacher,andmadeaspeechinyourfavour.Shealsoreadaloudanessay

thatyouhadwrittenentitled,"BlueWednesday".'

Jerusha'sguiltyexpressionthistimewasnotassumed.

`Itseemedtomethatyoushowedlittlegratitudeinholdinguptoridiculethe

institutionthathasdonesomuchforyou.HadyounotmanagedtobefunnyIdoubtif

youwouldhavebeenforgiven.Butfortunatelyforyou,Mr.,thatis,thegentleman

whohasjustgoneappearstohaveanimmoderatesenseofhumour.Onthestrength

ofthatimpertinentpaper,hehasofferedtosendyoutocollege.'

`Tocollege?'Jerusha'seyesgrewbig.Mrs.Lippettnodded.

`Hewaitedtodiscussthetermswithme.Theyareunusual.Thegentleman,I

maysay,iserratic.Hebelievesthatyouhaveoriginality,andheisplanningtoeducate

youtobecomeawriter.'

`Awriter?' Jerusha'smindwasnumbed.ShecouldonlyrepeatMrs.Lippett's

words.

`Thatishiswish.Whetheranythingwillcomeofit,thefuturewillshow.Heis

giving you a very liberal allowance, almost, for a girl who has never had any

experienceintakingcareofmoney,tooliberal.Butheplannedthematterindetail,

andIdidnotfeelfreetomakeanysuggestions.Youaretoremainherethroughthe

summer,andMissPritchardhaskindlyofferedtosuperintendyouroutfit.Yourboard

andtuitionwillbepaiddirectlytothecollege,andyouwillreceiveinadditionduring

thefouryearsyouarethere,anallowanceofthirtyfivedollarsamonth.Thiswill

enableyoutoenteronthesamestandingastheotherstudents.Themoneywillbe

senttoyoubythegentleman'sprivatesecretaryonceamonth,andinreturn,youwill

writeaetterofacknowledgmentonceamonth.Thatisyouarenottothankhimfor

themoney;hedoesn'tcaretohavethatmentioned,butyouaretowritealettertelling

oftheprogressinyourstudiesandthedetailsofyourdailylife.Justsuchaletteras

youwouldwritetoyourparentsiftheywereliving.

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`TheseletterswillbeaddressedtoMr.JohnSmithandwillbesentincareofthe

secretary. The gentleman's name is not John Smith, but he prefers to remain

unknown.ToyouhewillneverbeanythingbutJohnSmith.Hisreasoninrequiring

thelettersisthathethinksnothingsofostersfacilityinliteraryexpressionasletter

writing.Sinceyouhavenofamilywithwhomtocorrespond,hedesiresyoutowritein

thisway;also,hewishestokeeptrackofyourprogress.

Hewillneveransweryourletters,norintheslightestparticulartakeanynotice

ofthem.Hedetestsletterwritinganddoesnotwishyoutobecomeaburden.Ifany

pointshouldeverarisewhereananswerwouldseemtobeimperativesuchasinthe

eventofyourbeingexpelled,whichItrustwillnotoccuryoumaycorrespondwithMr.

Griggs,hissecretary.Thesemonthlylettersareabsolutelyobligatoryonyourpart;

theyaretheonlypaymentthatMr.Smithrequires,soyoumustbeaspunctiliousin

sendingthemasthoughitwereabill thatyouwerepaying.Ihopethattheywill

always be respectful in tone and will reflect credit on your training. You must

rememberthatyouarewritingtoaTrusteeoftheJohnGrierHome.'

Jerusha'seyeslonginglysoughtthedoor.Herheadwasinawhirlofexcitement,

andshewishedonlytoescapefromMrs.Lippett'splatitudesandthink.Sheroseand

tookatentativestepbackwards.Mrs.Lippettdetainedherwithagesture;itwasan

oratoricalopportunitynottobeslighted.

`Itrustthatyouareproperlygratefulforthisveryraregoodfortunethathas

befallenyou?Notmanygirlsinyourpositioneverhavesuchanopportunitytorisein

theworld.Youmustalwaysremember'

`Iyes,ma'am,thankyou.Ithink,ifthat'sall,Imustgoandsewapatchon

FreddiePerkins'strousers.'

Thedoorclosedbehindher,andMrs.Lippettwatcheditwithdroppedjaw,her

perorationinmidair.

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TheLettersofMissJerushaAbbotttoMr.DaddyLongLegsSmith

215FERGUSSENHALL24thSeptember

Dear KindTrusteeWhoSendsOrphanstoCollege, Here I am! I travelled

yesterdayforfourhoursinatrain.It'safunnysensation,isn'tit?Ineverrodeinone

before.

Collegeis thebiggest, mostbewilderingplaceI get lostwheneverI leavemy

room.IwillwriteyouadescriptionlaterwhenI'mfeelinglessmuddled;alsoIwilltell

youaboutmylessons.

Classesdon't beginuntil Mondaymorning, andthis is Saturdaynight. ButI

wantedtowritealetterfirstjusttogetacquainted.

Itseemsqueertobewritingletterstosomebodyyoudon'tknow.Itseemsqueer

formetobewritinglettersatallI'veneverwrittenmorethanthreeorfourinmylife,

sopleaseoverlookitifthesearenotamodelkind.

Beforeleavingyesterdaymorning,Mrs.LippettandIhadaveryserioustalk.She

toldmehowtobehavealltherestofmylife,andespeciallyhowtobehavetowardsthe

kindgentlemanwhoisdoingsomuchforme.ImusttakecaretobeVeryRespectful.

ButhowcanonebeveryrespectfultoapersonwhowishestobecalledJohn

Smith?Whycouldn'tyouhavepickedoutanamewithalittlepersonality?Imightas

wellwriteletterstoDearHitchingPostorDearClothesProp.

Ihavebeenthinkingaboutyouagreatdealthissummer;havingsomebodytake

aninterestinmeafteralltheseyearsmakesmefeelasthoughIhadfoundasortof

family.ItseemsasthoughIbelongedtosomebodynow,andit'saverycomfortable

sensation.Imustsay,however,thatwhenIthinkaboutyou,myimaginationhasvery

littletoworkupon.TherearejustthreethingsthatIknow:

I.Youaretall.

II.Youarerich.

III.Youhategirls.

IsupposeImightcallyouDearMr.GirlHater.Onlythat'sratherinsultingto

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me.OrDearMr.RichMan,butthat'sinsultingtoyou,asthoughmoneyweretheonly

importantthingaboutyou.

Besides,beingrichissuchaveryexternalquality.Maybeyouwon'tstayrichallyour

life;lotsofveryclevermengetsmashedupinWallStreet.Butatleastyouwillstay

tallallyourlife!SoI'vedecidedtocallyouDearDaddyLongLegs.Ihopeyouwon't

mind.It'sjustaprivatepetnamewewon'ttellMrs.Lippett.

Theteno'clockbell is goingto ring in twominutes. Ourday is divided into

sectionsbybells.

Weeatandsleepandstudybybells.It'sveryenlivening;Ifeellikeafirehorseall

ofthetime.

Thereitgoes!Lightsout.Goodnight.

ObservewithwhatprecisionIobeyrulesduetomytrainingintheJohnGrier

Home.Yoursmostrespectfully,JerushaAbbottToMr.DaddyLongLegsSmith1st

OctoberDearDaddyLongLegs,IlovecollegeandIloveyouforsendingmeI'mvery,

veryhappy,andsoexcitedeverymomentofthetimethatIcanscarcelysleep.You

can'timaginehowdifferentitisfromtheJohnGrierHome.Ineverdreamedtherewas

suchaplaceintheworld.I'mfeelingsorryforeverybodywhoisn'tagirlandwhocan't

comehere;Iamsurethecollegeyouattendedwhenyouwereaboycouldn'thavebeen

sonice.

Myroomisupinatowerthatusedtobethecontagiouswardbeforetheybuilt

thenewinfirmary.

TherearethreeothergirlsonthesamefloorofthetoweraSeniorwhowears

spectaclesandisalwaysaskinguspleasetobealittlemorequiet,andtwoFreshmen

namedSallieMcBrideandJuliaRutledgePendleton.Salliehasredhairandaturnup

noseandisquitefriendly;JuliacomesfromoneofthefirstfamiliesinNewYorkand

hasn'tnoticedmeyet.TheyroomtogetherandtheSeniorandIhavesingles.Usually

Freshmencan'tgetsingles;theyareveryscarce,butIgotonewithoutevenasking.I

supposetheregistrardidn'tthinkitwouldberighttoaskaproperlybroughtupgirlto

roomwithafoundling.Youseethereareadvantages!

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Myroomisonthenorthwestcornerwithtwowindowsandaview.Afteryou've

livedinawardforeighteenyearswithtwentyroommates,itisrestfultobealone.

ThisisthefirstchanceI'veeverhadtogetacquaintedwithJerushaAbbott.Ithink

I'mgoingtolikeher.

Doyouthinkyouare?

Tuesday

TheyareorganizingtheFreshmanbasketballteamandthere's justachance

thatIshallgetinit.

I'mlittleofcourse,butterriblyquickandwiryandtough.Whiletheothersare

hoppingaboutintheair,Icandodgeundertheirfeetandgrabtheball.It'sloadsof

funpractisingoutintheathleticfieldintheafternoonwiththetreesall redand

yellowandtheairfullofthesmellofburningleaves,andeverybodylaughingand

shouting.ThesearethehappiestgirlsIeversawandIamthehappiestofall!

I meant to write a long letter and tell youall the things I'm learning (Mrs.

Lippettsaidyouwantedtoknow),but7thhourhasjustrung,andintenminutesI'm

dueattheathleticfieldingymnasiumclothes.Don'tyouhopeI'llgetintheteam?

Yoursalways,JerushaAbbott

PS.(9o'clock.)

SallieMcBridejustpokedherheadinatmydoor.Thisiswhatshesaid:

`I'msohomesickthatIsimplycan'tstandit.Doyoufeelthatway?'

I smiled a little and said no; I thought I could pull through. At least

homesicknessisonediseasethatI'veescaped!Ineverheardofanybodybeingasylum

sick,didyou?

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10thOctober

DearDaddyLongLegs,

DidyoueverhearofMichaelAngelo?

Hewasa famousartistwho lived inItaly intheMiddleAges. Everybody in

EnglishLiteratureseemedtoknowabouthim,andthewholeclasslaughedbecauseI

thoughthewasanarchangel.

Hesoundslikeanarchangel,doesn'the?Thetroublewithcollegeisthatyouare

expectedtoknowsuchalotofthingsyou'veneverlearned.It'sveryembarrassingat

times.Butnow,whenthegirlstalkaboutthingsthatIneverheardof,Ijustkeepstill

andlookthemupintheencyclopedia.

I made an awful mistake the first day. Somebody mentioned Maurice

Maeterlinck,andIaskedifshewasaFreshman.Thatjokehasgoneallovercollege.

Butanyway,I'mjustasbrightinclassasanyoftheothersandbrighterthansomeof

them!

DoyoucaretoknowhowI'vefurnishedmyroom?It'sasymphonyinbrownand

yellow.Thewallwastintedbuff,andI'veboughtyellowdenimcurtainsandcushions

andamahoganydesk(secondhandforthreedollars)andarattanchairandabrown

rugwithaninkspotinthemiddle.

Istandthechairoverthespot.

The windows are up high; you can't look out from an ordinary seat. But I

unscrewedthe lookingglassfromthebackof thebureau,upholsteredthetopand

moveditupagainstthewindow.It'sjusttherightheightforawindowseat.Youpull

outthedrawerslikestepsandwalkup.Verycomfortable!

SallieMcBridehelpedmechoosethethingsattheSeniorauction.Shehaslived

inahouseallherlifeandknowsaboutfurnishing.Youcan'timaginewhatfunitisto

shopandpaywitharealfivedollarbillandgetsomechangewhenyou'veneverhad

morethanafewcentsinyourlife. Iassureyou,Daddydear,Idoappreciatethat

allowance.

SallieisthemostentertainingpersonintheworldandJuliaRutledgePendleton

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theleastso.It'squeerwhatamixturetheregistrarcanmakeinthematterofroom

mates. Sallie thinks everything is funnyeven flunkingand Julia is bored at

everything.Shenevermakestheslightestefforttobeamiable.Shebelievesthatifyou

are a Pendleton, that fact alone admits you to heaven without any further

examination.JuliaandIwereborntobeenemies.

AndnowI suppose you've beenwaiting very impatiently to hear what I am

learning?

I. Latin: Second Punic war. Hannibal and his forces pitched camp at Lake

Trasimenuslastnight.

Theypreparedanambuscade fortheRomans, andabattletookplaceat the

fourthwatchthismorning.Romansinretreat.

II. French:24pagesoftheThreeMusketeersandthirdconjugation,irregular

verbs.

III.Geometry:Finishedcylinders;nowdoingcones.

IV. English: Studying exposition. My style improves daily in clearness and

brevity.

V.Physiology:Reachedthedigestivesystem.Bileandthepancreasnexttime.

Yours,onthewaytobeingeducated,JerushaAbbott

PS.Ihopeyounevertouchalcohol,Daddy?Itdoesdreadfulthingstoyourliver.

Wednesday

DearDaddyLongLegs,

I'vechangedmyname.

I'mstill`Jerusha'inthecatalogue,butI'm`Judy'everywhereelse.It'sreallytoo

bad,isn'tit,tohavetogiveyourselftheonlypetnameyoueverhad?Ididn'tquite

makeuptheJudythough.

That'swhatFreddyPerkinsusedtocallmebeforehecouldtalkplainly.

I wishMrs. Lippett woulduse a little more ingenuityaboutchoosingbabies'

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names.Shegetsthelastnamesoutofthetelephonebookyou'llfindAbbottonthe

firstpageandshepickstheChristiannamesupanywhere;shegotJerushafroma

tombstone.I'vealwayshatedit;butIratherlikeJudy.It'ssuchasillyname.Itbelongs

tothekindofgirlI'mnotasweetlittleblueeyedthing,pettedandspoiledbyallthe

family,whorompsherwaythroughlifewithoutanycares.Wouldn'titbenicetobelike

that?WhateverfaultsImayhave,noonecaneveraccusemeofhavingbeenspoiledby

myfamily!Butit'sgreatfuntopretendI'vebeen.Inthefuturepleasealwaysaddress

measJudy.

Doyouwanttoknowsomething?Ihavethreepairsofkidgloves.I'vehadkid

mittensbeforefromtheChristmastree,butneverrealkidgloveswithfivefingers.I

takethemoutandtrythemoneverylittlewhile.It'sallIcandonottowearthemto

classes.(Dinnerbell.Goodbye.)Friday

Whatdoyouthink,Daddy?TheEnglishinstructorsaidthatmylastpapershows

anunusualamountoforiginality.Shedid,truly.Thosewereherwords.Itdoesn'tseem

possible,doesit,consideringtheeighteenyearsoftrainingthatI'vehad?Theaimof

theJohnGrierHome(asyoudoubtlessknowandheartilyapproveof)istoturnthe

ninetysevenorphansintoninetyseventwins.

The unusual artistic ability which I exhibit was developed at an early age

throughdrawingchalkpicturesofMrs.Lippettonthewoodsheddoor.

IhopethatIdon'thurtyourfeelingswhenIcriticizethehomeofmyyouth?But

youhavetheupperhand,youknow,forifIbecometooimpertinent,youcanalways

stoppaymentofyourcheques.Thatisn'taverypolitethingtosaybutyoucan'texpect

metohaveanymanners;afoundlingasylumisn'tayoungladies'finishingschool.

Youknow,Daddy,itisn'ttheworkthatisgoingtobehardincollege.It'stheplay.

HalfthetimeIdon'tknowwhatthegirlsaretalkingabout;theirjokesseemtorelate

toapastthateveryonebutmehasshared.I'maforeignerintheworldandIdon't

understandthelanguage.It'samiserablefeeling.I'vehaditallmylife.Atthehigh

schoolthegirlswouldstandingroupsandjustlookatme.Iwasqueeranddifferent

andeverybodyknewit.IcouldFEEL`JohnGrierHome'writtenonmyface.Andthen

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afewcharitableoneswouldmakeapointofcomingupandsayingsomethingpolite.I

HATEDEVERYONEOFTHEMthecharitableonesmostofall.

NobodyhereknowsthatIwasbroughtupinanasylum.ItoldSallieMcBride

thatmymotherandfatherweredead,andthatakindoldgentlemanwassendingme

tocollegewhichisentirelytruesofarasitgoes.Idon'twantyoutothinkIama

coward,butIdowanttobeliketheothergirls,andthatDreadfulHomeloomingover

mychildhoodistheonegreatbigdifference.IfIcanturnmybackonthatandshutout

theremembrance,Ithink,Imightbejustasdesirableasanyothergirl.Idon'tbelieve

there'sanyreal,underneathdifference,doyou?

Anyway,SallieMcBridelikesme!Yoursever,JudyAbbott(NeeJerusha.)

Saturdaymorning

I'vejustbeenreadingthisletteroveranditsoundsprettyuncheerful.Butcan't

youguessthatIhaveaspecialtopicdueMondaymorningandareviewingeometry

andaverysneezycold?

Sunday

Iforgottopostthisyesterday,soIwilladdanindignantpostscript.Wehada

bishopthismorning,andWHATDOYOUTHINKHESAID?

`ThemostbeneficentpromisemadeusintheBibleisthis,"Thepooryehave

alwayswithyou."

Theywereputhereinordertokeepuscharitable.'

Thepoor,pleaseobserve,beingasortofusefuldomesticanimal.IfIhadn'tgrown

intosuchaperfect lady,I shouldhavegoneupafterserviceandtoldhimwhatI

thought.

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25thOctober

DearDaddyLongLegs,

I'minthebasketballteamandyououghttoseethebruiseonmyleftshoulder.

It's blueandmahoganywithlittlestreaksoforange.JuliaPendletontriedforthe

team,butshedidn'tgetin.

Hooray!

YouseewhatameandispositionIhave.

Collegegetsnicerandnicer.Ilikethegirlsandtheteachersandtheclassesand

thecampusandthethingstoeat.Wehaveicecreamtwiceaweekandweneverhave

cornmealmush.

You only wanted to hear from me once a month, didn't you? And I've been

pepperingyouwithletterseveryfewdays!ButI'vebeensoexcitedaboutallthesenew

adventuresthatIMUSTtalktosomebody;andyou'retheonlyoneIknow.Please

excusemyexuberance;I'llsettleprettysoon.Ifmylettersboreyou,youcanalways

toss them into thewastebasket. I promise not to write another till the middle of

November.Yoursmostloquaciously,JudyAbbott15thNovemberDearDaddyLong

Legs,ListentowhatI'velearnedtoday.

Theareaoftheconvexsurfaceofthefrustumofaregularpyramidishalfthe

product of the sumof the perimeters of its bases by the altitude of either of its

trapezoids.

Itdoesn'tsoundtrue,butitisIcanproveit!

You'veneverheardaboutmyclothes,haveyou,Daddy?Sixdresses,allnewand

beautifulandboughtformenothandeddownfromsomebodybigger.Perhapsyou

don'trealizewhataclimaxthatmarksinthecareerofanorphan?Yougavethemto

me,andIamvery,very,VERYmuchobliged.It'safinethingtobeeducatedbut

nothing compared to the dizzying experience of owning six new dresses. Miss

Pritchard,whoisonthevisitingcommittee,pickedthemoutnotMrs.Lippett,thank

goodness.Ihaveaneveningdress,pinkmulloversilk(I'mperfectlybeautifulinthat),

andabluechurchdress,andadinnerdressofredveilingwithOrientaltrimming

16


(makes me look like a Gipsy), and another of rosecoloured challis, and a grey

streetsuit, and an everyday dress for classes. That wouldn't be an awfully big

wardrobeforJuliaRutledgePendleton,perhaps,butforJerushaAbbottOh,my!

Isupposeyou'rethinkingnowwhatafrivolous,shallowlittlebeastsheis,and

whatawasteofmoneytoeducateagirl?

But, Daddy, if you'd been dressed in checked ginghams all your life, you'd

appreciatehowIfeel.

AndwhenIstartedtothehighschool,Ientereduponanotherperiodevenworse

thanthecheckedginghams.

Thepoorbox.

Youcan'tknowhowIdreadedappearinginschoolinthosemiserablepoorbox

dresses.Iwasperfectlysuretobeputdowninclassnexttothegirlwhofirstowned

mydress, and she would whisper and giggle and point it out to the others. The

bitternessofwearingyourenemies'castoffclotheseatsintoyoursoul.IfIworesilk

stockingsfortherestofmylife,Idon'tbelieveIcouldobliteratethescar.

LATESTWARBULLETIN!

NewsfromtheSceneofAction.

AtthefourthwatchonThursdaythe13thof November, Hannibal routedthe

advanceguardoftheRomansandledtheCarthaginianforcesoverthemountainsinto

theplainsofCasilinum.AcohortoflightarmedNumidiansengagedtheinfantryof

QuintusFabiusMaximus.Twobattlesandlightskirmishing.Romansrepulsedwith

heavylosses.Ihavethehonourofbeing,Yourspecialcorrespondentfromthefront,J.

AbbottPS.IknowI'mnottoexpectanylettersinreturn,andI'vebeenwarnednotto

botheryouwithquestions,buttellme,Daddy,justthisonceareyouawfullyoldor

justalittleold?Andareyouperfectlybaldorjustalittlebald?Itisverydifficult

thinkingaboutyouintheabstractlikeatheoremingeometry.

Given a tall rich man who hates girls, but is very generous to one quite

impertinentgirl,whatdoeshelooklike?

R.S.V.P.

17


19thDecember

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Youneveransweredmyquestionanditwasveryimportant.

AREYOUBALD?

IhaveitplannedexactlywhatyoulooklikeverysatisfactorilyuntilIreachthe

topofyourhead,andthenIAMstuck.Ican'tdecidewhetheryouhavewhitehairor

blackhairorsortofsprinklygreyhairormaybenoneatall.

Hereisyourportrait:

Buttheproblemis,shallIaddsomehair?

Would you like to know what colour your eyes are? They're grey, and your

eyebrowsstickoutlikeaporchroof(beetling,they'recalledinnovels),andyourmouth

isastraightlinewithatendencytoturndownatthecorners.Oh,yousee,Iknow!

You'reasnappyoldthingwithatemper.(Chapelbell.)9.45p.m.

Ihaveanewunbreakablerule:never,nevertostudyatnightnomatterhow

manywrittenreviewsarecominginthemorning.Instead,IreadjustplainbooksI

haveto,youknow,becausethereareeighteenblankyearsbehindme.Youwouldn't

believe,Daddy,whatanabyssofignorancemymindis;Iamjustrealizingthedepths

myself.Thethingsthatmostgirlswithaproperlyassortedfamilyandahomeand

friendsandalibraryknowbyabsorption,Ihaveneverheardof.Forexample:

IneverreadMotherGooseorDavidCopperfieldorIvanhoeorCinderellaorBlue

BeardorRobinsonCrusoeorJaneEyreorAliceinWonderlandorawordofRudyard

Kipling.Ididn'tknowthatHenrytheEighthwasmarriedmorethanonceorthat

Shelleywasapoet.Ididn'tknowthatpeopleusedtobemonkeysandthattheGarden

of Edenwasabeautiful myth. I didn't knowthatR. L. S. stood for Robert Louis

StevensonorthatGeorgeEliotwasalady.Ihadneverseenapictureofthe`Mona

Lisa'and(it'struebutyouwon'tbelieveit)IhadneverheardofSherlockHolmes.

Now,Iknowallofthesethingsandalotofothersbesides,butyoucanseehow

muchIneedtocatchup.Andoh,butit'sfun!Ilookforwardalldaytoevening,and

thenIputan`engaged'onthedoorandgetintomyniceredbathrobeandfurry

18


slippersandpileallthecushionsbehindmeonthecouch,andlightthebrassstudent

lampatmyelbow,andreadandreadandreadonebookisn'tenough.Ihavefourgoing

atonce.Justnow,they'reTennyson'spoemsandVanityFairandKipling'sPlainTales

anddon'tlaughLittleWomen.IfindthatIamtheonlygirlincollegewhowasn't

broughtuponLittleWomen.Ihaven'ttoldanybodythough(thatWOULDstampme

asqueer).Ijustquietlywentandboughtitwith$1.12ofmylastmonth'sallowance;

andthenexttimesomebodymentionspickledlimes,I'll knowwhatsheis talking

about!(Teno'clockbell.Thisisaveryinterruptedletter.)

Saturday Sir, I have the honour to report fresh explorations in the field of

geometry. On Friday last we abandoned our former works in parallelopipeds and

proceededtotruncatedprisms.Wearefindingtheroadroughandveryuphill.

SundayTheChristmasholidaysbeginnext weekandthetrunksareup. The

corridorsaresofilledupthatyoucanhardlygetthrough,andeverybodyissobubbling

overwithexcitementthatstudyingisgettingleftout.I'mgoingtohaveabeautiful

timeinvacation;there'sanotherFreshmanwholivesinTexasstayingbehind,andwe

areplanningtotakelongwalksandifthere'sanyicelearntoskate.Thenthereis

stillthewholelibrarytobereadandthreeemptyweekstodoitin!

Goodbye,Daddy,Ihopethatyouarefeelingashappyasam.Yoursever,JudyPS.

Don'tforgettoanswermyquestion.Ifyoudon'twantthetroubleofwriting,haveyour

secretarytelegraph.Hecanjustsay:Mr.Smithisquitebald,orMr.Smithisnotbald,

orMr.Smithhaswhitehair.

Andyoucandeductthetwentyfivecentsoutofmyallowance.

GoodbyetillJanuaryandamerryChristmas!

TowardstheendoftheChristmasvacation.ExactdateunknownDearDaddy

LongLegs,Isitsnowingwhereyouare?AlltheworldthatIseefrommytoweris

draped in white and the flakes are coming down as big as popcorns. It's late

afternoonthesunisjustsetting(acoldyellowcolour)behindsomecolderviolethills,

andIamupinmywindowseatusingthelastlighttowritetoyou.

Your five gold pieces were a surprise! I'm not used to receiving Christmas

19


presents.YouhavealreadygivenmesuchlotsofthingseverythingIhave,youknow

thatIdon'tquitefeelthatIdeserveextras.ButIlikethemjustthesame.Doyouwant

toknowwhatIboughtwithmymoney?

I.Asilverwatchinaleathercasetowearonmywristandgetmetorecitationsin

time.

II.MatthewArnold'spoems.

III.Ahotwaterbottle.

IV.Asteamerrug.(Mytoweriscold.)

V.Fivehundredsheetsofyellowmanuscriptpaper.(I'mgoingtocommencebeing

anauthorprettysoon.)

VI.Adictionaryofsynonyms.(Toenlargetheauthor'svocabulary.)

VII. (I don't much like to confess this last item, but I will.) A pair of silk

stockings.

Andnow,Daddy,neversayIdon'ttellall!

Itwasaverylowmotive,ifyoumustknowit,thatpromptedthesilkstockings.

JuliaPendletoncomesintomyroomtodogeometry,andshesitscrossleggedonthe

couchandwearssilkstockingseverynight.Butjustwaitassoonasshegetsback

fromvacationIshallgoinandsitonhercouchinmysilkstockings.Yousee,Daddy,

themiserablecreaturethatIambutatleastI'mhonest;andyouknewalready,from

myasylumrecord,thatIwasn'tperfect,didn'tyou?

To recapitulate (that's the way the English instructor begins every other

sentence),Iamverymuchobligedformysevenpresents.I'mpretendingtomyselfthat

theycameinaboxfrommyfamilyinCalifornia.Thewatchisfromfather,therug

frommother,thehotwaterbottlefromgrandmotherwhoisalwaysworryingforfearI

shallcatchcoldinthisclimateandtheyellowpaperfrommylittlebrotherHarry.My

sisterIsabelgavemethesilkstockings,andAuntSusantheMatthewArnoldpoems;

UncleHarry(littleHarryisnamedafterhim)gavemethedictionary.

Hewantedtosendchocolates,butIinsistedonsynonyms.

Youdon'tobject,doyou,toplayingthepartofacompositefamily?

20


Andnow,shallItellyouaboutmyvacation,orareyouonlyinterestedinmy

educationassuch?

Ihopeyouappreciatethedelicateshadeofmeaningin`assuch'.Itisthelatest

additiontomyvocabulary.

ThegirlfromTexasisnamedLeonoraFenton.(AlmostasfunnyasJerusha,isn't

it?)Ilikeher,butnotsomuchasSallieMcBride;Ishallneverlikeanyonesomuchas

Sallieexceptyou. I mustalwayslikeyouthebestof all, becauseyou'remywhole

familyrolledintoone.LeonoraandIandtwoSophomoreshavewalked'crosscountry

everypleasantdayandexploredthewholeneighbourhood,dressedinshortskirtsand

knitjacketsandcaps,andcarryingshinystickstowhackthingswith.Oncewewalked

into townfour milesand stopped at a restaurant where the college girls go for

dinner.Broiledlobster(35cents),andfordessert,buckwheatcakesandmaplesyrup

(15cents).Nourishingandcheap.

Itwassuchalark!Especiallyforme,becauseitwassoawfullydifferentfromthe

asylumIfeellikeanescapedconvicteverytimeIleavethecampus.BeforeIthought,

IstartedtotelltheotherswhatanexperienceIwashaving.Thecatwasalmostoutof

thebagwhenIgrabbeditbyitstailandpulleditback.It'sawfullyhardformenotto

telleverythingIknow.I'maveryconfidingsoulbynature;ifIdidn'thaveyoutotell

thingsto,I'dburst.

WehadamolassescandypulllastFridayevening,givenbythehousematronof

Fergussen to the leftbehinds in the other halls. There were twentytwo of us

altogether,FreshmenandSophomoresandjuniorsandSeniorsallunitedinamicable

accord.Thekitchenishuge,withcopperpotsandkettleshanginginrowsonthestone

wallthelittlestcasseroleamongthemaboutthesizeofawashboiler.Fourhundred

girlsliveinFergussen.Thechef,inawhitecapandapron,fetchedouttwentytwo

otherwhitecapsandapronsIcan'timaginewherehegotsomanyandweallturned

ourselvesintocooks.

Itwasgreatfun,thoughIhaveseenbettercandy.Whenitwasfinallyfinished,

andourselvesandthekitchenandthedoorknobsallthoroughlysticky,weorganizeda

21


processionandstillinourcapsandaprons,eachcarryingabigforkorspoonorfrying

pan,wemarchedthroughtheemptycorridorstotheofficers'parlour,wherehalfa

dozenprofessorsandinstructorswerepassingatranquilevening.Weserenadedthem

withcollegesongsandofferedrefreshments.Theyacceptedpolitelybutdubiously.We

leftthemsuckingchunksofmolassescandy,stickyandspeechless.

Soyousee,Daddy,myeducationprogresses!

Don'tyoureallythinkthatIoughttobeanartistinsteadofanauthor?

VacationwillbeoverintwodaysandIshallbegladtoseethegirlsagain.My

towerisjustatriflelonely;whenninepeopleoccupyahousethatwasbuiltforfour

hundred,theydorattlearoundabit.

ElevenpagespoorDaddy,youmustbetired!Imeantthistobejustashortlittle

thankyounotebutwhenIgetstartedIseemtohaveareadypen.

Goodbye,andthankyouforthinkingofmeIshouldbeperfectlyhappyexceptfor

onelittlethreateningcloudonthehorizon.ExaminationscomeinFebruary.Yours

withlove,Judy

PS.Maybeitisn'tpropertosendlove?Ifitisn't,pleaseexcuse.ButImustlove

somebodyandthere'sonlyyouandMrs.Lippetttochoosebetween,soyouseeyou'll

HAVEtoputupwithit,Daddydear,becauseIcan'tloveher.

OntheEve

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Youshouldseethewaythiscollegeisstudying!We'veforgottenweeverhada

vacation.

FiftysevenirregularverbshaveIintroducedtomybraininthepastfourdays

I'monlyhopingthey'llstaytillafterexaminations.

Someofthegirlssell theirtextbookswhenthey'rethroughwiththem,butI

intendtokeepmine.

Then after I've graduated I shall have mywhole education in a row in the

22


bookcase,andwhenIneedtouseanydetail,Icanturntoitwithouttheslightest

hesitation.Somucheasierandmoreaccuratethantryingtokeepitinyourhead.

JuliaPendletondroppedinthiseveningtopayasocialcall,andstayedasolid

hour.Shegotstartedonthesubjectoffamily,andICOULDN'Tswitchheroff.She

wanted to knowwhat mymother's maidennamewasdid youever hear suchan

impertinentquestiontoaskofapersonfromafoundlingasylum?Ididn'thavethe

couragetosayIdidn'tknow,soIjustmiserablyplumpedonthefirstnameIcould

thinkof,andthatwasMontgomery.ThenshewantedtoknowwhetherIbelongedto

theMassachusettsMontgomerysortheVirginiaMontgomerys.

Her mother was a Rutherford. The family came over in the ark, and were

connected by marriage with Henry the VIII. On her father's side they date back

furtherthanAdam.Onthetopmostbranchesofherfamilytreethere's asuperior

breedofmonkeyswithveryfinesilkyhairandextralongtails.

I meanttowriteyouanice,cheerful, entertaininglettertonight, butI'mtoo

sleepyandscared.

TheFreshman'slotisnotahappyone.Yours,abouttobeexamined,JudyAbbott

Sunday,

DearestDaddyLongLegs,

Ihavesomeawful,awful,awfulnewstotellyou,butIwon'tbeginwithit;I'lltry

togetyouinagoodhumourfirst.

JerushaAbbott has commenced to be anauthor. Apoementitled, `Frommy

Tower', appears intheFebruaryMonthlyonthe firstpage, whichisa verygreat

honourforaFreshman.MyEnglishinstructorstoppedmeonthewayoutfromchapel

lastnight,andsaiditwasacharmingpieceofworkexceptforthesixthline,which

hadtoomanyfeet.Iwillsendyouacopyincaseyoucaretoreadit.

LetmeseeifIcan'tthinkofsomethingelsepleasantOh,yes!I'mlearningto

skate,andcanglideaboutquiterespectablyallbymyself.AlsoI'velearnedhowto

23


slidedownaropefromtheroofofthegymnasium,andIcanvaultabarthreefeetand

sixincheshighIhopeshortlytopulluptofourfeet.

We had a very inspiring sermon this morning preached by the Bishop of

Alabama.Histextwas:`Judgenotthatyebenotjudged.'Itwasaboutthenecessityof

overlookingmistakesinothers,andnotdiscouragingpeoplebyharshjudgments.I

wishyoumighthaveheardit.

Thisisthesunniest,mostblindingwinterafternoon,withiciclesdrippingfrom

thefirtreesandalltheworldbendingunderaweightofsnowexceptme,andI'm

bendingunderaweightofsorrow.

Nowforthenewscourage,Judy!youmusttell.

AreyouSURELYinagoodhumour?IfailedinmathematicsandLatinprose.I

amtutoring inthem,andwill takeanotherexaminationnext month. I'msorry if

you'redisappointed,butotherwiseIdon'tcareabitbecauseI'velearnedsuchalotof

things not mentioned in the catalogue. I've read seventeen novels and bushels of

poetryreally necessary novels like Vanity Fair and Richard Feverel and Alice in

Wonderland.AlsoEmerson'sEssaysandLockhart'sLifeofScottandthefirstvolume

of Gibbon's Roman Empire and half of Benvenuto Cellini's Lifewasn't he

entertaining?Heusedtosaunteroutandcasuallykillamanbeforebreakfast.

Soyousee,Daddy,I'mmuchmoreintelligentthanifI'djuststucktoLatin.Will

youforgivemethisonceifIpromisenevertofailagain?Yoursinsackcloth,Judy

DearDaddyLongLegs,

This is anextra letter in themiddleof the monthbecauseI'mrather lonely

tonight.It'sawfullystormy.Allthelightsareoutonthecampus,butIdrankblack

coffeeandIcan'tgotosleep.

Ihadasupperpartythis eveningconsistingof Sallie andJuliaandLeonora

Fentonandsardinesandtoastedmuffinsandsaladandfudgeandcoffee.Juliasaid

she'dhadagoodtime,butSalliestayedtohelpwashthedishes.

24


Imight,veryusefully,putsometimeonLatintonightbut,there'snodoubtabout

it,I'maverylanguidLatinscholar.We'vefinishedLivyandDeSenectuteandarenow

engagedwithDeAmicitia(pronouncedDamnIcitia).

Shouldyoumind,justforalittlewhile, pretendingyouaremygrandmother?

SalliehasoneandJuliaandLeonoraeachtwo,andtheywereallcomparingthem

tonight.Ican'tthinkofanythingI'dratherhave;it'ssucharespectablerelationship.

So,ifyoureallydon'tobjectWhenIwentintotownyesterday,Isawthesweetestcap

ofClunylacetrimmedwithlavenderribbon.Iamgoingtomakeyouapresentofiton

youreightythirdbirthday.!!!!!!!!!!!!

That'stheclockinthechapeltowerstrikingtwelve.IbelieveIamsleepyafterall.

Goodnight,Granny.Iloveyoudearly.Judy

TheIdesofMarch

DearD.L.L.,

I am studying Latin prose composition. I have been studying it. I shall be

studyingit.Ishallbeabouttohavebeenstudyingit.Myreexaminationcomesthe7th

hournextTuesday,andIamgoingtopassorBUST.Soyoumayexpecttohearfrom

menext,wholeandhappyandfreefromconditions,orinfragments.

I will write a respectable letter when it's over. Tonight I have a pressing

engagementwiththeAblativeAbsolute.YoursinevidenthasteJ.A.

26thMarch

Mr.D.L.L.Smith,

SIR:Youneveransweranyquestions;younevershowtheslightestinterestin

anythingIdo.

YouareprobablythehorridestoneofallthosehorridTrustees,andthereason

youareeducatingmeis,notbecauseyoucareabitaboutme,butfromasenseofDuty.

Idon'tknowasinglethingaboutyou.Idon'tevenknowyourname.Itisvery

25


uninspiringwritingtoaThing.Ihaven'tadoubtbutthatyouthrowmylettersinto

thewastebasketwithoutreadingthem.HereafterIshallwriteonlyaboutwork.

MyreexaminationsinLatinandgeometrycamelastweek.Ipassedthemboth

andamnowfreefromconditions.Yourstruly,JerushaAbbott

2ndAprilDear

DaddyLongLegs,

IamaBEAST.

PleaseforgetaboutthatdreadfulletterIsentyoulastweekIwasfeelingterribly

lonelyandmiserableandsorethroatythenightIwrote.Ididn'tknowit,butIwasjust

sickeningfortonsillitisandgrippeandlotsofthingsmixed.I'mintheinfirmarynow,

andhavebeenhereforsixdays;thisisthefirsttimetheywouldletmesitupandhave

apenandpaper.Theheadnurseisverybossy.ButI'vebeenthinkingaboutitallthe

timeandIshan'tgetwelluntilyouforgiveme.

Here is a picture of thewayI look, withabandagetiedaroundmyhead in

rabbit'sears.

Doesn'tthatarouseyoursympathy?Iamhavingsublingualglandswelling.And

I'vebeenstudyingphysiologyalltheyearwithouteverhearingofsublingualglands.

Howfutileathingiseducation!

Ican'twriteanymore;IgetrathershakywhenIsituptoolong.Pleaseforgive

meforbeingimpertinentandungrateful.Iwasbadlybroughtup.Yourswithlove,

JudyAbbott

THEINFIRMARY4thApril

Dearest DaddyLongLegs, Yesterday evening just towards dark, when I was

sittingupinbedlookingoutattherainandfeelingawfullyboredwithlifeinagreat

institution,thenurseappearedwithalongwhiteboxaddressedtome,andfilledwith

26


theLOVELIESTpinkrosebuds.Andmuchnicerstill,itcontainedacardwithavery

politemessagewritteninafunnylittleuphillbackhand(butonewhichshowsagreat

dealofcharacter).Thankyou,Daddy,athousandtimes.Yourflowersmakethefirst

real,truepresentIeverreceivedinmylife.IfyouwanttoknowwhatababyIamIlay

downandcriedbecauseIwassohappy.

NowthatIamsureyoureadmyletters,I'llmakethemmuchmoreinteresting,so

they'llbeworthkeepinginasafewithredtapearoundthemonlypleasetakeoutthat

dreadfuloneandburnitup.I'dhatetothinkthatyoueverreaditover.

Thankyouformakingaverysick,cross,miserableFreshmancheerful.Probably

youhavelotsoflovingfamilyandfriends,andyoudon'tknowwhatitfeelsliketobe

alone.ButIdo.

GoodbyeI'llpromisenevertobehorridagain,becausenowIknowyou'reareal

person;alsoI'llpromisenevertobotheryouwithanymorequestions.

Doyoustillhategirls?Yoursforever,Judy

8thhour,Monday

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Ihopeyouaren'ttheTrusteewhosatonthetoad?ItwentoffIwastoldwith

quiteapop,soprobablyhewasafatterTrustee.

Doyourememberthelittledugoutplaceswithgratingsoverthembythelaundry

windowsintheJohnGrierHome?Everyspringwhenthehoptoadseasonopenedwe

used to form a collection of toads and keep them in those window holes; and

occasionally they would spill over into the laundry, causing a very pleasurable

commotion on wash days. We were severely punished for our activities in this

direction,butinspiteofalldiscouragementthetoadswouldcollect.

Andonedaywell,Iwon'tboreyouwithparticularsbutsomehow,oneofthe

fattest,biggest,JUCIESTtoadsgotintooneofthosebigleatherarmchairsinthe

Trustees'room,andthatafternoonattheTrustees'meetingButIdaresayyouwere

27


thereandrecalltherest?

Lookingbackdispassionatelyafteraperiodoftime,Iwillsaythatpunishment

wasmerited,andifIrememberrightlyadequate.

Idon'tknowwhyIaminsuchareminiscentmoodexceptthatspringandthe

reappearanceoftoadsalwaysawakenstheoldacquisitiveinstinct.Theonlythingthat

keepsmefromstartingacollectionisthefactthatnoruleexistsagainstit.

Afterchapel,Thursday

Whatdoyouthinkismyfavouritebook?Justnow,Imean;Ichangeeverythree

days.WutheringHeights.EmilyBrontewasquiteyoungwhenshewroteit,andhad

neverbeenoutsideofHaworthchurchyard.Shehadneverknownanymeninherlife;

howCOULDsheimagineamanlikeHeathcliffe?

Icouldn'tdoit,andI'mquiteyoungandneveroutsidetheJohnGrierAsylum

I'vehadeverychanceintheworld.SometimesadreadfulfearcomesovermethatI'm

notagenius.Willyoubeawfullydisappointed,Daddy,ifIdon'tturnouttobeagreat

author?Inthespringwheneverythingissobeautifulandgreenandbudding,Ifeel

liketurningmybackonlessons,andrunningawaytoplaywiththeweather.Thereare

suchlotsofadventuresoutinthefields!It'smuchmoreentertainingtolivebooksthan

towritethem.Ow!!!!!!

ThatwasashriekwhichbroughtSallieandJuliaand(foradisgustedmoment)

theSeniorfromacrossthehall.Itwascausedbyacentipedelikethis:onlyworse.Just

asIhadfinishedthelastsentenceandwasthinkingwhattosaynextplump!itfell

offtheceilingandlandedatmyside.

Itippedtwocupsofftheteatableintryingtogetaway.Salliewhackeditwith

thebackofmyhairbrushwhichIshallneverbeabletouseagainandkilledthe

frontend,buttherearfiftyfeetranunderthebureauandescaped.

Thisdormitory,owingtoitsageandivycoveredwalls,isfullofcentipedes.They

aredreadfulcreatures.I'dratherfindatigerunderthebed.

28


Friday,9.30p.m.

Suchalotoftroubles!Ididn'theartherisingbellthismorning,thenIbrokemy

shoestringwhileIwashurryingtodressanddroppedmycollarbuttondownmyneck.

Iwaslateforbreakfastandalsoforfirsthourrecitation.Iforgottotakeanyblotting

paper and my fountain pen leaked. In trigonometry the Professor and I had a

disagreementtouchingalittlematteroflogarithms.Onlookingitup,Ifindthatshe

wasright.Wehadmuttonstewandpieplantforlunchhate'emboth;theytastelike

theasylum.Thepostbroughtmenothingbutbills(thoughImustsaythatIneverdo

get anything else; my family are not the kind that write). In English class this

afternoonwehadanunexpectedwrittenlesson.Thiswasit:

Iaskednootherthing,Nootherwasdenied.IofferedBeingforit;Themighty

merchantsmiled.

Brazil? Hetwirleda buttonWithoutaglancemyway:But, madam, is there

nothingelseThatwecanshowtoday?

Thatisapoem.Idon'tknowwhowroteitorwhatitmeans.Itwassimplyprinted

outontheblackboardwhenwearrivedandwewereorderedtocommentuponit.

WhenIreadthefirstverseIthoughtIhadanideaTheMightyMerchantwasa

divinitywhodistributesblessingsinreturnforvirtuousdeedsbutwhenIgottothe

secondverseandfoundhimtwirlingabutton,itseemedablasphemoussupposition,

andIhastilychangedmymind.Therestoftheclasswasinthesamepredicament;and

therewesatforthreequartersofanhourwithblankpaperandequallyblankminds.

Gettinganeducationisanawfullywearingprocess!

Butthisdidn'tendtheday.There'sworsetocome.

Itrainedsowecouldn'tplaygolf,buthadtogotogymnasiuminstead.Thegirl

nexttomebangedmyelbowwithanIndianclub.Igothometofindthattheboxwith

mynewbluespringdresshadcome,andtheskirtwassotightthatIcouldn'tsitdown.

Fridayissweepingday,andthemaidhadmixedallthepapersonmydesk.Wehad

tombstone for dessert (milk and gelatin flavoured with vanilla). Wewere kept in

chapeltwentyminuteslaterthanusualtolistentoaspeechaboutwomanlywomen.

29


AndthenjustasIwassettlingdownwithasighofwellearnedrelieftoThePortrait

ofaLady,agirlnamedAckerly,adoughfaced,deadly,unintermittentlystupidgirl,

whositsnexttomeinLatinbecausehernamebeginswithA(IwishMrs.Lippetthad

namedmeZabriski),cametoaskifMonday'slessoncommencedatparagraph69or

70,andstayedONEHOUR.Shehasjustgone.

Didyoueverhearofsuchadiscouragingseriesofevents?Itisn'tthebigtroubles

inlifethatrequirecharacter.Anybodycanrisetoacrisisandfaceacrushingtragedy

withcourage,buttomeetthepettyhazardsofthedaywithalaughIreallythinkthat

requiresSPIRIT.

It'sthekindofcharacterthatIamgoingtodevelop.Iamgoingtopretendthat

alllifeisjustagamewhichImustplayasskilfullyandfairlyasIcan.IfIlose,Iam

goingtoshrugmyshouldersandlaughalsoifIwin.

Anyway,Iamgoingtobeasport.Youwillneverhearmecomplainagain,Daddy

dear,becauseJuliawearssilkstockingsandcentipedesdropoffthewall.Yoursever,

JudyAnswersoon.

27thMay

DaddyLongLegs,Esq.

DEARSIR:IaminreceiptofaletterfromMrs.Lippett.ShehopesthatIam

doing well in deportment and studies. Since I probably have no place to go this

summer,shewillletmecomebacktotheasylumandworkformyboarduntilcollege

opens.

IHATETHEJOHNGRIERHOME.

I'dratherdiethangoback.

Yoursmosttruthfully,JerushaAbbott

CherDaddyJambesLonges,

Vousetesunbrick!

Jesuistresheureuseaboutthefarm,parcequejen'aijamaisbeenonafarmdans

30


mavieandI'dtoretoumerchezJohnGrier,etwashdishestoutl'ete.Therewouldbe

dangerofquelquechoseaffreusehappening,parcequej'aiperduemahumilited'autre

foisetj'aipeurthatIwouldjustbreakoutquelquejouretsmasheverycupandsaucer

danslamaison.

Pardonbrieveteetpaper.Jenepeuxpassenddesmesnouvellesparcequejesuis

dansFrenchclassetj'aipeurqueMonsieurleProfesseurisgoingtocallonmetoutde

suite.

Hedid!Aurevoir,jevousaimebeaucoup.Judy

30thMay

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Didyoueverseethiscampus?(Thatismerelyarhetoricalquestion.Don'tletitannoy

you.)ItisaheavenlyspotinMay.Alltheshrubsareinblossomandthetreesarethe

loveliestyounggreeneventheoldpineslookfreshandnew.Thegrassisdottedwith

yellow dandelions and hundreds of girls in blue and white and pink dresses.

Everybodyisjoyousandcarefree,forvacation'scoming,andwiththattolookforward

to,examinationsdon'tcount.

Isn'tthatahappyframeofmindtobein?Andoh,Daddy!I'mthehappiestofall!

Because I'm not in the asylum any more; and I'm not anybody's nursemaid or

typewriterorbookkeeper(Ishouldhavebeen,youknow,exceptforyou).

I'msorrynowforallmypastbadnesses.

I'msorryIwaseverimpertinenttoMrs.Lippett.

I'msorryIeverslappedFreddiePerkins.

I'msorryIeverfilledthesugarbowlwithsalt.

I'msorryIevermadefacesbehindtheTrustees'backs.

I'mgoingtobegoodandsweetandkindtoeverybodybecauseI'msohappy.And

thissummerI'mgoingtowriteandwriteandwriteandbegintobeagreatauthor.

Isn'tthatanexaltedstandtotake?Oh,I'mdevelopingabeautifulcharacter!Itdroops

31


abitundercoldandfrost,butitdoesgrowfastwhenthesunshines.

That'sthewaywitheverybody.Idon'tagreewiththetheorythatadversityand

sorrowanddisappointmentdevelopmoralstrength.Thehappypeoplearetheones

whoarebubblingoverwithkindliness.Ihavenofaithinmisanthropes.(Fineword!

Justlearnedit.)Youarenotamisanthropeareyou,Daddy?

Istartedtotellyouaboutthecampus.Iwishyou'dcomeforalittlevisitandlet

mewalkyouaboutandsay:

`Thatisthelibrary.Thisisthegasplant,Daddydear.TheGothicbuildingon

yourleftisthegymnasium,andtheTudorRomanesquebesideitisthenewinfirmary.'

Oh,I'mfineatshowingpeopleabout.I'vedoneitallmylifeattheasylum,and

I'vebeendoingitalldayhere.Ihavehonestly.

AndaMan,too!

That's a great experience. I never talked to a manbefore (except occasional

Trustees,andtheydon'tcount).Pardon,Daddy,Idon'tmeantohurtyourfeelings

whenIabuseTrustees.Idon'tconsiderthatyoureallybelongamongthem.Youjust

tumbledontotheBoardbychance.TheTrustee,assuch,isfatandpompousand

benevolent.Hepatsoneontheheadandwearsagoldwatchchain.

ThatlookslikeaJunebug,butismeanttobeaportraitofanyTrusteeexcept

you.Howevertoresume:

Ihavebeenwalkingandtalkingandhavingteawithaman.Andwithavery

superiormanwithMr.JervisPendletonoftheHouseofJulia;heruncle,inshort(in

long,perhapsIoughttosay;he'sastallasyou.)Beingintownonbusiness,hedecided

torunouttothecollegeandcallonhisniece.He'sherfather'syoungestbrother,but

shedoesn'tknowhimveryintimately.Itseemsheglancedatherwhenshewasababy,

decidedhedidn'tlikeher,andhasnevernoticedhersince.

Anyway,therehewas,sittinginthereceptionroomveryproperwithhishatand

stickandglovesbesidehim;andJuliaandSalliewithseventhhourrecitationsthat

theycouldn'tcut.SoJuliadashedintomyroomandbeggedmetowalkhimaboutthe

campusandthendeliverhimtoherwhentheseventhhourwasover.IsaidIwould,

32


obliginglybutunenthusiastically,becauseIdon'tcaremuchforPendletons.

Butheturnedouttobeasweetlamb.He'sarealhumanbeingnotaPendleton

at all. Wehadabeautiful time; I've longed for anuncle ever since. Doyoumind

pretendingyou'remyuncle?Ibelievethey'resuperiortograndmothers.

Mr.Pendletonremindedmealittleofyou,Daddy,asyouweretwentyyearsago.

YouseeIknowyouintimately,evenifwehaven'tevermet!

He's tall and thinnish with a dark face all over lines, and the funniest

underneathsmilethatneverquitecomesthroughbutjustwrinklesupthecornersof

hismouth.Andhehasawayofmakingyoufeelrightoffasthoughyou'dknownhima

longtime.He'sverycompanionable.

Wewalkedalloverthecampusfromthequadrangletotheathleticgrounds;then

hesaidhefeltnweakandmusthavesometea.HeproposedthatwegotoCollegeInn

it'sjustoffthecampusbythepinewalk.IsaidweoughttogobackforJuliaand

Sallie,buthesaidhedidn'tliketohavehisniecesdrinktoomuchtea;itmadethem

nervous.Sowejustranawayandhadteaandmuffinsandmarmaladeandicecream

andcakeatanice little tableoutonthebalcony. Theinnwasquiteconveniently

empty,thisbeingtheendofthemonthandallowanceslow.

Wehadthejolliesttime!Buthehadtorunforhistraintheminutehegotback

andhebarelysawJuliaatall.Shewasfuriouswithmefortakinghimoff;itseems

he'sanunusuallyrichanddesirableuncle.Itrelievedmymindtofindhewasrich,for

theteaandthingscostsixtycentsapiece.

Thismorning(it's Mondaynow)threeboxesofchocolatescamebyexpressfor

JuliaandSallieandme.Whatdoyouthinkofthat?Tobegettingcandyfromaman!

Ibegintofeellikeagirlinsteadofafoundling.

Iwishyou'dcomeandhaveteasomedayandletmeseeifIlikeyou.Butwouldn't

itbedreadfulifIdidn't?However,IknowIshould.

Bien!Imakeyoumycompliments.`Jamaisjenet'oublierai.'Judy

PS.IlookedintheglassthismorningandfoundaperfectlynewdimplethatI'd

neverseenbefore.It'sverycurious.Wheredoyousupposeitcamefrom?

33


9thJune

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Happyday!I'vejustfinishedmylastexaminationPhysiology.Andnow:

Threemonthsonafarm!

Idon'tknowwhatkindofathingafarmis.I'veneverbeenononeinmylife.I've

neverevenlookedatone(exceptfromthecarwindow),butIknowI'mgoingtoloveit,

andI'mgoingtolovebeingFREE.

IamnotusedevenyettobeingoutsidetheJohnGrierHome.WheneverIthink

ofitexcitedlittlethrillschaseupanddownmyback.IfeelasthoughImustrunfaster

andfasterandkeeplookingovermyshouldertomakesurethatMrs.Lippettisn't

aftermewithherarmstretchedouttograbmeback.

Idon'thavetomindanyonethissummer,doI?

Yournominalauthoritydoesn'tannoymeintheleast;youaretoofarawaytodo

anyharm.Mrs.Lippettisdeadforever,sofarasIamconcerned,andtheSemples

aren't expected to overlook mymoral welfare, are they? No, I amsure not. I am

entirelygrownup.Hooray!

Ileaveyounowtopackatrunk,andthreeboxesofteakettlesanddishesandsofa

cushionsandbooks.Yoursever,Judy

PS.Hereismyphysiologyexam.Doyouthinkyoucouldhavepassed?

LOCKWILLOWFARM,Saturdaynight

DearestDaddyLongLegs,

I'veonlyjustcomeandI'mnotunpacked,butIcan'twaittotellyouhowmuchI

likefarms.Thisisaheavenly,heavenly,HEAVENLYspot!Thehouseissquarelike

this:AndOLD.Ahundredyearsorso.IthasaverandaonthesidewhichIcan'tdraw

andasweetporchinfront.Thepicturereallydoesn'tdoitjusticethosethingsthat

looklikefeatherdustersaremapletrees,andthepricklyonesthatborderthedrive

aremurmuringpinesandhemlocks.Itstandsonthetopofahillandlookswayoff

overmilesofgreenmeadowstoanotherlineofhills.

34


ThatisthewayConnecticutgoes,inaseriesofMarcellewaves;andLockWillow

Farmisjustonthecrestofonewave.Thebarnsusedtobeacrosstheroadwherethey

obstructedtheview,butakindflashoflightningcamefromheavenandburntthem

down.

ThepeopleareMr.andMrs.Sempleandahiredgirlandtwohiredmen.The

hiredpeopleeatinthekitchen,andtheSemplesandJudyinthediningroom.Wehad

hamandeggsandbiscuitsandhoneyandjellycakeandpieandpicklesandcheese

andteaforsupperandagreatdealofconversation.Ihaveneverbeensoentertaining

inmylife;everythingIsayappearstobefunny.

Isupposeitis,becauseI'veneverbeeninthecountrybefore,andmyquestions

arebackedbyanallinclusiveignorance.

Theroommarkedwithacrossisnotwherethemurderwascommitted,butthe

onethatIoccupy.

It's big and square and empty, with adorable oldfashioned furniture and

windowsthathavetobeproppeduponsticksandgreenshadestrimmedwithgold

thatfalldownifyoutouchthem.AndabigsquaremahoganytableI'mgoingtospend

thesummerwithmyelbowsspreadoutonit,writinganovel.

Oh,Daddy,I'msoexcited!Ican'twaittilldaylighttoexplore.It's8.30now,andI

amabouttoblowoutmycandleandtrytogotosleep.Weriseatfive.Didyouever

knowsuchfun?Ican'tbelievethisisreallyJudy.YouandtheGoodLordgivememore

thanIdeserve.Imustbeavery,very,VERYgoodpersontopay.I'mgoingtobe.You'll

see.Goodnight,Judy

PS.Youshouldhearthefrogssingandthelittlepigssquealandyoushouldsee

thenewmoon!Isawitovermyrightshoulder.

35


LOCKWILLOW,12thJuly

DearDaddyLongLegs,

HowdidyoursecretarycometoknowaboutLockWillow?(Thatisn'tarhetorical

question.Iamawfullycurioustoknow.)Forlistentothis:Mr.JervisPendletonusedto

ownthisfarm,butnowhehasgivenittoMrs.Semplewhowashisoldnurse.Didyou

everhearofsuchafunnycoincidence?Shestillcallshim`MasterJervie'andtalks

aboutwhatasweetlittleboyheusedtobe.Shehasoneofhisbabycurlsputawayina

box,anditisredoratleastreddish!

SinceshediscoveredthatIknowhim,Ihaverisenverymuchinheropinion.

KnowingamemberofthePendletonfamilyisthebestintroductiononecanhaveat

LockWillow.AndthecreamofthewholefamilyisMasterJervisIampleasedtosay

thatJuliabelongstoaninferiorbranch.

Thefarmgetsmoreandmoreentertaining.Irodeonahaywagonyesterday.We

havethreebigpigsandninelittlepiglets,andyoushouldseethemeat.Theyarepigs!

We'veoceansoflittlebabychickensandducksandturkeysandguineafowls.Youmust

bemadtoliveinacitywhenyoumightliveonafarm.

It is my daily business to hunt the eggs. I fell off a beam in the barn loft

yesterday,whileIwastryingtocrawlovertoanestthattheblackhenhasstolen.And

whenIcameinwithascratchedknee,Mrs.Semplebounditupwithwitchhazel,

murmuringallthetime,`Dear!Dear!ItseemsonlyyesterdaythatMasterJerviefell

offthatverysamebeamandscratchedthisverysameknee.'

Thesceneryaroundhereisperfectlybeautiful.There'savalleyandariveranda

lotofwoodedhills,andwayinthedistanceatallbluemountainthatsimplymeltsin

yourmouth.

Wechurntwiceaweek;andwekeepthecreaminthespringhousewhichismade

ofstonewiththebrookrunningunderneath.Someofthefarmersaroundherehavea

separator,butwedon'tcareforthesenewfashionedideas.Itmaybealittleharderto

separatethecreaminpans,butit'ssufficientlybettertopay.Wehavesixcalves;and

I'vechosenthenamesforallofthem.

36


1.Sylvia,becauseshewasborninthewoods.

2.Lesbia,aftertheLesbiainCatullus.

3.Sallie.

4.Juliaaspotted,nondescriptanimal.

5.Judy,afterme.

6.DaddyLongLegs.Youdon'tmind,doyou,Daddy?He'spureJerseyandhasa

sweetdisposition.Helookslikethisyoucanseehowappropriatethenameis.

Ihaven'thadtimeyettobeginmyimmortalnovel;thefarmkeepsmetoobusy.

Yoursalways,Judy

PS.I'velearnedtomakedoughnuts.

PS. (2) If you are thinking of raising chickens, let me recommend Buff

Orpingtons.Theyhaven'tanypinfeathers.

PS.(3)IwishIcouldsendyouapatofthenice,freshbutterIchurnedyesterday.

I'mafinedairymaid!

PS.(4)ThisisapictureofMissJerushaAbbott,thefuturegreatauthor,driving

homethecows.

Sunday

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Isn'titfunny?Istartedtowritetoyouyesterdayafternoon,butasfarasIgot

wastheheading,`DearDaddyLongLegs',andthenIrememberedI'dpromisedtopick

someblackberriesforsupper,soIwentoffandleftthesheetlyingonthetable,and

whenIcamebacktoday,whatdoyouthinkIfoundsittinginthemiddleofthepage?A

realtrueDaddyLongLegs!

Ipickedhimupverygentlybyoneleg,anddroppedhimoutofthewindow.I

wouldn'thurtoneofthemfortheworld.Theyalwaysremindmeofyou.

WehitchedupthespringwagonthismorninganddrovetotheCentretochurch.

37


It'sasweetlittlewhiteframechurchwithaspireandthreeDoriccolumnsinfront(or

maybeIonicIalwaysgetthemmixed).

Anicesleepysermonwitheverybodydrowsilywavingpalmleaffans,andthe

onlysound,asidefromtheminister,thebuzzingoflocustsinthetreesoutside.Ididn't

wakeuptillIfoundmyselfonmyfeetsingingthehymn,andthenIwasawfullysorryI

hadn'tlistenedtothesermon;Ishouldliketoknowmoreofthepsychologyofaman

whowouldpickoutsuchahymn.Thiswasit:

Come,leaveyoursportsandearthlytoysAndjoinmeincelestialjoys.Orelse,

dearfriend,alongfarewell.Ileaveyounowtosinktohell.

Ifindthatitisn'tsafetodiscussreligionwiththeSemples.TheirGod(whom

theyhaveinheritedintactfromtheirremotePuritanancestors)isanarrow,irrational,

unjust, mean, revengeful, bigoted Person. Thank heaven I don't inherit God from

anybody!IamfreetomakemineupasIwishHim.He'skindandsympatheticand

imaginativeandforgivingandunderstandingandHehasasenseofhumour.

IliketheSemplesimmensely;theirpracticeissosuperiortotheirtheory.They

arebetterthantheirownGod.Itoldthemsoandtheyarehorriblytroubled.They

think I am blasphemousand I think they are! We've dropped theology from our

conversation.

ThisisSundayafternoon.

Amasai(hiredman)inapurpletieandsomebrightyellowbuckskingloves,very

redandshaved,hasjustdrivenoffwithCarrie(hiredgirl)inabighattrimmedwith

redrosesandabluemuslindressandherhaircurledastightasitwillcurl.Amasai

spent all the morning washing the buggy; and Carrie stayed home from church

ostensiblytocookthedinner,butreallytoironthemuslindress.

IntwominutesmorewhenthisletterisfinishedIamgoingtosettledowntoa

bookwhichIfoundintheattic.It'sentitled,OntheTrail,andsprawledacrossthe

frontpageinafunnylittleboyhand:

JervisPendletonifthisbookshouldeverroam,Boxitsearsandsendithome.

Hespentthesummerhereonceafterhehadbeenill,whenhewasabouteleven

38


yearsold;andheleftOntheTrailbehind.Itlookswellreadthemarksofhisgrimy

littlehandsarefrequent!Alsoinacorneroftheatticthereisawaterwheelanda

windmillandsomebowsandarrows.Mrs.SempletalkssoconstantlyabouthimthatI

begintobelievehereallylivesnotagrownmanwithasilkhatandwalkingstick,but

anice,dirty,tousleheadedboywhoclattersupthestairswithanawfulracket,and

leavesthescreendoorsopen,andisalwaysaskingforcookies.(Andgettingthem,too,

ifIknowMrs.Semple!)Heseemstohavebeenanadventurouslittlesoulandbrave

andtruthful.I'msorrytothinkheisaPendleton;hewasmeantforsomethingbetter.

We'regoingtobeginthreshingoats tomorrow;asteamengine is comingand

threeextramen.

ItgrievesmetotellyouthatButtercup(thespottedcowwithonehorn,Motherof

Lesbia)hasdoneadisgracefulthing.ShegotintotheorchardFridayeveningandate

applesunderthetrees,andateandateuntiltheywenttoherhead.Fortwodaysshe

hasbeenperfectlydeaddrunk!

ThatisthetruthIamtelling.Didyoueverhearanythingsoscandalous?Sir,I

remain,Youraffectionateorphan,JudyAbbott

PS.Indiansinthefirstchapterandhighwaymeninthesecond.Iholdmybreath.

Whatcanthethirdcontain?`RedHawkleapttwentyfeetintheairandbitthedust.'

Thatisthesubjectofthefrontispiece.Aren'tJudyandJerviehavingfun?

15thSeptember

DearDaddy,

IwasweighedyesterdayontheflourscalesinthegeneralstoreattheComers.

I'vegainedninepounds!LetmerecommendLockWillowasahealthresort.Yours

ever,Judy

39


DearDaddyLongLegs,.

BeholdmeaSophomore!IcameuplastFriday,sorrytoleaveLockWillow,but

gladtoseethecampusagain.Itisapleasantsensationtocomebacktosomething

familiar.Iambeginningtofeelathomeincollege,andincommandofthesituation;I

ambeginning,infact,tofeelathomeintheworldasthoughIreallybelongedtoit

andhadnotjustcreptinonsufferance.

Idon'tsupposeyouunderstandintheleastwhatIamtryingtosay.Aperson

important enough to be a Trustee can't appreciate the feelings of a person

unimportantenoughtobeafoundling.

Andnow,Daddy,listentothis.WhomdoyouthinkIamroomingwith?Sallie

McBrideandJuliaRutledgePendleton.It'sthetruth.Wehaveastudyandthreelittle

bedroomsVOILA!

SallieandIdecidedlastspringthatweshouldliketoroomtogether,andJulia

madeuphermindtostaywithSalliewhy,Ican'timagine,fortheyarenotabitalike;

butthePendletonsarenaturallyconservativeand inimical (fineword!) to change.

Anyway, here we are. Think of Jerusha Abbott, late of the John Grier Home for

Orphans,roomingwithaPendleton.Thisisademocraticcountry.

Sallieisrunningforclasspresident,andunlessallsignsfail,sheisgoingtobe

elected.Suchanatmosphereofintrigueyoushouldseewhatpoliticiansweare!Oh,I

tellyou,Daddy,whenwewomengetourrights,youmenwillhavetolookalivein

ordertokeepyours.ElectioncomesnextSaturday,andwe'regoingtohaveatorchlight

processionintheevening,nomatterwhowins.

Iambeginningchemistry,amostunusualstudy.I'veneverseenanythinglikeit

before.

Molecules andAtomsare the material employed, but I'll be in a position to

discussthemmoredefinitelynextmonth.

Iamalsotakingargumentationandlogic.

Alsohistoryofthewholeworld.

AlsoplaysofWilliamShakespeare.

40


AlsoFrench.

Ifthiskeepsupmanyyearslonger,Ishallbecomequiteintelligent.

IshouldratherhaveelectedeconomicsthanFrench,butIdidn'tdare,becauseI

wasafraidthatunlessIreelectedFrench,theProfessorwouldnotletmepassasit

was,IjustmanagedtosqueezethroughtheJuneexamination.ButIwillsaythatmy

highschoolpreparationwasnotveryadequate.

There'sonegirlintheclasswhochattersawayinFrenchasfastasshedoesin

English.Shewentabroadwithherparentswhenshewasachild,andspentthree

yearsinaconventschool.Youcanimaginehowbrightsheiscomparedwiththerestof

usirregularverbsaremereplaythings.

I wishmyparents had chuckedme into a Frenchconvent whenI was little

insteadofafoundlingasylum.Ohno,Idon'teither!BecausethenmaybeIshould

neverhaveknownyou.I'dratherknowyouthanFrench.

Goodbye,Daddy.ImustcallonHarrietMartinnow,and,havingdiscussedthe

chemicalsituation,casuallydropafewthoughtsonthesubjectofournextpresident.

Yoursinpolitics,J.Abbott

17thOctober

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Supposingtheswimmingtankinthegymnasiumwerefilledfulloflemonjelly,

couldapersontryingtoswimmanagetokeepontoporwouldhesink?

Wewerehavinglemonjellyfordessertwhenthequestioncameup.Wediscussed

itheatedlyforhalfanhourandit'sstillunsettled.Salliethinksthatshecouldswimin

it,butIamperfectlysurethatthebestswimmerintheworldwouldsink.Wouldn'tit

befunnytobedrownedinlemonjelly?

Twootherproblemsareengagingtheattentionofourtable.

1st.Whatshapearetheroomsinanoctagonhouse?Someofthegirlsinsistthat

they'resquare;butIthinkthey'dhavetobeshapedlikeapieceofpie.Don'tyou?

41


2nd.Supposetherewereagreatbighollowspheremadeoflookingglassandyou

weresittinginside.Wherewoulditstopreflectingyourfaceandbeginreflectingyour

back?Themoreonethinksaboutthisproblem,themorepuzzlingitbecomes.Youcan

seewithwhatdeepphilosophicalreflectionweengageourleisure!

DidIevertellyouabouttheelection?Ithappenedthreeweeksago,butsofastdo

welive,thatthreeweeksisancienthistory.Salliewaselected,andwehadatorchlight

parade with transparencies saying, `McBride for Ever,' and a band consisting of

fourteenpieces(threemouthorgansandelevencombs).

We'reveryimportantpersonsnowin`258.'JuliaandIcomeinforagreatdealof

reflectedglory.

It'squiteasocialstraintobelivinginthesamehousewithapresident.

Bonnenuit,cherDaddy.Acceptezmezcompliments,Tresrespectueux,jesuis,

VotreJudy

12thNovember

DearDaddyLongLegs,

WebeattheFreshmenatbasketballyesterday.Ofcoursewe'repleasedbutoh,if

wecouldonlybeatthejuniors!I'dbewillingtobeblackandbluealloverandstayin

bedaweekinawitchhazelcompress.

Sallie hasinvitedmetospendtheChristmasvacationwithher. Shelives in

Worcester,Massachusetts.Wasn'titniceofher?Ishalllovetogo.I'veneverbeenina

privatefamilyinmylife,exceptatLockWillow,andtheSemplesweregrownupand

oldanddon't count.ButtheMcBrideshaveahousefulofchildren(anywaytwoor

three)andamotherandfatherandgrandmother,andanAngoracat.It'saperfectly

completefamily!Packingyourtrunkandgoingawayismorefunthanstayingbehind.

Iamterriblyexcitedattheprospect.

SeventhhourImustruntorehearsal.I'mtobeintheThanksgivingtheatricals.

Aprinceinatowerwithavelvettunicandyellowcurls.Isn'tthatalark?Yours,J.A.

42


Saturday.

DoyouwanttoknowwhatI looklike?Here's aphotographofall threethat

LeonoraFentontook.

ThelightonewhoislaughingisSallie,andthetallonewithhernoseintheairis

Julia,andthelittleonewiththehairblowingacrossherfaceisJudysheisreally

morebeautifulthanthat,butthesunwasinhereyes.

`STONEGATE',WORCESTER,MASS.,31stDecember

DearDaddyLongLegs,

ImeanttowritetoyoubeforeandthankyouforyourChristmascheque,butlife

in the McBride household is very absorbing, and I don't seem able to find two

consecutiveminutestospendatadesk.

IboughtanewgownonethatI didn't need, but justwanted.MyChristmas

presentthisyearisfromDaddyLongLegs;myfamilyjustsentlove.

I'vebeenhavingthemostbeautifulvacationvisitingSallie.Shelivesinabigold

fashionedbrickhousewithwhitetrimmingssetbackfromthestreetexactlythekind

ofhousethatIusedtolookatsocuriouslywhenIwasintheJohnGrierHome,and

wonderwhatitcouldbelikeinside.Ineverexpectedtoseewithmyowneyesbuthere

Iam!Everythingissocomfortableandrestfulandhomelike;Iwalkfromroomtoroom

anddrinkinthefurnishings.

Itisthemostperfecthouseforchildrentobebroughtupin;withshadowynooks

forhideandseek,andopenfireplacesforpopcorn,andanattictorompinonrainy

daysandslipperybanisterswithacomfortableflatknobatthebottom,andagreatbig

sunnykitchen,andanice,fat,sunnycookwhohaslivedinthefamilythirteenyears

andalwayssavesoutapieceofdoughforthechildrentobake.Justthesightofsucha

housemakesyouwanttobeachildalloveragain.

Andasforfamilies!Ineverdreamedtheycouldbesonice.Salliehasafatherand

motherandgrandmother,andthesweetestthreeyearoldbabysisterallovercurls,

43


andamediumsizedbrotherwhoalways forgets towipehis feet, andabig, good

lookingbrothernamedJimmie,whoisajunioratPrinceton.

Wehavethejolliesttimesatthetableeverybodylaughsandjokesandtalksat

once, andwedon't havetosaygracebeforehand.It's arelief nothavingtothank

Somebodyforeverymouthfulyoueat.(IdaresayI'mblasphemous;butyou'dbe,too,if

you'dofferedasmuchobligatorythanksasIhave.)

Suchalotofthingswe'vedoneIcan'tbegintotellyouaboutthem.Mr.McBride

ownsafactoryandChristmasevehehadatreefortheemployees'children.Itwasin

the long packingroom which was decorated with evergreens and holly. Jimmie

McBride was dressed as Santa Claus andSallie and I helped himdistribute the

presents.

Dearme,Daddy,butitwasafunnysensation!IfeltasbenevolentasaTrusteeof

theJohnGrierhome.Ikissedonesweet,stickylittleboybutIdon'tthinkIpatted

anyofthemonthehead!

AndtwodaysafterChristmas,theygaveadanceattheirownhouseforME.

ItwasthefirstreallytrueballIeverattendedcollegedoesn'tcountwherewe

dancewithgirls. I hadanewwhiteeveninggown(yourChristmaspresentmany

thanks) andlongwhiteglovesandwhitesatinslippers. Theonlydrawbacktomy

perfect, utter, absolute happiness was the fact that Mrs. Lippett couldn't see me

leadingthecotillionwithJimmieMcBride.Tellheraboutit,please,thenexttimeyou

visittheJ.G.H.Yoursever,JudyAbbott

PS.Wouldyoubeterriblydispleased,Daddy,ifIdidn'tturnouttobeaGreat

Authorafterall,butjustaPlainGirl?

44


6.30,Saturday

DearDaddy,

Westartedtowalktotowntoday,butmercy!howitpoured.Ilikewintertobe

winterwithsnowinsteadofrain.

Julia'sdesirableunclecalledagainthisafternoonandbroughtafivepoundbox

ofchocolates.

Thereareadvantages,yousee,aboutroomingwithJulia.

Ourinnocentprattleappearedtoamusehimandhewaitedforalatertrainin

ordertotaketeainthestudy.Wehadanawfullotoftroublegettingpermission.It's

hardenoughentertainingfathersandgrandfathers,butunclesareastepworse;and

asforbrothersandcousins,theyarenexttoimpossible.Juliahadtoswearthathewas

herunclebeforeanotarypublicandthenhavethecountyclerk'scertificateattached.

(Don'tIknowalotoflaw?)AndeventhenIdoubtifwecouldhavehadourteaifthe

DeanhadchancedtoseehowyoungishandgoodlookingUncleJervisis.

Anyway,wehadit,withbrownbreadSwisscheesesandwiches.Hehelpedmake

themandthenatefour.ItoldhimthatIhadspentlastsummeratLockWillow,and

wehadabeautiful gossipytimeabouttheSemples, andthehorsesandcowsand

chickens.Allthehorsesthatheusedtoknowaredead,exceptGrover,whowasababy

coltatthetimeofhislastvisitandpoorGrovenowissooldhecanjustlimpabout

thepasture.

Heaskediftheystillkeptdoughnutsinayellowcrockwithablueplateoveriton

thebottom

shelf of the pantryand they do! He wanted to know if there was still a

woodchuck'sholeunderthepileofrocksinthenightpastureandthereis!Amasai

caughtabig,fat,greyonetherethissummer,thetwentyfifthgreatgrandsonofthe

oneMasterJerviscaughtwhenhewasalittleboy.

Icalledhim`MasterJervie'tohisface,buthedidn'tappeartobeinsulted.Julia

saysshehasneverseenhimsoamiable;he'susuallyprettyunapproachable.ButJulia

hasn'tabitoftact;andmen,Ifind,requireagreatdeal.Theypurrifyourubthemthe

45


right way and spit if you don't. (That isn't a very elegant metaphor. I mean it

figuratively.)

We'rereadingMarieBashkirtseff'sjournal.Isn'titamazing?Listentothis:`Last

nightIwasseizedbyafitofdespairthatfoundutteranceinmoans,andthatfinally

drovemetothrowthediningroomclockintothesea.'

ItmakesmealmosthopeI'mnotagenius;theymustbeverywearingtohave

aboutandawfullydestructivetothefurniture.

Mercy!howitkeepsPouring.Weshallhavetoswimtochapeltonight.Yoursever,

Judy

20thJan.

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Didyoueverhaveasweetbabygirlwhowasstolenfromthecradleininfancy?

MaybeIamshe!Ifwewereinanovel,thatwouldbethedenouement,wouldn't

it?

It'sreallyawfullyqueernottoknowwhatoneissortofexcitingandromantic.

Therearesuchalotofpossibilities.MaybeI'mnotAmerican;lotsofpeoplearen't.I

maybestraightdescendedfromtheancientRomans,orImaybeaViking'sdaughter,

orImaybethechildofaRussianexileandbelongbyrightsinaSiberianprison,or

maybeI'maGipsyIthinkperhapsIam.IhaveaveryWANDERINGspirit,thoughI

haven'tasyethadmuchchancetodevelopit.

DoyouknowaboutthatonescandalousblotinmycareerthetimeIranaway

fromtheasylumbecausetheypunishedmeforstealingcookies?It'sdowninthebooks

freeforanyTrusteetoread.Butreally,Daddy,whatcouldyouexpect?Whenyouputa

hungrylittlenineyeargirlinthepantryscouringknives,withthecookiejarather

elbow,andgooffandleaveheralone;andthensuddenlypopinagain,wouldn'tyou

expecttofindherabitcrumby?Andthenwhenyoujerkherbytheelbowandboxher

ears,andmakeherleavethetablewhenthepuddingcomes,andtellalltheother

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childrenthatit'sbecauseshe'sathief,wouldn'tyouexpecthertorunaway?

Ionlyranfourmiles.Theycaughtmeandbroughtmeback;andeverydayfora

weekIwastied,likeanaughtypuppy,toastakeinthebackyardwhiletheother

childrenwereoutatrecess.

Oh,dear!There'sthechapelbell,andafterchapelIhaveacommitteemeeting.

I'm sorry because I meant to write you a very entertaining letter this time. Auf

wiedersehenCherDaddy,Paxtibi!Judy

PS.There'sonethingI'mperfectlysureofI'mnotaChinaman.

4thFebruary

DearDaddyLongLegs,

JimmieMcBridehassentmeaPrincetonbannerasbigasoneendoftheroom;I

amverygratefultohimforrememberingme,butIdon'tknowwhatonearthtodo

withit.SallieandJuliawon'tletmehangitup;ourroomthisyearisfurnishedinred,

andyoucanimaginewhataneffectwe'dhaveifIaddedorangeandblack.Butit's

suchnice,warm,thickfelt,Ihatetowasteit.Woulditbeveryimpropertohaveit

madeintoabathrobe?Myoldoneshrankwhenitwaswashed.

I'veentirelyomittedoflatetellingyouwhatIamlearning,butthoughyoumight

notimagineitfrommyletters,mytimeisexclusivelyoccupiedwithstudy.It'savery

bewilderingmattertogeteducatedinfivebranchesatonce.

`Thetestoftruescholarship,'saysChemistryProfessor,`isapainstakingpassion

fordetail.'

`Becarefulnottokeepyoureyesgluedtodetail,'saysHistoryProfessor.`Stand

farenoughawaytogetaperspectiveofthewhole.'

Youcanseewithwhatnicetywehavetotrimoursailsbetweenchemistryand

history.Ilikethehistoricalmethodbest.IfIsaythatWilliamtheConquerorcame

overin1492,andColumbusdiscoveredAmericain1100or1066orwheneveritwas,

that's ameredetail thattheProfessoroverlooks.It givesafeelingofsecurityand

47


restfulnesstothehistoryrecitation,thatisentirelylackinginchemistry.

SixthhourbellImustgotothelaboratoryandlookintoalittlematterofacids

andsaltsandalkalis.I'veburnedaholeasbigasaplateinthefrontofmychemistry

apron,withhydrochloricacid.Ifthetheoryworked,Ioughttobeabletoneutralize

thatholewithgoodstrongammonia,oughtn'tI?

Examinationsnextweek,butwho'safraid?Yoursever,Judy

5thMarch

DearDaddyLongLegs,

ThereisaMarchwindblowing,andtheskyisfilledwithheavy,blackmoving

clouds.Thecrowsinthepinetreesaremakingsuchaclamour!It'sanintoxicating,

exhilarating,CALLINGnoise.Youwanttocloseyourbooksandbeoffoverthehillsto

racewiththewind.

WehadapaperchaselastSaturdayoverfivemilesofsquashy'crosscountry.The

fox(composedofthreegirlsandabushelorsoofconfetti)startedhalfanhourbefore

thetwentysevenhunters.Iwasoneofthetwentyseven;eightdroppedbythewayside;

weendednineteen.Thetrailledoverahill,throughacornfield,andintoaswamp

wherewehadtoleaplightlyfromhummocktohummock.ofcoursehalfofuswentin

ankledeep.Wekeptlosingthetrail, andwewastedtwentyfiveminutesoverthat

swamp.Thenupahillthroughsomewoodsandinatabarnwindow!Thebarndoors

werealllockedandthewindowwasuphighandprettysmall.Idon'tcallthatfair,do

you?

Butwedidn'tgothrough;wecircumnavigatedthebarnandpickedupthetrail

whereitissuedbywayofalowshedroofontothetopofafence.Thefoxthoughthe

hadusthere,butwefooledhim.Thenstraightawayovertwomilesofrollingmeadow,

andawfullyhardtofollow,fortheconfettiwasgettingsparse.Theruleisthatitmust

beatthemostsixfeetapart,buttheywerethelongestsixfeetIeversaw.Finally,after

twohoursof steadytrotting, wetrackedMonsieurFoxintothekitchenof Crystal

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Spring(that'safarmwherethegirlsgoinbobsleighsandhaywagonsforchickenand

waffle suppers) andwe foundthethree foxes placidly eatingmilkandhoneyand

biscuits.Theyhadn'tthoughtwewouldgetthatfar;theywereexpectingustostickin

thebarnwindow.

Bothsidesinsistthattheywon.Ithinkwedid,don'tyou?Becausewecaught

thembeforetheygotbacktothecampus.Anyway,allnineteenofussettledlikelocusts

overthefurnitureandclamouredforhoney.Therewasn'tenoughtogoround,butMrs.

CrystalSpring(that'sourpetnameforher;she'sbyrightsaJohnson)broughtupajar

ofstrawberryjamandacanofmaplesyrupjustmadelastweekandthreeloavesof

brownbread.

Wedidn'tgetbacktocollegetillhalfpastsixhalfanhourlatefordinnerand

wewentstraightinwithoutdressing,andwithperfectlyunimpairedappetites!Then

weallcuteveningchapel,thestateofourbootsbeingenoughofanexcuse.

Inevertoldyouaboutexaminations.IpassedeverythingwiththeutmosteaseI

knowthesecretnow,andamnevergoingtofailagain.Ishan'tbeabletograduate

withhonoursthough,becauseofthatbeastlyLatinproseandgeometryFreshman

year.ButIdon'tcare.Wot'sthehoddssolongasyou're'appy?(That'saquotation.I've

beenreadingtheEnglishclassics.)

Speakingofclassics,haveyoueverreadHamlet?Ifyouhaven't,doitrightoff.It's

PERFECTLYCORKING.I'vebeenhearingaboutShakespeareallmylife,butI

hadnoideahereallywrotesowell;Ialwayssuspectedhimofgoinglargelyonhis

reputation.

IhaveabeautifulplaythatIinventedalongtimeagowhenIfirstlearnedto

read. I put myself to sleep every night by pretending I'm the person (the most

importantperson)inthebookI'mreadingatthemoment.

AtpresentI'mOpheliaandsuchasensibleOphelia!IkeepHamletamusedall

thetime,andpethimandscoldhimandmakehimwrapuphisthroatwhenhehasa

cold.I'veentirelycuredhimofbeingmelancholy.TheKingandQueenarebothdead

anaccidentat sea; no funeral necessaryso Hamlet andI areruling inDenmark

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withoutanybother.Wehavethekingdomworkingbeautifully.Hetakescareofthe

governing,andIlookafterthecharities.Ihavejustfoundedsomefirstclassorphan

asylums.IfyouoranyoftheotherTrusteeswouldliketovisitthem,Ishallbepleased

to showyou through. I thinkyoumight find a great manyhelpful suggestions. I

remain,sir,Yoursmostgraciously,OPHELIA,QueenofDenmark.

24thMarch,maybethe25th

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Idon'tbelieveIcanbegoingtoHeavenIamgettingsuchalotofgoodthings

here;itwouldn'tbefairtogetthemhereaftertoo.Listentowhathashappened.

JerushaAbbotthaswontheshortstorycontest(atwentyfivedollarprize)that

theMonthlyholdseveryyear.Andshe'saSophomore! Thecontestantsaremostly

Seniors.WhenIsawmynameposted,Icouldn'tquitebelieveitwastrue.MaybeIam

goingtobeanauthorafterall.IwishMrs.Lippetthadn'tgivenmesuchasillyname

itsoundslikeanauthoress,doesn'tit?

AlsoIhavebeenchosenforthespringdramaticsAsYouLikeItoutofdoors.I

amgoingtobeCelia,owncousintoRosalind.

Andlastly:JuliaandSallieandIaregoingtoNewYorknextFridaytodosome

springshoppingandstayallnightandgotothetheatrethenextdaywith`Master

Jervie.'Heinvitedus.Juliaisgoingtostayathomewithherfamily,butSallieandI

aregoingtostopattheMarthaWashingtonHotel.Didyoueverhearofanythingso

exciting?I'veneverbeeninahotelinmylife,norinatheatre;exceptoncewhenthe

CatholicChurchhadafestivalandinvitedtheorphans,butthatwasn'tarealplayand

itdoesn'tcount.

Andwhatdoyouthinkwe'regoingtosee?Hamlet.Thinkofthat!Westudiedit

forfourweeksinShakespeareclassandIknowitbyheart.

IamsoexcitedoveralltheseprospectsthatIcanscarcelysleep.

Goodbye,Daddy.

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Thisisaveryentertainingworld.Yoursever,Judy

PS.I'vejustlookedatthecalendar.It'sthe28th.

Anotherpostscript.

Isawastreetcarconductortodaywithonebrowneyeandoneblue.Wouldn'the

makeanicevillainforadetectivestory?

7thApril

DearDaddyLongLegs,

Mercy!Isn'tNewYorkbig?Worcesterisnothingtoit.Doyoumeantotellmethat

youactuallyliveinallthatconfusion?Idon'tbelievethatIshallrecoverformonths

fromthebewilderingeffectoftwodaysofit.Ican'tbegintotellyoualltheamazing

thingsI'veseen;Isupposeyouknow,though,sinceyoulivethereyourself.

Butaren'tthestreetsentertaining?Andthepeople?Andtheshops?Ineversaw

suchlovelythingsasthereareinthewindows.Itmakesyouwanttodevoteyourlifeto

wearingclothes.

SallieandJuliaandIwentshoppingtogetherSaturdaymorning.Juliawentinto

theverymostgorgeousplaceIeversaw,whiteandgoldwallsandbluecarpetsand

bluesilkcurtainsandgiltchairs.Aperfectlybeautifulladywithyellowhairanda

longblacksilktrailinggowncametomeetuswithawelcomingsmile.Ithoughtwe

werepayingasocial call, andstartedto shakehands, but it seemswewereonly

buyinghatsatleastJuliawas.Shesatdowninfrontofamirrorandtriedonadozen,

eachlovelierthanthelast,andboughtthetwoloveliestofall.

Ican'timagineanyjoyinlifegreaterthansittingdowninfrontofamirrorand

buyinganyhatyouchoosewithouthavingfirsttoconsidertheprice!There'snodoubt

aboutit,Daddy;NewYorkwouldrapidlyunderminethisfinestoicalcharacterwhich

theJohnGrierHomesopatientlybuiltup.

And after we'd finished our shopping, we met Master Jervie at Sherry's. I

supposeyou'vebeeninSherry's?Picturethat, thenpicturethediningroomofthe

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JohnGrierHomewithitsoilclothcoveredtables,andwhitecrockerythatyouCAN'T

break,andwoodenhandledknivesandforks;andfancythewayIfelt!

Iatemyfishwiththewrongfork,butthewaiterverykindlygavemeanotherso

thatnobodynoticed.

And after luncheon we went to the theatreit was dazzling, marvellous,

unbelievableIdreamaboutiteverynight.

Isn'tShakespearewonderful?

Hamlet is so much better on the stage than when we analyze it in class; I

appreciateditbefore,butnow,clearme!

Ithink,ifyoudon'tmind,thatI'dratherbe

webster jean-daddy long legs

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