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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.
`Usually,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.
`As 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.
`Ofcoursetheusualdispositionofoneinyourplacewouldbetoputyouina
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
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(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.
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www.librear.com JeanWebsterDaddyLongLegs
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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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,
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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,
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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?
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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
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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
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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