Idon’tknowwhyIaminsuchareminiscentmoodexceptthatspringandthereappearanceoftoadsalwaysawakenstheoldacquisitiveinstinct。Theonlythingthatkeepsmefromstartingacollectionisthefactthatnoruleexistsagainstit。
Afterchapel，ThursdayWhatdoyouthinkismyfavouritebook？Justnow，Imean;Ichangeeverythreedays。WutheringHeights。EmilyBrontewasquiteyoungwhenshewroteit，andhadneverbeenoutsideofHaworthchurchyard。
Shehadneverknownanymeninherlife;howCOULDsheimagineamanlikeHeathcliffe？
Icouldn’tdoit，andI’mquiteyoungandneveroutsidetheJohnGrierAsylum——I’vehadeverychanceintheworld。SometimesadreadfulfearcomesovermethatI’mnotagenius。Willyoubeawfullydisappointed，Daddy，ifIdon’tturnouttobeagreatauthor？
Inthespringwheneverythingissobeautifulandgreenandbudding，Ifeelliketurningmybackonlessons，andrunningawaytoplaywiththeweather。Therearesuchlotsofadventuresoutinthefields！
It’smuchmoreentertainingtolivebooksthantowritethem。
Ow！！！！！！
ThatwasashriekwhichbroughtSallieandJuliaand（foradisgustedmoment）theSeniorfromacrossthehall。Itwascausedbyacentipedelikethis：onlyworse。JustasIhadfinishedthelastsentenceandwasthinkingwhattosaynext——plump！——itfellofftheceilingandlandedatmyside。Itippedtwocupsofftheteatableintryingtogetaway。Salliewhackeditwiththebackofmyhairbrush——whichIshallneverbeabletouseagain——andkilledthefrontend，buttherearfiftyfeetranunderthebureauandescaped。
Thisdormitory，owingtoitsageandivy-coveredwalls，isfullofcentipedes。Theyaredreadfulcreatures。I’dratherfindatigerunderthebed。
Friday，9。30p。m。
Suchalotoftroubles！Ididn’theartherisingbellthismorning，thenIbrokemyshoestringwhileIwashurryingtodressanddroppedmycollarbuttondownmyneck。Iwaslateforbreakfastandalsoforfirst-hourrecitation。Iforgottotakeanyblottingpaperandmyfountainpenleaked。IntrigonometrytheProfessorandIhadadisagreementtouchingalittlematteroflogarithms。
Onlookingitup，Ifindthatshewasright。Wehadmuttonstewandpie-plantforlunch——hate’emboth;theytasteliketheasylum。
Thepostbroughtmenothingbutbills（thoughImustsaythatI
neverdogetanythingelse;myfamilyarenotthekindthatwrite）。
InEnglishclassthisafternoonwehadanunexpectedwrittenlesson。
Thiswasit：
Iaskednootherthing，Nootherwasdenied。
IofferedBeingforit;
Themightymerchantsmiled。
Brazil？HetwirledabuttonWithoutaglancemyway：
But，madam，istherenothingelseThatwecanshowtoday？
Thatisapoem。Idon’tknowwhowroteitorwhatitmeans。Itwassimplyprintedoutontheblackboardwhenwearrivedandwewereorderedtocommentuponit。WhenIreadthefirstverseIthoughtIhadanidea——TheMightyMerchantwasadivinitywhodistributesblessingsinreturnforvirtuousdeeds——
butwhenIgottothesecondverseandfoundhimtwirlingabutton，itseemedablasphemoussupposition，andIhastilychangedmymind。
Therestoftheclasswasinthesamepredicament;andtherewesatforthree-quartersofanhourwithblankpaperandequallyblankminds。Gettinganeducationisanawfullywearingprocess！
Butthisdidn’tendtheday。There’sworsetocome。
Itrainedsowecouldn’tplaygolf，buthadtogotogymnasiuminstead。
ThegirlnexttomebangedmyelbowwithanIndianclub。Igothometofindthattheboxwithmynewbluespringdresshadcome，andtheskirtwassotightthatIcouldn’tsitdown。Fridayissweepingday，andthemaidhadmixedallthepapersonmydesk。
Wehadtombstonefordessert（milkandgelatinflavouredwithvanilla）。
Wewerekeptinchapeltwentyminuteslaterthanusualtolistentoaspeechaboutwomanlywomen。Andthen——justasIwassettlingdownwithasighofwell-earnedrelieftoThePortraitofaLady，agirlnamedAckerly，adough-faced，deadly，unintermittentlystupidgirl，whositsnexttomeinLatinbecausehernamebeginswithA（I
wishMrs。LippetthadnamedmeZabriski），cametoaskifMonday’slessoncommencedatparagraph69or70，andstayedONEHOUR。
Shehasjustgone。
Didyoueverhearofsuchadiscouragingseriesofevents？
Itisn’tthebigtroublesinlifethatrequirecharacter。
Anybodycanrisetoacrisisandfaceacrushingtragedywithcourage，buttomeetthepettyhazardsofthedaywithalaugh——IreallythinkthatrequiresSPIRIT。
It’sthekindofcharacterthatIamgoingtodevelop。IamgoingtopretendthatalllifeisjustagamewhichImustplayasskilfullyandfairlyasIcan。IfIlose，Iamgoingtoshrugmyshouldersandlaugh——alsoifIwin。
Anyway，Iamgoingtobeasport。Youwillneverhearmecomplainagain，Daddydear，becauseJuliawearssilkstockingsandcentipedesdropoffthewall。
Yoursever，JudyAnswersoon。
27thMayDaddy-Long-Legs，Esq。
DEARSIR：IaminreceiptofaletterfromMrs。Lippett。
ShehopesthatIamdoingwellindeportmentandstudies。
SinceIprobablyhavenoplacetogothissummer，shewillletmecomebacktotheasylumandworkformyboarduntilcollegeopens。
IHATETHEJOHNGRIERHOME。
I’dratherdiethangoback。
Yoursmosttruthfully，JerushaAbbottCherDaddy-Jambes-Longes，Vousetesunbrick！
Jesuistresheureuseaboutthefarm，parcequejen’aijamaisbeenonafarmdansmavieandI’dhatetoretoumerchezJohnGrier，etwashdishestoutl’ete。Therewouldbedangerofquelquechoseaffreusehappening，parcequej’aiperduemahumilited’autrefoisetj’aipeurthatIwouldjustbreakoutquelquejouretsmasheverycupandsaucerdanslamaison。
Pardonbrieveteetpaper。JenepeuxpassenddesmesnouvellesparcequejesuisdansFrenchclassetj’aipeurqueMonsieurleProfesseurisgoingtocallonmetoutdesuite。
Hedid！
Aurevoir，jevousaimebeaucoup。
Judy30thMayDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Didyoueverseethiscampus？（Thatismerelyarhetoricalquestion。
Don’tletitannoyyou。）ItisaheavenlyspotinMay。Alltheshrubsareinblossomandthetreesaretheloveliestyounggreen——
eventheoldpineslookfreshandnew。Thegrassisdottedwithyellowdandelionsandhundredsofgirlsinblueandwhiteandpinkdresses。
Everybodyisjoyousandcarefree，forvacation’scoming，andwiththattolookforwardto，examinationsdon’tcount。
Isn’tthatahappyframeofmindtobein？Andoh，Daddy！
I’mthehappiestofall！BecauseI’mnotintheasylumanymore;
andI’mnotanybody’snursemaidortypewriterorbookkeeper（I
shouldhavebeen，youknow，exceptforyou）。
I’msorrynowforallmypastbadnesses。
I’msorryIwaseverimpertinenttoMrs。Lippett。
I’msorryIeverslappedFreddiePerkins。
I’msorryIeverfilledthesugarbowlwithsalt。
I’msorryIevermadefacesbehindtheTrustees’backs。
I’mgoingtobegoodandsweetandkindtoeverybodybecauseI’msohappy。AndthissummerI’mgoingtowriteandwriteandwriteandbegintobeagreatauthor。Isn’tthatanexaltedstandtotake？Oh，I’mdevelopingabeautifulcharacter！Itdroopsabitundercoldandfrost，butitdoesgrowfastwhenthesunshines。
That’sthewaywitheverybody。Idon’tagreewiththetheorythatadversityandsorrowanddisappointmentdevelopmoralstrength。
Thehappypeoplearetheoneswhoarebubblingoverwithkindliness。
Ihavenofaithinmisanthropes。（Fineword！Justlearnedit。）
Youarenotamisanthropeareyou，Daddy？
Istartedtotellyouaboutthecampus。Iwishyou’dcomeforalittlevisitandletmewalkyouaboutandsay：
`Thatisthelibrary。Thisisthegasplant，Daddydear。
TheGothicbuildingonyourleftisthegymnasium，andtheTudorRomanesquebesideitisthenewinfirmary。’
Oh，I’mfineatshowingpeopleabout。I’vedoneitallmylifeattheasylum，andI’vebeendoingitalldayhere。Ihavehonestly。
AndaMan，too！
That’sagreatexperience。Inevertalkedtoamanbefore（exceptoccasionalTrustees，andtheydon’tcount）。Pardon，Daddy，Idon’tmeantohurtyourfeelingswhenIabuseTrustees。Idon’tconsiderthatyoureallybelongamongthem。YoujusttumbledontotheBoardbychance。TheTrustee，assuch，isfatandpompousandbenevolent。
Hepatsoneontheheadandwearsagoldwatchchain。
ThatlookslikeaJunebug，butismeanttobeaportraitofanyTrusteeexceptyou。
However——toresume：
Ihavebeenwalkingandtalkingandhavingteawithaman。
Andwithaverysuperiorman——withMr。JervisPendletonoftheHouseofJulia;heruncle，inshort（inlong，perhapsIoughttosay;
he’sastallasyou。）Beingintownonbusiness，hedecidedtorunouttothecollegeandcallonhisniece。He’sherfather’syoungestbrother，butshedoesn’tknowhimveryintimately。Itseemsheglancedatherwhenshewasababy，decidedhedidn’tlikeher，andhasnevernoticedhersince。
Anyway，therehewas，sittinginthereceptionroomveryproperwithhishatandstickandglovesbesidehim;andJuliaandSalliewithseventh-hourrecitationsthattheycouldn’tcut。SoJuliadashedintomyroomandbeggedmetowalkhimaboutthecampusandthendeliverhimtoherwhentheseventhhourwasover。
IsaidIwould，obliginglybutunenthusiastically，becauseIdon’tcaremuchforPendletons。
Butheturnedouttobeasweetlamb。He’sarealhumanbeing——
notaPendletonatall。Wehadabeautifultime;I’velongedforanuncleeversince。Doyoumindpretendingyou’remyuncle？
Ibelievethey’resuperiortograndmothers。
Mr。Pendletonremindedmealittleofyou，Daddy，asyouweretwentyyearsago。YouseeIknowyouintimately，evenifwehaven’tevermet！
He’stallandthinnishwithadarkfacealloverlines，andthefunniestunderneathsmilethatneverquitecomesthroughbutjustwrinklesupthecornersofhismouth。Andhehasawayofmakingyoufeelrightoffasthoughyou’dknownhimalongtime。
He’sverycompanionable。
Wewalkedalloverthecampusfromthequadrangletotheathleticgrounds;
thenhesaidhefeltweakandmusthavesometea。HeproposedthatwegotoCollegeInn——it’sjustoffthecampusbythepinewalk。
IsaidweoughttogobackforJuliaandSallie，buthesaidhedidn’tliketohavehisniecesdrinktoomuchtea;itmadethemnervous。
Sowejustranawayandhadteaandmuffinsandmarmaladeandice-creamandcakeatanicelittletableoutonthebalcony。
Theinnwasquiteconvenientlyempty，thisbeingtheendofthemonthandallowanceslow。
Wehadthejolliesttime！ButhehadtorunforhistraintheminutehegotbackandhebarelysawJuliaatall。Shewasfuriouswithmefortakinghimoff;itseemshe’sanunusuallyrichanddesirableuncle。Itrelievedmymindtofindhewasrich，fortheteaandthingscostsixtycentsapiece。
Thismorning（it’sMondaynow）threeboxesofchocolatescamebyexpressforJuliaandSallieandme。Whatdoyouthinkofthat？
Tobegettingcandyfromaman！
Ibegintofeellikeagirlinsteadofafoundling。
Iwishyou’dcomeandhaveteasomedayandletmeseeifIlikeyou。
Butwouldn’titbedreadfulifIdidn’t？However，IknowIshould。
Bien！Imakeyoumycompliments。
`Jamaisjenet’oublierai。’
JudyPS。IlookedintheglassthismorningandfoundaperfectlynewdimplethatI’dneverseenbefore。It’sverycurious。
Wheredoyousupposeitcamefrom？
9thJuneDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Happyday！I’vejustfinishedmylastexaminationPhysiology。
Andnow：
Threemonthsonafarm！
Idon’tknowwhatkindofathingafarmis。I’veneverbeenononeinmylife。I’veneverevenlookedatone（exceptfromthecarwindow），butIknowI’mgoingtoloveit，andI’mgoingtolovebeingFREE。
IamnotusedevenyettobeingoutsidetheJohnGrierHome。
WheneverIthinkofitexcitedlittlethrillschaseupanddownmyback。IfeelasthoughImustrunfasterandfasterandkeeplookingovermyshouldertomakesurethatMrs。Lippettisn’taftermewithherarmstretchedouttograbmeback。
Idon’thavetomindanyonethissummer，doI？
Yournominalauthoritydoesn’tannoymeintheleast;youaretoofarawaytodoanyharm。Mrs。Lippettisdeadforever，sofarasI
amconcerned，andtheSemplesaren’texpectedtooverlookmymoralwelfare，arethey？No，Iamsurenot。Iamentirelygrownup。Hooray！
Ileaveyounowtopackatrunk，andthreeboxesofteakettlesanddishesandsofacushionsandbooks。
Yoursever，JudyPS。Hereismyphysiologyexam。Doyouthinkyoucouldhavepassed？
LOCKWILLOWFARM，SaturdaynightDearestDaddy-Long-Legs，I’veonlyjustcomeandI’mnotunpacked，butIcan’twaittotellyouhowmuchIlikefarms。Thisisaheavenly，heavenly，HEAVENLYspot！
Thehouseissquarelikethis：AndOLD。Ahundredyearsorso。
IthasaverandaonthesidewhichIcan’tdrawandasweetporchinfront。Thepicturereallydoesn’tdoitjustice——thosethingsthatlooklikefeatherdustersaremapletrees，andthepricklyonesthatborderthedrivearemurmuringpinesandhemlocks。Itstandsonthetopofahillandlookswayoffovermilesofgreenmeadowstoanotherlineofhills。
ThatisthewayConnecticutgoes，inaseriesofMarcellewaves;
andLockWillowFarmisjustonthecrestofonewave。Thebarnsusedtobeacrosstheroadwheretheyobstructedtheview，butakindflashoflightningcamefromheavenandburntthemdown。
ThepeopleareMr。andMrs。Sempleandahiredgirlandtwohiredmen。
Thehiredpeopleeatinthekitchen，andtheSemplesandJudyinthedining-room。Wehadhamandeggsandbiscuitsandhoneyandjelly-cakeandpieandpicklesandcheeseandteaforsupper——
andagreatdealofconversation。Ihaveneverbeensoentertaininginmylife;everythingIsayappearstobefunny。Isupposeitis，becauseI’veneverbeeninthecountrybefore，andmyquestionsarebackedbyanall-inclusiveignorance。
Theroommarkedwithacrossisnotwherethemurderwascommitted，buttheonethatIoccupy。It’sbigandsquareandempty，withadorableold-fashionedfurnitureandwindowsthathavetobeproppeduponsticksandgreenshadestrimmedwithgoldthatfalldownifyoutouchthem。Andabigsquaremahoganytable——
I’mgoingtospendthesummerwithmyelbowsspreadoutonit，writinganovel。
Oh，Daddy，I’msoexcited！Ican’twaittilldaylighttoexplore。
It’s8。30now，andIamabouttoblowoutmycandleandtrytogotosleep。Weriseatfive。Didyoueverknowsuchfun？Ican’tbelievethisisreallyJudy。YouandtheGoodLordgivememorethanIdeserve。Imustbeavery，very，VERYgoodpersontopay。
I’mgoingtobe。You’llsee。
Goodnight，JudyPS。Youshouldhearthefrogssingandthelittlepigssquealandyoushouldseethenewmoon！Isawitovermyrightshoulder。
LOCKWILLOW，12thJulyDearDaddy-Long-Legs，HowdidyoursecretarycometoknowaboutLockWillow？
（Thatisn’tarhetoricalquestion。Iamawfullycurioustoknow。）
Forlistentothis：Mr。JervisPendletonusedtoownthisfarm，butnowhehasgivenittoMrs。Semplewhowashisoldnurse。
Didyoueverhearofsuchafunnycoincidence？Shestillcallshim`MasterJervie’andtalksaboutwhatasweetlittleboyheusedtobe。
Shehasoneofhisbabycurlsputawayinabox，anditisred——
oratleastreddish！
SinceshediscoveredthatIknowhim，Ihaverisenverymuchinheropinion。KnowingamemberofthePendletonfamilyisthebestintroductiononecanhaveatLockWillow。
AndthecreamofthewholefamilyisMasterJervis——
IampleasedtosaythatJuliabelongstoaninferiorbranch。
Thefarmgetsmoreandmoreentertaining。Irodeonahaywagonyesterday。Wehavethreebigpigsandninelittlepiglets，andyoushouldseethemeat。Theyarepigs！We’veoceansoflittlebabychickensandducksandturkeysandguineafowls。
Youmustbemadtoliveinacitywhenyoumightliveonafarm。
Itismydailybusinesstohunttheeggs。Ifelloffabeaminthebarnloftyesterday，whileIwastryingtocrawlovertoanestthattheblackhenhasstolen。AndwhenIcameinwithascratchedknee，Mrs。Semplebounditupwithwitch-hazel，murmuringallthetime，`Dear！Dear！ItseemsonlyyesterdaythatMasterJerviefelloffthatverysamebeamandscratchedthisverysameknee。’
Thesceneryaroundhereisperfectlybeautiful。There’savalleyandariverandalotofwoodedhills，andwayinthedistanceatallbluemountainthatsimplymeltsinyourmouth。
Wechurntwiceaweek;andwekeepthecreaminthespringhousewhichismadeofstonewiththebrookrunningunderneath。
Someofthefarmersaroundherehaveaseparator，butwedon’tcareforthesenew-fashionedideas。Itmaybealittlehardertoseparatethecreaminpans，butit’ssufficientlybettertopay。
Wehavesixcalves;andI’vechosenthenamesforallofthem。
1。Sylvia，becauseshewasborninthewoods。
2。Lesbia，aftertheLesbiainCatullus。
3。Sallie。
4。Julia——aspotted，nondescriptanimal。
5。Judy，afterme。
6。Daddy-Long-Legs。Youdon’tmind，doyou，Daddy？He’spureJerseyandhasasweetdisposition。Helookslikethis——youcanseehowappropriatethenameis。
Ihaven’thadtimeyettobeginmyimmortalnovel;thefarmkeepsmetoobusy。
Yoursalways，JudyPS。I’velearnedtomakedoughnuts。
PS。（2）Ifyouarethinkingofraisingchickens，letmerecommendBuffOrpingtons。Theyhaven’tanypinfeathers。
PS。（3）IwishIcouldsendyouapatofthenice，freshbutterIchurnedyesterday。I’mafinedairy-maid！
PS。（4）ThisisapictureofMissJerushaAbbott，thefuturegreatauthor，drivinghomethecows。
SundayDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Isn’titfunny？Istartedtowritetoyouyesterdayafternoon，butasfarasIgotwastheheading，`DearDaddy-Long-Legs’，andthenIrememberedI’dpromisedtopicksomeblackberriesforsupper，soIwentoffandleftthesheetlyingonthetable，andwhenI
camebacktoday，whatdoyouthinkIfoundsittinginthemiddleofthepage？ArealtrueDaddy-Long-Legs！
Ipickedhimupverygentlybyoneleg，anddroppedhimoutofthewindow。Iwouldn’thurtoneofthemfortheworld。
Theyalwaysremindmeofyou。
WehitchedupthespringwagonthismorninganddrovetotheCentretochurch。It’sasweetlittlewhiteframechurchwithaspireandthreeDoriccolumnsinfront（ormaybeIonic——Ialwaysgetthemmixed）。
Anicesleepysermonwitheverybodydrowsilywavingpalm-leaffans，andtheonlysound，asidefromtheminister，thebuzzingoflocustsinthetreesoutside。Ididn’twakeuptillIfoundmyselfonmyfeetsingingthehymn，andthenIwasawfullysorryIhadn’tlistenedtothesermon;Ishouldliketoknowmoreofthepsychologyofamanwhowouldpickoutsuchahymn。Thiswasit：
Come，leaveyoursportsandearthlytoysAndjoinmeincelestialjoys。
Orelse，dearfriend，alongfarewell。
Ileaveyounowtosinktohell。
Ifindthatitisn’tsafetodiscussreligionwiththeSemples。
TheirGod（whomtheyhaveinheritedintactfromtheirremotePuritanancestors）isanarrow，irrational，unjust，mean，revengeful，bigotedPerson。ThankheavenIdon’tinheritGodfromanybody！
IamfreetomakemineupasIwishHim。He’skindandsympatheticandimaginativeandforgivingandunderstanding——andHehasasenseofhumour。
IliketheSemplesimmensely;theirpracticeissosuperiortotheirtheory。TheyarebetterthantheirownGod。Itoldthemso——
andtheyarehorriblytroubled。TheythinkIamblasphemous——
andIthinktheyare！We’vedroppedtheologyfromourconversation。
ThisisSundayafternoon。
Amasai（hiredman）inapurpletieandsomebrightyellowbuckskingloves，veryredandshaved，hasjustdrivenoffwithCarrie（hiredgirl）
inabighattrimmedwithredrosesandabluemuslindressandherhaircurledastightasitwillcurl。Amasaispentallthemorningwashingthebuggy;andCarriestayedhomefromchurchostensiblytocookthedinner，butreallytoironthemuslindress。
IntwominutesmorewhenthisletterisfinishedIamgoingtosettledowntoabookwhichIfoundintheattic。It’sentitled，OntheTrail，andsprawledacrossthefrontpageinafunnylittle-boyhand：
JervisPendletonifthisbookshouldeverroam，Boxitsearsandsendithome。
Hespentthesummerhereonceafterhehadbeenill，whenhewasaboutelevenyearsold;andheleftOntheTrailbehind。
Itlookswellread——themarksofhisgrimylittlehandsarefrequent！
Alsoinacorneroftheatticthereisawaterwheelandawindmillandsomebowsandarrows。Mrs。SempletalkssoconstantlyabouthimthatIbegintobelievehereallylives——notagrownmanwithasilkhatandwalkingstick，butanice，dirty，tousle-headedboywhoclattersupthestairswithanawfulracket，andleavesthescreendoorsopen，andisalwaysaskingforcookies。（Andgettingthem，too，ifI
knowMrs。Semple！）Heseemstohavebeenanadventurouslittlesoul——
andbraveandtruthful。I’msorrytothinkheisaPendleton;
hewasmeantforsomethingbetter。
We’regoingtobeginthreshingoatstomorrow;asteamengineiscomingandthreeextramen。
ItgrievesmetotellyouthatButtercup（thespottedcowwithonehorn，MotherofLesbia）hasdoneadisgracefulthing。ShegotintotheorchardFridayeveningandateapplesunderthetrees，andateandateuntiltheywenttoherhead。Fortwodaysshehasbeenperfectlydeaddrunk！ThatisthetruthIamtelling。
Didyoueverhearanythingsoscandalous？
Sir，Iremain，Youraffectionateorphan，JudyAbbottPS。Indiansinthefirstchapterandhighwaymeninthesecond。
Iholdmybreath。Whatcanthethirdcontain？`RedHawkleapttwentyfeetintheairandbitthedust。’Thatisthesubjectofthefrontispiece。Aren’tJudyandJerviehavingfun？
15thSeptemberDearDaddy，IwasweighedyesterdayontheflourscalesinthegeneralstoreattheComers。I’vegainedninepounds！LetmerecommendLockWillowasahealthresort。
Yoursever，JudyDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Beholdme——aSophomore！IcameuplastFriday，sorrytoleaveLockWillow，butgladtoseethecampusagain。Itisapleasantsensationtocomebacktosomethingfamiliar。Iambeginningtofeelathomeincollege，andincommandofthesituation;Iambeginning，infact，tofeelathomeintheworld——asthoughIreallybelongedtoitandhadnotjustcreptinonsufferance。
Idon’tsupposeyouunderstandintheleastwhatIamtryingtosay。
ApersonimportantenoughtobeaTrusteecan’tappreciatethefeelingsofapersonunimportantenoughtobeafoundling。
Andnow，Daddy，listentothis。WhomdoyouthinkIamroomingwith？
SallieMcBrideandJuliaRutledgePendleton。It’sthetruth。
Wehaveastudyandthreelittlebedrooms——VOILA！
SallieandIdecidedlastspringthatweshouldliketoroomtogether，andJuliamadeuphermindtostaywithSallie——why，Ican’timagine，fortheyarenotabitalike;butthePendletonsarenaturallyconservativeandinimical（fineword！）tochange。Anyway，hereweare。
ThinkofJerushaAbbott，lateoftheJohnGrierHomeforOrphans，roomingwithaPendleton。Thisisademocraticcountry。
Sallieisrunningforclasspresident，andunlessallsignsfail，sheisgoingtobeelected。Suchanatmosphereofintrigueyoushouldseewhatpoliticiansweare！Oh，Itellyou，Daddy，whenwewomengetourrights，youmenwillhavetolookaliveinordertokeepyours。
ElectioncomesnextSaturday，andwe’regoingtohaveatorchlightprocessionintheevening，nomatterwhowins。
Iambeginningchemistry，amostunusualstudy。I’veneverseenanythinglikeitbefore。MoleculesandAtomsarethematerialemployed，butI’llbeinapositiontodiscussthemmoredefinitelynextmonth。
Iamalsotakingargumentationandlogic。
Alsohistoryofthewholeworld。
AlsoplaysofWilliamShakespeare。
AlsoFrench。
Ifthiskeepsupmanyyearslonger，Ishallbecomequiteintelligent。
IshouldratherhaveelectedeconomicsthanFrench，butI
didn’tdare，becauseIwasafraidthatunlessIre-electedFrench，theProfessorwouldnotletmepass——asitwas，IjustmanagedtosqueezethroughtheJuneexamination。
ButIwillsaythatmyhigh-schoolpreparationwasnotveryadequate。
There’sonegirlintheclasswhochattersawayinFrenchasfastasshedoesinEnglish。Shewentabroadwithherparentswhenshewasachild，andspentthreeyearsinaconventschool。Youcanimaginehowbrightsheiscomparedwiththerestofus——irregularverbsaremereplaythings。IwishmyparentshadchuckedmeintoaFrenchconventwhenIwaslittleinsteadofafoundlingasylum。Ohno，Idon’teither！BecausethenmaybeIshouldneverhaveknownyou。
I’dratherknowyouthanFrench。
Goodbye，Daddy。ImustcallonHarrietMartinnow，and，havingdiscussedthechemicalsituation，casuallydropafewthoughtsonthesubjectofournextpresident。
Yoursinpolitics，J。Abbott17thOctoberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Supposingtheswimmingtankinthegymnasiumwerefilledfulloflemonjelly，couldapersontryingtoswimmanagetokeepontoporwouldhesink？
Wewerehavinglemonjellyfordessertwhenthequestioncameup。
Wediscusseditheatedlyforhalfanhourandit’sstillunsettled。
Salliethinksthatshecouldswiminit，butIamperfectlysurethatthebestswimmerintheworldwouldsink。Wouldn’titbefunnytobedrownedinlemonjelly？
Twootherproblemsareengagingtheattentionofourtable。
1st。Whatshapearetheroomsinanoctagonhouse？
Someofthegirlsinsistthatthey’resquare;
butIthinkthey’dhavetobeshapedlikeapieceofpie。Don’tyou？
2nd。Supposetherewereagreatbighollowspheremadeoflooking-glassandyouweresittinginside。Wherewoulditstopreflectingyourfaceandbeginreflectingyourback？Themoreonethinksaboutthisproblem，themorepuzzlingitbecomes。
Youcanseewithwhatdeepphilosophicalreflectionweengageourleisure！
DidIevertellyouabouttheelection？Ithappenedthreeweeksago，butsofastdowelive，thatthreeweeksisancienthistory。
Salliewaselected，andwehadatorchlightparadewithtransparenciessaying，`McBrideforEver，’andabandconsistingoffourteenpieces（threemouthorgansandelevencombs）。
We’reveryimportantpersonsnowin`258。’JuliaandIcomeinforagreatdealofreflectedglory。It’squiteasocialstraintobelivinginthesamehousewithapresident。
Bonnenuit，cherDaddy。
Acceptezmezcompliments，Tresrespectueux，jesuis，VotreJudy12thNovemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，WebeattheFreshmenatbasketballyesterday。Ofcoursewe’repleased——
butoh，ifwecouldonlybeatthejuniors！I’dbewillingtobeblackandbluealloverandstayinbedaweekinawitch-hazelcompress。
SalliehasinvitedmetospendtheChristmasvacationwithher。
ShelivesinWorcester，Massachusetts。Wasn’titniceofher？
Ishalllovetogo。I’veneverbeeninaprivatefamilyinmylife，exceptatLockWillow，andtheSemplesweregrown-upandoldanddon’tcount。ButtheMcBrideshaveahousefulofchildren（anywaytwoorthree）andamotherandfatherandgrandmother，andanAngoracat。
It’saperfectlycompletefamily！Packingyourtrunkandgoingawayismorefunthanstayingbehind。Iamterriblyexcitedattheprospect。
Seventhhour——Imustruntorehearsal。I’mtobeintheThanksgivingtheatricals。Aprinceinatowerwithavelvettunicandyellowcurls。Isn’tthatalark？
Yours，J。A。
SaturdayDoyouwanttoknowwhatIlooklike？Here’saphotographofallthreethatLeonoraFentontook。
ThelightonewhoislaughingisSallie，andthetallonewithhernoseintheairisJulia，andthelittleonewiththehairblowingacrossherfaceisJudy——sheisreallymorebeautifulthanthat，butthesunwasinhereyes。
`STONEGATE’，WORCESTER，MASS。，31stDecemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，ImeanttowritetoyoubeforeandthankyouforyourChristmascheque，butlifeintheMcBridehouseholdisveryabsorbing，andIdon’tseemabletofindtwoconsecutiveminutestospendatadesk。
Iboughtanewgown——onethatIdidn’tneed，butjustwanted。
MyChristmaspresentthisyearisfromDaddy-Long-Legs;myfamilyjustsentlove。
I’vebeenhavingthemostbeautifulvacationvisitingSallie。
Shelivesinabigold-fashionedbrickhousewithwhitetrimmingssetbackfromthestreet——exactlythekindofhousethatIusedtolookatsocuriouslywhenIwasintheJohnGrierHome，andwonderwhatitcouldbelikeinside。Ineverexpectedtoseewithmyowneyes——
buthereIam！Everythingissocomfortableandrestfulandhomelike;
Iwalkfromroomtoroomanddrinkinthefurnishings。
Itisthemostperfecthouseforchildrentobebroughtupin;
withshadowynooksforhideandseek，andopenfireplacesforpop-corn，andanattictorompinonrainydaysandslipperybanisterswithacomfortableflatknobatthebottom，andagreatbigsunnykitchen，andanice，fat，sunnycookwhohaslivedinthefamilythirteenyearsandalwayssavesoutapieceofdoughforthechildrentobake。
Justthesightofsuchahousemakesyouwanttobeachildalloveragain。
Andasforfamilies！Ineverdreamedtheycouldbesonice。
Salliehasafatherandmotherandgrandmother，andthesweetestthree-year-oldbabysisterallovercurls，andamedium-sizedbrotherwhoalwaysforgetstowipehisfeet，andabig，good-lookingbrothernamedJimmie，whoisajunioratPrinceton。
Wehavethejolliesttimesatthetable——everybodylaughsandjokesandtalksatonce，andwedon’thavetosaygracebeforehand。
It’sareliefnothavingtothankSomebodyforeverymouthfulyoueat。
（IdaresayI’mblasphemous;butyou’dbe，too，ifyou’dofferedasmuchobligatorythanksasIhave。）
Suchalotofthingswe’vedone——Ican’tbegintotellyouaboutthem。
Mr。McBrideownsafactoryandChristmasevehehadatreefortheemployees’children。Itwasinthelongpacking-roomwhichwasdecoratedwithevergreensandholly。JimmieMcBridewasdressedasSantaClausandSallieandIhelpedhimdistributethepresents。
Dearme，Daddy，butitwasafunnysensation！IfeltasbenevolentasaTrusteeoftheJohnGrierhome。Ikissedonesweet，stickylittleboy——butIdon’tthinkIpattedanyofthemonthehead！
AndtwodaysafterChristmas，theygaveadanceattheirownhouseforME。
ItwasthefirstreallytrueballIeverattended——collegedoesn’tcountwherewedancewithgirls。Ihadanewwhiteeveninggown（yourChristmaspresent——manythanks）andlongwhiteglovesandwhitesatinslippers。Theonlydrawbacktomyperfect，utter，absolutehappinesswasthefactthatMrs。Lippettcouldn’tseemeleadingthecotillionwithJimmieMcBride。
Tellheraboutit，please，thenexttimeyouvisittheJ。G。H。
Yoursever，JudyAbbottPS。Wouldyoubeterriblydispleased，Daddy，ifIdidn’tturnouttobeaGreatAuthorafterall，butjustaPlainGirl？
6。30，SaturdayDearDaddy，Westartedtowalktotowntoday，butmercy！howitpoured。
Ilikewintertobewinterwithsnowinsteadofrain。
Julia’sdesirableunclecalledagainthisafternoon——andbroughtafive-poundboxofchocolates。Thereareadvantages，yousee，aboutroomingwithJulia。
Ourinnocentprattleappearedtoamusehimandhewaitedforalatertraininordertotaketeainthestudy。Wehadanawfullotoftroublegettingpermission。It’shardenoughentertainingfathersandgrandfathers，butunclesareastepworse;andasforbrothersandcousins，theyarenexttoimpossible。Juliahadtoswearthathewasherunclebeforeanotarypublicandthenhavethecountyclerk’scertificateattached。（Don’tIknowalotoflaw？）
AndeventhenIdoubtifwecouldhavehadourteaiftheDeanhadchancedtoseehowyoungishandgood-lookingUncleJervisis。
Anyway，wehadit，withbrownbreadSwisscheesesandwiches。
Hehelpedmakethemandthenatefour。ItoldhimthatIhadspentlastsummeratLockWillow，andwehadabeautifulgossipytimeabouttheSemples，andthehorsesandcowsandchickens。
Allthehorsesthatheusedtoknowaredead，exceptGrover，whowasababycoltatthetimeofhislastvisit——andpoorGrovenowissooldhecanjustlimpaboutthepasture。
Heaskediftheystillkeptdoughnutsinayellowcrockwithablueplateoveritonthebottomshelfofthepantry——andtheydo！
Hewantedtoknowiftherewasstillawoodchuck’sholeunderthepileofrocksinthenightpasture——andthereis！Amasaicaughtabig，fat，greyonetherethissummer，thetwenty-fifthgreat-grandsonoftheoneMasterJerviscaughtwhenhewasalittleboy。
Icalledhim`MasterJervie’tohisface，buthedidn’tappeartobeinsulted。Juliasaysshehasneverseenhimsoamiable;
he’susuallyprettyunapproachable。ButJuliahasn’tabitoftact;
andmen，Ifind，requireagreatdeal。Theypurrifyourubthemtherightwayandspitifyoudon’t。（Thatisn’taveryelegantmetaphor。
Imeanitfiguratively。）
We’rereadingMarieBashkirtseff’sjournal。Isn’titamazing？
Listentothis：`LastnightIwasseizedbyafitofdespairthatfoundutteranceinmoans，andthatfinallydrovemetothrowthedining-roomclockintothesea。’
ItmakesmealmosthopeI’mnotagenius;theymustbeverywearingtohaveabout——andawfullydestructivetothefurniture。
Mercy！howitkeepsPouring。Weshallhavetoswimtochapeltonight。
Yoursever，Judy20thJan。
DearDaddy-Long-Legs，Didyoueverhaveasweetbabygirlwhowasstolenfromthecradleininfancy？
MaybeIamshe！Ifwewereinanovel，thatwouldbethedenouement，wouldn’tit？
It’sreallyawfullyqueernottoknowwhatoneis——sortofexcitingandromantic。Therearesuchalotofpossibilities。
MaybeI’mnotAmerican;lotsofpeoplearen’t。ImaybestraightdescendedfromtheancientRomans，orImaybeaViking’sdaughter，orImaybethechildofaRussianexileandbelongbyrightsinaSiberianprison，ormaybeI’maGipsy——IthinkperhapsIam。
IhaveaveryWANDERINGspirit，thoughIhaven’tasyethadmuchchancetodevelopit。
DoyouknowaboutthatonescandalousblotinmycareerthetimeIranawayfromtheasylumbecausetheypunishedmeforstealingcookies？
It’sdowninthebooksfreeforanyTrusteetoread。Butreally，Daddy，whatcouldyouexpect？Whenyouputahungrylittlenine-yeargirlinthepantryscouringknives，withthecookiejaratherelbow，andgooffandleaveheralone;andthensuddenlypopinagain，wouldn’tyouexpecttofindherabitcrumby？Andthenwhenyoujerkherbytheelbowandboxherears，andmakeherleavethetablewhenthepuddingcomes，andtellalltheotherchildrenthatit’sbecauseshe’sathief，wouldn’tyouexpecthertorunaway？
Ionlyranfourmiles。Theycaughtmeandbroughtmeback;
andeverydayforaweekIwastied，likeanaughtypuppy，toastakeinthebackyardwhiletheotherchildrenwereoutatrecess。
Oh，dear！There’sthechapelbell，andafterchapelIhaveacommitteemeeting。I’msorrybecauseImeanttowriteyouaveryentertainingletterthistime。
AufwiedersehenCherDaddy，Paxtibi！
JudyPS。There’sonethingI’mperfectlysureofI’mnotaChinaman。
4thFebruaryDearDaddy-Long-Legs，JimmieMcBridehassentmeaPrincetonbannerasbigasoneendoftheroom;Iamverygratefultohimforrememberingme，butI
don’tknowwhatonearthtodowithit。SallieandJuliawon’tletmehangitup;ourroomthisyearisfurnishedinred，andyoucanimaginewhataneffectwe’dhaveifIaddedorangeandblack。
Butit’ssuchnice，warm，thickfelt，Ihatetowasteit。
Woulditbeveryimpropertohaveitmadeintoabathrobe？
Myoldoneshrankwhenitwaswashed。
I’veentirelyomittedoflatetellingyouwhatIamlearning，butthoughyoumightnotimagineitfrommyletters，mytimeisexclusivelyoccupiedwithstudy。It’saverybewilderingmattertogeteducatedinfivebranchesatonce。
`Thetestoftruescholarship，’saysChemistryProfessor，`isapainstakingpassionfordetail。’
`Becarefulnottokeepyoureyesgluedtodetail，’saysHistoryProfessor。`Standfarenoughawaytogetaperspectiveofthewhole。’
Youcanseewithwhatnicetywehavetotrimoursailsbetweenchemistryandhistory。Ilikethehistoricalmethodbest。
IfIsaythatWilliamtheConquerorcameoverin1492，andColumbusdiscoveredAmericain1100or1066orwheneveritwas，that’sameredetailthattheProfessoroverlooks。Itgivesafeelingofsecurityandrestfulnesstothehistoryrecitation，thatisentirelylackinginchemistry。
Sixth-hourbell——Imustgotothelaboratoryandlookintoalittlematterofacidsandsaltsandalkalis。I’veburnedaholeasbigasaplateinthefrontofmychemistryapron，withhydrochloricacid。
Ifthetheoryworked，Ioughttobeabletoneutralizethatholewithgoodstrongammonia，oughtn’tI？
Examinationsnextweek，butwho’safraid？
Yoursever，Judy5thMarchDearDaddy-Long-Legs，ThereisaMarchwindblowing，andtheskyisfilledwithheavy，blackmovingclouds。Thecrowsinthepinetreesaremakingsuchaclamour！It’sanintoxicating，exhilarating，CALLINGnoise。
Youwanttocloseyourbooksandbeoffoverthehillstoracewiththewind。
WehadapaperchaselastSaturdayoverfivemilesofsquashy’crosscountry。Thefox（composedofthreegirlsandabushelorsoofconfetti）startedhalfanhourbeforethetwenty-sevenhunters。
Iwasoneofthetwenty-seven;eightdroppedbythewayside;
weendednineteen。Thetrailledoverahill，throughacornfield，andintoaswampwherewehadtoleaplightlyfromhummocktohummock。
ofcoursehalfofuswentinankledeep。Wekeptlosingthetrail，andwewastedtwenty-fiveminutesoverthatswamp。Thenupahillthroughsomewoodsandinatabarnwindow！Thebarndoorswerealllockedandthewindowwasuphighandprettysmall。Idon’tcallthatfair，doyou？
Butwedidn’tgothrough;wecircumnavigatedthebarnandpickedupthetrailwhereitissuedbywayofalowshedroofontothetopofafence。Thefoxthoughthehadusthere，butwefooledhim。
Thenstraightawayovertwomilesofrollingmeadow，andawfullyhardtofollow，fortheconfettiwasgettingsparse。Theruleisthatitmustbeatthemostsixfeetapart，buttheywerethelongestsixfeetIeversaw。Finally，aftertwohoursofsteadytrotting，wetrackedMonsieurFoxintothekitchenofCrystalSpring（that’safarmwherethegirlsgoinbobsleighsandhaywagonsforchickenandwafflesuppers）andwefoundthethreefoxesplacidlyeatingmilkandhoneyandbiscuits。Theyhadn’tthoughtwewouldgetthatfar;
theywereexpectingustostickinthebarnwindow。
Bothsidesinsistthattheywon。Ithinkwedid，don’tyou？
Becausewecaughtthembeforetheygotbacktothecampus。
Anyway，allnineteenofussettledlikelocustsoverthefurnitureandclamouredforhoney。Therewasn’tenoughtogoround，butMrs。
CrystalSpring（that’sourpetnameforher;she’sbyrightsaJohnson）
broughtupajarofstrawberryjamandacanofmaplesyrup——
justmadelastweek——andthreeloavesofbrownbread。
Wedidn’tgetbacktocollegetillhalf-pastsix——halfanhourlatefordinner——andwewentstraightinwithoutdressing，andwithperfectlyunimpairedappetites！Thenweallcuteveningchapel，thestateofourbootsbeingenoughofanexcuse。
Inevertoldyouaboutexaminations。Ipassedeverythingwiththeutmostease——Iknowthesecretnow，andamnevergoingtofailagain。
Ishan’tbeabletograduatewithhonoursthough，becauseofthatbeastlyLatinproseandgeometryFreshmanyear。ButIdon’tcare。
Wot’sthehoddssolongasyou’re’appy？（That’saquotation。
I’vebeenreadingtheEnglishclassics。）
Speakingofclassics，haveyoueverreadHamlet？Ifyouhaven’t，doitrightoff。It’sPERFECTLYCORKING。I’vebeenhearingaboutShakespeareallmylife，butIhadnoideahereallywrotesowell;
Ialwayssuspectedhimofgoinglargelyonhisreputation。
IhaveabeautifulplaythatIinventedalongtimeagowhenIfirstlearnedtoread。IputmyselftosleepeverynightbypretendingI’mtheperson（themostimportantperson）inthebookI’mreadingatthemoment。
AtpresentI’mOphelia——andsuchasensibleOphelia！IkeepHamletamusedallthetime，andpethimandscoldhimandmakehimwrapuphisthroatwhenhehasacold。I’veentirelycuredhimofbeingmelancholy。TheKingandQueenarebothdead——anaccidentatsea;nofuneralnecessary——soHamletandIarerulinginDenmarkwithoutanybother。Wehavethekingdomworkingbeautifully。
Hetakescareofthegoverning，andIlookafterthecharities。
Ihavejustfoundedsomefirst-classorphanasylums。IfyouoranyoftheotherTrusteeswouldliketovisitthem，Ishallbepleasedtoshowyouthrough。Ithinkyoumightfindagreatmanyhelpfulsuggestions。
Iremain，sir，Yoursmostgraciously，OPHELIA，QueenofDenmark。
24thMarch，maybethe25thDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Idon’tbelieveIcanbegoingtoHeaven——Iamgettingsuchalotofgoodthingshere;itwouldn’tbefairtogetthemhereaftertoo。
Listentowhathashappened。
JerushaAbbotthaswontheshort-storycontest（atwenty-fivedollarprize）thattheMonthlyholdseveryyear。Andshe’saSophomore！
ThecontestantsaremostlySeniors。WhenIsawmynameposted，Icouldn’tquitebelieveitwastrue。MaybeIamgoingtobeanauthorafterall。IwishMrs。Lippetthadn’tgivenmesuchasillyname——
itsoundslikeanauthor-ess，doesn’tit？
AlsoIhavebeenchosenforthespringdramatics——AsYouLikeItoutofdoors。IamgoingtobeCelia，owncousintoRosalind。
Andlastly：JuliaandSallieandIaregoingtoNewYorknextFridaytodosomespringshoppingandstayallnightandgotothetheatrethenextdaywith`MasterJervie。’Heinvitedus。Juliaisgoingtostayathomewithherfamily，butSallieandIaregoingtostopattheMarthaWashingtonHotel。Didyoueverhearofanythingsoexciting？I’veneverbeeninahotelinmylife，norinatheatre;
exceptoncewhentheCatholicChurchhadafestivalandinvitedtheorphans，butthatwasn’tarealplayanditdoesn’tcount。
Andwhatdoyouthinkwe’regoingtosee？Hamlet。Thinkofthat！
WestudieditforfourweeksinShakespeareclassandIknowitbyheart。
IamsoexcitedoveralltheseprospectsthatIcanscarcelysleep。
Goodbye，Daddy。
Thisisaveryentertainingworld。
Yoursever，JudyPS。I’vejustlookedatthecalendar。It’sthe28th。
Anotherpostscript。
Isawastreetcarconductortodaywithonebrowneyeandoneblue。
Wouldn’themakeanicevillainforadetectivestory？
7thAprilDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Mercy！Isn’tNewYorkbig？Worcesterisnothingtoit。Doyoumeantotellmethatyouactuallyliveinallthatconfusion？
Idon’tbelievethatIshallrecoverformonthsfromthebewilderingeffectoftwodaysofit。Ican’tbegintotellyoualltheamazingthingsI’veseen;Isupposeyouknow，though，sinceyoulivethereyourself。
Butaren’tthestreetsentertaining？Andthepeople？Andtheshops？
Ineversawsuchlovelythingsasthereareinthewindows。
Itmakesyouwanttodevoteyourlifetowearingclothes。
SallieandJuliaandIwentshoppingtogetherSaturdaymorning。
JuliawentintotheverymostgorgeousplaceIeversaw，whiteandgoldwallsandbluecarpetsandbluesilkcurtainsandgiltchairs。
Aperfectlybeautifulladywithyellowhairandalongblacksilktrailinggowncametomeetuswithawelcomingsmile。Ithoughtwewerepayingasocialcall，andstartedtoshakehands，butitseemswewereonlybuyinghats——atleastJuliawas。Shesatdowninfrontofamirrorandtriedonadozen，eachlovelierthanthelast，andboughtthetwoloveliestofall。
Ican’timagineanyjoyinlifegreaterthansittingdowninfrontofamirrorandbuyinganyhatyouchoosewithouthavingfirsttoconsidertheprice！There’snodoubtaboutit，Daddy;NewYorkwouldrapidlyunderminethisfinestoicalcharacterwhichtheJohnGrierHomesopatientlybuiltup。
Andafterwe’dfinishedourshopping，wemetMasterJervieatSherry’s。Isupposeyou’vebeeninSherry’s？Picturethat，thenpicturethedining-roomoftheJohnGrierHomewithitsoilcloth-coveredtables，andwhitecrockerythatyouCAN’Tbreak，andwooden-handledknivesandforks;andfancythewayIfelt！
Iatemyfishwiththewrongfork，butthewaiterverykindlygavemeanothersothatnobodynoticed。
Andafterluncheonwewenttothetheatre——itwasdazzling，marvellous，unbelievable——Idreamaboutiteverynight。
Isn’tShakespearewonderful？
Hamletissomuchbetteronthestagethanwhenweanalyzeitinclass;
Iappreciateditbefore，butnow，clearme！
Ithink，ifyoudon’tmind，thatI’dratherbeanactressthanawriter。Wouldn’tyoulikemetoleavecollegeandgointoadramaticschool？AndthenI’llsendyouaboxforallmyperformances，andsmileatyouacrossthefootlights。Onlyweararedroseinyourbuttonhole，please，soI’llsurelysmileattherightman。
ItwouldbeanawfullyembarrassingmistakeifIpickedoutthewrongone。
WecamebackSaturdaynightandhadourdinnerinthetrain，atlittletableswithpinklampsandnegrowaiters。Ineverheardofmealsbeingservedintrainsbefore，andIinadvertentlysaidso。
`Whereonearthwereyoubroughtup？’saidJuliatome。
`Inavillage，’saidImeekly，toJulia。
`Butdidn’tyouevertravel？’saidshetome。
`NottillIcametocollege，andthenitwasonlyahundredandsixtymilesandwedidn’teat，’saidItoher。
She’sgettingquiteinterestedinme，becauseIsaysuchfunnythings。
Itryhardnotto，buttheydopopoutwhenI’msurprised——
andI’msurprisedmostofthetime。It’sadizzyingexperience，Daddy，topasseighteenyearsintheJohnGrierHome，andthensuddenlytobeplungedintotheWORLD。
ButI’mgettingacclimated。Idon’tmakesuchawfulmistakesasIdid;
andIdon’tfeeluncomfortableanymorewiththeothergirls。Iusedtosquirmwheneverpeoplelookedatme。Ifeltasthoughtheysawrightthroughmyshamnewclothestothecheckedginghamsunderneath。
ButI’mnotlettingtheginghamsbothermeanymore。Sufficientuntoyesterdayistheevilthereof。
Iforgottotellyouaboutourflowers。MasterJerviegaveuseachabigbunchofvioletsandlilies-of-the-valley。Wasn’tthatsweetofhim？Ineverusedtocaremuchformen——judgingbyTrustees——
butI’mchangingmymind。
Elevenpages——thisisaletter！Havecourage。I’mgoingtostop。
Yoursalways，Judy10thAprilDearMr。Rich-Man，Here’syourchequeforfiftydollars。Thankyouverymuch，butIdonotfeelthatIcankeepit。MyallowanceissufficienttoaffordallofthehatsthatIneed。IamsorrythatIwroteallthatsillystuffaboutthemillineryshop;it’sjustthatI
hadneverseenanythinglikeitbefore。
However，Iwasn’tbegging！AndIwouldrathernotacceptanymorecharitythanIhaveto。
Sincerelyyours，JerushaAbbott11thAprilDearestDaddy，WillyoupleaseforgivemefortheletterIwroteyouyesterday？
AfterIposteditIwassorry，andtriedtogetitback，butthatbeastlymailclerkwouldn’tgiveitbacktome。
It’sthemiddleofthenightnow;I’vebeenawakeforhoursthinkingwhataWormIam——whataThousand-leggedWorm——
andthat’stheworstIcansay！I’veclosedthedoorverysoftlyintothestudysoasnottowakeJuliaandSallie，andamsittingupinbedwritingtoyouonpapertornoutofmyhistorynote-book。
IjustwantedtotellyouthatIamsorryIwassoimpoliteaboutyourcheque。Iknowyoumeantitkindly，andIthinkyou’reanolddeartotakesomuchtroubleforsuchasillythingasahat。
Ioughttohavereturneditverymuchmoregraciously。
Butinanycase，Ihadtoreturnit。It’sdifferentwithmethanwithothergirls。Theycantakethingsnaturallyfrompeople。
Theyhavefathersandbrothersandauntsanduncles;butIcan’tbeonanysuchrelationswithanyone。Iliketopretendthatyoubelongtome，justtoplaywiththeidea，butofcourseIknowyoudon’t。I’malone，really——withmybacktothewallfightingtheworld——
andIgetsortofgaspywhenIthinkaboutit。Iputitoutofmymind，andkeeponpretending;butdon’tyousee，Daddy？Ican’tacceptanymoremoneythanIhaveto，becausesomedayIshallbewantingtopayitback，andevenasgreatanauthorasIintendtobewon’tbeabletofaceaPERFECTLYTREMENDOUSdebt。
I’dloveprettyhatsandthings，butImustn’tmortgagethefuturetopayforthem。
You’llforgiveme，won’tyou，forbeingsorude？IhaveanawfulhabitofwritingimpulsivelywhenIfirstthinkthings，andthenpostingtheletterbeyondrecall。ButifIsometimesseemthoughtlessandungrateful，Inevermeanit。InmyheartIthankyoualwaysforthelifeandfreedomandindependencethatyouhavegivenme。
Mychildhoodwasjustalong，sullenstretchofrevolt，andnowIamsohappyeverymomentofthedaythatIcan’tbelieveit’strue。
Ifeellikeamade-upheroineinastory-book。
It’saquarterpasttwo。I’mgoingtotiptoeouttopostthisoffnow。You’llreceiveitinthenextmailaftertheother;
soyouwon’thaveaverylongtimetothinkbadofme。
Goodnight，Daddy，Iloveyoualways，Judy4thMayDearDaddy-Long-Legs，FieldDaylastSaturday。Itwasaveryspectacularoccasion。
Firstwehadaparadeofalltheclasses，witheverybodydressedinwhitelinen，theSeniorscarryingblueandgoldJapaneseumbrellas，andthejuniorswhiteandyellowbanners。Ourclasshadcrimsonballoons——
veryfetching，especiallyastheywerealwaysgettinglooseandfloatingoff——andtheFreshmenworegreentissue-paperhatswithlongstreamers。Alsowehadabandinblueuniformshiredfromtown。Alsoaboutadozenfunnypeople，likedownsinacircus，tokeepthespectatorsentertainedbetweenevents。
Juliawasdressedasafatcountrymanwithalinendusterandwhiskersandbaggyumbrella。PatsyMoriarty（Patricireally。
Didyoueverhearsuchaname？Mrs。Lippettcouldn’thavedonebetter）
whoistallandthinwasJulia’swifeinaabsurdgreenbonnetoveroneear。Wavesoflaughterfollowedthemthewholelengthofthecourse。Juliaplayedthepartextremelywell。IneverdreamedthataPendletoncoulddisplaysomuchcomedyspirit——
beggingMasterJervie’pardon;Idon’tconsiderhimatruePendletonthough，anmorethanIconsideryouatrueTrustee。
SallieandIweren’tintheparadebecausewewereenteredfortheevents。Andwhatdoyouthink？Webothwon！Atleastinsomething。Wetriedfortherunningbroadjumpandlost;
butSalliewonthepole-vaulting（sevenfeetthreeinches）
andIwonthefifty-yardsprint（eightseconds）。
Iwasprettypantingattheend，butitwasgreatfun，withthewholeclasswavingballoonsandcheeringandyelling：
What’sthematterwithJudyAbbott？
She’sallright。
Who’sallright？
JudyAb-bott！
That，Daddy，istruefame。Thentrottingbacktothedressingtentandbeingrubbeddownwithalcoholandhavingalemontosuck。
Youseewe’reveryprofessional。It’safinethingtowinaneventforyourclass，becausetheclassthatwinsthemostgetstheathleticcupfortheyear。TheSeniorswonitthisyear，withseveneventstotheircredit。Theathleticassociationgaveadinnerinthegymnasiumtoallofthewinners。Wehadfriedsoft-shellcrabs，andchocolateice-creammouldedintheshapeofbasketballs。
IsatuphalfoflastnightreadingJaneEyre。Areyouoldenough，Daddy，toremembersixtyyearsago？And，ifso，didpeopletalkthatway？
ThehaughtyLadyBlanchesaystothefootman，`Stopyourchattering，knave，anddomybidding。’Mr。Rochestertalksaboutthemetalwelkinwhenhemeansthesky;andasforthemadwomanwholaughslikeahyenaandsetsfiretobedcurtainsandtearsupweddingveilsandBITES——it’smelodramaofthepurest，butjustthesame，youreadandreadandread。Ican’tseehowanygirlcouldhavewrittensuchabook，especiallyanygirlwhowasbroughtupinachurchyard。
