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BY JEAN WEBSTER
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Daddy Long-Legs
By

This

JEAN WEBSTER

the

is

appealing,

story of "Judy,"

who grows up

to seven-

Home

For Or-

teen in the John Greer

Then

phans.
reality

unforgettable

a wealthy unknown, in

one of the directors of the home,

pretty
sends her to college, with plenty of

and pocket money, and Judy

clothes

good times and culture with

takes to

enthusiasm.

Her
her

letters

to

"Daddy Long-Legs,"

unknown benefactor

romance

of his life

wealthy unknown
adorable Judy,

and

hers.

falls in

now

kindle
When

the
the

love with the

a cultured

lady, she too discovers that

he

is

young
some-

thing more than just a mysterious benefactor

a very human and lovable man.

GROSSET & DUNLAP Publishers

New York 10, N. Y.

JEAN WEBSTER

GROSSET

&

DUNLAE

Fublishers

NEW YORK

Copyright, 191 2, by

TfeE Century Coa^pany

Copyright, 1940, by

Jean McKinney Conner

Copyright, 191 2, by

The Curtis PuBusHiNG Company

All rights reserved. This bookj or parts
thereofy must not be reproduced in any
form ivithout permission of the publisher.

BOSTON PilBMC LIBRARy

larr

wtth d. APPLBTON-oBimrRT oomi>A]S y

XNIED IN

U^^

TO YOU

^>nl&n^

Introduction

Blue Wednesday

The
to

11

...

21

Letters of Miss Jerusha Abbott

Mr. Daddy-Long-Legs Smith

31

Introduction

JEAN WEBSTER
Being descended from
vious disadvantages.

illustrious

One

of these

people has
is

its

ob-

the difficulty of

winning recognition for one's work entirely apart

from consideration of the conspicuous name of one's

ancestors.

Jean Webster had the distinction of be-

longing to a famous family, but she constantly

that such an inheritance stood in the

on her own

way

felt

of achieving

Her mother, Annie Clemens, was

a niece of Mark Twain and her father, Charles Luther
Webster, was a member of the publishing firm to
which Mark Twain once belonged. Bom and reared
in a literary

rally

merits.

atmosphere of

came by the

this sort,

gift of telling a

course the quality of

she rather natu-

good

story,

and of

humor which permeates her

writing was inherent in her.

Her mother was

a south-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
emer and her father a New Englander of British and
German lineage. Among her eminent forebears were
also Daniel

Boone and

Whitney.

Eli

Jean Webster's real name was Alice Jane Chandler

Webster, the Jane being after

When she went to college,

also Alice, so

Mark Twain's mother.

her room-mate's

name was

Miss Webster was asked to take her

second name. But since to her Jane seemed a

little

old-

went

fashioned, she changed

it

by

bom in Fredonia, New York,

that name. She

July 24,

was

to Jean and ever after

1876, and her early school days were spent

Later she attended

there.

Binghamton,

New

at

York, from which she was gradu-

At Vassar

ated in 1896.

Lady Jane Grey School

College,

where she took her

degree in 190 1, she proved herself an able student but

a poor

Once upon being asked by

"On what authority do you spell

speller.

teacher,

a horrified

thus?" she

repUed, "Webster."

She learned early to write

easily

and well. At college

she majored in English and economics and there began

to

fit

herself for a literary career.

While

a student, she

was not only correspondent for Poughkeepsie newspapers but also a contributor of stories to the Vasstrr
Miscellany.

Her work

institutions for
visits

in economics

meant

visits

to

delinquent and destitute children

which impressed her greatly and directed her

[12]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
imagination in her writing.

Once while

writing for

away with

the newspaper, her imagination quite ran

her,

and she converted some fanciful information into

a practical joke

She had great

which nearly cost her the

difficulty in getting

her

job.

earliest stories

recognized, but once she had succeeded her fame

rapidly grew. After being graduated from college, she

became an independent

was

and her

writer,

to pubhsh a collection of stories

written as a student.
Fatty
series

Went

The book

first

which she had

bore the

title

in this field.

much

Miss Webster traveled widely, spending

where during donkey

periences resulted also in

is

said to

The Wheat

Her Italian
Princess

ex-

which

have written while living with some nuns

in a convent in the Sabine Mountains.

piest

time

rides in the mountains

she found the setting for Jerry Junior,

she

When

and began the famous Patty

to College,

which remains unmatched

in Italy

venture

But her hap-

and most productive days were probably spent

Street,

New York,

in touch with life in

Greenwich

in an old house at 55

for here she

Village

came

where the

and to love

West Tenth

social

workers came to

know

her

her.

During these days she was an indefatigable worker,

and the charm of her

stories

is

due quite as much to

her ardor for application as to innate

[-5]

ability.

She

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
spent long periods in writing her stories and then cut

them down

to desired length. Concerning her at the

beginning of her Hterary career in

critic said:

way,

"She was a sane and hopeful

was

it

was

humanitarian.

and

diligent

wrote profusely, and cut

fact

illustrated

used to

by

on her

was already

literary disci-

practical; she experienced di-

rectly,
is

Her

York one

realist

predicted, to leadership, and

felt indirectly as a

pline

New

This

ruthlessly."

the story of the Itahan

last

boy who

work about Miss Webster's home and with

whom she used to enjoy talking in his native language.

Upon

being asked

if

he had read Daddy -Long-Legs,

he repHed that he had, but

really

it

was discovered

that he

had read what the author had thrown into the

scrap basket.

Of

course

Daddy -Long-Legs was

inspired

by Miss

Webster's love for children which was the basis for

her serious and

charm and

critical

humanity.

interest in

friendliness of her personaUty carried great

influence to positions of importance

stantly held.
life in

The

Her

particular interest

orphanages, a concern which

which she con-

was

is

in improving

manifest in Dear

Enevty, and she likewise served on special committees

having to do with children and prison reform.

work among
creditable.

the prisoners at Sing Sing

Here she made

is

Her

particularly

friends with the prisoners

1^4]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
whom she

often invited to call on her

freed, jestingly

when they were

warning them that her

silver

was but

"plate."

On

September

7,

19 15, Miss

Glenn Ford McICinney,

to

life

alternated

York and

a lawyer, after

which her

between her Central Park home in

a country estate in

New

Tyringham, Massachu-

where she and her husband enjoyed the mutual

setts,

hobby of
career

died

Webster was married

raising

was not destined

on June

riage,

ducks and pheasants. Her promising

to continue, however, for she

11, 19 16, less

than a year after her mar-

and a day or two after the birth of her infant

In her

daughter.

endowed

room

York and

bed

memory

at the Girls' Service

at the

League in

New

County branch of the New York

Orthopedic Hospital near White

The

were appropriately

there

Plains.

following passages help to

make an

interesting

picture of the character and habits of Jean Webster:

Jean Webster was in no sense a reformer. Daddy-

Long-Legs was the spontaneous creation of her

inspired,

As

brain,

no doubt, by her passionate love for children.

a play, even

more than

good than a thousand

institutional reforms.

in

book form,

it

did

tracts in pointing the

Its effect

was

more

need of

so immediate and

so widespread that the author found herself at the

Us]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
As

center of a reform movement.

her

published work, Dear

last

a result she wrote

Enemy, which, beneath

the light, engaging love-story that plays about the

surface, presents the last

ent children

a book

word

in the care of depend-

more

destined to do

effective

service in behalf of these unfortunates than

treatises

ality

pen.

yet published. Such

when combined with a

The names of her

the

all

the magic of person-

is

seeing eye and a singing

whimsically

characters,

enough, she usually chose from the telephone-book,

but the characters themselves, were always taken from

life

both in her fiction and in her play-writing.

She had evolved a thorough technic; she was master

of the tools she wrought with; and at the time of her

death she lacked only complete maturity of mind and

experience to achieve the great things she was potentially

capable of.

the test of time,

Only
tions

few

As

it is,

what she

I believe, as

intimates

left

the best of

know

us will stand

its

kind.

of the wide benefac-

and the generous giving of time and thought

that filled the days of her busy

But those

life.

who

have caught in her writings the friendliness and good

humor
to

of her attitude toward

know

life will

that she lived as she wrote.

poignant pathos in the fact that

who

not be surprised

did so

much

this

And

there

is

sturdy optimist

in her later years for the cause of

[i6]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
childhood should at the

last

have given her

for a

life

The Century Magazine^

[D. Z. D. in

little child.

No-

vember, 19 16.]

matter of opinion whether her writer's art

It is a

was more

effective in the

form of the

form of the novel or the

But certain

play.

it is

that she

was

crafts-

man enough to convert the one medium into the

and with a

skill

that

showed mastery of both.

true that the dramatic

more quickly

in her later work, to

form came to her mind the

it

it

was her custom,

into the novel.

in this wise that

It is

fashioned.

has been said of a distinguished

was too

at least

her plot as a play, and

first cast

Daddy -Long-Legs was

It

It is

for she had been a close student of the

technique of the drama, and

then convert

other,

modem

that he

self-conscious to find the straight path to the

heart of a friend.

The

converse of this almost epito-

mizes Jean Webster's habit of thought, and habit of

action.

in

Whatever her plan or purpose, whether

work

or friendship,

the

straight

it

was

path without

shadow of self-consciousness was the one she followed.

And

it

was

this characteristic that

knew her best

far

feel that all the

was constructive and

straight path led to

wider

work

made

[^7]

who

she had done thus

substantial,

fields,

those

but that the

and that her next ten

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
years

would have revealed the

purpose to which

real

she had directed herself.

To
faith,

transilluminate the

life

so that

hope, and love shone through was Jean Webster's

special gift.

was

commonplace of

Her

dailyness revealed this,

in starting the

whether

it

machinery of her household; in

giving counsel to varied types of friends, for she

dom-

inated whatever group she stayed among; in further-

ing some alleviation of another's sorrow, or securing

an adjustment for better ways in

vision carried through
situation she

gether

made

number. In

saw

social conditions, her

any darkness, and

in every

that this age-long trinity linked to-

for the largest happiness to the greatest

short, her philosophy of life.

[Elizabeth

Gushing in The Vassar Quarterly, November, 19 16.]

The

memory

following sonnet in

of Jean Webster

appeared in The Century Magazine, November, 19 16.

TO

J.

W.

Ruth Comfort Mitchell

Jean Webster went in golden glowing June,

Upon

a full-pulsed,

With

rich achievement luring her to stay.

warm-breathed,

vital day,

Putting her keen, kind pen aside too soon

In the ripe promise of her ardent noon.

Yet, sturdy-souled and whimsical and gay,
I

think she

would have chosen

[18]

it

that

way,

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
On

the high-hill note of her

life's

clear tune.

And while gray hearts grow green again with mirth,

And wakened joy and beauty go to find
The small, blue-ginghamed lonely ones of earth,
While charm and cheer and color work
In the glad gospel that she

She will be

living,

left

their will

behind,

laughing with us

still.

JEAN Webster's works

When Patty Went to

The Wheat

College, 1903.

Princess, 1905.

Jerry Junior, 1907.

The Four-Pools Mystery,

Much Ado About

Just Patty, 191

1.

Daddy -Long-Legs,
Asa

1908.

Peter, 1909.

91

(a play), 19 14.

Dear Enemy,

1915.

Pipes of Palestrina (an unpublished comedy).

[^9]

Wednesday

''Blue

The

Wednesday

first

Awful Day

fectly

in every

month was

a Per-

day to be awaited with dread,

endured with courage and forgotten with

Every

floor

must be

every chair

spotless,

haste.

dustless,

and

every bed without a wrinkle. Ninety-seven squirming

orphans must be scrubbed and combed and but-

little

toned into freshly starched ginghams; and

all

ninety-

seven reminded of their manners, and told to say,

"Yes,
It

sir,"

was a

"No,

sir,"

whenever a Trustee spoke.

distressing time;

and poor Jerusha Abbott,

being the oldest orphan, had to bear the brunt of

But

this particular first

sors, finally

dragged

Wednesday,

itself

it.

like its predeces-

to a close. Jerusha escaped

from the pantry where she had been making sandwiches for the asylum's guests, and turned upstairs
to accomplish her regular work.

room

F,

where eleven

occupied eleven

sembled
frocks,

her

wiped

little

charges,

little tots,

Her

special care

from four to seven,

cots set in a row.

straightened

their noses,

and

[21]

was

Jerusha as-

their

started

rumpled

them

in an

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
orderly and willing line toward the dining-room to

engage themselves for a blessed half hour with bread

and milk and prune pudding.

Then

she dropped

down on

the

window

leaned throbbing temples against the cool

had been on her feet since

five that

seat

and
She

glass.

morning, doing

everybody's bidding, scolded and hurried by a nervous

matron. Mrs. Lippett, behind the scenes, did not

ways maintain

that calm

al-

and pompous dignity with

which she faced an audience of Trustees and lady

visitors.

Jerusha gazed out across a broad stretch of

frozen lawn, beyond the

tall

the confines of the asylum,

iron paling that

down

marked

undulating ridges

sprinkled with country estates, to the spires of the

village rising

from the midst of bare

The day was ended quite

she knew. The Trustees and

trees.

successfully, so far as

the visiting committee

had made their rounds, and read their reports, and

drunk

their tea,

and

now were

hurrying

home

to their

own cheerful firesides, to forget their bothersome little

charges for another month. Jerusha leaned forward

and a touch of wistfulness

the stream of carriages and automobiles that rolled
watching with curiosity

out of the asylum gates. In imagination she followed

first

one equipage then another to the big houses

dotted along the

hillside.

She pictured herself

[22]

in a fur

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
coat and a velvet hat trimmed with feathers leaning

back in the

and nonchalantly murmuring "Home"

seat

But on the

to the driver.

picture

grew

door-sill of her

home

the

blurred.

an imagination,

Jerusha had an imagination

Lippett told her, that would get her into trouble

didn't take care

but keen

as

it

was,

it

Mrs.
if

she

could not carry

her beyond the front porch of the houses she would

enter.

Poor, eager, adventurous

little

Jerusha, in

all

her seventeen years, had never stepped inside an ordi-

nary house; she could not picture the daily routine of

those other

human

beings

who

carried

on

their lives

undiscommoded by orphans.
Je-TU-sha Ab-bott

You

are ivan-ted

In the of-fice,

And I think you'd

Better hurry up!

Tommy
singing

who had joined the choir, came

stairs and down the corridor, his chant

Dillon

up the

growing louder

wrenched

herself

troubles of

"Who

as

he approached room F.

Jerusha

from the window and refaced the

life.

wants me?" she cut into Tommy's chant

with a note of sharp anxiety.

[25]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Mrs. Lippett in the

And I

office^

think she^s mad.

Ah-a-men!

Tommy

piously intoned, but his accent was not

entirely malicious.

orphan

the most hardened

sympathy for an erring

felt

summoned

Even

to the office to face an

sister

Tommy

jerk

him by the arm and nearly scrub

liked Jerusha even if she did sometimes

his

nose

Jerusha went without comment, but with

on her brow.

she wondered.

Were

who was

annoyed matron;

and

allel lines

Were

What could

one

own room F
The

par-

have gone wrong,

the sandwiches not thin enough?

there shells in the nut cakes?

horrors!

off.

two

Had

a lady visitor

seen the hole in Susie Hawthorn's stocking?

little

of the cherubic

little

Had

babes in her

"sassed" a Trustee?

long lower hall had not been lighted, and as she

came downstairs,

a last Trustee stood,

on the point of

departure, in the open door that led to the porte-

cochere. Jerusha caught only a fleeting impression of

the

man

ness.

and the impression consisted entirely of

He was

waving

his

arm toward an automobile

waiting in the curved drive.

As

it

and approached, head on for an

headlights threw his

tall-

sprang into motion

instant, the glaring

shadow sharply

against the wall

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
The shadow

inside.

legs

pictured grotesquely elongated

and arms that ran along the floor and up the wall

of the corridor.

looked, for

It

all

the world, Hke a

huge, wavering daddy-long-legs.

frown gave place to quick laugh-

Jerusha's anxious
ter.

She was by nature

snatched the

tiniest

sunny

soul,

and had always

excuse to be amused. If one could

derive any sort of entertainment out of the oppressive

fact of a Trustee,

it

was something unexpected

She advanced to the

good.

office quite

to the

cheered by

the tiny episode, and presented a smiling face to Mrs.

To

Lippett.

her surprise the matron was

also, if

exactly smiling, at least appreciably affable; she

an expression almost

as pleasant as the one she

not

wore

donned

for visitors.

down, Jerusha,

"Sit

have something to say to

you."
Jerusha dropped into the nearest chair and waited

with a touch of breathlessness. iVn automobile flashed

past the

window; Mrs. Lippett glanced

after

"Did you notice the gentleman who has

"I

saw

"He

is

his

one of our most

am

just

gone?"

back."

given large sums of

port.

it.

not

at

affluential Trustees,

money toward

and has

the asylum's sup-

Hberty to mention his name; he ex-

pressly stipulated that he

was
[^5]

to remain

unknown."

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Jerusha's eyes

widened

slightly; she

customed to being summoned to the

was not

ac-

office to discuss

the eccentricities of Trustees with the matron.

"This gentleman has taken an interest in several of

Freize?

You remember Charles Benton and Henry

They were both sent through college by Mr.

and both have repaid with hard

our boys.

er

this Trustee,

work and

success the

Heretofore

wish.

money

that

his philanthropies

rected solely toward the boys;

him

to interest
girls in

so generously

may tell

no matter how

you, care for

seemed to be expected

di-

have never been able

any of the

He

deserving.

girls."

"No, m.a'am," Jerusha murmured,

"To-day

have been

in the slightest degree in

the institution,

does not,

was

Other payment the gentleman does not

expended.

since

some reply

at this point.

at the regular meeting, the question of

your future was brought up."

Mrs. Lippett allowed a

moment

of silence to

fall,

then resumed in a slow, placid manner extremely trying to her hearer's suddenly tightened nerves.

"Usually, as

you know,

the children are not kept

after they are sixteen, but an exception

your

case.

You had

must

say, in

in

finished our school at fourteen,

and having done so well in your studies

I

was made

your conduct
[26]

it

not always,

was determined

to

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
let

you go on in

finishing that,

sponsible

Now you are

the village high school.

and of course the asylum cannot be

any longer for your support. As

re-

you

it is,

have had two years more than most."

Mrs. Lippett overlooked the fact that Jerusha had
w^orked hard for her board during those two years,

come

that the convenience of the asylum had

and her education second; that on days

she was kept at

"As

home

first

like the present

to scrub.

say, the question of your future

up and your record was discussed

was brought

^thoroughly

dis-

cussed."

Mrs. Lippett brought accusing eyes to bear upon

the prisoner in the dock, and the prisoner looked
guilty because

she could

it

seemed to be expected

remember any

^not

because

strikingly black pages in her

record.
*'Of course the usual disposition of one in

place

would be

to put

you

in a position

your

where you

could begin to work, but you have done well in school

in certain branches;

it

seems that your work in English

has even been brilliant. Miss Pritchard

visiting

committee

is

also

who

is

on our

on the school board; she

has been talking with your rhetoric teacher, and

made

a speech in your favor. She also read aloud an essay

"
that you had written entitled, *Blue Wednesday.'

[=7]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
was not

Jerusha's guilty expression this time

as-

sumed.
"It

seemed to

up

in holding

so
I

much

doubt

me

that

Kttle gratitude

to ridicule the institution that has done

Had you not managed to be funny

you would have been forgiven. But fortu-

for you.
if

nately for you, Mr.

has just gone

that

is,

the gentleman

who

appears to have an immoderate sense of

On the strength of that impertinent paper,

humor.

has offered to send

"To

you showed

you

he

to college."

college?" Jerusha's eyes

grew

big.

Mrs. Lippett nodded.

"He

waited to discuss the terms with me.

unusual.

The

gentleman,

may

say, is erratic.

you have originality, and he

educate you to become a writer."

believes that

to

"A

writer?"

Jerusha's

They

is

are

He

planning

mind was numbed.

She

could only repeat Mrs. Lippett's words.

"That
it,

is

his wish.

Whether anything

the future will show.

He

giving

is

liberal allowance, almost, for a girl

any experience

in taking care of

But he planned the matter in

free to

make any

suggestions.

who

come of
you a very

will

has never had

money, too

detail,

You

and

liberal.

did not feel

are to remain here

through the summer, and Miss Pritchard has kindly

offered to superintend your outfit.

[28]

Your board and

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
tuition will be paid directly to the college,

and you

will receive in addition during the four years you are

an allowance of thirty-five dollars a month.

there,

This will enable you to enter on the same standing

the other students.

The money

will

as

be sent to you by

the gentleman's private secretary once a month, and

in return,

you

will write a letter of

once a month. That

is

acknowledgment

^you are not to thank him for

the money; he doesn't care to have that mentioned,

but you are to write a

your

studies

such a

and the

letter as

they were

"These

letter telling of the progress in

details of

your daily

Hfe.

Just

you would write to your parents

if

living.
letters will

be addressed to Mr. John Smith

and will be sent in care of the secretary. The gentleman's name

is

not John Smith, but he prefers to re-

main unknown.

To you

he will never be anything

but John Smith. His reason in requiring the

is

letters

that he thinks nothing so fosters facility in literary

expression as letter-writing. Since

with

whom

in this

way;

progress.

you have no family

to correspond, he desires you to write

He

also,

he wishes to keep track of your

will never

answer your

letters,

nor in

the slightest particular take any notice of them.

detests letter-writing,

come

a burden.

If

He

and does not wish you to be-

any point should ever

arise

where

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
an answer would seem to be imperative

such

the event of your being expelled, which

as in

will

I trust

not occur^you may correspond with Mr. Griggs,

secretary.

ligatory
that

These monthly

on your

Mr. Smith

part; they are the only

requires, so

in sending

them

paying.

hope that they

though

as

you must be
it

were

payment

as punctilious

a bill that

you were

will always be respectful in

tone and will reflect credit on your training.

must remember that you

the John Grier

You

are writing to a Trustee of

Home."

Jerusha's eyes longingly sought the door.

was

his

ob-

letters are absolutely

in a whirl of excitement,

Her head

and she wished only to

escape from Mrs. Lippett's platitudes, and think. She

rose and took a tentative step backwards.
pett detained her with a gesture;

it

was an

Mrs. Liporatorical

opportunity not to be slighted.

"I trust that

rare

you

good fortune

girls in

are properly grateful for this very

that has befallen

your position ever have such an opportunity

to rise in the world.

"I

you? Not many

ye,

You must always remember

ma'am, thank you.

must go and sew

a patch

think,

on Freddie

if that's all, I

Perkins's trou-

sers."

The door

closed behind her,

and Mrs. Lippett

watched it with dropped jaw, her peroration

130]

in midair.

THE LETTERS OF
MISS

JERUSHA ABBOTT
to

MR. DADDY-LONG-LEGS SMITH

Fergussen Hall,

September 24th.
Dear Kind-Trustee-Who-Sends-Orphans-to-College^

Here
a train.

am!

It's

traveled yesterday for four hours in

funny sensation

isn't it?

never rode in

one before.
College
get lost

is

the biggest, most bewildering place

whenever

description later
I

will tell

But

when

you about

Monday

until

leave

my room.

I'm feeling

my

wanted to write a

will write

less

you

muddled;

also

Classes don't begin

lessons.

morning, and

this is

Saturday night.

letter first just to get ac-

quainted.
It

seems queer to be writing

you don't know.

letters at all

four in

my

It

I've

life,

letters to

seems queer for

me

somebody

to be writing

never written more than three or

so please overlook

it if

these are not

a model kind.

Before leaving yesterday morning, Mrs. Lippett and

I

had

very serious

talk.

She told

[55]

me how

to behave

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
all

the rest of

my

life,

and

toward the kind gentleman

for me.

But

how

especially

who

must take care to be

is

Very

to behave

doing so

much

Respectful.

how can one be very respectful to

a person

who

Why

couldn't

you

wishes to be called John Smith?

have picked out a name with a Httle personality?

might

as well write letters to

Dear Hitching-Post or

Dear Clothes-Pole.
I

have been thinking about you a great deal

summer; having somebody take an

makes

these years,

all

a sort of family.

must

my

it's

imagination has very

are

when

little

are just three things that I

L You
IL You
IIL You

me after

had found

belonged to

a very comfortable sensation.

however, that

say,

though

feel as

seems as though

It

somebody now, and

me

interest in

this

to

think about you,

work upon. There

know:

tail.

are rich.

hate

suppose

girls.

might

call

you Dear Mr. Girl-Hater.

Only that's sort of insulting to me. Or Dear Mr. RichMan, but that's insulting to you, as though money
were the only important thing about you.
being rich

is

won't stay rich

all

your

up

in

Wall

get smashed

Besides,

Maybe you
very clever men

such a very external quality.

life; lots

Street.

[34]

of

But

at least

you

will

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
stay

tall all

your

life!

Daddy-Long-Legs.

So

I've decided to call

you Dear

hope you won't mind.

a private pet name^we v^on't

tell

It's just

Mrs. Lippett.

The ten o'clock bell is going to ring in two minutes.

Our day is divided into sections by bells. We eat and
sleep

and study by

bells.

It's

very enlivening;

There

like a fire horse all of the time.

out.

Good

goes!

Lights

night.

Observe with what precision

my

it

I feel

training in the

John Grier

obey

rules

due to

Home.

Yours most

respectfully,

Jerusha Abbott.

To Mr, Daddy-Long-Legs Smith

[35]

October

1st.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

I

love college and

love

you

for sending

very, very happy, and so excited every

time that

different

it

can
is

scarcely sleep.

You

here; I

when you were

My room

tower

am

how

never

in the world.

I'm

and

who

isn't a girl

sure the college

you attended

boy

couldn't have been so nice.

up

in a

tower that used to be the conbuilt the

are three other girls

of the

ward before they

tagious

There

is

who

everybody

feeling sorry for

come

moment

^I'm

can't imagine

from the John Grier Home.

dreamed there was such a place

can't

me

a Senior

who

on the same

infirmary.

floor of the

wears spectacles and

asking us please to be a

Freshmen named

new

Sallie

little

more

McBride and

is

always

quiet,

and two

Julia

Rutledge

Pendleton. Sallie has red hair and a turn-up nose and

is

quite friendly; Julia

comes from one of the

first

me

yet.

families in

New

They room

together and the Senior and

York and

[36]

hasn't noticed
I

have

singles.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Usually Freshmen can't get singles; they are very

one without even asking.

scarce, but I got

the registrar didn't think

suppose

v^ould be right to ask a

it

room with

properly brought-up girl to

You

a foundling.

see there are advantages!

My

room

on the northwest corner with two

is

windows and

After you've lived in a ward

a view.

for eighteen years with twenty room-mates,

ful to

be alone. This

is

the

first

chance I've ever had

to get acquainted with Jerusha Abbott.

going to

rest-

it is

think I'm

like her.

Do you

think

you

are?

Tuesday.

They
and

are organizing the

there's just

Freshman

a chance that

I shall

basket-ball

make

I'm

it.

team
little

of course, but terribly quick and wiry and tough.

While the

others are hopping about in the

dodge under

their feet

fun practising

noon with the

out

and grab the

ball.

can

air, I

It's

loads of

in the athletic field in the after-

trees all red

and yellow and the

air full

of the smell of burning leaves, and everybody laughing and shouting. These are the happiest girls

and

saw
I

am

the happiest of

meant to write a long

ever

all!

letter

and

things I'm learning (Mrs. Lippett said

know) but yth hour

tell

you

all

the

you wanted

to

has just rung, and in ten minutes

[37]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Fm

due

at the athletic field in

Don't you hope

I'll

gymnasium

clothes.

make the team?

Yours always,
Jerusha Abbott.

P.S. (9 o'clock.)

McBride

Sallie

This

is

"Fm
you
I

what she

just

poked her head in

smiled a

through.

Fve escaped!
sick, did

door.

simply can't stand

it.

Do

way?"

little

At

my

said:

so homesick that

feel that

at

and

least
I

said no, I

homesickness

thought
is

could pull

one disease that

never heard of anybody being asylum-

you?

[?^j

October 10th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Did you ever hear of Michael Angelo?

He was
Middle

a famous

know

laughed because

sounds

who

Everybody

Ages.

seemed to

artist

lived in Italy in the

English

in

about him and the whole

is

that

you

things that

them up
I

of, I just

girls talk

keep

the

first

was a Freshman. That joke has gone

But anyway, I'm

about

and look

all

Somebody

asked

if

she

over college.

just as bright in class as

any of the

and brighter than some of them!

Do you care to know how I've

a

still

day.

mentioned Maurice Maeterlinck, and

It's

very embar-

in the encyclopedia.

made an awful mistake

others

The trouble
know such

It's

But now, when the

never heard

He

are expected to

a lot of things you've never learned.

rassing at times.

class

thought he was an archangel.

an archangel, doesn't he?

like

with college

Literature

symphony

in

brown and
{39]

furnished

yellow.

my room?

The

wall was

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
and

tinted buff,

cushions and a

I've

bought yellow denim curtains and

mahogany desk (second hand

for three

and a rattan chair and a brown rug with an

dollars)

ink spot in the middle.

The windows
an ordinary

are

seat.

up

But

stand the chair over the spot.

you

high;
I

unscrewed the looking-glass

from the back of the bureau, upholstered the

moved

it

up

window

height for a
like steps

against the

window.

seat.

You

It's just

to shop

and pay with a

and get some change

all

at the

her

life

what

can't imagine

real five-dollar bill

^when you've never had more

than a nickel in your

I

the right

pull out the drawers

and knows about furnishing. You

it is

and

and walk up. Very comfortable!

Senior auction. She has lived in a house

fun

top,

McBride helped me choose the things

SalHe

from

can't look out

life.

assure you,

Daddy

dear,

do appreciate that allowance.

most entertaining person in the world

Sallie is the

and

Julia

Rutledge Pendleton the

what a mixture the

of room-mates.

registrar

Sallie thinks

and

least so.

It's

queer

can make in the matter

everything

is

funny

at everything.

She

never makes the slightest effort to be amiable.

She

even flunking

beheves that
admits

you

tion. Julia

you

if

Julia

is

bored

are a Pendleton, that fact alone

to heaven without

and

were

any further examina-

bom to be enemies.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
And now

suppose you've been waiting very im-

patiently to hear

Latin:

am

learning?

Second Punic war.

forces pitched

They

what

camp

at

Hannibal and

Lake Trasimenus

his

last night.

prepared an ambuscade for the Romans, and

a battle took place at the fourth watch this morning.

Romans

in retreat.

IL French: 24 pages of the "Three Musketeers"

and third conjugation, irregular verbs.

IIL Geometry:

Finished

cylinders;

now

doing

cones.

IV. English: Studying exposition.

My

style im-

proves daily in clearness and brevity.

V. Physiology: Reached the

digestive system. Bile

and the pancreas next time. Yours, on the

way

being educated.

Jerusha Abbott.

P.S.
It

hope you never touch alcohol. Daddy?

does dreadful things to your

un

liver.

to

Wednesday.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Fve changed
I'm

still

my

name.

"Jerusha" in the catalogue, but I'm "Judy"

every place

else.

It's

sort of too bad, isn't

to give yourself the only pet

I

didn't quite

make up

the

Freddie Perkins used to

it,

to have

name you ever had?

Judy though. That's what

call

me

before he could talk

plain.
I

ity

wish Mrs. Lippett would use a

little

more ingenu-

about choosing babies' names. She gets the

last

you'll find Abbott

names out of the telephone book

on the

first

page

and she picks the Christian names

up anywhere; she got Jerusha from a tombstone.

always hated

name.
little

It

but

rather like Judy.

belongs to the kind of

girl

It's

such a

I'm not

blue-eyed thing, petted and spoiled by

family,
cares.

it;

who romps

Wouldn't

faults I

it

her

way through

be nice to be

life

accuse

a sweet
all

the

without any

like that?

may have, no one can ever

I've
silly

Whatever

me

of having

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
my

been spoiled by

family!

But

it's

sort of

fun to

pretend I've been. In the future please always address

me

as

Judy.

Do you want

to

know

pairs of kid gloves. I've

something?

have three

had kid mittens before from

the Christmas tree, but never real kid gloves with five
fingers.

while.

take

them out and try them on every

It's all I

(Dinner

can do not to wear them to

little

classes.

Good-by.)

bell.

Friday.

What do you
tor said that

think,

my

Daddy? The English

instruc-

paper shows an unusual amount

last

of originality. She did, truly. Those were her words.

It

doesn't seem possible, does

it,

considering the eight-

een years of training that I've had?

John Grier
ily

Home

approve of)

is

(as

you

doubtless

The aim of the

know and heart-

to turn the ninety-seven orphans

into ninety-seven twins.

The

unusual

developed

at

artistic ability

hope that

exhibit,

was

an early age through drawing chalk pic-

tures of Mrs. Lippett

I

which

on the woodshed door.

don't hurt your feeHngs

cize the

my youth?

hand,

for

home of
you know,

if I

when

I criti-

But you have the upper

become too impertinent, you

can always stop payment on your checks. That

[43]

isn't

AUY ORPHAN
Fyont Elevation

Rear Elevation.

a very polite thing to say

to have

^but

you

can't expect

any manners; a foundling asylum

me

isn't

a young

that

is

ladies' finishing school.

You know, Daddy,

to be hard in college.

don't

know what

it

isn't

It's

the

work

going

the play. Half the time I

the girls are talking about; their

jokes seem to relate to a past that every one but

has shared.

I'm a foreigner in the world and

understand the language.

had

it all

my

life.

At

It's

don't

a miserable feeling. I've

the high school the girls

[44]

me

would

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
stand in groups and just look at me.
different

Grier

and everybody knew

Home"

charitable ones

written on

my

it.

was queer and

could feel "John

And

face.

then a few

would make a point of coming up and

saying something polite. / hated every one of them

the charitable ones most of

Nobody
asylum.
father

here

knows

told SaUie

were dead, and

all.

was brought up in an

that I

McBride

but

don't

want you

do want to be

Dreadful

mother and

is

was

entirely true so far

am

to think I

a coward,

like the other girls,

and that

Home looming over my childhood is the one

great big difference.

If I

just as desirable as

any

real,

Anyway,

my

can turn

and shut out the remembrance,

there's

my

that a kind old gentleman

sending me to college ^which

as it goes.

that

any other

back on that

think

girl.

might be

don't believe

underneath difference, do you?

Sallie

McBride

likes

me!

Yours

ever,

Judy Abbott.
(Nee Jerusha.)

Saturday morning.
I've just

been reading

this letter

pretty un-cheerful. But can't

[45]

over and

you guess

it

sounds

that I have

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
a special topic
in

Monday morning and a review

due

geometry and a very sneezy cold?

Sunday.
I forgot to mail this

yesterday so

We

dignant postscript.

I will

had a bishop

add an

this

in-

morning,

and ivhat do you think he said?

"The most
is this,

beneficent promise

made us in the Bible

'The poor ye have always with you.' They

were put here in order to keep us charitable."

The

poor, please observe, being a sort of useful

domestic animal. If

lady, I should have

him what

hadn't

grown

into such a perfect

gone up after service and told

thought.

[46]

October 25th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs
I've

made

hogany with

on

my

little

left shoulder.

see

It's

blue and

to

ma-

streaks of orange. Julia Pendleton

tried for the team, but she didn't

You

you ought

the basket-ball team and

see the bruise

what a mean

make

it.

Hooray!

disposition I have.

College gets nicer and nicer.

I like

the girls and

the teachers and the classes and the campus and the

Ju d
Basket
\^

at

Ball

U7^

/(

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
things to eat.

we
You

We

have ice-cream twice a week and

never have corn-meal mush.

didn't

only wanted to hear from

And

you?

every few days!

these

new

I've

But

I've

and you're the only one

I'll

settle

once a month,

been peppering you w4th

adventures that

exuberance;

me

letters

been so excited about

I

Trmst talk to

know.

Please excuse

pretty soon. If

my

all

somebody;

letters

my

bore

you, you can always toss them into the waste-basket.

I

promise not to write another

till

the middle of

November.
Yours most loquaciously,

Judy Abbott.

[m

November

15th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Listen to

The

what

I've learned to-day:

area of the convex surface of the frustum of a

regular pyramid

perimeters of

is

its

half the product of the

bases

by

sum

of the

the altitude of either of

its

trapezoids.
It

doesn't sound true, but

it is

You've never heard about

Daddy?
for

me

Six dresses,

not

my

new and

all

^I

can prove

clothes,

it!

have you,

beautiful and

bought

handed down from somebody bigger.

Perhaps you don't realize what a climax that marks

You gave them to me,

much obliged. It's a fine

in the career of an orphan?

and

am

very, very, very

thing to be educated

^but

nothing compared to the

dizzying experience of owning six

Pritchard

them out

who

is

on the

visiting

new

dresses.

committee picked

not Mrs. Lippett, thank goodness.

an evening

dress,

beautiful in that),

pink mull over

silk

and a blue church

[49]

Miss

have

(I'm perfectly

dress,

and a din-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
ner

of red veiling with

dress

(makes

me

colored

challis,

day

Oriental trimming

look like a Gipsy) and another of rose-

and a gray

dress for classes.

street suit,

and an every-

That wouldn't be an awfully

big wardrobe for Julia Rutledge Pendleton, perhaps,

but for Jerusha Abbott

Oh, my!

suppose you're thinking

shallow,

little

beast she

is,

now what

a frivolous,

and what a waste of money

to educate a girl?

But,

hams

Daddy,

all

when

your

if

you'd been dressed in checked gingI feel.

And

to the high school, I entered

upon

life,

I started

you'd appreciate

how

another period even worse than the checked ginghams.

The poor box.

You can't know how
in those miserable

sure to be put

owned

my

and point

it

dreaded appearing in school

poor-box

down

dress,

dresses.

was perfectly

in class next to the girl

who

first

and she would whisper and giggle

out to the others.

The

bitterness of

wearing your enemies' cast-off clothes eats into your

soul.
I

If I

wore

don't beheve

silk

stockings for the rest of

could obliterate the

[50]

scar.

my

life,

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
LATEST

WAR

News from
At

BULLETIN!

the scene of Action.

the fourth watch on Thursday the 13th of

No-

vember, Hannibal routed the advance guard of the

Romans and

led the Carthaginian forces over the

A cohort

mountains into the plains of Casilinum.

tus Fabius
ing.

of

armed Numidians engaged the infantry of Quin-

light

Maximus.

Romans

battles

and

light skirmish-

repulsed with heavy losses.

have the honor of being,

Your

Two

special correspondent

from the

front
J.

P.S. I

and

I've

tions,

know Fm

not to expect any

Abbott.

letters in return,

been warned not to bother you with ques-

but

tell

me. Daddy,

awfully old or just a

bald or just a

little

little

bald?

just this

old?
It is

once

^are

you

And are you perfectly

very

difficult

thinking

about you in the abstract like a theorem in geometry.

Given

a tall rich

man who

hates girls, but

generous to one quite impertinent

look like?

R.S.V.P.

[31]

girl,

is

very

what does he

December

19th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

You

never answered

my

question and

it

was very

important.

ARE YOU BALD?

I

have

you look

it

like

planned exactly what

^very satisfactorily

your head,

until I reach the top of

and then

am

stuck. I can't decide

whether you have white hair or

black hair or sort of sprinkly gray
hair or

Here

maybe none
is

your

all.

portl'ait:

But the problem

some

at

is,

shall I

add

hair?

Would you

like to

color your eyes are?

[52]

know what

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
They're gray, and your eyebrows stick out

porch roof

(beetling, they're called

your mouth

is

down

comers. Oh, you

at the

like

in novels) and

a straight line with a tendency to turn

know! You're a

see, I

snappy old thing with a temper.

(Chapel

bell.)

9.45 P.M.

have a

at night

study
are

new

coming

books

unbreakable rule: never, never to

no matter how many written reviews

in the morning. Instead, I read just plain

have

to,

you know, because

een blank years behind me.

You wouldn't

Daddy, what an abyss of ignorance

just realizing the depths myself.
girls

my

The

mind

believe,
is; I

am

things that most

with a properly assorted family and a home and

friends and a library

heard
I

there are eight-

know by absorption, I have never

For example:

of.

never read "Mother Goose" or "David Copper-

field" or

'Ivanhoe" or "Cinderella" or "Blue Beard"

or "Robinson Crusoe" or "Jane Eyre" or "AHce in

Wonderland" or

know

that

Henry

word

of

Rudyard

the Eighth

Kipling.

I didn't

was married more than

once or that Shelley was a poet.

I didn't

know

that

people used to be monkeys and that the Garden of

Eden was

a beautiful

myth.

I didn't

know that R.L.S.

stood for Robert Louis Stevenson or that George Eliot

[55]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
was a

lady. I

Lisa" and

had never seen a picture of the "Mona

(it's

you won't

true but

believe it) I

had

never heard of Sherlock Holmes.

Now,
besides,

And

up.

know all
oh, but

it's

evening, and then

and get into

and

of these things and a lot of others

how much

but you can see

fun!

look forward

my nice red bath robe

read and read.

need to catch

day to

all

put an "engaged" on the door

behind

pile all the cushions

light the brass student

lamp

One book

at

and furry

me on

slippers

the couch and

my elbow, and read and

isn't

enough.

have four

going at once. Just now, they're Tennyson's poems

and "Vanity Fair" and Kipling's "Plain Tales" and

don't laugh"Little Women."

only

girl in college

Women."
stamp me
it

who

as queer).

my

find that I

anybody though

I just

last

quietly

(that

(Ten

is

the

would

went and bought

month's allowance; and the

next time somebody mentions pickled limes,

what she

am

wasn't brought up on "Little

haven't told

with $1.12 of

I'll

know

talking about!

o'clock

bell.

This

is

ter.)

[54]

very interrupted

let-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

Saturday.

have the honor to report fresh explorations in the

field of

geometry.

On

Friday

last

we abandoned

our

former works in parallelopipeds and proceeded to

truncated prisms.

and very

We

are finding the road rough

uphill.

Sunday.

The

week and

the

are so cluttered that

you

Christmas holidays begin next

trunks are up.

The corridors

can hardly get through, and everybody

over with excitement that studying

is

is

so bubbling

getting left out.

I'm going to have a beautiful time in vacation; there's

another Freshman

and

we

who

lives in

Texas staying behind,

are planning to take long walks

and

if

there's

Then there
the whole
learn to
library to be read and three empty weeks to do
any

skate.

ice

is still

it in!

Good-by, Daddy,

happy

as I

hope that you are feeling

am.

Yours

ever,

Judy.

[53]

as

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
P. S. Don't forget to answer

don't

my

question. If

you

want the trouble of writing, have your secretary

telegraph.

He

can

just say:

Mr. Smith

is

quite bald,

or

Mr. Smith

not bald,

is

or

Mr. Smith has white

And you

my

hair.

can deduct the twenty-five cents out of

allowance.

Good-by

till

and

January

[56]

merry Christmas!

Toward

the end of

the Christmas vacation.

Exact date unknown.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

snowing where you are? All the world that

Is it

see

my

from

tower

is

draped in white and the flakes

are coming down

as big as pop-corn.

noon

just setting (a

^the

sun

is

behind some colder violet

window
Your

hills,

and

five

me

I like

I.

You

have already

such
I

III.

lots

of things

silver

everything

don't quite feel that

them

wrist and get

II.

my

Fm not used

just the same.

bought with

in

gold pieces were a surprise!

that

what

am up

seat using the last light to write to you.

know
But

It's late after-

cold yellow color)

to receiving Christmas presents.

given

watch

me

have,

you

deserve extras.

Do you want

to

know

my money?
in a leather case to

to recitations

on

Matthew Arnold's poems.

A hot water bottle.

[57]

time.

wear on

my

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

A steamer rug. (My tower

IV.

V. Five hundred

(Fm going

per.

to

cold.)

is

sheets of yellow manuscript pa-

commence being an author

pretty

soon.)

VL A

(To

dictionary of synonyms.

enlarge the

author's vocabulary.)

Vn.
but

(I don't

much

A pair of silk stockings.

I will.)

And now, Daddy,

It

like to confess this last item,

never say

was a very low motive,

prompted the

that

cross legged

to

on the couch and wears

as

and

I shall

You

silk stockings.

knew

am

already,

from

perfect, didn't

you?

To

go

in

see.

on her couch

sit

I'm honest; and you

way

my seven presents.

wasn't

the English instruc-

I'm

self that

they came in a box from

fornia.

The watch

from

in

Daddy, the miserable

tor begins every other sentence),

is

stockings

asylum record, that

recapitulate (that's the

obliged for

silk

sits

soon as she gets back

^but at least

my

it,

Julia Pendleton

do geometry, and she

from vacation

creature that

tell all!

you must know

if

every night. But just wait

my

don't

stockings.

silk

my room

comes into

am

much
pretending to myI

my

father,

very

family in Calithe rug from

mother, the hot water bottle from grandmother

who

is

always worrying for fear

[55]

I shall

catch cold

in

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
this climate

and

brother Harry.

My

sister Isobel

gave

my

me

little

the silk

and Aunt Susan the Matthew Arnold

stockings,

poems; Uncle Harry

(little

gave

me

the dictionary.

lates,

but

You

from

the yellow paper

insisted

Harry

He

is

named

for him)

wanted to send choco-

on synonyms.

don't object,

do you, to playing the part of a

composite family.?

And now,

you only interested

you appreciate the
such."

The

one so

in

my

the latest addition to

from Texas
funny

is

my

or are
I

hope

meaning in "as

delicate shade of

girl

as

my vacation,

education as such?

It is

(Almost
not so

you about

shall I tell

vocabulary.

named Leonora Fenton.

as Jerusha, isn't it?

I like her,

but

much as SaUie McBride; I shall never like any

much as Sallie except you. I must always like

you the

best of

roiled into one.

all,

because you're

Leonora and

my

whole family

and two Sophomores

have walked 'cross country every pleasant day and

explored the whole neighborhood, dressed in short
skirts

and knit jackets and caps, and carrying shinny

sticks to

whack

things with.

Once we walked

four milesand stopped

town

the college girls go for dinner.

cents)

and for

dessert,

at a restaurant

into

where

Broiled lobster (35

buckwheat cakes and maple

syrup (15 cents). Nourishing and cheap.

[59]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
was such a

It

was

lark!

Especially for me, because

from the asylum

so awfully different

an escaped convict every time

Before

thought,

experience

back.
I

Fm

know.

didn't have

We
given

grabbed

by

it

me

its tail

not to

a very confiding soul

you

to

tell

what an

and pulled

everything

tell

by

it

nature;

if I

things to, I'd burst.

had a molasses candy pull

by

feel like

the campus.

I leave

to tell the others

I started

awfully hard for

It's

^I

was having. The cat was almost out of

when

the bag

it

last

Friday evening,

the house matron of Fergussen to the left-

behinds in the other

There were twenty-two of

halls.

us altogether, Freshmen and Sophomores and Juniors

and Seniors
kitchen
in

all

united

amicable

in

The

accord.

huge, with copper pots and kettles hanging

is

rows on the stone wall

them about the

girls live in

size

the

littlest

casserole

among

of a wash boiler. Four hundred

Fergussen.

The

chef, in a white cap

and

apron, fetched out twenty-two other white caps and

aprons

we

turned ourselves into cooks.

all

It

was

When

it

can't imagine

where he got

so

many

and

great fun, though I have seen better candy.

was

finally finished,

kitchen and the doorknobs

organized a procession and

all

still

and ourselves and the

thoroughly sticky,
in our caps

and aprons,

each carrying a big fork or spoon or frying pan,

[60]

we
we

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
marched through the empty corridors to the

officers'

parlor where half-a-dozen professors and instructors

were passing

a tranquil evening.

We serenaded

They

with college songs and offered refreshments.

accepted politely but dubiously.

them

We left them suck-

ing chunks of molasses candy, sticky and speechless.

So you

see,

Daddy,

my

education progresses!

Don't you really think that

ought to be an

artist

instead of an author?

Vacation will be over in two days and

glad to see the girls again.
lonely;

when

built for four

but

this to

when

tower

is

be

just a trifle

nine people occupy a house that was

hundred, they do

Eleven pages

meant

My

I shall

rattle

around a

poor Daddy, you must be

be

just a short little

get started

bit.

tired!

thank-you note

seem to have a ready pen.

[6i]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Good-by, and thank you for thinking of me
should be perfectly happy except for one

ening cloud on the horizon.

little

^I

threat-

Examinations come in

February.

Yours with

love,

Judy.

P. S.

Maybe

please excuse.

proper to send love? If

it isn't,

must love somebody and

there's

it isn't

But

only you and Mrs. Lippett to choose between, so you

see

cause

^you'll
I

have to put up with

can't love her.

[62]

it,

Daddy

dear, be-

On the Eve.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

You

way

should see the

this college is studying!

We've forgotten we ever had

a vacation. Fifty-seven

irregular verbs have I introduced to

Fm only hoping

past four days

my

brain in the

they'll stay

till

after

examinations.

Some

of the girls

sell their

through with them, but

after I've graduated

row

in a

any

keep

it

Julia

in

shall

can turn to

So much

easier

it

my

Then

whole education

and when

without the

need to use

slightest hesita-

and more accurate than trying to

your head.
and stayed

She wanted to

this

evening to pay a

soHd hour. She got started on

the subject of family, and

was

have

Pendleton dropped in

social call,

they're

intend to keep mine.

in the bookcase,

detail, I

tion.

when

text-books

couldnh switch her

know what my

mother's maiden

off.

name

did you ever hear such an impertinent question

to ask of a person

from a foundling asylum?

[63]

didn't

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
have the courage to say
erably plumped on the
that

I didn't

first

name

know,

so

I just

could think

of,

mis-

and

was Montgomery. Then she wanted to know

whether

belonged to the Massachusetts Montgom-

erys or the Virginia

Her mother was

Montgomerys.

The

a Rutherford.

family came

over in the ark, and were connected by marriage with

Henry

the

VIIL

further than

On

her father's side they date back

Adam. On

the topmost branches of her

family tree there's a superior breed of monkeys, with

very fine silky hair and extra long

I

meant to write you

letter to-night,

Freshman's lot

tails.

a nice, cheerful, entertaining

and scared.

but I'm too sleepy

is

not a happy one.

Yours, about to be examined,

Judy Abbott.

[64]

The

Sunday.

Daddy -Long-Legs,

Dearest
I

but

have some awful, awful, awful news to

I

won't begin with

humor

it; I'll

try to get

you

tell

you,

in a

good

first.

commenced to be an author.
"From my Tower," appears in the

Jerusha Abbott has

poem

entitled,

February Monthly

on the

first

great honor for a Freshman.

stopped

me on

and said

it

Let

Oh,

copy

to slide

out from chapel

in case

you

care to read

very

last night,

I will

send

it.

else pleasant

I'm learning to skate, and can glide about

all

by myself. Also

down a rope from

can vault a bar three feet and

had a very

I've learned

how

the roof of the gymnasium,

hope shortly to pull up to four

We

feet.

me see if I can't think of something

yes!

is

English instructor

which had too many

quite respectably

and

way

My

which

was a charming piece of work except for

the sixth line,

you

the

page,

inspiring

six inches

high

feet.

sermon

this

morning

preached by the Bishop of Alabama. His text was:

"Judge not that ye be not judged."

[65]

It

was about

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
the necessity of overlooking mistakes in others, and

not discouraging people by harsh judgments.

you might have heard

This

with

the sunniest, most blinding winter afternoon,

is

icicles

dripping from the

world bending under

and

Fm

wish

it.

fir trees

weight of snow

and

all

the

except me,

bending under a weight of sorrow.

Now for the newscourage, Judy! you must tell.

Are you

surely in a

good humor?

matics and Latin prose.

am

Fm

month.

you're disappointed, but otherwise

bit

flunked mathe-

tutoring in them, and

will take another examination next

if

sorry

don't care a

because Fve learned such a lot of things not men-

Fve read seventeen novels

tioned in the catalogue.

and bushels of poetry

really necessary novels like

"Vanity Fair" and "Richard Feverel" and "Alice in

Wonderland." Also Emerson's "Essays" and Lockhart's "Life of Scott"

and the

"Roman Empire" and

"Life"

^wasn't

out and casually

So you
if

Fd

once

see,

half

kill

Daddy,

man

volume of Gibbon's

of Benvenuto Cellini's

he entertaining?

He

used to saunter

before breakfast.

Fm much

just stuck to Latin.

if I

first

more

intelligent than

Will you forgive

me

promise never to flunk again?

Yours

in sackcloth,

Judy.

[66]

this

NEWS

of the

MONTH
Jud^

learns

to sKate

She receives
and 5k<dS

man^

tears

8ut promises
to study

T
[67J

HARD

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

This

an extra

is

Vm

because

of lonely

sort

stormy; the snow

can't

my

tower.

All

drank black

sleep.

this

evening consisting of

and Leonora Fenton

Julia

awfully-

It's

on the campus, but

go to

had a supper party

and

tonight.

beating against

is

the lights are out

coffee and

middle of the month

letter in the

and

Sallie

sardines

and

toasted muffins and salad and fudge and coffee. Julia

had a good time, but

said she'd

wash the
I

Sallie

stayed to help

dishes.

might, very usefully, put some time on Latin

to-night

^but,

there's

languid Latin scholar.

Senectute and are

(pronounced

Damn

Should you mind,

you

are

my

no doubt about

We've

now

finished

engaged with

have;

it's

Livy and

De

just for a little while,

De

Amicitia

pretending

SalHe has one and Julia

grandmother?

to-night.

I'm a very

Icitia).

and Leonora each two, and they were

them

it,

all

comparing

can't think of anything I'd rather

such a respectable relationship. So,

really don't object ^When

[68]

went

into

town

if

you

yester-

day,

saw the sweetest cap of Cluny

with lavender ribbon.

present of

it

am

trimmed

lace

going to make you a

on your eighty-third birthday.

!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's the clock in the chapel tower striking twelve.
I

believe

am

sleepy after

Good

all.

night,
I

love

Granny.

you

dearly,

Judy.

The
Dear D. L.
I

L.,

am studying Latin

studying

it.

Ides of March.

prose composition.

be studying

I shall

have been studying

it.

My

whole and happy and

I shall

be about to

reexamination comes the

7th hour next Tuesday, and I

BUST. So you may

it.

have been

am

going to pass or

me

expect to hear from

free

from

next,

conditions, or in frag-

ments.
I

will write a respectable letter

night

when

it's

over.

To-

have a pressing engagement with the Ablative

Absolute.

Yours

in evident haste,
J.

[6p]

A.

March

26th.

Mr, D, L. L. S7mth,

You

Sir:

show

never answer any questions; you never

tees,

all

you

are

those horrid Trus-

and the reason you are educating

cause

You

the slightest interest in anything I do.

probably the horridest one of

care a bit about me, but

me

is,

not be-

from a sense of

Duty.
I don't know a single thing about you.
know your name. It is very uninspiring

Thing.

haven't a doubt but that

letters into the

Hereafter

My
last

don't even

you throw

my

waste-basket without reading them.

shall write

writing to a

only about work.

reexaminations in Latin and geometry came

week.

passed

them both and am now

free

from

conditions.

Yours

truly,

Jerusha Abbott.

[70]

April 2d.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,
I

am

BEAST.

Please forget about that dreadful letter

last

week

was

feeling terribly lonely

and sore-throaty the night

but

and

was

lots

just

and have been here for

The head
about

let

nurse

it all

wrote.

coming down with

Fm

of things mixed.

they would

me
is

sit

sent

and miserable

didn't

tonsillitis

know

up and have

is

it,

and grippe

in the infirmary

six days; this

you

the

now,

first

time

pen and paper.

very bossy. But I've been thinking

the time and

shan't get well until

you

forgive me.

Here
tied

is

a picture of the

around

my head

way

I look,

in rabbit's ears.

[7/]

with a bandage

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Doesn't that arouse your sympathy?

And IVe

sublingual gland swelling.

physiology

all

lingual glands.
I can't
sit

am

having

been studying

the year without ever hearing of sub-

How futile a thing is education!

write any more;

up too

long.

get sort of shaky

Please forgive

pertinent and ungrateful. I

me

when

for being im-

was badly brought up.

Yours with

love,

Judy Abbott.

[7^]

The

Infirmary.

April 4th.
Dearest

Daddy -Long-Legs,

when

Yesterday evening just toward dark,

sitting

up

bed looking out

in

awfully bored with

at the rain

was

and feeling

great institution, the nurse

life in a

appeared with a long white box addressed to me, and

filled

nicer

with the
still, it

loveliest

pink rosebuds.

And much

contained a card with a very polite mes-

sage written in a funny

little

back hand (but

uphill

one which shows a great deal of character). Thank

Your

you, Daddy, a thousand times.

the
If

true present

first real,

you want

to

know what

and cried because

Now

that

am

them much more

ever received in
a

baby

am,

make

my

I lay

life.

down

was so happy.

sure

you read

my

letters, I'll

interesting, so they'll

take out that dreadful one and burn

you ever read

it

over.

[75]

it

make

be worth keep-

ing in a safe with red tape around them

think that

flowers

only

please

up. I'd hate to

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Thank you
Freshman

for

making

a very sick, cross, miserable

cheerful. Probably

you have

family and friends, and you don't

like to

But

be alone.

Good-by
because

I'll

now

lots

of loving

know what

it

feels

do.

promise never to be horrid again,

know

you're a real person; also

I'll

promise never to bother you with any more questions.

Do you still

hate girls?

Yours forever,
Judy.

[7^]

8th hour,

Monday.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

hope you

I
It

went off

who

aren't the Trustee

was

told

with quite

sat

on the toad?

a pop, so

probably

he was a fatter Trustee.

Do you remember
gratings over

the

little

dugout places with

them by the laundry windows

in the

John Grier Home? Every spring when the hoptoad

season opened

we

and keep them

ally

used to form a collection of toads

in those

they would

spill

a very pleasurable

window

holes;

and occasion-

over into the laundry, causing

commotion on wash

were severely punished for our

days.

We

activities in this di-

rection, but in spite of all discouragement the toads

would

And
lars

collect.

one day

well,

won't bore you with particu-

but somehow, one of the

fattest, biggest, juiciest

toads got into one of those big leather

arm

chairs in the

Trustees' room, and that afternoon at the Trustees'

meeting

But

dare say

you were

there and recall

the rest?

Looking back dispassionately

[75]

after a period of time,

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

I will say that

punishment was merited, and

member

adequate.

rightly

don't

know why

am

^if

in such a reminiscent

I re-

mood

except that spring and the reappearance of toads

ways awakens the old

thing that keeps

no

fact that

me from

starting a collection

rule exists against

al-

The only

acquisitive instinct.

is

the

it.

After chapel, Thursday.

What do you think

I

mean;

my favorite book?

is

Just

"Wuthering

change every three days.

Heights." Emily Bronte was quite young

wrote

it,

now,

when

she

and had never been outside of Haworth

known any men in her

a man like Heathcliffe?

churchyard. She had never

life;

how could she imagine

I couldn't

the

outside

do

it,

Fm

and

quite

John Grier Asylum

young and never

Fve

had every

chance in the world. Sometimes a dreadful fear comes

over

me

that I'm not a genius.

disappointed,

Daddy,

author? In the spring

if I

lessons,

There
It's

don't turn out to be a great

when

and green and budding,

Will you be awfully

everything

I feel like

is

so beautiful

turning

my back on

and running away to play with the weather.

are such lots of adventures out in the fields!

much more entertaining to live books than to write

them.

[7^]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

Ow

That was a

shriek

which brought

Sallie

and

Julia

and (for a disgusted moment) the Senior from across

was caused by a centipede

the hall. It

only worse. Just

was thinking what

ceiling

had finished the

as I

to say next

and landed

at

my

like this:

last

sentence and

plump!

it fell

side.

the tea table in trying to get away. SaHie

with the back of

my

be able to use again

rear fifty feet ran

hair brush

and

which

off

whacked

I shall

it

never

killed the front end, but the

under the bureau and escaped.

This dormitory, owing to

its

age and ivy-covered

They

of centipedes.

walls,

is

tures.

I'd rather find a tiger

full

off the

two cups

tipped

are dreadful crea-

under the bed.

Friday, 9.30 p.m.

Such a
this

lot of troubles!

my

neck.

didn't hear the rising bell

my shoe-string while I was

dress and dropped my collar button down

morning, then

hurrying to

was

broke

late for breakfast

[77]

and

also for first-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
hour

and

recitation.

my

forgot to take any blotting paper

fountain pen leaked.

Professor and

had a disagreement touching a

On looking it up,

matter of logarithms.

was

We

right.

lunch

Nothing but
I

bills in

my

else;

kind that write). In English

had an unexpected written

my

offered Being for

He

Without
But,

That is a poem.

when we
upon

it.

family are not the

we

afternoon

This was

it:

it;

smiled.

twirled a button

a glance

madam,

That we

It

must say that

other was denied.

Brazil?

means.

the asylum.

like

class this

lesson.

The mighty merchant

it

find that she

asked no other thing,

No
I

taste

mail (though

never do get anything

little

had mutton stew and pie-plant for

'em both; they

^hate

In trigonometry the

is

my

way:

there nothing else

can show to-day?

I don't

know who wrote

it

or what

was simply printed out on the blackboard

arrived and

When

we were ordered

read the

first

verse

The Mighty Merchant was a

to

comment

thought

had

divinity

who

distributes blessings in return for virtuous deeds

^but

an idea

[78]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
when

got to the second verse and found him twirl-

ing a button,

seemed

my

changed

I hastily

in the

it

blasphemous supposition, and

The

mind.

rest of the class

same predicament; and there

we

was

sat for three

quarters of an hour with blank paper and equally

blank minds. Getting an education

is

an awfully wear-

ing process!

But
It

end the day. There's worse to come.

this didn't

rained so

gymnasium

we

couldn't play golf, but had to go to

instead.

The

elbow with an Indian

the box with
the skirt
is

club.

my new blue

was so

tight that

next to

girl

got

me banged my

home

spring dress had come, and

couldn't

sit

down. Friday

sweeping day, and the maid had mixed

my

on

desk.

gelatin

We

to find that

all

the papers

had tombstone for dessert (milk and

flavored with

vanilla).

We

were kept

in

chapel twenty minutes later than usual to listen to a

womanly women. And then just as I

was settling down with a sigh of well-earned relief to
"The Portrait of a Lady," a girl named Ackerly, a
speech about

dough-faced, deadly, unintermittently stupid

sits

(I

girl,

who

me in Latin because her name begins with A

Mrs. Lippett had named me Zabriski), came

next to

wish

to ask if

Monday's

or 70, and stayed

lesson

commenced

ONE HOUR.

Did you ever hear of such

[79]

at

She has

paragraph 69
just

gone.

a discouraging series of

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
events?

It isn't

character.

the big troubles in

Anybody can

rise

to a

life

crisis

that require

and face a

crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty

hazards of the day with a laugh

really think that

am

going to develop.

requires spirit.

the kind of character that

It's

am

must play

am

going to pretend that

as skilfully

going to shrug

all life is

and

just a

game which

fairly as I can.

If I lose,

my shoulders and laughalso if I

win.

Anyway,
hear

me

wears

am

going to be a sport.

complain again.

silk

Daddy

You

will never

dear, because

stockings and centipedes drop off the wall.

Yours

ever,

Judy.

Answer

JuHa

soon.

[80]

May
Daddy -Long-Legs,

Dear

Sir:

am

in receipt of a letter

Lippett. She hopes that

and

studies.

summer, she

work
I

for

Since

will let

my

27th.

Esq.

am

from Mrs.

doing well in deportment

probably have no place to go

me come back

to the asylum and

board until college opens.

HATE THE JOHN GRIER HOME.

Fd

rather die than go back.

Yours most

truthfully,

Jerusha Abbott.

[8i]

this

Cher Daddy 'Jambes-Longes,

Vous

etes

un

brick!

]e suis tres heureuse about the farm, parsque je

jamais been on a farm dans

ma

vie

and

n^ai

I'd hate to

retourner chez John Grier, et wash dishes tout Vete,

There would be danger of quelque chose

affreuse hap-

pening, parsque fai perdue via humilite d" autre fois et

fat peur that

would

just

break out quelque jour et

smash every cup and saucer dans

Pardon brievete

peur que Monsieur

le

maison.

]e ne peux pas send des

et paper.

mes nouvelles parseque

la

je suis

dans French class et fai

Professeur

is

going to

call

on me

tout de suite.

He

did!

Au

revotr,

Je vous aime heaucoup,

Judy.

[82]

May

30th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Did you ever

see this

rhetorical question.

campus?

Don't

let it

(That

is

merely a

annoy you.)

It is a

heavenly spot in May. All the shrubs are in blossom

and the

trees are the loveliest

old pines look fresh and new.

young green

The grass is

yellow dandelions and hundreds of

white and pink
free,

dresses.

dotted with

girls in

blue and

Everybody is joyous and

care-

for vacation's coming, and with that to look

forward

to,

examinations don't count.

Isn't that a

happy frame of mind to be

Daddy! I'm the happiest of

the asylum

all!

in?

And

oh,

Because I'm not in

any more; and I'm not anybody's nurse-

maid or typewriter or bookkeeper

been,

even the

you know, except

(I

should have

for you).

my

I'm sorry

now

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

ever slapped Freddie Perkins.

I'm sorry

ever

for

all

past badnesses.

was ever impertinent

filled

the sugar

[83]

to Mrs. Lippett.

bowl with

salt.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Fm

made

sorry I ever

faces behind the Trustees'

backs.

Fm

going to be good and sweet and kind to every-

Fm

body because

so happy.

And

this

Fm

summer

going to write and write and write and begin to be a

Oh,

great author. Isn't that an exalted stand to take?

Fm

developing a beautiful character!

under cold and

frost,

but

it

does

It

grow

droops a bit

fast

when

the

sun shines.
That's the

way with

everybody.

don't agree with

the theory that adversity and sorrow and disappoint-

ment develop moral

the ones

who

strength.

The happy

have no faith in misanthropes.

learned

it.)

people are

are bubbling over with kindliness.

You

(Fine word!

Just

are not a misanthrope, are you,

Daddy?
I

started to tell

come

for a

you about the campus.

little visit

and

let

wish you'd

me walk you

about and

say:

"That

is

the library.

This

is

The Gothic building on your left is

Tudor Romanesque beside

dear.

nasium, and the

new

it

is

the

infirmary."

Oh,
all

Daddy
the gym-

the gas plant.

Fm

fine at

showing people about.

I've

done

it

my life at the asylum, and I've been doing it all day

here.

have honestly.

[84]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
And

Man,

too!

That's a great experience. I never talked to a

man

before (except occasional Trustees, and they don't

count). Pardon, Daddy.
feelings

when

don't

abuse Trustees.

mean

fat

The

and pompous and benevolent.

your

don't consider that

You

you really belong among them.

onto the Board by chance.

to hurt

just

tumbled

Trustee, as such,

He

pats one

is

on the

head and wears a gold watch chain.

That looks
portrait of

like a

June bug, but

any Trustee except you.

[85]

is

meant to be a

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
However
I

to resume:

have been walking and talking and having tea with

And with a very superior man

man.

Pendleton of the House of

(in long, perhaps I

Jervis

her uncle, in short

Julia;

ought to say;

with Mr.

he's as tall as

you).

Being in town on business, he decided to run out to

the college and call

on

his niece.

He's her father's

know him very

when she was a

youngest brother, but she doesn't

intimately. It seems he glanced at her

baby, decided he didn't like her, and has never noticed

her since.

Anyway,

there he was, sitting in the reception

very proper with

his hat

him; and Julia and

Sallie

that they couldn't cut.

and begged

me

to

because

said I
I

and gloves beside

my

room

walk him about the campus and

when

the seventh hour was

would, obligingly but unenthusiastically,

don't care

much

But he turned out to be

human being

stick

with seventh-hour recitations

So JuHa dashed into

then deliver him to her

over.

and

room

not

tiful time; I've

for Pendletons.

sweet lamb. He's a real

a Pendleton at

all.

We had a beau-

longed for an uncle ever

mind pretending you're

my

uncle?

since.

Do you

beHeve they're

superior to grandmothers.

Mr. Pendleton reminded me

[86]

a little of you.

Daddy,

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
as

you were twenty years

intimately, even

He's

tall

we

if

ago.

You

see I

know you

haven't ever met!

and thinnish with a dark face

all

over

lines,

and the funniest underneath smile that never quite

comes through but

And he

his

way of making you feel right off

though you'd known him a long time. He's very

mouth.
as

up the corners of

just wrinkles

has a

companionable.

We

walked

all

over the campus from the quad-

rangle to the athletic grounds; then he said he felt

weak and must have some

go to College Inn
walk.

said

it's

we ought

tea.

He

just off the

to

we

proposed that

campus by the pine

go back for JuHa and

Sallie,

but he said he didn't like to have his nieces drink too

much

tea; it

and had

tea

and cake

made them

nervous. So

we

just ran

away

and muffins and marmalade and ice-cream

on the balcony. The

at a nice little table out

inn was quite conveniently empty, this being the end

of the

month and allowances low.

We had the jolHest time!

train the
at all.

But he had to run for

minute he got back and he barely saw JuHa

She was furious with

me

for taking

him

off; it

seems he's an unusually rich and desirable uncle.

relieved

his

my

mind

to find he

was

things cost sixty cents apiece.

[87]

rich, for the tea

It

and

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
This morning
chocolates

came by

What do you
from
I

me

(it's

Monday now)

three boxes of

express for Julia and Sallie and me.

think of that?

To

be getting candy

man!

begin to feel like a

girl instead

of a foundling.

wish you'd come and take tea some day and

see

you. But wouldn't

if I like

didn't?

However,

Bienf

know

make you

my

it

be dreadful

le'

if 1

should.

compliments.

'^]anms je ne f oublierair

Judy.

P. S. I looked in the glass this morning and found a

perfectly

new

very curious.

dimple that I'd never seen before.

Where do you

188]

suppose

it

It's

came from?

June

9th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Happy

day!

Physiology.

I've just finished

don't

a farm!

know what

never been on one in

at

examination

last

And now:

Three months on
I

my

kind of a thing a farm

my

life.

never even looked

I've

one (except from the car window), but

going to love
I

am

Grier
thrills

Home. Whenever I think of

chase up and down my back. I
faster

shoulder to

make

don't have to

Your nominal
you

Lippett

is

it

excited Httle

feel as

though

and keep looking over

my

sure that Mrs. Lippett isn't after

me

and

faster

me

with her arm stretched out to grab

least;

^ree.

not used even yet to being outside the John

must run

know Fm

and I'm going to love being

it,

I've

is.

mind any one

this

authority doesn't

are too far

away

dead forever, so far

to

back.

summer, do

annoy me

do any harm.

as I

am

in the

Mrs.

concerned, and

the Semples aren't expected to overlook

{89]

I?

my

moral

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
welfare, are they?

grown
I

No,

am

sure not.

am

entirely

up. Hooray!

leave

teakettles

you now to pack

a trunk,

and three boxes of

and dishes and sofa cushions and books.

Yours

ever,

Judy.
P. S.

Here

is

you could have

my

physiology exam.

passed?

[90]

Do you

think

Lock Willow Farm,

Saturday night.
Dearest
I've

Daddy -Long-Legs

only

can't wait to

square like

old.

tell

you how much

I like

farms. This

The

heavenly spot!

is

house

a
is

this:

A hundred years or so.

the side which

The

come and I'm not unpacked, but

heavenly,

heavenly,

And

just

can't

draw and

picture really doesn't do

a
it

It

has a veranda

on

sweet porch in front.

justice

those things

that look like feather dusters are maple trees, and the

prickly ones that border the drive are

[91]

murmuring

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
pines and hemlocks. It stands on the top of a

looks

way off

hill

and

over miles of green meadows to another

line of hills.

That

is

the

way

Marcelle waves; and

crest of one wave.

Connecticut goes, in a

Lock Willow Farm

The

series

just

is

on the

barns used to be across the

road where they obstructed the view, but a kind

of lightning

The
girl

flash

came from heaven and burnt them down.

people are Mr. and Mrs. Semple and a hired

and two hired men. The hired people eat in the

kitchen, and the Semples and

We

of

Judy

had ham and eggs and

in the dining-room.

biscuits

and honey and

and tea for

jelly-cake and pie and pickles and cheese

and a great deal of conversation.

supper

been so entertaining in
pears to be funny.

my

life;

suppose

have never

everything

it is

been in the country before, and

backed by an

say ap-

because Fve never

my

questions are

all-inclusive ignorance.

The room marked with

a cross

murder was committed, but the one

is

not where the

that I occupy.

It's

big and square and empty, with adorable old-fashioned

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
furniture and

windows

propped up on

that have to be

sticks

and green shades trimmed with gold that

down

if

table

you touch them. And

Fm

a big square

mahogany

my

going to spend the summer with

bows spread out on

Oh, Daddy,
to explore.

it,

8.30

now, and

can't wait

am

till

daylight

about to blow out

my candle and try to go to sleep. We rise at Rvt.

you ever know such fun?

You and

Judy.

deserve.

pay.

Fm

the

el-

writing a novel.

Fm so excited!

It's

fall

can't believe this

Good Lord

give

really

is

me more

Did

than

must be a very, very, very good person to

going to be. You'll

see.

Good

night,

Judy.

P.S.

You

pigs squeal
it

over

my

should hear the frogs sing and the

and you should

see the

right shoulder.

[93]

new moon!

little
I

saw

Lock Willow,

July 12th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

How did your secretary come to know about Lock

Willow?

(That

a rhetorical question.

isn't

For

awfully curious to know.)

listen to this:

am
Mr.

own this farm, but now he

Semple who was his old nurse.

Jervis Pendleton used to

has given

it

to Mrs.

Did you ever hear of such a funny coincidence? She

him "Master

still calls

sweet

little

curls put

Jervie" and talks about

boy he used

away

what

to be. She has one of his

in a box,

and

it's

red

or

baby

at least

reddish!

Since she discovered that I

very

much

in her opinion.

Pendleton family

is

is

him, I have risen

a

member

of the

the best introduction one can

have at Lock Willow.

family

know

Knowing

Master Jervie

And the cream

I am pleased to

of the whole

say that Julia

belongs to an inferior branch.

The farm

gets

more and more

[94]

entertaining. I rode

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
on

We

hay wagon yesterday.

and nine

They

have three big pigs

and you should see them eat.

We've oceans of little baby chickens

little piglets,

are pigs!

and ducks and turkeys and guinea

mad

be

fovi^ls.

You must

when you might

to live in a city

live

on a

I fell

off a

farm.

my

It is

beam

daily business to hunt the eggs.

in the

bam

loft yesterday,

while

was trying

And

crawl over to a nest that the black hen has stolen.

when

bound
"Dear!

came

in with a scratched knee, Mrs.

up with witch-hazel, murmuring

it

Dear!

It

all

to

Semple

the time,

seems only yesterday that Master

beam and scratched

Jervie fell off that very same

this

very same knee."

The

scenery around here

is

perfectly beautiful.

There's a valley and a river and a lot of

and

way

wooded

hills,

mountain that

in the distance a tall blue

simply melts in your mouth.

We

churn twice

in the spring house

week; and

which

is

brook running underneath.

we

made of

Some

around here have a separator, but

these new-fashioned ideas. It

keep the cream

may

stone with the

be a

don't care for

little

take care of cream raised in pans, but

better to pay.

names for

all

farmers

of the

we

harder to

it's

enough

We have six calves; and I've chosen the

of them.

[95]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
was

bom

in the

1.

Sylvia, because she

2.

Lesbia, after the Lesbia in Catullus.

woods.

3. Sallie.

a spotted, nondescript animaL

4. Julia
5.

Judy, after me.

6.

Daddy-Long-Legs.

Yovi don't mind, do you.

{96]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Daddy? He's pure Jersey and has a sweet

He

looks like this

name
I

^you

how

can see

disposition.

appropriate the

is.

haven't had time yet to begin

me

the farm keeps

my immortal novel;

too busy.

Yours always,
Judy.

P.S. I've learned to

P.S.

(2) If

you

me recommend

make doughnuts.

are thinking of raising chickens, let

Buff Orpingtons.

They

haven't any

pin feathers.
P.S.

(3)1 wish

fresh butter I

could send you a pat of the nice,

churned yesterday. I'm a

fine dairy-

maid!
P.S.

(4) This

is

a picture of Miss Jerusha Abbott,

the future great author, driving

2>\r(i'i<l

^Jrn

[97]

home

the cows.

Sunday.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Isn't it

funny?

afternoon, but

started to write to

as far as I

Daddy-Long-Legs," and then

ised to pick

and

left

remembered

some blackberries for supper, so

the sheet lying on the table, and

back to-day, what do you think

middle of the page?

found

I'd
I

prom-

went

when

oif

came

sitting in the

A real true Daddy-Long-Legs!

picked him up very gently by one

dropped him out of the window.

of

you yesterday

got was the heading, "Dear

leg,

and

wouldn't hurt one

them for the world. They always remind me

you.

[9^1

of

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

We

wagon

hitched up the spring

drove to the Center to church.

It's

this

morning and

a sweet Httle

white

frame church with a spire and three Doric columns

in front (or

maybe

always get them mixed).

sermon with everybody drowsily

nice, sleepy

waving palm-leaf

Ionic

fans,

and the only sound

from

aside

the minister, the buzzing of locusts in the trees outside.

wake up till I found myself on my feet

hymn, and then I was awfully sorry I

didn't

singing the

should like to

know

hadn't listened to the sermon;

more of the psychology of

man who would

out such a hymn. This was

Come,

your

leave

pick

it:

sports and earthly toys

And join me in celestial joys.

Or else, dear friend, a long farewell.
I leave you now to sink to hell.
I

find that

it isn't

Semples. Their
tact

from

their

God (whom

they have inherited

remote Puritan ancestors)

irrational, unjust,

with the

safe to discuss religion

is

in-

a narrow,

mean, revengeful, bigoted Person.

Thank heaven I don't inherit any God from anybody!

I am free to make mine up as I wish Him. He's kind
and sympathetic and imaginative and forgiving and

and He has a sense of humor.

understanding
I

like the

Semples immensely; their practice

[99]

is

so

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
superior to their theory.

They

own God.

so

them

I told

are better than their

they are horribly

^and

am blasphemous and

troubled.

They

they

We've dropped theology from our conver-

are!

think

think

sation.

This

is

Sunday afternoon.

Amasai (hired man) in a purple

tie

and some bright

yellow buckskin gloves, very red and shaved, has

driven off with Carrie

trimmed with red

roses

(hired girl)

just

in a big hat

and a blue muslin dress and

her hair curled as tight as

it

will curl.

Amasai spent

the morning washing the buggy; and Carrie stayed

all

home from church

ostensibly to

cook the

dinner, but

really to iron the muslin dress.

two minutes more when

In

am

going to

the

attic.

down to
entitled, "On

settle

It's

across the front page in a

this letter is finished I

book which

found in

the Trail," and sprawled

funny

little-boy hand:

Jervis Pendleton
If this

Box

He
ill,

spent the

ears

and send

it

summer here once

when he was

"On the

book should ever roam,

its

home.

had been

after he

about eleven years old; and he

Trail" behind.

It

looks well read

[lOo]

^the

left

marks

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
of his grimy

hands are frequent! Also in a comer

little

of the attic there

is

water wheel and a windmill and

some bows and arrows. Mrs. Semple

stantly about

not

him

con-

talks so

that I begin to believe he really lives

grown man with

a silk hat and walking stick,

who

but a nice, dirty, tousle-headed boy

clatters

up

the stairs with an awful racket, and leaves the screen

doors open, and

is

getting them, too,

always asking for cookies.

if I

know

and

truthful.

Vm

We're going
steam engine

is

seems

and

brave

soul

little

sorry to think he

was meant for something

He

Mrs. Semple!

to have been an adventurous

is

(And

a Pendleton;

he

better.

to begin threshing oats

tomorrow; a

coming and three extra men.

It grieves me to tell you that Buttercup (the spotted

cow with one horn, mother of Lesbia) has done a dis-

graceful thing. She got into the orchard Friday eve-

ning and ate apples under the

until they

went

to her head.

Did you

and

ate

and ate

For two days she has

That

been perfectly dead drunk!

telling.

trees,

is

the truth

ever hear anything so scandalous?

Sir,
I

Your

remain,

affectionate orphan,

Judy Abbott.

[lOl]

am

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
P.S. Indians in the first chapter

in

my breath. What can the third

"Red Hawk leapt twenty feet in the air and

the second.

contain?

and highwaymen

bit the dust."

hold

That

is

the subject of the frontispiece.

Aren't Judy and Jervie having fun?

[^02]

September

15th.

Dear Daddy,
I

was weighed yesterday on the

flour scales in the

general store at the Comers. I've gained nine pounds!

Let

me recommend Lock Willow as

a health resort.

Yours

ever,

Judy.

[^03]

September 25th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

me

Behold

a Sophomore!

sorry to leave

campus

again.

It is

and in

on

in

am

really

last

Friday,

glad to see the

a pleasant sensation to

come back

am beginning to feel at home

command of the situation; I am beI

ginning, in fact, to feel at

though

came up

Lock Willow, but

to something familiar.
in college,

belonged in

home
it

in the

and had not

world

as

just crept

sufferance.

don't suppose

trying to say.

you understand

in the least

what

A person important enough to be a

Trustee can't appreciate the feelings of a person unimportant enough to be a foundHng.

And now. Daddy, listen

I am rooming with?

think

Rutledge Pendleton.

and three

Httle

It's

bedrooms

to this.
Sallie

[104]

do you

McBride and Juha

the truth.
voila!

Whom

We have a study

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Sallie

room
with

and

decided

Sallie

^why,

This

fail,

Oh,

rights,

Anyway,

to change.

late of the

here

John

for Orphans, rooming with a Pendleton.

running for
she

is

I tell

class president,

^you should see

you. Daddy,

you men

and unless

all

going to be elected. Such an atmos-

phere of intrigue
are!

word!

a democratic country.

Sallie is

signs

(fine

Home
is

can't imagine, for they are not a

Think of Jerusha Abbott,

are.

to stay

but the Pendletons are naturally conservative

and inimical

Grier

we should like to

made up her mind

together, and Julia

bit alike;

we

spring that

last

what

politicians

when we women

we

get our

will have to look alive in order to

keep

yours. Election comes next Saturday, and we're going

to have a torchlight procession in the evening,

matter
I

I've

am

who

beginning chemistry, a most unusual study.

never seen anything

Atoms

am

like it before.

are the material employed, but

tion to discuss
I

no

wins.

them more

also taking

Also French.

I'll

definitely next

be in a posimonth.

argumentation and logic.

Also history of the whole world.

Also plays of

Molecules and

WilHam

Shakespeare.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
If this

many

keeps up

years longer,

I shall

become

quite intelligent.
I

should rather have elected economics than French,

but

didn't dare, because

was

would not

elected French, the professor

was,

as it

I just

managed

examination. But

afraid that unless I relet

me

pass

to squeeze through the June

my high-school prep-

will say that

was not very adequate.

aration

There's one

French

girl in the class

who

chatters

away

in

She went abroad

as fast as she does in English.

when she was a child, and spent three

years in a convent school. You can imagine how bright

with her parents

compared with the

she

is

are

mere playthings.

me
a

into a

rest of us

wish

my

French convent when

foundling asylum. Oh, no,

then

maybe

rather

irregular verbs

parents had chucked

I

was

little

instead of

don't either!

should never have

know you

known

you.

I'd

than French.

Good-by, Daddy.

must

call

on Harriet Martin

now, and, having discussed the chemical

casually drop a

Because

situation,

few thoughts on the subject of our

next president.

Yours

in politics,
I.

[106]

Abbott.

October 17th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,
Supposing the swimming tank in the gymnasium

were
to

of lemon

filled full

swim manage

We were
question

to keep

having lemon

came up.

an hour and

We

it's still

could swim in

swimmer

it,

in the

but

our

could a person trying

jelly for dessert,

discussed

am

when

the

heatedly for half

it

she

perfectly sure that the best

world would
in

sink?

Sallie thinks that

unsettled.

funny to be drowned

Two

jelly,

on top or would he

lemon

sink.

Wouldn't

it

be

jelly?

other problems are engaging the attention of

table.

I St.

Some

What shape are

of the

the

rooms

girls insist that

in

an octagon house?

they're square; but

think

they'd have to be shaped like a piece of pie. Don't

you?
2d.

Suppose there were a great big hollow sphere

made of

looking-glass and

Where would

it

you were

stop reflecting

[107]

sitting inside.

your face and begin

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
reflecting
this

see

our

your back?

The more one

You can
philosophical reflection we engage

problem, the more puzzling

with what deep

thinks about

it

becomes.

leisure!

Did
three

weeks

ever

tell

you about the

weeks ago, but so

is

ancient history.

fast

election? It

do

we

live,

happened
that three

SaUie was elected, and

we

had a torchlight parade with transparencies saying,

"McBride Forever," and a band

pieces (three

consisting of fourteen

mouth organs and eleven combs).

^ BVB R,

[io8]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
We're very important persons now in "258." Julia
and I come in for a great deal of reflected glory. It's
quite a social strain to be living in the same house with

a president.

Bonne

nuit,

cher Daddy.

Acceptez mes cojnpliments,

Tres respectueux,
Je mis,

Votre Judy.

[lop]

November

12 th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs^

We beat the Freshmen at basket ball yesterday.

but

course we're pleased

the Juniors!

I'd

Sallie has invited

could only beat

week in

all

a witch-hazel compress.

me to spend

the Christmas vacation

She hves in Worcester, Massachusetts.

with her.
it

we

if

be willing to be black and blue

over and stay in bed a

Wasn't

oh,

Of

nice of her?

love to go. I've never

I shall

been in a private family in

my

life,

except at

Lock

Willow, and the Semples were grown-up and old and

don't count.
children

But the McBrides have a houseful of

(anyway two or

three) and a

father and grandmother, and an

perfectly complete family!

going away

is

mother and

Angora

cat.

It's

Packing your trunk and

more fun than staying behind. I'm

terribly excited at the prospect.

Seventh hour

must run to

/n the Thanksgiving theatricals.

with a velvet tunic and yellow

rehearsal.

I'm to be

prince in a tower

curls. Isn't that a lark?

Yours,

J.A.

[no]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Saturday.

Do you want

to

know what

photograph of

all

three that Leonora Fenton took.

The

light

one

who

is

laughing

one with her nose in the

look like?

is Sallie,

air is Julia,

more

and the

and the

with the hair blowing across her face

really

is

U^^]

little

tall

one

she

Judy

beautiful than that, but the sun

eyes.

Here's a

was

is

in her

"Stone Gate,"

Worcester, Mass.,

December

31st.

Dear Daddy -Lo?ig-Legs,

I

meant to write to you before and thank you for

your Christmas check, but

hold

is

very absorbing, and

two consecutive minutes

I

just

bought

new gown

My

don't seem able to find

to spend at a desk.

one that

didn't need, but

from

been having the most beautiful vacation

visit-

She

Sallie.

my

lives in a

family just sent love.

big old-fashioned brick house

with white trimmings

set

back from the

exactly the kind of house that

curiously

when

wonder what
to see with
is

McBride house-

Christmas present this year

Daddy-Long-Legs;

ing

in the

is

wanted.

I've

life

it

was

in the

could be

street

used to look at so

John Grier Home, and

like inside.

never expected

my own eyesbut here I am!

so comfortable and restful

from room to rpom and drink

Everything

and homelike;

walk

in the furnishings.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
It

the most perfect house for children to be

is

brought up

and open

in;

with shadowy nooks for hide and seek,

fireplaces for pop-corn,

on rainy

days,

and slippery

fortable flat

knob

at the

in

kitchen, and a nice,

romp
with a com-

and an

attic to

banisters

bottom, and a great big sunny

fat,

sunny cook

who

has lived in

the family thirteen years and always saves out a piece

of dough for the children to bake. Just the sight of

such a house makes you want to be a child

all

over

again.

And

as for families!

never dreamed they could be

and mother and grand-

Sallie has a father

so nice.

mother, and the sweetest three-year-old baby

over

curls,

forgets to

brother

We

who

and a medium-sized brother

wipe

and

his feet,

named Jimmie, who

have the

oiliest

is

good-looking

big,

laughs and jokes and talks at once, and

It's

everybody

we

don't have

a relief not having to

thank Somebody for every mouthful you

eat.

say I'm blasphemous; but you'd be, too,

if

fered as

much

Such a
tell

obligatory thanks as

lot of things

we've done

children. It

was

in the long

(I

dare

you'd of-

have.)
I

can't begin to

you about them. Mr. McBride owns

and Christmas eve he had a

always

a Junior at Princeton.

times at the table

to say grace beforehand.

sister all

a factory,

tree for the employees'

packing-room which was

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
decorated with evergreens and holly. Jimmie McBride

was dressed

and

as Santa Glaus,

and

Sallie

helped him

distribute the presents.

Dear me, Daddy, but

it

was a funny

sensation!

benevolent as a Trustee of the John Grier

felt as

Home.

kissed one sweet, sticky

don't think

little

boy

but

patted any of them on the head!

And two days after Christmas,

own house for ME.

they gave a dance

at their
It

was the

first

really true ball I ever attended

college doesn't count

where we dance with

girls.

had a new white evening gown (your Christmas

present

^many

white satin

thanks)

and long white gloves and

The only drawback

slippers.

fect, utter, absolute happiness

Lippett couldn't see

me

was the

visit

the

J.

my

per-

fact that Mrs.

leading the cotillion with

Jimmie McBride. Tell her about

time you

to

it,

please, the next

G. H.
Yours

ever,

Judy Abbott.
P.S.
I didn't

Would you be

terribly displeased,

Daddy,

turn out to be a Great Author after

just a Plain Girl?

[114

all,

if

but

6.30, Saturday.

Dear Daddy ^

We
how

walk to town to-day, but mercy!

started to

it

poured.

winter to be winter with snow

I like

instead of rain.
Julia's desirable

uncle called again this afternoon

and brought a five-pound box of chocolates. There

are advantages

Our

you

see about

rooming with

Julia.

innocent prattle appeared to amuse him and

he waited over a train in order to take tea in the

study.

And

permission.

an awful

lot of trouble

we had

hard enough entertaining

It's

getting

fathers and

grandfathers, but uncles are a step worse; and as for

brothers and cousins, they are next to impossible,

Julia

had to swear that he was her uncle before

notary pubHc and then have the county clerk's

(Don't

cate attached.

even then

doubt

we

if

Dean had chanced

sandwiches.
I

told

him

He

that

know

certifi-

a lot of law?)

could have had our tea

to see

looking Uncle Jervis

Anyway, we had

how

And
if

the

youngish and good-

is.

it,

with brown bread Swiss cheese

helped

make them and then

had spent

last

["5]

summer

at

ate four.

Lock Wil-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
we

low, and

had a beautiful gossipy time about the

Semples and the horses and cows and chickens. Ail

know

the horses that he used to

are dead, except

who was a baby colt at the time of his last visit

and poor Grove now is so old he can just limp about

Grover,

the pasture.

He

asked

if

they

kept doughnuts in a yellow

still

on the bottom

crock with a blue plate over

it

of the pantry^and they do!

He

there

was

still

caught a big,

wanted to know

a woodchuck's hole under the

rocks in the night pasture

fat,

shelf

and

there

gray one there

this

if

pile of

Amasai

is!

summer, the

twenty-fifth great-grandson of the one Master Jervie

caught

when he was

called

little

boy.

him "Master Jer\ae" to

didn't appear to be insulted.

his face,

but he

Julia says that she has

never seen him so amiable: he's usually pretty unapproachable. But Juha hasn't a bit of tact; and men,
I find,

them the
a

right

way and

very elegant metaphor.

amazing?

by

fit

Listen to

if

you rub

you don't. (That isn't

mean it figuratively.)

spit if

We're reading Marie

it

They purr

require a great deal.

Bashkirtseff's journal.

this:

"Last night

was

Isn't

seized

of despair that found utterance in moans, and

that finally drove

me

to

throw the dining-room clock

into the sea."

\ir6]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
It

makes me almost hope

Fm not a genius; they must

be very wearing to have about

^and

awfully destruc-

tive to the furniture.

Mercy! how

swim

it

We

shall

Yours

ever,

keeps pouring.

have to

to chapel to-night.

Judy.

i^n]

Jan. 20th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Did you ever have

from the cradle

Maybe

am

a sweet

baby

she!

If

we were

be the denouement, wouldn't

who was stolen

in a novel, that

would

it?

know what one

really awfully queer not to

It's

sort of exciting

girl

in infancy?

and romantic. There are such

is

a lot

Maybe I'm not American; lots of people aren't. I may be straight descended from the ancient Romans, or I may be a Viking's daughter, or I
may be the child of a Russian exile and belong by
of possibilities.

rights in a Siberian prison, or

think perhaps

though

am.

maybe I'm

Gipsy

have a very iv under in g

haven't as yet had

much chance

^I

spirit,

to develop

it.

Do you know

the time

career

they punished

about that one scandalous blot in

I

me

the books free for

ran

away from

the asylum because

for stealing cookies?

any Trustee
[ii8]

my

to read.

It's

down

But

in

really,

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Daddy, what could you expect?
hungry

little

When you

put a

nine-year girl in the pantry scouring

and go

knives, with the cookie jar at her elbow,

off

and leave her alone; and then suddenly pop in again,

wouldn't you expect to find her a bit crumby?

And

the elbow and box her

then

when you

ears,

and make her leave the table when the pudding

comes, and

tell all

she's a thief,
I

me

jerk her

by

the other children that

it's

because

wouldn't you expect her to run away?

only ran four miles.

They caught me and brought

back; and every day for a

naughty puppy, to

week

a stake in the

was

tied, like a

back yard while the

other children were out at recess.

Oh,
I

dear!

There's the chapel

have a committee meeting.

bell,

and

after chapel

I'm sorry because

meant to write you a very entertaining

letter this

time.

Au]

'wiedersehen

Cher Daddy
Vax

tihi!

Judy.

P.S.

There's one thing I'm perfectly sure

not a Chinaman.

["?]

of.

Fm

February 4th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

me a Princeton banner as
big as one end of the room; I am very grateful to him
for remembering me, but I don't know what on earth
to do with it. Salhe and JuHa won't let me hang it
Jimmie McBride has sent

up; our

room

this

year

can imagine what an effect we'd have

orange and black. But
felt, I

hate to waste

made

to have

it

when

was washed.

it

it's

into a bath robe?

it

be very improper

my

my

letters,

study.

It's

you what

though you might not imagine

time

is

added

My old one shrank

I've entirely omitted of late telling

learning, but

if

such a nice, warm, thick

Would

it.

you

furnished in red, and

is

it

am

from

exclusively occupied with

a very bewildering matter to get educated

in five branches at once.

"The

test

of true scholarship," says Chemistry Pro-

fessor, "is a painstaking passion for detail."

[120]

It's

the e^ri^f biVd

thM c^icbccthetbo

"Be careful not to keep your eyes glued to

detail,"

"Stand far enough away to

says History Professor.

get a perspective on the whole."

You can
sails

see

with what nicety

between chemistry and

torical

method

best.

If I

we

have to trim our

history.

I like

the his-

say that William the Con-

queror came over in 1492, and Columbus discovered

America

in iioo or 1066 or

whenever

it

was, that's

a mere detail that the Professor overlooks.

It

gives

a feeling of security and restfulness to the history

recitation, that

entirely lacking in chemistry.

is

Sixth-hour bell

look into a
I've

little

must go to the laboratory and

matter of acids and

burned a hole

chemistry apron,

salts

and

alkalis.

as big as a plate in the front

of

my

with hydrochloric

If

the

[121]

acid.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
theory worked, I ought to be able to neutralize that
hole with good strong ammonia, oughtn't L^

Examinations next week, but who's afraid?

Yours

ever,

Judy.

[122]

March

5th.

Dear Daddy -Lojtg-Legs,

March wind blowing, and the sky is filled

with heavy, black, moving clouds. The crows in the
There

is

pine trees are making such a clamor!

ing,

exhilarating,

an intoxicat-

You want

to close

off over the hills to race

with the

calling noise.

your books and be

It's

wind.

We had a paper chase last

of squashy 'cross country.

Saturday over

The

five miles

fox (composed of

three girls and a bushel or so of confetti) started half

an hour before the twenty-seven hunters.

of the twenty-seven; eight dropped

we ended

by

was one

the wayside;

The trail led over a hill, through

a cornfield, and into a swamp where we had to leap
lightly from hummock to hummock. Of course half
of us

nineteen.

went

in ankle deep.

We

kept losing the

trail,

and wasted twenty-five minutes over that swamp.

Then up

a hill through

some woods and

in at a

bam

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
The bam

window!

window was up
that fair,

doors were

high and pretty small.

and picked up the

we

circumnavigated the

where

trail

away over two

we

issued

it

low shed roof onto the top of

thought he had us there, but

straight

don't call

do you?

But we didn't go through;

bam

locked and the

all

by way of

The fox
Then

a fence.

fooled him.

miles of rolling

meadow, and

awfully hard to follow, for the confetti was getting

sparse.

The

rule

feet apart, but

is

that

it

must be

at the

they were the longest

most

six feet I

saw. Finally, after two hours of steady trotting,

Fox

tracked Monsieur

six

ever

we

into the kitchen of Crystal

Spring (that's a farm where the

girls

go in bob

sleighs

and hay wagons for chicken and waffle suppers) and

we found
honey and

the three foxes placidly eating milk and

biscuits.

They

hadn't thought

we would

get that far; they were expecting us to stick in the

barn window.

Both

sides insist that

don't you?

Because

we

they won.

think

we

did,

caught them before they got

back to the campus. Anyway,

all

nineteen of us set-

and clamored for

tled like locusts over the furniture

honey. There wasn't enough to go round, but Mrs.

Crystal Spring (that's our pet
rights a Johnson)

name

brought up a

jar

for her; she's

by

of strawberry jam

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
and a can of maple syrup
three loaves of

brown

made

just

late for

week

^and

bread.

We didn't get back to college

an hour

last

till

half-past six

and we went

dinner

half

straight in with-

out dressing, and with perfectly unimpaired appetites!

Then we

all

cut evening chapel, the state of our boots

being enough of an excuse.

I

never told you about examinations.

everything with the utmost ease

now, and am never going to flunk

know

again.

passed

the secret
I

shan't be

able to graduate with honors though, because of that

beastly Latin prose

But

don't care.

and geometry Freshman year.

Wot's the hodds so long

'appy?

(That's a quotation.

English

classics.)

Speaking of
If

you

I've
I

classics,

haven't,

do

it

I've

as you're

been reading the

have you ever read "Hamlet"?

right off.

It's

perfectly corking,

been hearing about Shakespeare

my

all

had no idea he really wrote so well;

life,

but

always sus-

pected him of going largely on his reputation.

I

ago

have a beautiful play that

when

I first

learned to read.

invented a long time

I

put myself to sleep

every night by pretending I'm the person (the most

important person) in the book I'm reading at the

mo-

ment.

At

present

I'm

Ophelia

and

U^5]

such

sensible

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Ophelia!

keep Hamlet amused

the time, and pet

all

him and scold him and make him wrap up his throat
when he has a cold. I've entirely cured him of being
melancholy.

The King and Queen

are ruling in

the

Denmark without any

kingdom working

the governing, and

just

founded some

beautifully.

look after the

first-class

an
so Hamlet and

are both dead

accident at sea; no funeral necessary

He

takes care of

charities.

orphan asylums.

or any of the other Trustees would Hke to

I shall

be pleased to show you through.

might find a great

many

We have

bother.

have

If

you

visit

them,

think

you

helpful suggestions.
I

remain,

sir,

Yours most graciously,

Ophelia,

Queen of Denmark.

[126]

March
maybe the

24th.
25th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

I

don't believe

can be going to Heaven

good things

getting such a lot of

fair to get

them

hereafter, too.

here;

it

am

wouldn't be

what

Listen to

has

happened.
Jerusha Abbott has

won

the short-story contest

Monthly holds

(a twenty-five dollar prize) that the

every year.

And

she a Sophomore!

are mostly Seniors.

When

couldn't quite believe

tjo

be an author after

given
ess's,

me

such a

doesn't

Also

silly

it

was

all.

name

saw

true.

The

contestants

my name
Maybe

posted,

am

going

wish Mrs. Lippett hadn't

^it

sounds

like

an author-

it?

have been chosen for the spring dramatics

"As You Like It" out of doors. I am going to be CeHa,

own cousin to Rosalind.
And lastly: JuKa and Sallie and I are going to New

York next Friday

to

do some spring shopping and stay

[j27l

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
all

night and go to the theater the next day with "Mas-

He

ter Jervie."

home with

invited us.

Julia

her family, but

Sallie

stop at the Martha

my

life,

going to stay at

and

are going to

Washington Hotel. Did you ever

hear of anything so exciting?

hotel in

is

Fve never been in a

nor in a theater; except once when

the Catholic Church had a festival and invited the

orphans, but that wasn't a real play and

it

doesn't

going to see?

"Ham-

count.

And what do you think we're

let."

Think of

that!

in Shakespeare class
I

am

We

and

so excited over

studied

know

all

it

it

by

for four

weeks

heart.

these prospects that I can

scarcely sleep.

Good-by, Daddy.
This

is

a very entertaining world.

Yours

ever,

Judy.

P.S. I've just looked at the calendar.

Another

saw

It's

the 28th.

postscript.

a street car conductor to-day with one

eye and one blue.

Wouldn't he make a

for a detective story?

[128]

brown

nice villain

April 7th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,
Mercy!

Isn't

New York big?

to

it.

Do you mean

in

all

that confusion?

cover for
days of

it.

that

you

you

all

nothing

is

actually live

don't believe that

can't begin to tell

shall re-

effect of

two

the amazing

suppose you know, though, since

live there yourself.

But

aren't the streets entertaining?

And the shops?

And the people?

never saw such lovely things

are in the windows.

life

me

months from the bewildering

things I've seen;

you

to tell

Worcester

It

as there

makes you want to devote your

to wearing clothes.

Sallie

and Julia and

went shopping together

Satur-

day morning. Julia went into the very most gorgeous

place

ever saw, white and gold walls and blue carpets

and blue

silk curtains

and

gilt chairs.

perfectly

beautiful lady with yellow hair and a long black silk

gown came to meet us with a welcoming smile,

thought we were paying a social call, and started v^

trailing
I

[I2C^]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
shake hands, but

it

She

at least Julia was.

and

tried

on a dozen, each

bought the two

I can't

down

we were only buying hats

sat down in front of a mirror

seems

lovelier than the last,

loveliest of

imagine any joy in

life

greater than sitting

and buying any hat you

in front of a mirror

choose without having

first

to consider the price!

Daddy;

New

There's no doubt about

it,

rapidly undermine this

fine, stoical

the

Home

John Grier

And

we'd

after

the

York would

character which

so patiently built up.

finished our shopping,

ter Jervie at Sherry's.

ry's?

and

all.

we met Mas-

suppose you've been in Sher-

Picture that, then picture the dining-room of

Home

John Grier

with

its

and white crockery that you

oilcloth-covered tables,

ca7t^t

break, and

handled knives and forks; and fancy the

I ate

my

fish

after

way

I felt!

with the wrong fork, but the waiter

me

very kindly gave

And

wooden-

another so that nobody noticed.

luncheon

we went

to the theater

dazzHng, marvelous, unbelievable

it

was

dream about

it

every night.
Isn't

Shakespeare wonderful?

"Hamlet"

we

analyze

is

it

so

much

better

on the

in class; I appreciated

it

stage than

when

before, but

now,

dear me!
I

think, if

you

don't mind, that I'd rather be an

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
actress than a writer.

send you a box for

at

you

man.

all

my

please, so

me to leave
And then FU

like

performances, and smile

Only wear a red

across the footlights.

your buttonhole,

if I

Wouldn't you

and go into a dramatic school?

college

I'll

rose in

surely smile at the right

would be an awfully embarrassing mistake

It

picked out the wrong one.

We came

back Saturday night and had our dinner

in the train, at

waiters.

little

tables

with pink lamps and negro

never heard of meals being served in trains

before, and

inadvertently said so.

"Where on

earth

were you brought up?"

said Julia

to me.

"In a village," said

I,

meekly to

"But didn't you ever travel?"

"Not

till I

hundred and

came

to college,

sixty miles

and

Julia.

said she to

we

me.

was only

didn't eat," said

and then

it

to her.

She's getting quite interested in me, because I say

such funny things.

out

when

the time.

try hard not to, but they do

I'm surprised
It's

and

Daddy, to

pass

Home, and then

sud-

a dizzying experience,

eighteen years in the John Grier

denly to be plunged into the

WORLD.

But I'm getting acclimated.

ful mistakes as I did;

and

pop

I'm surprised most of

don't

make such aw-

don't feel uncomfortable

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
any more with the other

girls.

ever people looked at me.

right through

my

used to squirm when-

I felt as

sham new

clothes to the checked

ginghams underneath. But I'm not

hams bother me any more.

is

though they saw

letting the ging-

Sufficient

unto yesterday

the evil thereof.

you about our flowers. Master Jervie

gave us each a big bunch of violets and lilies-of-theI

forgot to

valley.

care

tell

Wasn't that sweet of him?

much

changing

for

men

never used to

I'm

courage.

Vm

judging by Trustees

^but

my mind.

Eleven pages

^this is

letter!

Have

going to stop.

Yours always,
Judy.

[^5-]

April 10th.
Dear Mr. Rich-Man,
Here's your check for fifty dollars.

very much, but

allowance
need. I

is

am

do not

sorry that

it

However,

can keep

it.

My

sufficient to afford all of the hats that I

the millinery shop;

thing like

feel that I

Thank you

it's

wrote

all

that silly stuff about

just that I

had never seen any-

before.
I

wasn't begging!

And

not accept any more charity than

have

would

rather

to.

Sincerely yours,

Jerusha Abbott,

[^33]

April 11th.
Dearest

Daddy

Will you please forgive

you yesterday? After

tried to get

it

wouldn't give

it

me

posted

what

and

now; Fve been awake

Worm I am^what a Thouworst

that's the

can say!

door very softly into the study so

not to wake Julia and

writing to

Wormand

I've closed the

sorry,

to me.

for hours thinking

sand-legged

was

it I

back, but that beastly mail clerk

the middle of the night

It's

for the letter I wrote

Sallie,

and

am

you on paper torn out of

sitting

up

as

in bed

my history note-

book.
I just

wanted to

tell

you

kindly, and

am sorry I was SO
know you meant it
old dear to take so much

that I

impolite about your check.

think you're an

trouble for such a silly thing as a hat.

have returned

But in any
with

me

naturally
ers

it

very

case, I

much more
girls.

with any one.

it.

It's

They can

from people. They have

and aunts and uncles; but

relations

ought to

graciously.

had to return

than with other

fathers

I can't

like to

diiferent

take things

and broth-

be on any such

pretend that you

belong to me, just to play with the idea, but of course

I

know you

don't.

I'm alone, really

[^34]

^with

my

back

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
to the wall fighting the

when

think about

it.

world
I

and

put

it

get sort of gaspy

out of

keep on pretending; but don't you

can't accept

some day
as great

any more money than

be wanting to pay

I shall

an author

my

see,

have

mind, and

Daddy?

because

to,

back, and even

it

as I intend to be,

won't be able

to face a perfectly tremendous debt.

I'd love pretty hats

and

things,

but

mustn't mort-

gage the future to pay for them.

You'll forgive me, won't you, for being so rude?
I

have an awful habit of writing impulsively

first

But

if I

sometimes seem thoughtless and un-

grateful, I never

always for the

mean

life

it.

moment

I feel like
It's

heart I thank

you

and freedom and independence

you have given me.

every

my

In

My

childhood was just a

and

long, sullen stretch of revolt,

of the day that

now

am

so

can't believe

happy

it's

true.

a made-up heroine in a story-book.

a quarter past two. I'm going to tiptoe out to

the mail chute and get this off now.

it

think things, and then posting the letter beyond

recall.

that

when

in the next mail after the other, so

You'll receive

you won't have

very long time to think bad of me.

Good
I

night,

love

Daddy,

you always,
Judy.

U35]

May

4th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Day

Field

last

occasion. First

Saturday.

It

was a very spectacular

we had a parade

everybody dressed in white

of

all

the classes, with

linen, the Seniors carry-

ing blue and gold Japanese umbrellas, and the Juniors

Our

white and yellow banners.

balloons

ways

very fetching,

getting loose and floating off

wore green
Also

class

had crimson

especially as they

were

al-

and the Freshmen

tissue-paper hats with long streamers.

we had a band in blue uniforms hired from town.

Also about a dozen funny people,

circus,

like

clowns in a

to keep the spectators entertained

between

events.
Julia

was dressed

as a fat

country

man with

a linen

duster and whiskers and baggy umbrella. Patsy Moriarty (Patricia, really.

Did you ever hear such a name?

Mrs. Lippett couldn't have done better.)

who

is tall

and thin was JuKa's wife in an absurd green bonnet

U36]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
over one

Waves

ear.

of laughter followed them the

whole length of the course.

tremely well.
display so
vie's

never dreamed that a Pendleton could

much comedy

pardon;

and

begging Master Jerhim

consider

a true Pendleton

you

a true Trustee.

weren't in the parade because

And what do you

entered for the events.

At

both won!

spirit

don't consider

though, any more than

Sallie

Julia played the part ex-

something.

least in

running broad jump and

lost;

We

think?

We

tried for the

won the polewon the fifty-

it

was great fun,

but SalHe

vaulting (seven feet tliree inches) and

we were

yard dash (eight seconds).

I

was pretty panting

with the whole

class

at the end,

but

waving balloons and cheering

and yelHng:
What's the matter with Judy Abbott?
She's

all right.

Who's all right?

Judy Ab-bott!

Then trotting back to

the dressing tent and being rubbed down with alcohol
and having a lemon to suck. You see we're very proThat, Daddy,

fessional.
class,

It's

is

true fame.

a fine thing to

win an event for your

because the class that wins the most gets the

athletic

cup for the year. The Seniors

with seven events to

year,

the winners.
late

The

their credit.

association gave a dinner in the

won

gymnasium

up

if so,

to

remember

did people talk that

The haughty Lady Blanche

Mr. Rochester

talks

means the sky; and

hyena and

wedding

veils

of

balls.

just the same,

see

how any
any

Are

sixty years ago?

says to the footman,

my

bidding."

when he
mad woman who laughs

about the metal welkin

as for the

sets fire to

and

but

especially

all

way?

"Stop your chattering, knave, and do

like a

to

half of last night reading ''J^me Eyre."

you old enough, Daddy,

And

athletic

We had fried soft-shell crabs, and choco-

ice-cream molded in the shape of basket

I sat

it this

bites

it's

bed curtains and

tears

melodrama of the

you read and read and

up

purest,

read. I can't

girl

could have written such a book,

girl

who was

brought up in a church-

[^38]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
There's something about those Brontes that

yard.

me.

fascinates

Where
little

Their books, their

did they get

When

it?

lives, their spirit.

was reading about

Jane's troubles in the charity school, I got so

angry that

had to go out and take a walk.

how

stood exactly
pett, I

she

under-

Having known Mrs. Lip-

felt.

could see Mr. Brocklehurst.

Don't be outraged, Daddy.

Home

was

had plenty to

eat

John Grier

that the

We

stitute.

sufficient

water to wash

in,

But there was one deadly

am

not intimating

like the

Lowood

In-

and plenty to wear,

and a furnace in the

likeness.

Our

lives

cellar.

were ab-

monotonous and uneventful. Nothing nice

solutely

ever happened, except ice-cream on Sundays, and even

that
I

was

only

burned.

regular. In

had one

all

the eighteen years

adventure^when

the

was there

woodshed

We had to get up in the night and dress so as

But

to be ready in case the house should catch.

didn't catch

and

Everybody
natural

we went back

likes a

human

few

craving.

Mrs. Lippett called

me

surprises;

But

it's

a perfectly

never had one until

to the office to tell

Mr. John Smith was going to send

And

it

to bed.

me

me

that

to college.

then she broke the news so gradually that

it

just

barely shocked me.

You know, Daddy,

think that the most necessary

[139]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
quality for

any person to have

is

imagination. It makes

people able to put themselves in other people's places.

It

makes them kind and sympathetic and understand-

ing.

It

ought to be cultivated in children. But the

John Grier

Home

instantly

was encouraged.

stamped out the

Duty was

flicker that appeared.

don't think children ought to

know the meaning of the word; it's

They ought to do everything from
Wait

until

you

see the

to be the head of!

I

go to

sleep.

slightest

the one quality that

It's

plan

odious, detestable.
love.

orphan asylum that I'm going

my favorite play at night before

out to the

it

littlest detail

^the

meals and clothes and study and amusements and

punishments; for even

my superior

orphans are some-

times bad.

But anyway, they are going to be happy.

think

no matter how many troubles he may

when
he
grows
up, ought to have a happy childhave

that every one,

hood

dren of
I

am

grow

And if I ever have any chilmy own, no matter how unhappy I may be,

to look back upon.

not going to

let

them have any

cares until they

up.

(There goes the chapel

bell

sometime.)

[140

I'll

finish this letter

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Thursday.

When
I

found a

self to

came

entertain

from Laboratory

squirrel sitting

almonds.

window

in

now
stays

on the

this afternoon,

tea table helping

These are the kind of

that

warm

callers

we

weather has come and the

open

wiil you

him-

have one lump or two?"

[^4^]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Saturday morning.
Perhaps you think,

no

evening with the

my

prize

make

while

it

night being Friday, with

of Stevenson that

Daddy

was

still

liquid

bought with

if so,

youVe never

dear.

Six friends dropped in

attended

them dropped the fudge

fudge, and one of

best rug.
I

set

money? But

a girls' college.
to

last

classes to-day, that I passed a nice, quiet, readable

right in the middle of our

We shall never be able to clean up the mess.

haven't mentioned any lessons of late; but

having them every day.

still

though, to get
large

^rather

away from them and

your

own

answer back any time you

days,

been writing

and

sort

fear

fault.

we

are

of a relief

discuss life in the

one-sided discussions that

hold, but that's

I've

It's

You

are

you and
welcome

to

choose.

this letter off

by now vous

and on for three

etes hien bored!

Good-by, nice Mr. Man,

Judy.

IhA

Mr. Daddy -Long-Legs

S?nith.

Having completed the study of argumentation

Sir:

and the science of dividing a

thesis into heads, I

have

decided to adopt the following form for letter-writing. It contains all necessary facts,

but no unnecessary

verbiage.
I.

We had written examinations this week in:

A. Chemistry.
B. History.

11.

A new
A.

dormitory

material

Its

(a)

is

being

built.

is:

red brick.

(b) gray stone.

B.

Its

capacity will be:

(a)

one dean,

(b)

two hundred

five instructors.
girls.

(c) one housekeeper, three cooks,

waitresses,
III.

We had junket for dessert to-night.

IV.

am

twenty

twenty chambermaids.

writing a special topic upon the Sources

of Shakespeare's Plays.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
V. Lou McMahon
at basket ball,

and

slipped and fell this afternoon

she:

A. Dislocated her shoulder.

B. Bruised her knee.

VL

have a

new

hat trimmed with:

A. Blue velvet ribbon.

B.

Two

blue

quills.

C. Three red pompons.

VIL

It is half-past nine.

VIIL Good

night.

Judy.

[^44]

June

2d.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

You

will never guess the nice thing that has hap-

pened.

The McBrides have

camp

at their

sort of club

asked

me

to spend the

in the Adirondacks!

on

summer

They belong

to a

middle of the

a lovely little lake in the

woods. The different members have houses made of

logs dotted about

among

the trees, and they go canoe-

ing on the lake, and take long walks through

other camps, and have dances once a

house

^Jimmie McBride

it

in the club

going to have a college

we

sweet of Mrs. McBride to ask me?

It

him part of the summer,

have plenty of

Wasn't

week

to

see

friend visiting
shall

is

trails

men

appears that she liked

so

you

to dance with.

me when I was

there for Christ-

mas.
Please excuse this being short.
it's

just to let

you know

It isn't

a real

letter;

that I'm disposed of for the

summer.
Yours,
In a very contented frame of mind,

Judy.

June

5th.

Dear Daddy -Lo?2g-Legs,

Your
that

secretary

man

has just written to

Mr. Smith prefers that

me

saying

should not accept Mrs.

McBride's invitation, but should return to Lock Wil-

low the same

summer.

as last

Why, why, ivhy, Daddy?

You don't understand about
want me,

and

really

truly.

it.

I'm not the

trouble in the house. I'm a help.

many

and SalHe and

servants,

things. It's a fine

chance for

Every woman ought

know

Mrs. McBride does

They
can do

least bit

of

don't take

up

lots of useful

me to learn housekeeping.

to understand

it,

and

only

asylum-keeping.

There

aren't

any

Mrs. McBride wants

girls

me

our age at the camp, and

for a

companion for

Sallie.

We are planning to do a lot of reading together. We

are going to read

all

of the books for next year's

Enghsh and Sociology. The Professor

be a great help

if

we would

said

it

would

get our reading finished in

[146]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
the
if

summer; and

we

it's

read together and talk

Just to live in the

is

much

so

it

easier to

remember

It,

over.

same house with

Sallie's

mother

an education. She's the most interesting, entertain-

woman in the world;

she knows everything. Think how many summers
I've spent with Mrs. Lippett and how I'll appreciate
the contrast. You needn't be afraid that I'll be crowding,

companionable, charming

ing them, for their house

made

is

When

of rubber.

they have a lot of company, they just sprinkle tents

about in the woods and turn the boys outside.

going to be such a nice, healthy

summer

It's

exercising

out of doors every minute. Jimmie McBride

is

going

me how to ride horseback and paddle

and how to shoot and oh, lots of things

to teach

canoe,

ought to know.

It's

you

it

say,

once in her

Of

life.

but please, please

never wanted anything so

This

isn't

the kind of nice, jolly, care-free

time that I've never had; and

serves

think every girl de-

course

me

let

I'll

go,

do exactly

Daddy.

as

I've

much.

Jerusha Abbott, the future great author,

writing to you.

It's just

Judy

1^47]

a girl.

June

9th.

Mr, John S?mth,

Sm: Yours of the 7th

inst. at

hand. In compliance

with the instructions received through your secretary,

I

leave

on Friday next to spend the summer

at

Lock

Willow Farm.
I

hope always to remain,

(Miss) Jerusha Abbott.

[148]

Lock Willow Farm.

August Third.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,
It

two months

has been nearly

wasn't nice of me,

much
You

this

to give

wrote, which

haven't loved

you

^you see I'm being frank!

how disappointed I was at having

McBrides' camp. Of course I know

can't imagine

up the

my

guardian, and that

your wishes in
It

all

was so

had been Judy,

have to regard

matters, but I couldn't see

any

distinctly the best thing that could

have happened to me.

child,

know, but

summer

that you're

reason.

since

If I

had been Daddy, and you

should have

run along and have

people and learn lots of

said,

"Bless you,

good time;

new

see lots of

my
new

things; live out of doors,

and get strong and well and rested for a year of hard
work."

But not
ordering
It's

at

me

all!

to

Just a curt line

from your secretary

Lock Willow.

the impersonality of your

[^49]

commands

that hurts

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
my feelings.
little

if

you

felt

the tiniest

me the way I feel for you, you'd someme a message that you'd written with your

hand, instead of those beastly typewritten secre-

were the

If there

tary's notes.

slightest hint that

you

do anything on earth to please you.

cared, I'd
I

though,

as

bit for

times send

own

seems

It

know that I was to

write nice, long, detailed letters

without ever expecting any answer. You're living up

to
I

your

side of the bargain

I'm being educatedand

suppose you're thinking I'm not living up to mine!

But, Daddy,

it is

you

care for, and

imaginary
real

you

did once,

man

isn't

was

made up

my

ill

when

am

which was

Although

my

is,

I'm

really.

You're

just

an

and probably the

imaginary you. But you

in the infirmary, send m^e a

I

am

feeling awfully forgot-

out your card and read

don't think I

to say,

are so shadowy.

a bit hke

when

It

are the only person I have to

that I've

message, and now,

ten, I get

a hard bargain.

You

so awfully lonely.

telling

it

you

over.

at all

what

started

this:

feelings are

still

hurt, for

it is

very

humihating to be picked up and moved about by an

arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, omnipotent, invisible

Providence,

still,

when

and generous and thoughtful

been toward me,

a
as

man

has been as kind

you have heretofore

suppose he has a right to be an

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
arbitrary,

dence

if

peremptory, unreasonable, invisible Provi-

cheerful again. But

letters

he chooses, and so
I still

I'll

forgive

you and be

don't enjoy getting Sallie's

about the good times they are having in camp!

Hov^ever

^v^e

will drav^ a veil over that

and begin

again.
I've

been v^riting and v^riting

this

summer; four

short stories finished and sent to four different magazines.

So you see I'm trying to be an author.

work-room

fixed in a corner of the attic

Master Jervie used to have

It's

in a cool, breezy

his

have

where

rainy-day playroom.

comer with two dormer win-

dows, and shaded by a maple tree with a family of

red squirrels living in a hole.
I'll

all

write a nicer letter in a few days and

tell

the farm news.

We

need

rain.

Yours

as ever,

Judy.

[-5/]

you

August

10th.

Mr. Daddy 'Long-Legs,

Sir:

address

you from the second crotch in the

willow tree by the pool in the pasture. There's a frog

croaking underneath, a locust singing overhead and

two

httle "devil

down-heads" darting up and down

the trunk. I've been here for an hour:

fortable

crotch,

especially

with two sofa cushions.

tablet
I've

very com-

came up with a pen and

been having a dreadful time with

make her behave

as I

my

(Not much

you behave
you

as I

relief

want you

outlook.

though, for

The country

is

writing

can't

New

York,

this lovely, breezy,

Heaven

make

after a

wish

sunshiny

week

of rain.

do you remember Mr. Kelsummer? the minister

told you about

Speaking of Heaven
logg that

am

to, either.)

are in that dreadful

could send you some of

heroine

want her to behave; so

abandoned her for the moment, and

to you.

If

it's

being upholstered

hoping to write an immortal short story, but

I caji^t

I've

after

last

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
of the

little

white church at the Comers. Well, the

poor old soul

is

dead

winter of pneumonia.

^last

went haif-a-dozen times

him preach and got

to hear

very well acquainted with

seems to

He

his theology.

to the end exactly the same things he

It

believed

started with.

me that a man who can think straight

along

for forty-seven years without changing a single idea

ought to be kept in a cabinet

he

is

as a curiosity.

hope

enjoying his harp and golden crown; he was so

perfectly sure of finding them! There's a nev/

man, very up and coming, in

gation

his place.

pretty dubious, especially the

is

Deacon Cummings.
ing to be an awful

It

young

The congrefaction led by

looks as though there was go-

split in

the church.

We don't care

for innovations in religion in this neighborhood.

During our week of rain

had an orgy of reading
self is

more

in his books;

of hero that

think

it

dare say he

was perfect of him

South Seas?

creed. If

my

do

it,

want

too.

in the attic

in print.
all

Don't you

the ten thou-

a yacht and go sailing

He lived up

father had left

him-

himself into the kind

to spend

left for

He

and

any of the characters

made

would look well

off to the

up

Stevenson, mostly.

entertaining than

sand dollars his father

I'd

I sat

me

to his adventurous

ten thousand dollars,

The thought of Vailima makes me wild.

to see the tropics.

want

to see the

whole

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
am

going to some day

am,

world.

when

get to be a great author, or

or whatever

or playwright

turn out to be.

sight of a

really,

Daddy,

or

actress,

artist,

sort of a great person

have a terrible wanderthirst; the very

map makes me want

take an umbrella and

start.

to put

on

my

hat and

"I shall see before I die

the palms and temple of the South."

Thursday evening

Very hard
is

at twilight, sitting

to get

any news into

becoming so philosophical of

i.^^

Vr^

T
{^54}

on the doorstep.

this letter!

late,

Judy

that she wishes

i-~A?

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
world in

to discourse largely of the

general, instead

of descending to the trivial details of daily

if

you

?nust have news, here

But

life.

it is:

Our nine young pigs waded across the brook and

ran away last Tuesday, and only eight came back.
We don't want to accuse any one unjustly, but we
suspect that

Widow Dowd

has one

more than she

ought to have.

Mr. Weaver has painted

a bright

says

it

pumpkin yellow

his

a very ugly

his

two

silos

color, but

he

will wear.

The Brewers have company

er's sister

this

of our

Rhode

*^
:^

what was the

trouble.

Rhode

Reds only brought

Island

three chicks out of fifteen eggs.

ion, are a

week; Mrs. Brew-

and two nieces from Ohio.

^
One

barn and

We

can't imagine

Island Reds, in

very inferior breed.

tons.

[^55]

off

my opin-

prefer Buff Orping-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
The new

clerk in the post-office at Bonnyrigg

Four

Corners drank every drop of Jamaica ginger they had

seven

in stock

dollars'

before

worth

he was dis-

covered.

Old

Ira

can't work any

money when he was earning

Hatch has rheumatism and

more; he never saved

his

good wages, so now he has to

live

on the town.

There's to be an ice-cream social at the schoolhouse

next Saturday evening.
I

have a

new hat that

at the post-ofiice.

way

Come and
I

This

bring your families.

bought for twenty-five cents

is

my

latest portrait,

on

my

to rake the hay.

It's

getting too dark to see; anyway, the

news

used up.

Good

night,

Judy.

[^56]

is all

Friday.

some news! What do you

think? You'd never, never, never guess who's coming
to Lock Willow. A letter to Mrs. Semple from Mr.

Good

morning! Here

is

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Pendleton.

He's motoring through the Berkshires,

and

and wants to

if

is

tired

on a nice quiet farm

rest

he climbs out at her doorstep some night will she

Maybe

have a room ready for him?

restful

it is

when he

stay one

he'll

week, or maybe two, or maybe three;

he'll see

how

gets here.

we

The whole house is

being cleaned and all the curtains washed. I am driving to the Comers this morning to get some new oil
cloth for the entry, and two cans of brown floor paint
Such a

flutter as

for the hall and back

to

come to-morrow

are in!

to

is

engaged

wash the windows

(in the

we
You might

exigency of the moment,

regard to the piglet).

account of our

waive our suspicions in

activities, that

ready immaculate; but

assure

isn't it just like

a man,

the house

you

from

think,

it

was not

this
al-

was! Whatever

a HOUSEKEEPER.
Daddy? He doesn't give

Mrs. Semple's limitations, she

But

Dowd

Mrs.

stairs.

is

the remotest hint as to whether he will land on the

doorstep to-day, or

two weeks from

to-day.

We shall

and

live in a perpetual breathlessness until he comes

if

he doesn't hurry, the cleaning

may

all

have to be

done over again.

There's Amasai waiting below with the buckboard

and Grover.

drive alone

but

if

Grove, you wouldn't be worried

[^58]

you could

as to

my

see old

safety.

With my hand on my

farewell.

heart

Judy.

P. S. Isn't that a nice ending? I got

it

out of Steven-

son's letters.

Saturday.

Good morning

again!

didn't get this enveloped

yesterday before the postman came, so

more.

We

is

a blessing to the farmers!

not only dehvers

letters,

(I

me some

sunburned

all

shoe-strings

and a

the skin off

my

[^59]

Our

post-

but he runs errands for

us in town, at five cents an errand.

brought

add some

have one mail a day at twelve o'clock.

Rural deHvery

man

I'll

Yesterday he

jar of cold

nose before

cream
I

got

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
my new

hat) and a blue

blacking

all

gain,

owing

Also he

Windsor

us what

and a bottle of

That was an unusual bar-

for ten cents.

to the largeness of
tells

tie

is

my order.

happening in the Great

World. Several people on the route take

and he reads them

news

to the ones

he jogs along, and repeats the

as

who

needn't bother to write;

how

hear

sign yet of Master Jervie.

clean our house

wipe our
I

I'll

hope

to talk to.
sort of

come

Mr. Rockefeller

anyway.

But you should

Mrs. Semple, to

am

longing for some one

tell

you

She never

the easy flow of her conversation.

what

They
mean.

Grier Home.

the truth, gets

lets ideas
It's

about the people here. Their world

hilltop.

is

Our

interrupt

funny thing

just this single

are not a bit universal, if

It's

see

step in!

soon;

monotonous.

it

and with what anxiety we

we

feet before
he'll

is

and Japan,

John Grier Home, you

leaves a million dollars to the

No

States

assassinated, or

is

So in case a

don't subscribe.

war breaks out between the United

or the president

daily papers,

you know

exactly the same as at the

ideas

John

there were bounded by the

four sides of the iron fence, only

didn't

mind

it

so

much because I was younger and was so awfully busy.

By the time I'd got all my beds made and my babies'
faces washed and had gone to school and come home
{i6o]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
and had washed their faces again and darned their

mended Freddie

stockings and
tore
in

Perkins's trousers (he

them every day of his life) and learned

between

was ready

to

go to bed, and

notice any lack of social intercourse.

years in a conversational college,

shall

my lessons

didn't

after

do miss

who

be glad to see somebody

But

it;

speaks

two

and

my

lan-

guage.
I really believe I've finished,

occurs to
letter

me

at

the moment

Daddy. Nothing

^I'U

else

try to write a longer

next time.

Yours always,
Judy.

P.S.
It

The

lettuce hasn't

was so dry

done

early in the season.

\i6il

at all well this year.

August 25th.
Well, Daddy, Master Jervie's here.
time as we're having!

At

least I

And such

am, and

a nice

think he

is,

he has been here ten days and he doesn't show

too

The way Mrs. Semple pampers

that man is scandalous. If she indulged him as much
when he was a baby, I don't know how he ever
any

signs of going.

turned out so well.

He

and

ate at a little table set

sometimes under the

cold

trees,

He

in the best parlor.

on the

or^when

side porch, or
it

just picks

rains or

is

out the spot

he wants to eat in and Carrie trots after him with the

table.

Then

if it

has been an awful nuisance, and she

has had to carry the dishes very far, she finds a dollar

under the sugar bowl!

He

is

an awfully companionable sort of man,

though you would never believe

he looks at
isn't in

the

and sweet

first

least.

as

it

to see

him

casually;

glance like a true Pendleton, but he

He

is

just as simple

he can be

^that

{162]

and unaffected

seems a funny

way

to

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
describe a man, but

it's

true.

He's extremely nice with

the farmers around here; he meets

them

in a sort of

man-to-man fashion that disarms them immediately.

They were very

for his clothes!
rather amazing.

suspicious at

first.

They

didn't care

And I will say that his clothes are

He wears knickerbockers and pleated

and white flannels and riding clothes with

jackets

puffed trousers.

Whenever he comes down

in any-

thing new, Mrs. Semple, beaming with pride, walks

around and views him from every angle, and urges

him to be careful where he

sits

he will pick up some dust.

It

down; she

is

so afraid

bores him dreadfully.

He's always saying to her:

"Run

along, Lizzie,

can't boss
It's

and tend to your work. You

me any longer.

I've

grown up."

awfully funny to think of that great, big, long-

legged

man

(he's nearly as long-legged as you.

Daddy)

ever sitting in Mrs. Semple's lap and having his face

washed.

Particularly

funny when you

She has two laps now, and

that

see her lap!

But he says

three chins.

once she was thin and wiry and spry and could

run faster than he.

Such

a lot of adventures we're having!

We've

ex-

plored the country for miles, and I've learned to fish

made of

Also to shoot

with funny

little flies

with a

and a revolver. Also to ride horseback

rifle

[765]

feathers.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
an astonishing amount of

there's

We fed him on oats for three

calf

life

days,

in old Grove.

and he shied

at a

and almost ran away with me.

Wednesday.

We
a

climbed Sky Hill

Monday

afternoon.

That's

mountain near here; not an awfully high mountain,

no snow on the

perhaps

are pretty breathless

summit

when you

but

at least

reach the top.

you

The

lower slopes are covered with woods, but the top

just piled

rocks and open moor.

the sunset and built a

fire

We

is

stayed up for

and cooked our supper.

[164]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Master Jervie did the cooking; he said he

knew how

me and he did, too, because he's used to

Then we came down by moonlight, and,
when we reached the wood trail where it was dark,
by the light of an electric bulb that he had in his
better than

camping.

pocket. It was such fun!

the

read

way and
all

He

laughed and joked

talked about interesting things.

the books

Fve ever

besides. It's astonishing

read,

and a

how many

lot

all

He's

of others

different things

he

knows.

We

went for a long tramp

caught in a storm.

Our

clothes

this

morning and got

were drenched before

we reached home but our spirits not even damp.

You should have seen Mrs. Semple's face when we
dripped into her kitchen.

Miss Judy!

"Oh, Master Jervie

through. Dear!

new

coat

is

Dear!

What

You

are soaked

do?

That nice

shall I

perfectly ruined."

She was awfully funny; you would have thought

that

we were

mother.

was

ten years old, and she a distracted

afraid for a while that

going to get any jam for

we

weren't

tea.

Saturday.
I started this letter

second to

finish

ages ago, but I haven't had a

it.

[^65]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
a nice thought from Stevenson?

Isn't this

The world is so full of a number of things,

I am sure we should all be as happy as kings.
It's true,

you know. The world

and plenty to go round,

if

you

such a

full

of happiness,

The whole

the kind that comes your way.

being pliable.

is

are only willing to take

secret

is

in

In the country, especially, there are

lot of entertaining things.

can walk over

everybody's land, and look at everybody's view, and

dabble in everybody's brook; and enjoy

though

as

owned

it

just as

and with

no

the land

much

taxes to

pay!

It's

am

Sunday night now, about eleven

o'clock,

supposed to be getting some beauty

sleep,

no beauty

had black coffee for dinner, so

and

but

sleep for

me!
This morning, said Mrs. Semple to Mr. Pendleton,

with a very determined accent:

"We have to leave here at a quarter past ten in order

to get to church

"Very

by

eleven."

well, Lizzie," said

the surrey ready, and

if

Master Jervie, "you have

I'm not dressed, just go on

without waiting."

"We'U

wait," said she.

[i66]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
"As you

please," said he,

"only don't keep the horses

standing too long."

Then while

she

was

up a lunch, and he

went
It

to scramble into

my walk-

slipped out the back

way and

told

we

ing clothes; and

he told Carrie to pack

dressing,

me

fishing.

discommoded the household

Lock Willow of

dreadfully, because

Sunday dines

he

at

But he

two.

orders meals whenever

ordered dinner at seven

he chooses; you would think the place were a restau-

and

that kept Carrie

rant

driving.

But he

said

was

it

and Amasai from going

all

the better because

it

wasn't proper for them to go driving without a

chaperon; and anyway, he wanted the horses himself

to take

me

Did you ever hear anything so

driving.

funny?

And poor
fishing

Mrs. Semple believes that people

on Sundays, go afterwards to a

hell!

She

is

train

him

better

who go

sizzling hot

awfully troubled to think that she didn't

when he was

and

small and helpless

she wished to show him

she had the chance. Besides

off in church.

Anyway, we had our

ones) and

They kept

fishing (he

we cooked them on
falling off

they tasted a

little

caught four

a camp-fire for lunch.

our spiked sticks into the

ashy, but

[167]

little

we

ate

them.

fire,

We

so

got

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
home

at four

and went driving

at seven, and at ten I

was

at five

sent to bed

and had dinner

and here

writing to you.
I

am

getting a

little

sleepy though.

Good
Here

is

a picture of the one

fish I

^^^:^7>^^3rf

[i68]

night.

caught.

am,

Ship ahoy, Cap^n Long-Legs!

Avast!

Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum.

Belay!

Guess what I'm reading? Our conversation these past

two days

has

been nautical and

piratical.

"Treasure Island" fun? Did you ever read

it

written

thirty

when you were

pounds for the

Excuse

me

for filling

my

mind

He

comprises

is

or wasn't

Stevenson only got

a boy?

serial rights

pays to be a great author.

it,

Isn't

Maybe

I'll

don't beheve

it

teach school.

my letters so full of Stevenson;

much engaged with him

Lock Willow's library.

very

at present.

two weeks, and I

think it's about long enough. Never say, Daddy, that
I don't give details. I wish you were here, too; we'd
I've

all

been writing

this letter for

have such a jolly time together.

friends to

know

each other.

[169]

I like

my different

wanted to ask Mr.

Pendleton

if

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
he knew you in New YorkI

think he might; you must

exalted social circles,

It's

real

the

and you

same

in about the

are both interested in

couldn't, for I don't

know

thing I ever heard of, not to

know

reforms and things

your

move

should

but

name.
silliest

your name. Mrs. Lippett warned

eccentric. I

me

that

you were

should think so!

Affectionately,
JXJDY.

P. S.

On

reading this over,

Stevenson. There are one or

I find

that

it isn't all

two glancing

references

to Master Jervie.

[770]

September

10th.

Dear Daddy,

He

has gone, and

we

When you

are missing him!

get accustomed to people or places or

ways of

and then have them suddenly snatched away,

leave an awfully empty,

Pm

gnawing

living,

does

it

sort of sensation.

finding Mrs. Semple's conversation pretty un-

seasoned food.
College opens in

two weeks and

I shall

be glad to

work again. I have worked quite a lot this

summer though six short stories and seven poems.
begin

Those

sent to the magazines

came back with the

all

most courteous promptitude. But

good

practice.

in the mail, so I couldn't help his

said

have the slightest idea of what

(Master Jervie doesn't

But the

in college

he

don't mind.

It's

he brought
knowing and he

They showed

they were dreadful.

truth.)

Master Jervie read them

last

one

let
I

was

that

didn't

talking about.

politeness interfere with

did

just a little sketch laid

said wasn't bad;

and he had

it

type-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
written,

and

sent

two weeks; maybe

You

it

to a magazine. They've had

they're thinking

should see the sky!

it

it

over.

There's the queerest

orange-colored light over everything. We're going to

have a storm.

It

commenced

as quarters

and

just that

moment with drops

as big

the shutters banging. I had to run

all

to close windows, while Carrie flew to the attic with

an armful of milk pans to put under the places where

the roofs leaks
pen,

and then,

remembered

just as I

was resuming

that I'd left a cushion

my

and rug and

hat and Matthew Arnold's poems under a tree in the

orchard, so

The

dashed out to get them,

all

quite soaked.

red cover of the poems had run into the inside;

"Dover Beach"

in the future will be

washed by pink

waves.

A storm

is

awfully disturbing in the country.

are always having to think of so

many

You

things that are

out of doors and getting spoiled.

Thursday.

Daddy! Daddy! What do you think? The postman

has just

come with two letters.

My story accepted.
Alorsf Fm an AUTHOR.
ist.

is

[772]

$50.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
2d.

^A letter

from the college secretary

a scholarship for
tuition.

two

Fm to have

years that will cover board and

was founded by an alumna for "marked

It

proficiency in English with general excellency in

And

other Hues."
I left,

of

but

I've

won

it!

applied for

didn't have an idea I'd get

my Freshman bad work in math,

seems I've made

cause

now

it

up.

am

it,

it

before

on account

and Latin. But

awfully glad, Daddy, be-

won't be such a burden to you.

monthly allowance

will be

it

all I'll

need, and

The

maybe

can earn that with writing or tutoring or something.

I'm crazy to go bact and begin work.

Yours

ever,

Jerusha Abbott,

Author

of,

"When

Won the
news

the Sophomores

Game." For

sale at all

stands, price ten cents.

lm\

September 26th.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Back
study

at college again

is

and an upper classman. Our

better than ever this year

with two huge windows

faces the South

and oh! so furnished.

JuHa,

with an unlimited allowance, arrived two days early

and was attacked with a fever of

We

have

mahogany

new

not painted mahogany which made

chairs

us sufficiently happy
gorgeous, but

last

wrong

for fear

I'll

It's

very

belonged in

it;

get an ink spot in

place.

And, Daddy,
pardon

year, but real.

don't feel as though

Fm nervous all the time

the

settling.

wall paper and Oriental rugs and

found your

mean your

letter

waiting for

me

secretary's.

Will you kindly convey to me a comprehensible

reason why I should not accept that scholarship? I
don't understand your objection in the

way,

it

won't do the

slightest

for I've already accepted

U74]

But any-

good for you to

and

it

least.

am

object,

not going to

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
change! That sounds a

mean
I

impertinent, but

little

don't

it so.

suppose you feel that

me, you'd

when you

set

out to educate

work, and put a neat

like to finish the

period, in the shape of a diploma, at the end.

But look
I

at

owe

shall

though

I let

be quite so

want me

second from

just a

it

my

much

for the

indebted.

if I

it,

makes

it

ing to spend the rest of

but
of

now I

shall

know

money, but

to return the

going to want to do

whole of

so

it,

of view.

much

education to you just as

you pay

this scholarship

my point
but

that

as

won't

you don't

nevertheless, I

am

possibly can; and winning

much

my

life

easier.

in

was expect-

paying

my

debts,

only have to spend one-half of the

rest

it.

hope you understand

The

cross.

cept.

It

allowance

This

tastes,
isn't

but

a lot

position and won't be

I shall still

most gratefully ac-

requires an allowance to live

her furniture!
simpler

my

or else that she were not

much

I've

up to JuHa and

wish that she had been reared to

of a

letter; I

my room-mate.

meant to have written

been hemming four window curtains

and three portieres (I'm glad you can't see the length
of the stitches) and polishing a brass desk set with

tooth

powder (very

uphill

work) and sawing

off pic-

ture wire with manicure scissors, and unpacking four

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
boxes of books, and putting away two trunkfuls of
clothes

(it

doesn't seem believable that Jerusha

owns two trunks

welcoming back

Opening day

Good

night,

She's

of clothes, but she does!) and

fifty dear friends in

is

between.

a joyous occasion!

Daddy

cause your chick

full

is

dear,

and don't be annoyed be-

wanting to scratch for

growing up into an awfully energetic

^with a

very determined cluck and

ful feathers (all

Abbott

lots

herself.

little

due to you).
Affectionately,

Judy.

[iy6]

hen

of beauti-

September 30th.
Dear Daddy,

Are you

knew
able,

harping on that scholarship?

still

man

never

so obstinate and stubborn and unreason-

and tenacious, and bull-doggish, and unable-to-

see-other-peopleVpoints-of-view as you.

You
from

prefer that

there

And what

any one

shouldn't recognize

Now, you

see, if

and had written

your

should not be accepting favors

strangers.

Strangers!
Is

Httle

are you, pray?

in the

you

world that

if I

know

met you on the

you had been a

nice,

less?

street.

sane, sensible person

cheering, fatherly letters to

Judy, and had come occasionally and patted

her on the head, and had said you were glad she was

such a good
flouted

your

you

Then, perhaps, she wouldn't have

girl

in

slightest

meant to

your old
wish

would have obeyed

daughter she was

be.

Strangers indeed!

Smith.

age, but

like the dutiful

You

live in a glass house,

Mr.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
And

besides, this isn't a favor;

earned

by hard work.

it

enough

in

English,

the

If

it's

like a prize

But what's the

You

^I

nobody had been good

committee wouldn't have

awarded the scholarship; some years they

don't.

use of arguing with a

Also

man?

belong, Mr. Smith, to a sex devoid of a sense of

logic.

To

bring a

man

into line, there are just

two

methods: one must either coax or be disagreeable.

men

scorn to coax

must be

for

what

Therefore,

wish.

I
I

disagreeable.

to give

I refuse, sir,

up the

scholarship;

and

if

you

make any more

fuss, I

lowance

but will wear myself into a nervous

either,

won't accept the monthly

al-

wreck tutoring stupid Freshmen.

my

That

is

And

listen

ultimatum!

are so afraid that

have a further thought.

by

You can

apply the

money

that

you would have

spent for me, toward educating some other

little girl

from the John Grier Home. Don't you think

nice idea? Only,
as

you

you

am deknow a way

taking this scholarship,

priving some one else of an education,

out.

Since

Daddy, educate the new

that's a

girl as

much

choose, but please don't like her any better than

me.
I trust

pay so

that

your secretary won't be hurt because

httle attention to the suggestions offered in his

[775]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
letter,

but

I can't help it if

he

is.

Daddy.

I've

meekly given in to

but

time

intend to be

Mind,

this

He's a spoiled child,

his

whims

heretofore,

FIRM,

Yours,

With

Completely and Irrevocably and

World-without-End Made-up.
Jerusha Abbott.

[^79]

November

9th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

I started

down town

to-day to buy a bottle of shoe

blacking and some collars and the material for a

new

blouse and a jar of violet cream and a cake of Castile

soap

all

very necessary;

day without them

found that

fare, I

my

other coat. So

car,

and was

It's

had
I

left

happy another

couldn't be

and when

tried to

pay the car

my purse in the pocket of

had to get out and take the next

gymnasium.

late for

a dreadful thing to have no

memory and two

coats!

Julia

Pendleton has invited

Christmas hoHdays.

Smith?

Home,

How

me

does that strike you, Mr.

Fancy Jerusha Abbott, of the John Grier

sitting at the tables of the rich.

why Julia wants meshe seems to

tached to me of late. I should, to
much
so

if I

to visit her for the

prefer going to

go anywhere,

Sallie's,
it

don't

know

be getting quite
tell

at-

the truth, very

but Julia asked

must be to

[j8o]

me

New York

first,

instead

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
of to Worcester.

Fm

rather

awed

meeting Pendletons en masse, and

a

Daddy

also I'd

have to get

dear, if

yon write

you would prefer having me remain

quietly at

lot of

that

new

at the prospect of

college, I will

clothes

so,

bow to your wishes with my usual sweet

docility.

Fm

engaged

Letters of

at

odd moments with the "Life and

Thomas Huxley"

it

ing to pick up between times.

archseopteryx

Fm not sure

is?

It's

a bird.

myself but

think

makes nice,

Do you know what an

And a stereognathus?
it's

a missing link, like

a bird with teeth or a lizard with wings.

either; I've just

mammal,

light read-

looked in the book.

It's

No,

it isn't

a mesozoic

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
I've elected

subject.

economics

When I

this

finish that

year

^very illuminating

I'm going to take Charity

and Reform; then, Mr. Trustee,

I'll

know

just

how

orphan asylum ought to be run. Don't you think

make an admirable voter

twenty-one

last

week.

if I

This

had
is

my

rights?

an
I'd

was

an awfully wasteful

country to throw away such an honest, educated, conscientious, intelligent citizen as I

would

be.

Yours always,
Judy.

[182]

December

7th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Thank you

take

it

means consent.

that silence

Such

for permission to visit Julia

weVe been

a social whirl as

founder's dance

came

last

week

this

having!

The

was the

first

year that any of us could attend; only upper classmen

being allowed.
I

Jimmie McBride, and

invited

Sallie invited his

who visited them last summer

an awfully nice man with red hair
at their camp
and Julia invited a man from New York, not very

room-mate

at Princeton,

exciting, but socially irreproachable.

with the

De

la

He

is

connected

Mater Chichesters. Perhaps that means

something to you?

It doesn't illuminate

me

to

any

extent.

However

our

guests

came Friday afternoon

in

time for tea in the Senior corridor, and then dashed

down

to the hotel for dinner.

that they slept in

rows on the

The

hotel

was so

billiard tables,

full

they say.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Jimmie McBride says that the next time he
to a social event in this college,

he

is

bidden

is

going to bring

one of their Adirondack tents and pitch

on the

it

campus.

At

seven-thirty they

came back for the

Our

reception and dance.

We

had the men's cards

and

after every dance,

under the

letter that

functions

President's

commence

early!

made out ahead of time,

v^e'd leave them in groups
all

stood for their names, so that

they could be readily found

by

their next partners.

Jimmie McBride, for example, v^ould stand patiently

under

"M"

until he

was claimed. (At

least,

he ought

to have stood patiently, but he kept v^andering off and

getting mixed with "R's" and "S's" and
letters.)

found him a very

all sorts

difficult guest;

sulky because he had only three dances with me.

said he

was bashful about dancing with

girls

of

he was

He

he didn't

know!

The

next morning

who do you

we had

think wrote the funny

posed for the occasion?

tell

a glee club concert

It's

new song com-

the truth. She did.

you. Daddy, your Httle foundling

and

is

Oh,

getting to be

quite a prominent person!

Anyway, our gay two days were great fun, and I

think the men enjoyed it. Some of them were awfully
perturbed

at first at the

prospect of facing one thou-

[184]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
sand

girls;

Our

but they got acclimated very quickly.

two Princeton men had

politely said they had,

at least

they

and they've invited us to

their

a beautiful time

dance next spring. We've accepted, so please don't

Daddy

object,

and

Julia

want

dear.

and

Sallie

I all

them?

to hear about

had

new

Julia's

dresses.

was cream

Do you
satin

gold embroidery, and she wore purple orchids.

was

dream and came from

Paris,

and
It

and cost a million

dollars.
Sallie's

was pale blue trimmed with Persian em-

broidery, and

went beautifully with red

cost quite a million, but

Mine was

J.

to get)

McB.

And

satin.

all

had

didn't

trimmed with

carried crimson roses

sent (SaHie having told

And we

It

just as effective as Julia's.

pale pink crepe de chine

ecru lace and rose

which

was

hair.

satin slippers

him what color

and

silk

stock-

ings and chiffon scarfs to match.

You must be

deeply impressed

by

these millinery

details!

One can't help thinking, Daddy, what a colorless

life a man is forced to lead, when one reflects that
chiffon and Venetian point and hand embroidery and
Irish crochet are to

woman, whether

him mere empty words. Whereas

she

is

interested in babies or mi-

crobes or husbands or poetry or servants or parallelo-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
grams or gardens or Plato or bridge

and always
It's

world

^is

fundamentally

interested in clothes.

the one touch of nature that makes the whole

kin.

(That

isn't original.

got

it

out of one of

Shakespeare's plays.)

Do you want me to

However, to resume.
promise not to think

And

discovered?

secret that I've lately

me

vain?

Then

tell

you

will

you

listen:

I'm pretty.
I

am,

I'd

really.

be an awful idiot not to

know

it

with three looking-glasses in the room.

A
P.S.

This

is

Friend.

one of those wicked anonymous

you read about

in novels.

[i86]

letters

December

20th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs^

IVe
classes,

pack

and

a trunk

but

o'clock train

word

must attend two

a suitcase,

and catch the four

moment, because

just a

couldn't go without sending a

you know how much

to let

appreciate

my

Christmas box.
I

love the furs and the necklace and the liberty

scarf

and the gloves and handkerchiefs and books and

purse

and most of

all I

have no business to spoil

and
fixed

such worldly
I

now

and the Sunday ice-cream.

all

the

human

deflect

me

with

frivolities?

John Grier Trustees used

works

Daddy, you

I'm only

when you

career,

have strong suspicions

his

But,

How can I keep my mind sternly

a girl at that.

on a studious

love you!

me this way.

know

him!

as to

which one of the

to give the Christmas tree

He was

You

nameless, but

deserve to be

by

happy for

good things you do.

Good-by, and

very merry Christmas.

Yours always,
Judy.

P. S. I

am sending

you would

like

her

a slight token, too.

if

you knew

her?

Do you think

January 11th.
meant to write to you from the

Daddy, but

city,

New York is an engrossing place.

and

time,

had an interesting

Fm

glad

illuminating

don't belong in such a family!

truly rather have the John Grier

ground. Whatever the drawbacks

there

was

at least

no pretense about

The

Things.

house was crushing;

I

was on an

ture

it.

know now

are weighted

material atmosphere of that

didn't

draw

a deep breath until

coming back. All the

furni-

was carved and upholstered and gorgeous;

people

met were

and weU-bred, but

one word of

we

express train

left.

beautifully dressed
it's

real talk

I don't

but

should

Home for a backof my bringing up,

what people mean when they say they

down by

and low-voiced

the truth. Daddy,

from the time

the

we

never heard

arrived until

think an idea ever entered the front

door.

Mrs. Pendleton never thinks of anything but jewels

and dressmakers and social engagements. She did seem

[i88]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
a different kind of

mother from Mrs. McBride!

Fm going to make them

ever marry and have a family,

as exactly like the McBrides as

money

world would

in the

ever

Not

can.
let

youVe been

please excuse. This

is

very

for

all

the

any children of

mine develop into Pendletons. Maybe

to criticize people

If I

it isn't

visiting?

confidential,

polite

If it isn't,

between you

and me.
I

only saw Master Jervie once

time,

and then

alone. It
last

and

Julia's

called at tea

didn't have a chance to speak to

sort of disappointing after

summer.

tives

was

when he

our nice time

much for his relacare much for him!

don't think he cares

am

sure they don't

mother says

he's unbalanced.

He's a

Socialist

except, thank Heaven, he doesn't let his hair

and wear red

up

his

him

ties.

grow

She can't imagine where he picked

queer ideas; the family have been Church of

England for generations.

on every
on such

He

throws away

money

sort of crazy reform, instead of spending

sensible things as yachts

polo ponies.

He

sent Juha and

You know,

me
I

does

it

and automobiles and

buy candy with

it

though!

He

each a box for Christmas.

think

I'll

be a

Socialist,

wouldn't mind, would you. Daddy?

different

his

too.

They're quite

from Anarchists; they don't beUeve

ing people up. Probably

am one by

[189]

You

in

rights; I

blow-

belong

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
to the proletariat. I haven't determined yet just

kind

am going to

Sunday, and declare

my

gilding

My

mind

and hotels and beautiful

College

is

still

am

find

are.

who

life;

keep you

classes

have the gymnasium and outdoor

you

New

more bracing than

when your mind

plenty of congenial friends

my

a student; this atmos-

a very satisfying sort of

mentally, and then

pretty

to get back to college and

books and study and regular

the same things

Fm

and palms.

believe that I really

phere of academic calm

York.

next.

a confused jumble of onyx and

floors

am glad

breathless but I

books

is

and mosaic

my

principles in

I've seen loads of theaters

houses.

which

be. I will look into the subject over

alive

gets tired,

athletics,

the

you

and always

are thinking about

We spend

whole evening

and go to bed with

in nothing but talk

talk

talk

very uplifted feeling as though

we had

manently some pressing world problems.

every crevice, there

in

up but very

sense

^just silly

is

satisfying.

We

little

And

filling

lot of

non-

things that

come

always such a

jokes about the

settled per-

do appreciate our own

witticisms!
It isn't
it's

the great big pleasures that count the most;

making a great deal out of the

little

ones

I've dis-

covered the true secret of happiness. Daddy, and that

IS

to live in the

now. Not to be forever regretting the

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
past, or anticipating the future;

that

you can out of

this

very

but to get the most

instant. It's like farming.

You can have extensive farming and

ing; well, I am going to have intensive

Fm

intensive farmliving after this.

Fm

going to enjoy every second, and

know Fm

enjoying

people don't

live;

it

they

reach some goal far

Fm

while

away on

enjoying

They

just race.

going to

Most

it.

are trying to

the horizon, and in the

heat of the going they get so breathless and panting

that they lose all sight of the beautiful, tranquil coun-

try they are passing through; and then the

they know, they are old and

make any

and

out,

it

thing

doesn't

difference whether they've reached the goal

or not. Fve decided to

up

worn

first

a lot of

little

sit

down by

pheress as

am

way and

pile

if I

never become a

know

such a philoso-

happinesses, even

Great Author. Did you ever

the

developing into?

Yours

ever,

Judy.

P. S.

It's

raining cats and dogs to-night.

Two

puppies and a kitten have just landed on the windowsiU.

[191]

Dear ComradCy
Hooray!

Vm

a Fabian.

That's a Socialist who's willing to wait.

want the
ing;

it

social revolution to

would be too

don't

come to-morrow morn-

upsetting.

We

want

very gradually in the distant future,

all

We
it

to

come

when we

shall

be prepared and able to sustain the shock.

In the meantime

we must be

getting ready,

by

insti-

tuting industrial, educational and orphan-asylum re-

forms.

Yours, with fraternal love,

Judy.

Monday, 3d hour.

[ip2]

February 11th.
Dear D. L.

L.,

Don't be insulted because

a letter;

it's

just a line to

letter pretty

soon

when

not only necessary that

have a scholarship to

this is so short.

examinations are over.

I pass,

live

It isn't

say that I'm going to write a

up

but pass

WELL.

to.

Yours, studying hard,

J.

[^93]

It is

A.

March

5th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

President Cuyler
the

He

made

a speech this evening about

modern generation being

says that

we

flippant

and

superficial.

are losing the old ideals of earnest

endeavor and true scholarship; and particularly

noticeable

falling-off

in

this

our disrespectful attitude

toward organized authority.

seemly deference to our

is

We

no longer pay a

superiors.

came away from chapel very sober.

Am I too familiar, Daddy? Ought I
I

with more dignity and aloofness?

ought.

My

I'll

to treat

Yes,

Fm

you

sure

begin again.

dear Mr, Smithy

You
fully

will be pleased to hear that I passed success-

my

mid-year examinations, and

mencing work

new

semester.

having completed the course

and am entering upon the study of biology.

chemistry
analysis

in the

am now comI am leaving

in qualitative

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
I

approach

we

derstand that

An

with some

this subject

dissect

hesitation, as I

angleworms and

un-

frogs.

extremely interesting and valuable lecture was

given in the chapel

Southern France.

last
I

week upon Roman Remains

have never listened to a more

in
il-

luminating exposition of the subject.

We are reading Wordsworth's "Tintem Abbey" in

connection with our course in English Literature.

What an

exquisite

embodies

his

movement

work

it is,

how

and

conception of Pantheism!

adequately

it

The Romantic

of the early part of the last century, ex-

emplified in the
Keats, and

works of such poets

as Shelley,

Byron,

Wordsworth, appeals to me very much

more than the

Classical period that

you ever read

ing of poetry, have

preceded

it.

Speak-

that charming

little

thing of Tennyson's called "Locksley Hall"?

I

am

gymnasium very regularly of

attending

late.

proctor system has been devised, and failure to com-

ply with the rules causes a great deal of inconvenience.

The gymnasium

is

equipped with a very beautiful

swimming tank of cement and marble,

former graduate.
given

me

My

it)

and

room-mate, Miss McBride, has

her bathing-suit

no longer wear

the gift of

(it

am

shrank so that she can

about to begin swimming

lessons.

We

had delicious pink ice-cream for dessert

last

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Only

night.

food.

The

esthetic

vegetable dyes are used in coloring the

college

is

very

much

opposed, both from

and hygienic motives, to the use of

dyes.

The weather

of late has been ideal

shine and clouds interspersed with a

snow-storms.

and

walks to and from

Trusting,
in

^bright sun-

few welcome

my companions have enjoyed our

particularly from.

classes

my dear Mr.

your usual good

aniline

Smith, that this will find

health,

remain.

Most

cordially yours,

Jerusha Abbott.

[196]

you

April 24th.
Dear Daddy,

You

Spring has come again!

campus

the

is.

think

should see

how

lovely

you might come and look

at

it

for yourself. Master Jervie dropped in again last Fri-

day

^but

and

Julia

he chose a most unpropitious time, for

and

were

And where do you

just

think

running to catch a

we were

going?

ton, to attend a dance and a ball game,

I

didn't ask

that

you

if I

might go, because

your secretary would say no. But

regular;

we had

leave-of-absence

Mrs. McBride chaperoned

time

^but I shall

many and

us.

have to omit

if

We

train.

To

Prince-

you

please!

had a feeling

it

from

Sallie

was

entirely

college,

and

had a charming

details;

they are too

complicated.

Saturday.

Up

The night watchman called us

six of us
and we made coffee in a chafing dish (you
never saw so many grounds! ) and walked two miles
before dawn!

[^97]

to the top of

One Tree

had to scramble up the

us!

And

Hill to see the sun

The sun

last slope!

perhaps you think

we

rise.

We

almost beat

didn't bring

back ap-

petites to breakfast!

Dear me, Daddy,

style to-day; this
I

seem to have a very ejaculatory

page

is

peppered

meant to have written a

trees

and the new cinder path

the awful lesson

we

about the budding

in the athletic field,

lake,

and Catherine

has pneumonia, and Prexy's

strayed from

exclamations.

and

have in biology for to-morrow,

and the new canoes on the

who

lot

vi^ith

home and

Angora

Prentiss

kitten that

has been boarding in Fergus-

U9S]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
sen Hall for
it,

two weeks

my

and about

three

until a

new

and blue polka dots with

sleepy. I

But

by

am

is

dresses

a hat to

always making

a girls' college

chambermaid reported

this

^white

but

match

and pink
I

am too

am I not?
we do get tired
when the day be-

an excuse,

busy place and

the end of the day! Particularly

gins at

dawn.
Affectionately,

Judy.

/I

This

is"R>LVj'9

Kitten.

V(ou C9n see

f/om the picture bow

[199]

May

15th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Is it

good manners when you get

stare straight

into a car just to

ahead and not see anybody

else?

very beautiful lady in a very beautiful velvet

dress got into the car to-day,

and without the

slightest

expression sat for fifteen minutes and looked at a sign

advertising

suspenders.

seem

doesn't

It

polite

to

you were the only

Anyway, you miss a lot.

ignore everybody else as though

important person present.

While she was absorbing that

a whole car

full

of interesting

The accompanying
duced for the

end of a

learning to

The
of
It

first

string,

silly sign, I

time.

but

swim

human

illustration
It

it isn't

was studying

beings.

is

hereby repro-

looks like a spider on the

at all; it's a picture

in the tank in the

of

gymnasium.

instructor hooks a rope into a ring in the

my belt, and runs it through a pulley in the

would be a

beautiful system

if

me

back

ceiling.

one had perfect con-

fidence in the probity of one's instructor. I'm always

\_200'\

afraid,

though, that she will

let

the rope get slack, so I

keep one anxious eye on her and swim with the other,

and with

this divided interest I

do not make the prog-

ress that I otherwise might.

Very miscellaneous weather we're having of late.

raining when I commenced and now the sun

was

shining.

and

Sallie

Gym.

week

later.

should have finished this letter long ago, but

didn't.

You

very regular?

don't mind, do you, Daddy,

I

really

is

are going out to play tennis

thereby gaining exemption from

It

if

do love to write to you;

I'm not
it

gives

me such a respectable feeling of having some family.

Would you like me to tell you something? You are
not the only man to whom I write letters. There are
[201]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
two

others!

letters this

have been receiving beautiful long

winter from Master Jervie (with type-

written envelopes so Julia won't recognize the writing)

Did you ever hear anything

every week or so a very scrawly

so shocking?
epistle,

And

usually

on

yellow tablet paper, arrives from Princeton. All of

which
see

^I

answer with businesslike promptness. So you

am not so

different

from other girls

get mail,

too.

Did

I tell

you

that I have been elected a

member

of

Very recherche organizaOnly seventy-five members out of one thousand.

the Senior Dramatic Club?

tion.

Do you

think as a consistent Socialist that

ought to

belong?

What do you suppose

tention in sociology?

is at

am

present engaging

writing (figurez vousl) a

paper on the Care of Dependent Children.

fessor shuffled

up

his subjects

promiscuously, and that

my atPro-

and dealt them out

to me.

fell

The

Cest drole

ga,

ffest pas?

There goes the gong for

dinner.

I'll

mail this as

pass the chute.

Affectionately,
J-

[202]

June
Dear Daddy

4th.

Very busy time

commencement in ten days, ex-

aminations to-morrow; lots of studying, lots of packing,

and the outdoors world so lovely that it hurts you

to stay inside.

But never mind, vacation's coming.

abroad

summer

this

doubt about

Julia

No

makes the fourth time.

^it

Daddy, goods are not

it.

going

is

distributed

And
You may have
Lock Willow? Wrong. The Adiron-

evenly. Sallie, as usual, goes to the Adirondacks.

what do you think

three guesses.

dacks with
again;

Sallie?

else?

you. Daddy,
jections. I

is

am

am

if

(I'll

never attempt that

last year.)

Can't

you guess

You're not very inventive.

you'll promise not to

warn your

made

going to do?

Wrong.

was discouraged

anything

mind

make

I'll

tell

a lot of ob-

secretary ahead of time that

my

up.

going to spend the summer at the seaside with

a Mrs. Charles Paterson and tutor her daughter

to enter college in the autumn.

McBrides, and she

is

who

is

met her through the

a very charming

woman.

am

to give lessons in English and Latin to the younger

[203]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
daughter, too, but

and

you

that impress

She offered

it; I

little

time to myself,

a month!

Doesn't

as a perfectly exorbitant

amount?

be earning

I shall

have a

I shall

fifty dollars

should have blushed to ask more than

tvi^enty-five.
I finish at

Magnolia

(that's vi^here she lives) the first

of September and shall probably spend the remaining

three

weeks

at

Lock Willow

Semples again and

How

does

my

all

my

feet

and

should like to see the

the friendly animals.

program

think

strike

you

getting quite independent,

on

you, Daddy?

see.

You

have put

am
me

can almost walk alone by

now.
Princeton commencement and our examinations
exactly coincide
I did so

that

is

want

^which

to get

is

away

an awful blow.

in time for

it,

Sallie

and

but of course

utterly impossible.

Good-by, Daddy. Have a nice summer and come

back in the autumn rested and ready for another year
of work.

me! )

(That's

what you ought

haven't an idea

what you do

to be writing to
in the

summer, or

how you amuse yourself. I can't visualize your surroundings. Do you play golf or hunt or ride horseback or

just sit in the

sun and meditate?

Anyway, whatever it

is,

have a good time and don't

forget Judy.

[204]

June Tenth.
Dear Daddy,
This

is

the hardest letter

cided what

It is

of

me

for

was intoxicated by the

to refuse to take

get

me

it

going to be any-

me to Europe this summer

second thoughts said no.

then use

isn't

It

idea;

your money for

many

but sober

would be rather

instead just for amusement!

used to too

have de-

very sweet and generous and dear

of you to wish to send

moment

ever wrote, but

must do, and there

turning back.

the

luxuries.

what one has never had; but

it is

One

illogical

college,

You

and

mustn't

doesn't miss

awfully hard going

without things after one has commenced thinking

they are

his

hers

(English language needs another

pronoun) by natural
Julia

They

is

right.

an awful strain on

Living with

my

Sallie

and

stoical philosophy.

have both had things from the time they were

babies; they accept happiness as a matter of course.

The World, they think, owes them everything they

want. Maybe the World does ^in any case, it seems

to acknov/ledge the debt and

it

owes me nothing and

pay up. But

distinctly told

[20^]

me

as for

me,

so in the

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
beginning. I have no right to

come a time when the World

there will

my
I

borrow on

credit, for

will repudiate

claim.

seem to be floundering in a sea of metaphor

hope you grasp

my

meaning?

Anyway,

very strong feeling that the only honest thing for

to do

is

to teach this

summer and begin

^but

have a

me

to support

myself.

Magnolia,

Four days

think

later.

much written, when what do you

happened? The maid arrived with Master

got just that

I'd

Jervie's card.

He is going abroad too this summer; not

with Julia and her family but entirely by himself.

told

him

who

is

that

you had

invited

chaperoning a party of

you, Daddy. That

is,

me

to

girls.

go with a lady

He knows about

he knows that

my

father

mother are dead, and that a kind gentleman

me

to college;

is

and

sending

simply didn't have the courage to

tell

him about the John Grier Home and all the rest. He
thinks that you are my guardian and a perfectly legitimate old family friend. I have never told him that I
didn't

know you

Anyway, he
said that

it

^that

insisted

would seem too queer!

on

my

going to Europe.

was a necessary part of

[206]

my

He

education and

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
that I mustn't think of refusing. Also, that he

we would run

be in Paris at the same time, and that

away from

would

the chaperon occasionally and have dinner

together at nice, funny, foreign restaurants.

Well, Daddy,
ened;

if

it

did appeal to me!

he hadn't been so

have entirely weakened.

but

know what was good

In any case,
I

we entirely
packed

thought

Top

(the

trunk

name of Mrs.

my

fair to

first

I shall

difficult

little

She

is

life

are

at Cliff

my

one) already

And

it

bids

most uncommonly

have to teach her

she has never in her

more

They

am

Paterson's cottage) with

study
thing

declension nouns.

be a struggle!

spoiled child;

bridges in flames

now. Here

trunk unpacked and Florence (the

struggling with

and came up

fast

writing to you.

I finished

am

-I

did!

my

entirely reduced to ashes

for me; I ought to

almost quarreled

I'd better see

behind m.e before

me) and

We

let older people judge.

not sure but that

step,

stubborn child (those are a

his abusive adjectives; the rest escape

that I didn't

should

can be enticed step by

rational, quixotic, idiotic,

here.

maybe

He said I was a silly, foolish, ir-

nvofft be forced.

few of

dictatorial,

almost weak-

first

how

to

concentrated on any-

than ice-cream soda water.

We use a quiet corner of the cliffs for a schoolroom

Mrs. Paterson wishes me

to keep

[20J]

them out of doors

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

and

I will

say that 1 find

me and

with the blue sea before

And when

think

foreign lands

but

thing but Latin

The
or

ships a-sailing by!

sailing off to

myself think of any-

I "wofi^t let

Grammar.

prepositions a or ab, absque, coram, cum, de, e

So you
with

to concentrate

might be on one,

ex, prae, pro, sine, tenus, in, subter,

govern the

my

sub and super

ablative.

see.

Daddy,

am already plunged

into

work

eyes persistently set against temptation.

Don't be cross with me,

I

it difficult

please,

and don't think that

do not appreciate your kindness, for

do

always

The only way I can ever repay you is by

turning out a Very Useful Citizen (Are women citizens? I don't suppose they are). Anyway, a Very
Useful Person. And when you look at me you can
say, *'I gave that Very Useful Person to the world."
always.

That sounds

well, doesn't

wish to mislead you.

me

that

am

not

a career, but in
different

by
to

The

it.

Daddy! But

feeling often

at all remarkable;

all

probabiHty,

it is

don't

comes over
fun to plan

shan't turn out a bit

from any other ordinary person.

may end

marrying an undertaker and being an inspiration

him

in his work.

Yours

ever,

Judy.

[208]

August

19th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

My window

looks out

on the

loveliest landscape

nothing but water and rocks.

ocean-scape rather

The summer

goes. I spend the

and English and Algebra and

don't

know how Marion

my

morning with Latin

two

stupid

is

don't suppose

but oh! such a

hopeless
it

ever going to get into

is

And

college, or stay in after she gets there.

Florence, she

girls.

little

as for

beauty.

matters in the least whether they are

stupid or not so long as they are pretty?

help thinking though,

how

One

can't

their conversation will

bore their husbands, unless they are fortunate enough

to obtain stupid husbands.
sible;

I've

met a number

this

In the afternoon

swim,

suppose that's quite pos-

the world seems to be filled with stupid men;

if

the tide

is

with the utmost ease

we

summer.
take a walk on the

right.

can swim in

^you see my

being put to use!

[209]

cliffs,

salt

education

is

or

water

already

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

A letter comes from Mr. Jervis Pendleton in Paris,

rather a short, concise letter; I'm not quite forgiven

However,

yet for refusing to follow his advice.

he gets back in time, he will see

Lock Willow before

at

me

college opens, and if I

very nice and sweet and

docile, I shall (I

if

few days

for a

am

am

led to

infer) be received into favor again.

Also a
their

letter

camp

for

from

two weeks

in

your permission, or haven't

where

can do as

I please?

me

come to
September. Must I ask

She wants

Sallie.

yet arrived at the place

Yes, I

am

sure I have

I'm a Senior, you know. Having worked

I feel like

to see Sallie's brother

^and

(we come

want Master

find

me

summer,

to

he's

want

to see Sallie;

going to teach

my chief motive,

Jervie to arrive at

want

want

me to canoe

which

is

mean)

Lock Willow and

not there.

I frmst

show him

one can dictate to

always!

all

taking a Httle healthful recreation;

to see the Adirondacks;

to

that he can't dictate to me.

me

but you,

Daddy

and you

I'm off for the woods.

Judy.

[2101

No
can't

Camp McBride,
September

6th.

Dear Daddy,

Your

letter didn't

come

in time (I

am

pleased to

you wish your instructions to be obeyed, you

must have your secretary transmit them in less than
two weeks. As you observe, I am here, and have been
say). If

for five days.

The woods

are fine,

and so

the camp, and so

is

the weather, and so are the McBrides, and so

Fm

whole world.

is

is

the

very happy!

There's Jimmie calling for

me

to

come

canoeing.

sorry to have disobeyed, but why are you

Good-by

so persistent about not wanting

When
You

I've

all

summer

to play a Httle?

deserve

two weeks.

are awfully dog-in-the-mangerish.

However
your

worked

me

love

you

still,

Daddy,

in spite of

faults.

Judy.

[211]

al]

October 3rd.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,
Back

at college

Monthly,

and a Senior

It doesn't

seem

also editor of the

possible, does

sophisticated a person, just four years ago,

mate of the John Grier Home?

it,

that so

was an

in-

We do arrive fast in

America!

What do you

think of this?

Jervie directed to

note from Master

Lock Willow and forwarded

here.

He's sorry but he finds that he can't get up there

this

autumn; he has accepted an invitation to go yachting

with some

friends.

Hopes

am enjoying the country.

And he knew all the

I've

time that I was with the

McBrides, for Julia told him

leave intrigue to

had a nice summer and

women; you

so!

You men ought

to

haven't a light enough

touch.

JuHa has a trunkful of the most ravishing

new

an evenmg gown of rainbow Liberty crepe

clothes
that

would be

fitting

raiment for the angels in Para-

[212]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
And

disc.

thought that

were unprecedentedly
ful.

(is

my own

clothes this year

there such a

word? )

beauti-

copied Mrs. Paterson's wardrobe with the aid

of a cheap dressmaker, and though the

turn out quite twins of the originals,

happy

until Julia

unpacked. But

gowns
was

now

^I

didn't

entirely

live to see

Paris!

you glad you're not a girl? I

suppose you think that the fuss we make over clothes
Dear Daddy,

is

aren't

too absolutely

it's

entirely

your

silly?

It

is.

No

doubt about

it.

But

fault.

Did you ever hear about the learned Herr Professor

who

regarded unnecessary adornment with contempt,

and favored

sensible, utilitarian clothes for

who was an obliging

reform." And what do you

women?
adopted

His wife,

creature,

"dress

think he did?

eloped with a chorus

He

girl.

Yours

ever,

Judy.

The chamber-maid on our corridor wears blue

checked gingham aprons. I am going to get her some
brown ones instead, and sink the blue ones in the
P.S.

bottom of the
time

lake.

look at them.

have a reminiscent

chill

every

November

17th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Such
I

don't

like

a blight has fallen over

know whether

to

some sympathy

reopen the

you or

tell

literary career.

would

not, but I

sympathy, please; don't

silent

wound by

my

referring to

it

your next

in

letter.

been writing a book,

I've

nings,

my

and

two

all

summer when

stupid children.

lege opened and sent

months and

was

it

all last

winter in the eve-

wasn't teaching Latin to

I just

finished

to a publisher.

certain he

it

He

was going

before colit

two

it;

but

kept

to take

yesterday morning an express parcel came (thirty

cents due) and there

from the
frank!

was back again with a

letter

publisher, a very nice, fatherly letter

He

said

he saw from the address that

in college,

and

would suggest

that

still

it

if I
I

would accept some

put

all

of

my

^but

was

advice, he

energy into

lessons

and wait

write.

He enclosed his reader's opinion. Here it is:

until I graduated before beginning to

"Plot highly improbable.

Characterization exag-

gerated. Conversation unnatural.

mor but not always

A good

in the best of taste.

keep on trying, and in time she

book."

my

deal of hu-

Tell her to

may produce

a real

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Not on
thought

the whole flattering,

was making

I v/as

it

while

Christmas. But I dare say the editor

two weeks was not enough

in

it

walking with

me

is

col-

at Julia's last

right.

Probably

to observe the

city.

yesterday afternoon, and

when I came

to the gas house,

engineer

might borrow

if I

American

graduated.

was

which

manners and customs of a great

took

planning to surprise you

writing a great novel before

lected the material for

Daddy? And

a notable addition to

literature, I did truly.

by

is it,

went

in

and asked the

his furnace.

He

politely

my own hands I chucked it

I felt as though I had cremated my only child!

opened the door, and with

in.
I
I

went

to bed last night utterly dejected; I thought

was never going

amount to anything, and

to

that

you had thrown away your money for nothing. But

what do you think?

woke up

about

day planning

all

as I could be.
pessimist!

plot in

No

If I

this

morning with a

my head, and Fve been going

my characters, just as happy

beautiful

new

one can ever accuse

me

of being a

had a husband and twelve children

swallowed by an earthquake one day, Fd bob up

smiUngly the next morning and commence to look
for another

set.

Affectionately,

Judy.

December

14th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

I
I

dreamed the funniest dream

went

into a

book

store

new book named "The

bott." I could see

it

last night.

Life and Letters of

perfectly plainly

ing with a picture of the John Grier

cover, and

my

truly yours,

^red

my

tombstone,

woke

up.

It

cloth bind-

Home on

the

"Very
just

to the end to read the inscription

almost found out

on

was very annoying!

who Fm going

to

marry and when

die.

Don't you think it would be interesting

could read the story of your
truthfully

me

Judy Ab-

Judy Abbott," written below. But

was turning

Fm going to

thought

portrait for a frontispiece with,

as I

and the clerk brought

by an omniscient
on

life

author?

if

you really

^written perfectly

And suppose you

you would

could only read

it

never forget

but would have to go through

it,

this condition: that

life

knowing ahead of time exactly how everything you

did

would turn

the time

out,

and foreseeing to the exact hour

when you would

die.

[216]

How many people

do

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
you suppose would have

Or how many

the courage to read

it

then?

could suppress their curiosity

suffi-

ciently to escape

from reading

even at the price

it,

of having to live without hope and without surprises?

Life

and

is

monotonous enough

sleep about so often.

monotonous

it

would be

if

you have

at best;

Fm

on the

third page

to eat

deadly

nothing unexpected could

happen between meals. Mercy! Daddy,

but

how

But imagine

and

I can't

there's a blot,

new

begin a

sheet.

I'm going on with biology again

this

year

^very

interesting subject; we're studying the

aHmentary sys-

how

sweet a cross-

tem

You

at present.

section of the

should see

duodenum

of a cat

is

under the micro-

scope.

Also we've arrived at philosophy

evanescent.

prefer biology

^interesting

but

where you can pin the

subject under discussion to a board. There's another!

And

another!

excuse

This pen

is

weeping copiously. Please

its tears.

Do you

believe in free will?

I don't agree at all

that every action

is

do

^unreservedly.

with the philosophers

who

think

the absolutely inevitable and auto-

matic resultant of an aggregation of remote causes.

That's the most immoral doctrine

bodv would be

ever heard

to blame for anything.

[2iy]

If a

man

^no-

be-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
would

lieved in fatalism, he

and
sit

"The Lord's

say,

naturally just

will be done,"

sit

down

and continue to

until he fell over dead.

I

believe absolutely in

own power

to accomplish

my own

free will

and that

is

have four chapters of

and Evt more

This

Daddy?

I'm sorry

think we'll stop

I

a great

my new book finished

drafted.

a very abstruse letter

is

my

the belief that

moves mountains. You watch me become

author!

and

can't send

does your head ache,

now and make some

you a

piece;

good, for we're going to make

it

it

fudge.

will be unusually

with

real

cream and

three butter balls.

Yours

affectionately,

Judy.

P. S.

- ^/

We're having fancy dancing

in

gymnasium

You can see by the accompanying picture how

much we look like a real ballet. The one on the end
accompHshing a graceful pirouette is me I mean L
class.

[218]

December

My

26th.

Daddy

dear, dear

Haven't you any sense? Don't you

mustn't give one

girl

know

that

you

seventeen Christmas presents?

I'm a SociaHst, please remember; do you wish to turn

me

into a Plutocrat?

Think how embarrassing

ever quarrel!

to return your

am

with

it

we

should

VAN

my own

sent

was so wobbly;

hands (as you doubtless

covered from internal evidence).

wear

if

should have to engage a moving van

sorry that the necktie

I knit it

would be

gifts.

it

You

dis-

will have to

on cold days and keep your coat buttoned up

tight.

[2ip]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Thank you, Daddy, a thousand times.
you're the sweetest man that ever lived ^and

think

the fool-

ishest!

Judy.

Here's a four-leaf clover from

bring

you good luck

for the

Camp McBride

New Year.

220]

to

January 9th.

Do you
insure

who

wish to do something, Daddy, that will

your

eternal salvation?

There

a family here

is

are in awfully desperate straits.

mother and

the two older boys

father and four visible children

have disappeared into the world to

and have not sent any of

in a glass factory

unhealthy
hospital.

work

back.

The

their fortune

father

worked

awfully

and got consumption

it's

and now has been sent away to a

That took

port of the family

is

it

make

of their savings, and the sup-

all

upon the

falls

oldest daughter

who

twenty-four. She dressmakes for $1.50 a day (when

she can get

ning.

it)

and embroiders centerpieces in the eve-

The mother

ineffectual

very strong and

isn't

and pious. She

sits

is

extremely

with her hands folded,

a picture of patient resignation, while the daughter

kills

with overwork and responsibility and

herself

how

worry; she doesn't see

through the

rest of the

One hundred

dollars

they are going to get

and

winter

would buy some

[227]

don't either.

coal and

some

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
shoes for the three children so that they could go to

and give a

school,

worry

little

herself to death

margin so that she needn't

when

man

know. Don't you sup-

few days

pass and she

doesn't get work.

You

are the richest

pose you could spare one hundred dollars? That

more than

deserves help a lot

ask

it

except for the

pens to the mother

The way

girl; I

she

is

don't care

such a

much what hap-

jelly-fish.

it's

are perfectly dead sure

all

for the best,"

it's

not,

makes

me

Humility or resignation or whatever you

enraged.

choose to
a more

girl

wouldn't

people are forever rolling their eyes to

heaven and saying, "Perhaps

when they

ever did.

call

it,

is

simply impotent

inertia.

I'm for

militant religion!

We are getting the most dreadful lessons in philoso-

phy

all

of Schopenhauer for to-morrow.

fessor doesn't

seem to

realize that

we

The

pro-

are taking any

other subject. He's a queer old duck; he goes about

with

his

head in the clouds and blinks dazedly when

occasionally he strikes solid earth.

his lectures

tries to lighten

with an occasional witticism

our best to smile, but

laughing matter.

He

you

assure

and we do

his jokes are

no

spends his entire time between

classes in trying to figure out

exists

He

whether matter

or whether he only thinks

[222]

it exists.

really

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Vm
it

sure

my

sewing

girl hasn't

any doubt but

that

exists!

Where do you think my new novel is?

basket. I can see myself that

when

it's

no good on

a loving author realizes that,

judgment of a

In the waste
earth,

and

what "would be the

critical public?

Later.

Daddy, from a bed of

address you,

days I've been

laid

up with swollen

you were
sure

ing

tonsils; I

can

just

"What were your

have those tonsils out when

swallow hot milk, and that

parents thinking of not to

For two

pain.

is all.

baby?" the doctor wished to know. I'm

haven't an idea, but

doubt

if

they were think-

much about me.

Yours,

A.

J.

Next morning.
I

just read this

lohy

I cast

to assure
ant;

and

over before sealing

it.

such a misty atmosphere over

you

that I

I trust

don't

life.

am young and happy and

you

are the same.

know
hasten

exuber-

Youth has nothing

to do with birthdays, only with alivedness of spirit,

so even
a

if

your

hair

is

gray.

Daddy, you can

still

bo}^-.

Affectionately,

Judy.
[223.]

be

Jan. 12th.
Dear Mr, Philanthropist,

Your check
you

them
the

much!

so

my family came yesterday. Thank

for

cut gymnasium and took

relieved that she looked almost young;

twenty-four. Isn't

it

and

she's

only

the

good

pitiful?

now

she feels

though

as

all

were coming together. She has steady work

ahead for two months

and

to

She was so surprised and happy and

girl's face!

things

down

you should have seen

right after luncheon, and

Anyway,

it

some

there's a trousseau to

"Thank

the

one's getting married,

make.

good Lord!" cried the mother, when

she grasped the fact that that small piece of paper

one hundred

dollars.

"It wasn't the

good Lord

at all," said

Daddy-Long-Legs." (Mr. Smith,

"But

it

was

I,

"it

was

called you.)

was the good Lord who put

it

in his mind,"

said she.

"Not

at all!

put

it

in his

But anyway, Daddy,

reward you

suitably.

You

mind myself,"

trust the

said

good Lord

will

deserve ten thousand years

out of purgatory.

Yours most

gratefully,

Judy Abbott.
[22^]

Feb. 15 th.

May

it

Your Most Excellent Majesty:

please

This morning

did eat

my

turkey pie and a goose, and

which

(a china drink) of

breakfast

upon

a cold

did send for a cup of tee

had never drank before.

Don't be nervous, Daddy

haven't lost

my

mind;

I'm merely quoting Sam'l Pepys. We're reading him

in connection
Sallie

and

with English History, original sources.

Julia

and

converse

now

in the language of

1660. Listen to this:

"I

went

to Charing Cross to see

Major Harrison

hanged, drawn and quartered: he looking as cheerful

as

any man could do in that condition." And

"Dined with

my

for her brother

Seems a
doesn't

it?

lady

who

little

who

in

handsome mourning

died yesterday of spotted fever."

early

A friend

is

this:

to

commence

entertaining,

of Pepys devised a very cunning

manner whereby the king might pay

his debts

out of

the sale to poor people of old decayed provisions.

What do

you, a reformer, think of that?

don't be-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
we're so bad to-day as the newspapers make out.

lieve

Samuel was

as excited

he spent five times

as

about his clothes as any

much on

that appears to have been the

Golden Age of hus-

bands. Isn't this a touching entry?

was

honest.

"To-day came home

cloak with gold buttons, which cost

and

pray

Excuse

girl;

dress as his wife

You

see he really

my

fine

Camlett

me much money,

God to make me able to pay for it."

me for being so full of Pepys; I'm writing

a special topic on him.

What do you

think.

ment Association has

We

can keep our

Daddy?

The Self-Govem-

abolished the ten-o'clock rule.

lights all night if

only requirement being that

we do

we

choose, the

not disturb others

^we are not supposed to entertain on a large

The
ture.

result

is

a beautiful

scale.

commentary on human na-

Now that we may stay up as long as we choose,

we no

longer choose.

o'clock,

Our

heads begin to nod at nine

and by nine-thirty the pen drops from our

nerveless ^rasp.

It's

nine-thirty

now. Good

night.

Sunday.
Just back

from church

^preacher

We must take care, he says, not to

from Georgia.

develop our intel-

lects at the

expense of our emotional natures

thought

was

it

a poor, dry

^but

me-

sermon (Pepys again).

[226]

It

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
doesn't matter

what part of the United

States or

Canada they come from, or what denomination they

are

we

always get the same sermon.

Why

on earth

don't they go to men's colleges and urge the students

not to allow their manly natures to be crushed out by

too

much mental

application?

frozen and icy and

As
soon as dinner is over, Sallie and Julia and Marty
Keen and Eleanor Pratt (friends of mine, but you
a beautiful

It's

day

don't

know them) and

skirts

and walk

and have a

'cross

are going to put

We

board.

fried chicken

and waffle supper, and then

make

it

are supposed to be inside the

we

on short

country to Crystal Spring Farm

have Mr. Crystal Spring drive us home in

seven, but

clear.

his

buck-

campus

are going to stretch a point to-night

at

and

eight.

Farewell, kind Sir.

I

have the honour of subscribing myself,

Your most

loyall, dutifull, faithfuU

and obedient

servant,
J.

[227]

Abbott.

March

5th.

Dear Mr. Trustee,

To-morrow
a

is

the

weary day for the

they'll

be

when

Wednesday in the month

John Grier Home. How relieved
first

five o'clock

comes and you pat them

on the head and take yourselves

off!

Did you

(in-

me on the head, Daddy? I don't

my memory seems to be concerned only

dividually) ever pat

believe so

with

fat Trustees.

Give the

Home my

^my truly

love, please

have quite a feeling of tenderness for

through a haze of four years.

college

I felt

it

When

love.

as I look
I first

back

came

had had; but now,

regard

it

as a

don't feel that

life.

way

very unusual adventure.

a sort of vantage point

look at

to

quite resentful because I'd been robbed

of the normal kind of childhood that the other

Emerging

in the least.
It

from which to stand

full

grown,

girls

gives

me

aside

and

get a perspective

on the world, that other people who have been

brought up in the thick of things, entirely lack.

[228]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
I know lots of girls (Julia, for instance) who never
know that they are happy. They are so accustomed

to the feeling that their senses are deadened to

me

am

that I

am

happy.

as for
life

perfectly sure every

moment

Fm

to regard

them (even toothaches)

periences,

and be glad to know what they

sky's above me,

J.

G. H. too

Rousseau,
ling

of

my

literally.

shan't leave

If I

this

have

them on the

going

as interesting exfeel like.

Fve a heart for any

However, Daddy, don't take

the

but

And Fm going to keep on being,

no matter what unpleasant things turn up.

"Whatever

it,

new

fate."

affection for

five children, like

steps of a found-

asylum in order to insure their being brought up

simply.

Give
think,

is

my

kindest regards to Mrs. Lippett (that, I

truthful; love

don't forget to

tell

would be a

little

strong) and

her what a beautiful nature Fve

developed.
Affectionately,

Judy.

[22p]

Lock Willow.
April 4th.
Dear Daddy

Do you
bellishing

observe the postmark? Sallie and

are

Lock Willow with our presence during

Easter vacation.

We

decided that the best thing

could do with our ten days was to come where

quiet.

Our

emthe

we
it is

nerves had got to the point where they

wouldn't stand another meal in Fergussen. Dining in

room with four hundred girls is an ordeal when you

are tired. There is so much noise that you can't hear
the girls across the table speak unless they make their

hands into a megaphone and shout. That

We

are tramping over the hills

"Sky Hill"

Jervie

and

We

it

was nearly two years

it

doesn't seem

ago.

see the place

where the smoke of our

the rock.

funny

It is

climbed

morning where Master

once cooked supper

possible that

this

the truth.

and reading and

writing, and having a nice, restful time.

to the top of

is

fire

could

still

blackened

how certain places get connected

with certain people, and you never go back without

thinking of them.
for

two

was

quite lonely without

minutes.

[230]

him

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
What do you think is my latest activity, Daddy?
You will begin to believe that I am incorrigible
am writing a book. I started it three weeks ago and
am eating it up in chunks. I've caught the secret.
Master Jervie and that editor man were right; you are
most convincing when you write about the things
you know. And this time it is about something that I
do know exhaustively. Guess where it's laid? In the
John Grier Home! And it's good, Daddy, I actually

believe

is

it

just

about the tiny

happened every day. I'm a

doned romanticism;

I shall

realist

little

now.

go back to

it

things that

aban-

I've

later

though,

when my own adventurous future begins.

This new book is going to get itself finished and
published! You see if it doesn't. If you just want a

thing hard enough and keep on trying, you do get

in the end.

I've

from you

letter

been trying for four years to get a

and

Good-by, Daddy
(I like to call

it

haven't given

up hope

yet.

dear.

you Daddy

dear;

it's

so alliterative.)

Affectionately,

Judy.

P. S.

forgot to

very

distressing.

your

sensibilities all

tell

you the farm news, but

Skip this postscript

wrought up.

if

you

don't

it's

want

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Poor old Grove

chew and they had

is

One

last

got so he couldn't

to shoot him.

Nine chickens were

or a rat

He

dead.

killed

by a weasel or

a skunk

week.

of the

cows

is sick,

and

we had

to have the

veterinary surgeon out from Bonnyrigg Four Corners.

oil

Amasai stayed up

and whisky. But

the poor sick

Sentimental
appeared;

There

we

cow

we

all

night to give her linseed

have an awful suspicion that

got nothing but linseed

Tommy

oil.

(the tortoise-shell cat) has dis-

are afraid he has been caught in a trap.

are lots of troubles in the world!

[232]

May

17th.

Dear Daddy -Lo?ig-Legs,

This

is

going to be extremely short because

my

shoulder aches at the sight of a pen. Lecture notes

day, immortal novel

all

evening makes too

much

all

writ-

ing.

Commencement
think

day.

ance

I shall

Master
viting

from next Wednes-

you might come and make

hate

Jervie,

you

if

you

don't!

my acquaint-

Julia's inviting

he being her family, and SaHie's in-

Jimmie McB., he being her family, but

there for

and

three weeks

me

don't

to invite?

want

Just

her. Please

you and Mrs.

who

Lippett,

come.

Yours, with love and writer's cramp.

Judy.

[^33]

is

Lock Willow.

June

19th.

Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

Tm educated! My diploma is in the bottom bureau

drawer with my two best dresses. Commencement
was

as usual, with a

Thank you

few showers

for your rosebuds.

at vital

moments.

They were

Master Jervie and Master Jimmie both gave

too, but I left theirs in the bath tub

lovely.

me

roses,

and carried yours

in the class procession.

Here

am

at

Lock Willow

The board

ever maybe.

is

for the

I think of it

work

life.

am mad

What more does

about

my

book.

every waking moment, and dream of

at night. All I

to

^for-

cheap; the surroundings

quiet and conducive to a literary

a struggling author wish?

summer

want

is

peace and quiet and

lots

it

of time

(interspersed with nourishing meals)

Master Jervie

is

coming up for a week or so in

August, and Jimmie McBride

is

time through the summer.

He's connected with a

going to drop in some-

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
bond house now, and goes about the country

selling

bonds to banks. He's going to combine the "Farmers'

National" at the Corners and

You

see that

Fd be

society.

through

only

When you
tore

me on

Lock Willow

isn't entirely

expecting to have
I

know now

wouldn't come to

you from

my

the same trip.

lacking in

you come motoring

that that

my

is

hopeless.

commencement,

heart and buried

you

forever.

Judy Absott, A.B.

[=35]

July 24th.
Dearest

Daddy -Long-Legs,

Isn't it

fun to work

especially fun

or don't you ever do

when your

you'd rather do more

I've

been writing

day

this

work

is

the thing

than anything else in the world.

as fast as

summer, and

my

that the days aren't long

tiful

kind of

It's

it?

my

pen would go every

only quarrel with

enough to write

life is

the beau-

all

and valuable and entertaining thoughts I'm think-

ing.
I've finished the

second draft of

my

book and am

going to begin the third to-morrow morning at halfpast seven.

is,

It's

the sweetest

book you ever saw

truly. I think of nothing else. I

it

can barely wait in

the morning to dress and eat before beginning; then

I

write and write and write

sheep

suddenly I'm so tired

Then I go out with Colin (the

dog) and romp through the fields and get

that I'm limp

new

till

all

over.

a fresh supply of ideas for the next day.

beautiful

book you ever saw

It's

Oh, pardon

before.

[236]

the most

I said

that

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
You don't think me conceited, do you, Daddy dear?
Fm not, really, only just now Fm in the enthusiastic
stage. Maybe later on Fll get cold and critical and
No,

sniffy.

Fm

a real book. Just wait

Fll try for a
I

last

on the

And
who

I,

May? They

far as I can see

to laugh

till

it

are

when he tramped

floor,

see

it.

but

else.

Amasai and Carrie got

that

still

working

here, but so

them both. She used

has spoiled

in

mud

just

or dropped ashes

^you should

now

hear her scold!

she doesn't curl her hair any longer.

Amasai,

used to be so obliging about beating rugs and

carrying wood, grumbles

Also

you

minute to talk about something

never told you, did

married

This time Fve written

sure I won't!

if

his neckties are quite

where they used

you suggest such

dingy

and purple. Fve deter-

to be scarlet

mined never to marry.

It's

a thing.

black and brown,

a deteriorating process,

evidently.

There
all

fat,

the

well.

isn't

much

The

The

Are you

Hen per Year."

next spring

interested in poultry?

that invaluable

little

animals

pigs are unusually

cows seem contented and the hens

recommend

at

of any farm news.

in the best of health.

are

are laying

If so, let

me

work, "200 Eggs per

am thinking of starting an incubator

and raising broilers. You see Fm settled
I

Lock Willow permanently.

[257]

have decided to stay

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
until

Fve written

mother.

and can

Then
retire

have completed

I shall

and

Anthony

14 novels like

my

Trollope's

work

life

travel.

Mr. James McBride spent

last

Sunday with

us.

Fried chicken and ice-cream for dinner, both of which

he appeared to appreciate.

was awfully glad

to see

him; he brought a momentary reminder that the world

at large exists.

Poor Jimmie

The

peddling his bonds.

having a hard time

is

Farmers' National at the

Corners wouldn't have anything to do with them in

spite of the fact that

they pay

and sometimes seven.

think

six

he'll

per cent, interest

end by going home

to Worcester and taking a job in his father's factory.

He's too open and confiding and kind-hearted ever to

make

But to be the manager

a successful financier.

of a flourishing overall factory

position, don't

you

nose at overalls, but

I

think?
he'll

Just

come

is

a very desirable

now

he turns up

to them.

hope you appreciate the fact that

letter

Daddy

beautiful scenery

dear,

all

fortable four-post

long

this is a

from a person with writer's cramp. But

love you,

his

I still

and I'm very happy. With

about, and lots to eat and a

bed and

com-

ream of blank paper and

a pint of ink^what more does one want

in the

world?

Yours, as always,

Judy.

[238]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
P. S.

We

The postman

arrives

with some more news.

are to expect Master Jervie

on Friday next to

only

spend a week. That's a very pleasant prospect

my

am

is

very demanding.

afraid

poor book will

[2^p]

suffer.

Master Jervie

August 27 th.
Dear Daddy-Long-Legs^

Where

are you,

but

wonder?

know what

never

hope you're not in

weather.

New York

hope you're on

snow and thinking about me.

me. I'm quite lonely and
I

wish

are in,

during this awful

mountain peak (but not

somewhere nearer) looking

in Switzerland;

Oh, Daddy,

you

part of the world

at the

Please be thinking about

want

to be thought about.

knew you! Then when we were

unhappy we could cheer each other up.

I

don't think

low.

can stand

much more

I'm thinking of moving.

settlement

think

it

work

in

and

we

Sallie is

Lock Wil-

going to do

Boston next winter. Don't you

would be nice

for

me

to

could have a studio tos^ether?

settled

of

go with

her,

then

we

could write while she

could be together in the evenings.

Evenings are very long when there's no one but the

Semples and Carrie and Amasai to talk
ahead of time that you won't

can read your secretary's

like

letter

[240]

my

now:

to.

know

studio idea.

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
''Miss Jerusha Abbott.

"Dear Madam,
"Mr. Smith prefers that you remain

at

Lock Wil-

low.

"Yours

truly,

"Elmer H. Griggs."
I

hate your secretary.

am

Daddy,

stay here.

think

horrid.

But

have to go to Boston.

something doesn't happen soon,

If

throw myself

I shall

man

certain that a

named Elmer H. Griggs must be

truly,

can't

I shall

into the silo pit out of sheer desperation.

Mercy! but

it's

All the grass

hot.

is

burnt up and

the brooks are dry and the roads are dusty. It hasn't
rained for weeks and weeks.

This
but

letter

haven't.

Good-by,

sounds
I

my

just

as

though

want some

dearest

had hydrophobia,

family.

Daddy.
I

wish

knew

you.

Judy.

[241]

Lock Willow,

September

19th.

Dear Daddy,
Something has happened and
it

from you, and from nobody

Wouldn't

much

it

be possible for

easier to talk

me

need advice.
else in the

to see you?

world.
It's

so

than to write; and I'm afraid your

secretary might open the letter.

Judy.
P. S.

need

I'm very unhappy,

[242]

Lock Willow,

October 3d.
Dear Daddy -Long-Legs,

wobbly hand!

you have been

my

ill;

affairs if I

trouble, but

it's

Before

It

your

in

wouldn't have bothered you with

had known. Yes,

sort of

private. Please don't

dollars.

begin

I've sold

my

keep

this letter,

here's a

story.

I'd

Of

ing you

coming

in instalments.

bum it.

it,

for

Daddy.

It's

me

think

to be sendI

got

owe you

it,

it?

going to be pub-

and then in a book! You

course I'm glad to begin pay-

owe you over two thousand more.

about taking
I

but

and very

be wild with joy, but I'm not. I'm

entirely apathetic.
I

write,

you the

check for one thousand

Where do you

lished serially in seven parts,

might think

I will tell

compUcated to

seems funny, doesn't

ing a check to you?

it.

own hand and a prettycame this morning. I am so sorry that

Your note written

because

Now
it

a great deal

It's

don't be horrid, please,

makes me happy to return

more than the mere money,

[^43]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
and the

rest I will

gratitude

and

continue to pay

all

my

life in

affection.

And now, Daddy, about the other thing; please

give me your most worldly advice, whether you think
like it or not.

I'll

You know that

always had a very special

I've

you

ing toward you;

sort of represented

my

feel-

whole

you won't mind, will you, if I tell you

that I have a very much more special feeling for
another man? You can probably guess without much
family; but

trouble

very

who he is.
I

how

could make you understand what he

we

entirely companionable

the same about everything

ency to make over

is

my letters have been

suspect that

of Master Jervie for a very long time.

full

wish

and

my

am

match

ideas to

start of

like

is

We

think

afraid I have a tend-

almost always right; he ought to be,

he has fourteen years'

are.

his!

But he

you know,

for

me. In other ways,

though, he's just an overgrown boy, and he does need

looking after
rubbers

he

when

it

hasn't

rains.

any sense about wearing

He

and

same things are funny, and that

ful
I

when two people's sense

of

is

always think the

such a

lot; it's

humor are

dread-

antagonistic.

don't believe there's any bridging that gulf!

And

he

is

Oh,

well!

He is

just himself,

him, and miss him, and miss him.

[^44]

and

miss

The whole world

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
seems empty and aching.
cause

hate the moonlight be-

and he

beautiful

it's

isn't

here to see

it

with

me. But maybe you've loved somebody, too, and you

know?

you

If

have,

don't need to explain;

if

you

haven't, I can't explain.

Anyway,

way I feel^and

that's the

I've refused to

marry him.

him why;

I didn't tell

able.

was

he has gone away imagining that

think of marrying Jimmie; he

But Master Jervie and

The

was

afraid he

we

person of

my

asylum, and
was.

sent

are proud

his.

both hurt each other's

him so

would

regret

it

in the future

seem right for a

never told him about the orphan

hated to explain that

dreadful,

sort of

I didn't

you know. And

bound

educated to be a writer,
it

grown up enough.

It didn't

and I'm proud,

I felt

marry

wouldn't

lack of antecedents to marry into any

may be

Also,

to

him away was not because

would

couldn't stand that!

such family as

care for him, but because I cared for

I didn't

much.

reason

least,

got into a dreadful muddle

of misunderstanding, and
feelings.

isn't

want

don't in the

miser-

And now

couldn't think of anything to say.

Jimmie McBride

and

dumb and

just

know who
his

family

too!

to you. After having been

must

at least try to

scarcely be fair to accept

be one;

your education

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
and then go

off

and not use

now

But

it.

going to be able to pay back the money,

I

have

pose

partially discharged that debt

I feel

that

^besides, I

sup-

could keep on being a writer even

marry.

The two

am

that I

did

if I

professions are not necessarily exclu-

sive.

Fve been thinking very hard about

he

is

Of

it.

course

a Socialist, and he has unconventional ideas;

maybe he wouldn't mind marrying into the proletariat

much as some men might. Perhaps when two peo-

so

happy when

to-

they ought not to

let

ple are exactly in accord, and always

gether and lonely

when

apart,

Of course

anything in the world stand between them.

I

want

You

emotional opinion.
also,

and will look

and not

you

see

just a

how

Suppose
isn't

But

to believe that!

at it

go

to

Jimmie, but

am

from

worldly point of view

human

to lay

it

point of view

that the trouble

Homewould

the John Grier

that be a dreadful thing for

me

to do?

It

a great deal of courage. I'd almost rather

for the rest of

would take

be miserable

my life.

This happened nearly two months ago;

heard a

so

before you.

him and explain

is

your un-

probably belong to a Family

sympathetic

brave

I'd like to get

word from him

since he

was

here.

I
I

haven't

was

just

getting sort of acclimated to the feeling of a broken

[246]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
heart,
all

when

up

Jervis"

a letter

came from

She

very

again.

said

had been caught out

all

Julia that stirred

that

casually

with pneumonia.

And

"Uncle

night in a storm

he was hunting in Canada, and had been

never knew

it.

ill

me

when

ever since

was

feeling

hurt because he had just disappeared into blankness

without a word.

know I am!
What seems

to

think he's pretty unhappy, and

you the

right thing for

me

to do?

Judy.

[^47]

October
Dearest
Yes,

Daddy -Long-Legs,
certainly

Wednesday
been in

I've

a baby.

you

6th.

I've

come

I'll

Of

afternoon.

New

York

just thinking

four next

half-past
I

can find the way.

three times and

can't believe that

been

at

course

am

am

not quite

really going to see

you so long

that

it

hardly

seems as though you are a tangible flesh-and-blood

person.

You

are awfully good,

with me,

when you're

catch cold. These

Daddy, to bother yourself

not strong. Take care and don't

fall rains

are very

damp.

Affectionately,

Judy.

P. S.

I've just

had an awful thought. Have you

butler? I'm afraid of butlers,

I

shall faint

You

upon the

didn't tell

step.

and

if

What

me your name.

Smith?

[248]

one opens the door

can

say to him?

Shall I ask for

Mr.

Thursday Morning.

My

very

Master-] ervie-Daddy -Long-Legs-

dearest

Pendleton-Smitby

Did you
wink.

sleep last night?

and happy.

don't believe

But

or eat either.

and

all

the time

me that for three

slept;

you must, you

and can

will get well faster

never
to

we

one

shall

would have gone out

suppose that some day

in the

of us must leave the other; but at

have had our happiness and there will

be memories to

live with.

meant to cheer you up

For

cheer myself.
ever dreamed

you've been

knew it. When the doctor

put me in the cab, he told

that had happened, the light

far future

how ill

days they gave you up. Oh, dearest,

of the world for me.

a single

ever shall sleep again

can't bear to think

came down yesterday

least

Not

to me.

Dear Man,

if

hope you

know, because then you

come

I didn't.

was too amazed and excited and bewildered

and

instead

have to

in spite of being happier than I

could be, I'm also soberer.

The

fear

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
that something

on

my

may happen

you

to

Always before

heart.

care-free and unconcerned, because

now

precious to lose. But

Worry

my

the rest of

all

away from me

I shall

had nothing

have a Great Big

Whenever you

life.

be thinking of

shall

shadow

rests like a

could be frivolous and

all

are

the auto-

mobiles that can run over you, or the sign-boards that

can
that

fall

on your head or the

dreadful, squirmy

My

you may be swallowing.

gone forever

but anyway,

germs

peace of mind

never cared

much

is

for

just plain peace.

Please get well

close

are tangible.

fast

by where

you
you

gether!

I'm afraid

member

fast

to have

can touch you and make sure

Such

a little half

maybe

dreamed

of your family

cousin) then

want

fast.

hour

could come and

If I

it.

(a very
visit

we had

to-

were only

distant

fourth

you every

day,

and read aloud and plump up your pillow and smooth

out those two

make

the

little

wrinkles in your forehead and

comers of your mouth turn up

cheerful smile.

But you are cheerful

you? You were yesterday before

said I

must be

younger.

good

I left.

again,

aren't

The

doctor

you looked ten years

love doesn't make every

nurse, that

hope that being in

one ten years younger. Will you

darling, if I

in a nice

still

turn out to be only eleven?

[2^0]

care for me,

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
Yesterday was the most wonderful day that could
ever happen. If

to be ninety-nine

I live

The

forget the tiniest detail.

low

at

dawn was a very

who came back

half-past four.

and the

am

"I

different person

at night.

from the one

kitchen

by

me

at

wide awake in the darkness

I started

my

going to see Daddy-Long-Legs!"

fast in the

never

Lock Wil-

Mrs. Semple called

thought that popped into

first

I shall

girl that left

candle-light,

five miles to the station

head was,
ate break-

and then drove the

through the most glorious

October coloring. The sun came up on the way, and

the

swamp maples and dogwood glowed crimson and

orange and the stone walls and cornfields sparkled

with hoar

frost; the air

promise.

right.

had such

And

dearer than

faith in

knew
Daddy

that

somehow I had
I

^was

came

dare go

in,

full

of

to happen.

so

I
I

made me

Daddy's ability to

feel

set things

somewhere another man

wanting to see me, and

And you

to the house

looked so big and

courage. But

It

a feeling that before the

should meet him, too.

When

and

in the train the rails kept singing, "You're

going to see Daddy-Long-Legs."

secure. I

clear

knew something was going

way

All the

was keen and

journey ended

see!

on Madison Avenue

brown and forbidding

it

that I didn't

walked around the block to get up

my

needn't have been a bit afraid; your

[^5 1]

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
such a nice, fatherly old

butler

is

feel at

home

me, and

room.

at once. "Is this Miss

"Yes," so

I said,

Smith after
It

of room.

man that he made me

He

all.

me

told

down on

Mr.

to wait in the drawing-

was a very somber,

I sat

Abbott?" he said to

didn't have to ask for

magnificent, man's sort

the edge of a big upholstered

chair and kept saying to myself:

"I'm going to see Daddy-Long-Legs! I'm going to

see

Daddy-Long-Legs!"

Then

presently the

man came back and

up

please to step

and truly

really

to the library.

my

feet

was

me

asked

so excited that

would hardly take me up.

Outside the door he turned and whispered, "He's been

very
sit

ill.

Miss. This

the

day

first

he's

been allowed to

up. You'll not stay long enough to excite him?"

knew from
I

is

the

way he

said

it

that he loved

^and

think he's an old dear!

Then he knocked and

went
It

in

said,

"Miss Abbott," and

so

dim coming

thing; then I

moment

in

from the brightly lighted

could scarcely make out any-

saw a big easy

chair before the fire

a shining tea table with a smaller chair beside

realized that a

man was

it.

and

And

sitting in the big chair

propped up by pillows with a rug over

fore

and the door closed behind me.

was

hall that for a

you

could stop him he rose

his knees.

Be-

and

sort of shakily

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
by

steadied himself

looked
I

saw

at

And thenand

without a word.

was you! But even with

it

stand.

me

the back of the chair and just

thought

"Dear

little

that I didn't under-

Daddy had had you come

meet me for a surprise.

Then you laughed and held

then

there to

out your hand and

Judy, couldn't you guess that

said,

was

Daddy-Long-Legs?
In an instant
stupid!
I

had had any

tective,

flashed over me.

it

Oh, but

have been

A hundred little things might have told me, if

wits. I

would

wouldn't make a very good de-

Daddy?

I,

What must

^Jervie?

you? Just plain Jervie sounds disrespectful and

I call

can't

be disrespectful to you!
It

was

came and

sent

me away.

the station that

was

so dazed

dazed, too.

You

when

St.

forgot to

But we're both very, very happy,

tea.

the stars

were

been out with Colin

went

and

to together,

how you

shining!

this

got to

And
give me

aren't

morning

The woods
is

full

I've

you and

and remembering what you

looked.

we?

but oh,

visiting all the places that

nished bronze and the air

weather.

And

Louis.

drove back to Lock Willow in the dark

how
I

almost took a train for

you were pretty

any

hour before your doctor

a very sweet half

said

to-day are bur-

of frost.

It's

wish you were here to climb the

climbing
hills

with

DADDY-LONG-LEGS
me.
a

am

missing

happy kind of

you

missing: we'll be together soon.

belong to each other

Doesn't

believe.

some one

And

at last?
shall

dreadfully, Jervie dear, but

now

really

and

it

seem queer for

It

seems very, very sweet.

never

let

you be sorry

We

no make-

truly,

me

it's

to belong to

for a single

instant.

Yours, forever and ever,

Judy.

P. S.
it

This

funny that

is

the

know

first

love letter

how.^

[^54]

ever wrote. Isn't

Seventeen
By

BOOTH TARKINGTON

No ONE

PENROD

but the creator of

could have conceived and portrayed so

intimately

and inimitably the

Willie Baxter

love-lorn

and the shining Lola Prat I,

to say nothing of Jane,

Jane, Venjant terrible,

the immortal
and Genesis,

owner and sometime master

of the

dog

Clematis.

Beyond question the funniest book

our generation.

Its

humor

is

of

irresistible,

at times overwhelming, to all but the

luckless William, to

whom it seems tragic

rnost of the time.

A book to

be read aloud in the bosom

too good to

of your family because

it is

be unshared by others;

full of chuckles,

and reminiscent
despairing

of the

many ecstatic and

moments we have

when we were

all

known

Seventeen.

GROSSET & DUNLAP Publishers

New York 10. N. Y.

Here are the books every boy and girl wants to own, read and read
again for countless years of entertainment. Each of these handsomely
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only $1.00 each.

BAMBI
BOB, SON OF BATTLE
THE SECRET GARDEN

Felix Salten
,

Alfred Ollivant
Frances Hodgson Burnett
,

PETER AND WENDY

REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM ....
UNDERSTOOD BETSY
HEIDI GROWS UP
HEIDI'S CHILDREN
UNCLE REMUS: HIS SONGS AND HIS SAYINGS
BAMBI'S CHILDREN
THE CALL OF THE WILD

J.

M.

Barrie

Kate Douglas Wiggin

Dorothy Canfield
Charles Tritten
Charles Tritten
Joel Chandler Harris

Felix Salten

Jack

WHITE FANG
DADDY LONG LEGS

Jack

London
London

Jean Webster

SEVENTEEN

Booth
Booth
Booth
Booth

PENROD
PENROD JASHBER
PENROD AND SAM
THE BIOGRAPHY OF A GRIZZLY .... Ernest
THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME
.

BEAUTIFUL JOE

GROSSET & DUNLAP

-^^X

Publishers

Tarkington
Tarkington
Tarkington
Tarkington
Thompson Seton

John Fox, Jr.

Marshall Saunders
.

New York 10, N.Y.