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I never knew a man so obstinate, and stubborn and unreasonable, and tenacious, and bull-doggish, and unable-to-see-other-peopleā€™s-point-of-view, as you.

You prefer that I should not be accepting favours from strangers.

Strangers!ā€”And what are you, pray?

Is there anyone in the world that I know less? I shouldnā€™t recognize you if I met you in the street. Now, you see, if you had been a sane, sensible person and had written nice, cheering fatherly letters to your little Judy, and had come occasionally and patted her on the head, and had said you were glad she was such a good girlā€”Then, perhaps, she wouldnā€™t have flouted you in your old age, but would have obeyed your slightest wish like the dutiful daughter she was meant to be.

Strangers indeed! You live in a glass house, Mr. Smith.

And besides, this isnā€™t a favour; itā€™s like a prizeā€”I earned it by hard work. If nobody had been good enough in English, the committee wouldnā€™t have awarded the scholarship; some years they donā€™t. Alsoā€” But whatā€™s the use of arguing with a man? You 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. I scorn to coax men for what I wish. Therefore, I must be disagreeable.

I refuse, sir, to give up the scholarship; and if you make any more fuss, I wonā€™t accept the monthly allowance either, but will wear myself into a nervous wreck tutoring stupid Freshmen.

That is my ultimatum!

And listenā€”I have a further thought. Since you are so afraid that by taking this scholarship I am depriving someone else of an education, I know a way out. You can apply the money that you would have spent for me towards educating some other little girl from the John Grier Home. Donā€™t you think thatā€™s a nice idea? Only, Daddy, EDUCATE the new girl as much as you choose, but please donā€™t LIKE her any better than me.

I trust that your secretary wonā€™t be hurt because I pay so little attention to the suggestions offered in his letter, but I canā€™t help it if he is. Heā€™s a spoiled child, Daddy. Iā€™ve meekly given in to his whims heretofore, but this time I intend to be FIRM.

Yours, With a mind, Completely and Irrevocably and World-without-End Made-up,

Jerusha Abbott

9th November Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

I started down town today 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 soapā€”all very necessary; I couldnā€™t be happy another day without themā€”and when I tried to pay the car fare, I found that I had left my purse in the pocket of my other coat. So I had to get out and take the next car, and was late for gymnasium.

Itā€™s a dreadful thing to have no memory and two coats!

Julia Pendleton has invited me to visit her for the Christmas holidays. How does that strike you, Mr. Smith? Fancy Jerusha Abbott, of the John Grier Home, sitting at the tables of the rich. I donā€™t know why Julia wants meā€”she seems to be getting quite attached to me of late. I should, to tell the truth, very much prefer going to Sallieā€™s, but Julia asked me first, so if I go anywhere it must be to New York instead of to Worcester. Iā€™m rather awed at the prospect of meeting Pendletons EN MASSE, and also Iā€™d have to get a lot of new clothesā€”so, Daddy dear, if you write that you would prefer having me remain quietly at college, I will bow to your wishes with my usual sweet docility.

Iā€™m engaged at odd moments with the Life and Letters of Thomas Huxleyā€” it makes nice, light reading to pick up between times. Do you know what an archaeopteryx is? Itā€™s a bird. And a stereognathus? Iā€™m not sure myself, but I think itā€™s a missing link, like a bird with teeth or a lizard with wings. No, it isnā€™t either; Iā€™ve just looked in the book. Itā€™s a mesozoic mammal.

Iā€™ve elected economics this yearā€”very illuminating subject. When I finish that Iā€™m going to take Charity and Reform; then, Mr. Trustee, Iā€™ll know just how an orphan asylum ought to be run. Donā€™t you think Iā€™d make an admirable voter if I had my rights? I was twenty-one last week. This is an awfully wasteful country to throw away such an honest, educated, conscientious, intelligent citizen as I would be. Yours always, Judy

7th December Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

Thank you for permission to visit Juliaā€”I take it that silence means consent.

Such a social whirl as weā€™ve been having! The Founderā€™s dance came last weekā€”this was the first year that any of us could attend; only upper classmen being allowed.

I invited Jimmie McBride, and Sallie invited his room-mate at Princeton, who visited them last summer at their campā€”an awfully nice man with red hairā€”and Julia invited a man from New York, not very exciting, but socially irreproachable. He is connected with the De la Mater Chichesters. Perhaps that means something to you? It doesnā€™t illuminate me to any extent.

Howeverā€”our guests came Friday afternoon in time for tea in the senior corridor, and then dashed down to the hotel for dinner. The hotel was so full that they slept in rows on the billiard tables, they say. Jimmie McBride says that the next time he is bidden to a social event in this college, he is going to bring one of their Adirondack tents and pitch it on the campus.

At seven-thirty they came back for the Presidentā€™s reception and dance. Our functions commence early! We had the menā€™s cards all made out ahead of time, and after every dance, weā€™d leave them in groups, under the letter that stood for their names, so that they could be readily found by their next partners. Jimmie McBride, for example, would stand patiently under `Mā€™ until he was claimed. (At least, he ought to have stood patiently, but he kept wandering off and getting mixed with `Rā€™sā€™ and `Sā€™sā€™ and all sorts of letters.) I found him a very difficult guest; he was sulky because he had only three dances with me. He said he was bashful about dancing with girls he didnā€™t know!

The next morning we had a glee club concertā€”and who do you think wrote the funny new song composed for the occasion? Itā€™s the truth. She did. Oh, I tell you, Daddy, your little foundling is 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 thousand girls; but they got acclimated very quickly. Our two Princeton men had a beautiful timeā€”at least they politely said they had, and theyā€™ve invited us to their dance next spring. Weā€™ve accepted, so please donā€™t object, Daddy dear.

Julia and Sallie and I all had new dresses. Do you want to hear about them? Juliaā€™s was cream satin and gold embroidery and she wore purple orchids. It was a DREAM and came from Paris, and cost a million dollars.

Sallieā€™s was pale blue trimmed with Persian embroidery, and went beautifully with red hair. It didnā€™t cost quite a million, but was just as effective as Juliaā€™s.

Mine was pale pink crepe de chine trimmed with ecru lace and rose satin. And I carried crimson roses which J. McB. sent (Sallie having told him what colour to get). And we all had satin slippers and silk stockings and chiffon scarfs to match.

You must be deeply impressed by these millinery details.

One canā€™t help thinking, Daddy, what a colourless life a man is forced to lead, when one reflects that chiffon and Venetian point and hand embroidery and Irish crochet are to him mere empty words. Whereas a womanā€”whether she is interested in babies or microbes or husbands or poetry or servants or parallelograms or gardens or Plato or bridgeā€”is fundamentally and always interested in clothes.

Itā€™s the one touch of nature that makes the whole world kin. (That isnā€™t original. I got it out of one of Shakespeareā€™s plays).

However, to resume. Do you want me to tell you a secret that Iā€™ve lately discovered? And will you promise not to think me vain? Then listen:

Iā€™m pretty.

I am, really. Iā€™d be an awful idiot not to know it with three looking-glasses in the room. A Friend

 

PS. This is one of those wicked anonymous letters you read about in novels.

20th December Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

Iā€™ve just a moment, because I must attend two classes, pack a trunk and a suit-case, and catch the four-oā€™clock trainā€”but I couldnā€™t go without sending a word to let you know how much I appreciate my Christmas box.

I love the furs and the necklace and the Liberty scarf and the gloves and handkerchiefs and books and purseā€”and most of all I love you! But Daddy, you have no business to spoil me this way. Iā€™m only humanā€” and a girl at that. How can I keep my mind sternly fixed on a studious career, when you deflect me with such worldly frivolities?

I have strong suspicions now as to which one of the John Grier Trustees used to give the Christmas tree and the Sunday ice-cream. He was nameless, but by his works I know him! You deserve to be happy for all the good things you do.

Goodbye, and a very merry Christmas. Yours always, Judy

 

PS. I am sending a slight token, too. Do you think you would like her if you knew her?

11th January

I meant to write to you from the city, Daddy, but New York is an engrossing place.

I had an interestingā€”and illuminatingā€”time, but Iā€™m glad I donā€™t belong to such a family! I should truly rather have the John Grier Home for a background. Whatever the drawbacks of my bringing up, there was at least no pretence about it. I know now what people mean when they say they are weighed down by Things. The material atmosphere of that house was crushing; I didnā€™t draw a deep breath until I was on an express train coming back. All the furniture was carved and upholstered and gorgeous; the people I met were beautifully dressed and low-voiced and well-bred, but itā€™s the truth, Daddy, I never heard one word of real talk from the time we arrived until we left. I donā€™t think an idea ever entered the front door.

Mrs. Pendleton never thinks of anything but jewels and dressmakers and social engagements. She did seem a different kind of mother from Mrs. McBride! If I ever marry and have a family, Iā€™m going to make them as exactly like the McBrides as I can. Not for all the money in the world would I ever let any children of mine develop into Pendletons. Maybe it isnā€™t polite to criticize people youā€™ve been visiting? If it isnā€™t, please excuse. This is very confidential, between you and me.

I only saw Master Jervie once when he called at tea time, and then I didnā€™t have a chance to speak to him alone. It was really disappointing after our nice time last summer. I donā€™t think he cares much for his relativesā€”and I am sure they donā€™t care much for him! Juliaā€™s mother says heā€™s unbalanced. Heā€™s a Socialistā€”except, thank Heaven, he doesnā€™t let his hair grow and wear red ties. She canā€™t imagine where he picked up his queer ideas; the family have been Church of England for generations. He throws away his money on every sort of crazy reform, instead of spending it on such sensible things as yachts and

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