There’ssomethingaboutthoseBrontesthatfascinatesme。
Theirbooks，theirlives，theirspirit。Wheredidtheygetit？
WhenIwasreadingaboutlittleJane’stroublesinthecharityschool，IgotsoangrythatIhadtogooutandtakeawalk。
Iunderstoodexactlyhowshefelt。HavingknownMrs。Lippett，IcouldseeMr。Brocklehurst。
Don’tbeoutraged，Daddy。IamnotintimatingthattheJohnGrierHomewasliketheLowoodInstitute。Wehadplentytoeatandplentytowear，sufficientwatertowashin，andafurnaceinthecellar。
Buttherewasonedeadlylikeness。Ourliveswereabsolutelymonotonousanduneventful。Nothingniceeverhappened，exceptice-creamonSundays，andeventhatwasregular。InalltheeighteenyearsIwasthereIonlyhadoneadventure——whenthewoodshedburned。
Wehadtogetupinthenightanddresssoastobereadyincasethehouseshouldcatch。Butitdidn’tcatchandwewentbacktobed。
Everybodylikesafewsurprises;it’saperfectlynaturalhumancraving。
ButIneverhadoneuntilMrs。LippettcalledmetotheofficetotellmethatMr。JohnSmithwasgoingtosendmetocollege。
Andthenshebrokethenewssograduallythatitjustbarelyshockedme。
Youknow，Daddy，Ithinkthatthemostnecessaryqualityforanypersontohaveisimagination。Itmakespeopleabletoputthemselvesinotherpeople’splaces。Itmakesthemkindandsympatheticandunderstanding。Itoughttobecultivatedinchildren。
ButtheJohnGrierHomeinstantlystampedouttheslightestflickerthatappeared。Dutywastheonequalitythatwasencouraged。
Idon’tthinkchildrenoughttoknowthemeaningoftheword;
it’sodious，detestable。Theyoughttodoeverythingfromlove。
WaituntilyouseetheorphanasylumthatIamgoingtobetheheadof！It’smyfavouriteplayatnightbeforeIgotosleep。
Iplanitouttothelittlestdetail——themealsandclothesandstudyandamusementsandpunishments;forevenmysuperiororphansaresometimesbad。
Butanyway，theyaregoingtobehappy。Ithinkthateveryone，nomatterhowmanytroubleshemayhavewhenhegrowsup，oughttohaveahappychildhoodtolookbackupon。AndifIeverhaveanychildrenofmyown，nomatterhowunhappyImaybe，Iamnotgoingtoletthemhaveanycaresuntiltheygrowup。
（Theregoesthechapelbell——I’llfinishthislettersometime）。
ThursdayWhenIcameinfromlaboratorythisafternoon，Ifoundasquirrelsittingontheteatablehelpinghimselftoalmonds。Thesearethekindofcallersweentertainnowthatwarmweatherhascomeandthewindowsstayopen——
SaturdaymorningPerhapsyouthink，lastnightbeingFriday，withnoclassestoday，thatIpassedanicequiet，readableeveningwiththesetofStevensonthatIboughtwithmyprizemoney？Butifso，you’veneverattendedagirls’college，Daddydear。Sixfriendsdroppedintomakefudge，andoneofthemdroppedthefudge——whileitwasstillliquid——
rightinthemiddleofourbestrug。Weshallneverbeabletocleanupthemess。
Ihaven’tmentionedanylessonsoflate;butwearestillhavingthemeveryday。It’ssortofareliefthough，togetawayfromthemanddiscusslifeinthelarge——ratherone-sideddiscussionsthatyouandIhold，butthat’syourownfault。Youarewelcometoanswerbackanytimeyouchoose。
I’vebeenwritingthisletteroffandonforthreedays，andIfearbynowvousetesbienbored！
Goodbye，niceMr。Man，JudyMr。Daddy-Long-LegsSmith，SIR：Havingcompletedthestudyofargumentationandthescienceofdividingathesisintoheads，Ihavedecidedtoadoptthefollowingformforletter-writing。Itcontainsallnecessaryfacts，butnounnecessaryverbiage。
I。Wehadwrittenexaminationsthisweekin：
A。Chemistry。
B。History。
II。Anewdormitoryisbeingbuilt。
A。Itsmaterialis：
（a）redbrick。
（b）greystone。
B。Itscapacitywillbe：
（a）onedean，fiveinstructors。
（b）twohundredgirls。
（c）onehousekeeper，threecooks，twentywaitresses，twentychambermaids。
III。Wehadjunketfordesserttonight。
IV。IamwritingaspecialtopicupontheSourcesofShakespeare’sPlays。
V。LouMcMahonslippedandfellthisafternoonatbasketball，andshe：
A。Dislocatedhershoulder。
B。Bruisedherknee。
VI。Ihaveanewhattrimmedwith：
A。Bluevelvetribbon。
B。Twobluequills。
C。Threeredpompoms。
VII。Itishalfpastnine。
VIII。Goodnight。
Judy2ndJuneDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Youwillneverguessthenicethingthathashappened。
TheMcBrideshaveaskedmetospendthesummerattheircampintheAdirondacks！Theybelongtoasortofclubonalovelylittlelakeinthemiddleofthewoods。Thedifferentmembershavehousesmadeoflogsdottedaboutamongthetrees，andtheygocanoeingonthelake，andtakelongwalksthroughtrailstoothercamps，andhavedancesonceaweekintheclubhouse——JimmieMcBrideisgoingtohaveacollegefriendvisitinghimpartofthesummer，soyouseeweshallhaveplentyofmentodancewith。
Wasn’titsweetofMrs。McBridetoaskme？ItappearsthatshelikedmewhenIwasthereforChristmas。
Pleaseexcusethisbeingshort。Itisn’tarealletter;it’sjusttoletyouknowthatI’mdisposedofforthesummer。
Yours，InaVERYcontentedframeofmind，Judy5thJuneDearDaddy-Long-Legs，YoursecretarymanhasjustwrittentomesayingthatMr。SmithprefersthatIshouldnotacceptMrs。McBride’sinvitation，butshouldreturntoLockWillowthesameaslastsummer。
Why，why，WHY，Daddy？
Youdon’tunderstandaboutit。Mrs。McBridedoeswantme，reallyandtruly。I’mnottheleastbitoftroubleinthehouse。
I’mahelp。Theydon’ttakeupmanyservants，andSallieanIcandolotsofusefulthings。It’safinechanceformetolearnhousekeeping。
Everywomanoughttounderstandit，anIonlyknowasylum-keeping。
Therearen’tanygirlsourageatthecamp，andMrs。McBridewantsmeforacompanionforSallie。Weareplanningtodoalotofreadingtogether。Wearegoingtoreadallofthebooksfornextyear’sEnglishandsociology。TheProfessorsaiditwouldbeagreathelpifwewouldgetourreadingfinishedinthesummer;andit’ssomucheasiertorememberitifwereadtogetherandtalkitover。
JusttoliveinthesamehousewithSallie’smotherisaneducation。
She’sthemostinteresting，entertaining，companionable，charmingwomanintheworld;sheknowseverything。ThinkhowmanysummersI’vespentwithMrs。LippettandhowI’llappreciatethecontrast。
Youneedn’tbeafraidthatI’llbecrowdingthem，fortheirhouseismadeofrubber。Whentheyhavealotofcompany，theyjustsprinkletentsaboutinthewoodsandturntheboysoutside。It’sgoingtobesuchanice，healthysummerexercisingoutofdoorseveryminute。
JimmieMcBrideisgoingtoteachmehowtoridehorsebackandpaddleacanoe，andhowtoshootand——oh，lotsofthingsIoughttoknow。
It’sthekindofnice，jolly，care-freetimethatI’veneverhad;
andIthinkeverygirldeservesitonceinherlife。OfcourseI’lldoexactlyasyousay，butplease，PLEASEletmego，Daddy。I’veneverwantedanythingsomuch。
Thisisn’tJerushaAbbott，thefuturegreatauthor，writingtoyou。
It’sjustJudy——agirl。
9thJuneMr。JohnSmith，SIR：Yoursofthe7thinst。athand。Incompliancewiththeinstructionsreceivedthroughyoursecretary，IleaveonFridaynexttospendthesummeratLockWillowFarm。
Ihopealwaystoremain，（Miss）JerushaAbbottLOCKWILLOWFARM，3rdAugustDearDaddy-Long-Legs，IthasbeennearlytwomonthssinceIwrote，whichwasn’tniceofme，Iknow，butIhaven’tlovedyoumuchthissummer——youseeI’mbeingfrank！
Youcan’timaginehowdisappointedIwasathavingtogiveuptheMcBrides’camp。OfcourseIknowthatyou’remyguardian，andthatIhavetoregardyourwishesinallmatters，butIcouldn’tseeanyREASON。Itwassodistinctlythebestthingthatcouldhavehappenedtome。IfIhadbeenDaddy，andyouhadbeenJudy，Ishouldhavesaid，`Blessyomychild，runalongandhaveagoodtime;seelotsofnewpeopleandlearnlotsofnewthings;
liveoutofdoors，andgetstrongandwellandrestedforayearofhardwork。’
Butnotatall！JustacurtlinefromyoursecretaryorderingmetoLockWillow。
It’stheimpersonalityofyourcommandsthathurtsmyfeelings。
Itseemsasthough，ifyoufeltthetiniestlittlebitformethewayIfeelforyou，you’dsometimessendmeamessagethatyou’dwrittenwithyourownhand，insteadofthosebeastlytypewrittensecretary’snotes。Ifthereweretheslightesthintthatyoucared，I’ddoanythingonearthtopleaseyou。
IknowthatIwastowritenice，long，detailedletterswithouteverexpectinganyanswer。You’relivinguptoyoursideofthebargain——
I’mbeingeducated——andIsupposeyou’rethinkingI’mnotlivinguptomine！
But，Daddy，itisahardbargain。Itis，really。I’msoawfullylonely。
YouaretheonlypersonIhavetocarefor，andyouaresoshadowy。
You’rejustanimaginarymanthatI’vemadeup——andprobablytherealYOUisn’tabitlikemyimaginaryYOU。Butyoudidonce，whenIwasillintheinfirmary，sendmeamessage，andnow，whenIamfeelingawfullyforgotten，Igetoutyourcardandreaditover。
Idon’tthinkIamtellingyouatallwhatIstartedtosay，whichwasthis：
Althoughmyfeelingsarestillhurt，foritisveryhumiliatingtobepickedupandmovedaboutbyanarbitrary，peremptory，unreasonable，omnipotent，invisibleProvidence，still，whenamanhasbeenaskindandgenerousandthoughtfulasyouhaveheretoforebeentowardsme，Isupposehehasarighttobeanarbitrary，peremptory，unreasonable，invisibleProvidenceifhechooses，andso——
I’llforgiveyouandbecheerfulagain。ButIstilldon’tenjoygettingSallie’slettersaboutthegoodtimestheyarehavingincamp！
However——wewilldrawaveiloverthatandbeginagain。
I’vebeenwritingandwritingthissummer;fourshortstoriesfinishedandsenttofourdifferentmagazines。SoyouseeI’mtryingtobeanauthor。IhaveaworkroomfixedinacorneroftheatticwhereMasterJervieusedtohavehisrainy-dayplayroom。
It’sinacool，breezycornerwithtwodormerwindows，andshadedbyamapletreewithafamilyofredsquirrelslivinginahole。
I’llwriteanicerletterinafewdaysandtellyouallthefarmnews。
Weneedrain。
Yoursasever，Judy10thAugustMr。Daddy-Long-Legs，SIR：Iaddressyoufromthesecondcrotchinthewillowtreebythepoolinthepasture。There’safrogcroakingunderneath，alocustsingingoverheadandtwolittle`devildownheads’
dartingupanddownthetrunk。I’vebeenhereforanhour;
it’saverycomfortablecrotch，especiallyafterbeingupholsteredwithtwosofacushions。Icameupwithapenandtablethopingtowriteanimmortalshortstory，butI’vebeenhavingadreadfultimewithmyheroine——ICAN’TmakeherbehaveasIwanthertobehave;
soI’veabandonedherforthemoment，andamwritingtoyou。
（Notmuchreliefthough，forIcan’tmakeyoubehaveasIwantyouto，either。）
IfyouareinthatdreadfulNewYork，IwishIcouldsendyousomeofthislovely，breezy，sunshinyoutlook。ThecountryisHeavenafteraweekofrain。
SpeakingofHeaven——doyourememberMr。KelloggthatItoldyouaboutlastsummer？——theministerofthelittlewhitechurchattheCorners。
Well，thepooroldsoulisdead——lastwinterofpneumonia。Iwenthalfadozentimestohearhimpreachandgotverywellacquaintedwithhistheology。Hebelievedtotheendexactlythesamethingshestartedwith。Itseemstomethatamanwhocanthinkstraightalongforforty-sevenyearswithoutchangingasingleideaoughttobekeptinacabinetasacuriosity。Ihopeheisenjoyinghisharpandgoldencrown;hewassoperfectlysureoffindingthem！There’sanewyoungman，veryconsequential，inhisplace。Thecongregationisprettydubious，especiallythefactionledbyDeaconCummings。
Itlooksasthoughtherewasgoingtobeanawfulsplitinthechurch。
Wedon’tcareforinnovationsinreligioninthisneighbourhood。
DuringourweekofrainIsatupintheatticandhadanorgyofreading——Stevenson，mostly。Hehimselfismoreentertainingthananyofthecharactersinhisbooks;Idaresayhemadehimselfintothekindofherothatwouldlookwellinprint。Don’tyouthinkitwasperfectofhimtospendallthetenthousanddollarshisfatherleft，forayacht，andgosailingofftotheSouthSeas？
Heliveduptohisadventurouscreed。Ifmyfatherhadleftmetenthousanddollars，I’ddoit，too。ThethoughtofVailimamakesmewild。Iwanttoseethetropics。Iwanttoseethewholeworld。
Iamgoingtobeagreatauthor，orartist，oractress，orplaywright——
orwhateversortofagreatpersonIturnouttobe。Ihaveaterriblewanderthirst;theverysightofamapmakesmewanttoputonmyhatandtakeanumbrellaandstart。`IshallseebeforeIdiethepalmsandtemplesoftheSouth。’
Thursdayeveningattwilight，sittingonthedoorstep。
Veryhardtogetanynewsintothisletter！Judyisbecomingsophilosophicaloflate，thatshewishestodiscourselargelyoftheworldingeneral，insteadofdescendingtothetrivialdetailsofdailylife。ButifyouMUSThavenews，hereitis：
OurnineyoungpigswadedacrossthebrookandranawaylastTuesday，andonlyeightcameback。Wedon’twanttoaccuseanyoneunjustly，butwesuspectthatWidowDowdhasonemorethansheoughttohave。
Mr。Weaverhaspaintedhisbarnandhistwosilosabrightpumpkinyellow——
averyuglycolour，buthesaysitwillwear。
TheBrewershavecompanythisweek;Mrs。Brewer’ssisterandtwoniecesfromOhio。
OneofourRhodeIslandRedsonlybroughtoffthreechicksoutoffifteeneggs。Wecan’timaginewhatwasthetrouble。
RhodeislandReds，inmyopinion，areaveryinferiorbreed。
IpreferBuffOrpingtons。
ThenewclerkinthepostofficeatBonnyriggFourCornersdrankeverydropofJamaicagingertheyhadinstock——sevendollars’
worth——beforehewasdiscovered。
OldIraHatchhasrheumatismandcan’tworkanymore;heneversavedhismoneywhenhewasearninggoodwages，sonowhehastoliveonthetown。
There’stobeanice-creamsocialattheschoolhousenextSaturdayevening。Comeandbringyourfamilies。
IhaveanewhatthatIboughtfortwenty-fivecentsatthepostoffice。
Thisismylatestportrait，onmywaytorakethehay。
It’sgettingtoodarktosee;anyway，thenewsisallusedup。
Goodnight，JudyFridayGoodmorning！Hereissomenews！Whatdoyouthink？You’dnever，never，neverguesswho’scomingtoLockWillow。AlettertoMrs。
SemplefromMr。Pendleton。He’smotoringthroughtheBerkshires，andistiredandwantstorestonanicequietfarm——ifheclimbsoutatherdoorstepsomenightwillshehavearoomreadyforhim？
Maybehe’llstayoneweek，ormaybetwo，ormaybethree;he’llseehowrestfulitiswhenhegetshere。
Suchaflutteraswearein！Thewholehouseisbeingcleanedandallthecurtainswashed。IamdrivingtotheCornersthismorningtogetsomenewoilclothfortheentry，andtwocansofbrownfloorpaintforthehallandbackstairs。Mrs。Dowdisengagedtocometomorrowtowashthewindows（intheexigencyofthemoment，wewaiveoursuspicionsinregardtothepiglet）。Youmightthink，fromthisaccountofouractivities，thatthehousewasnotalreadyimmaculate;
butIassureyouitwas！WhateverMrs。Semple’slimitations，sheisaHOUSEKEEPER。
Butisn’titjustlikeaman，Daddy？Hedoesn’tgivetheremotesthintastowhetherhewilllandonthedoorsteptoday，ortwoweeksfromtoday。Weshallliveinaperpetualbreathlessnessuntilhecomes——
andifhedoesn’thurry，thecleaningmayallhavetobedoneoveragain。
There’sAmasaiwaitingbelowwiththebuckboardandGrover。
Idrivealone——butifyoucouldseeoldGrove，youwouldn’tbeworriedastomysafety。
Withmyhandonmyheart——farewell。
JudyPS。Isn’tthataniceending？IgotitoutofStevenson’sletters。
SaturdayGoodmorningagain！Ididn’tgetthisENVELOPEDyesterdaybeforethepostmancame，soI’lladdsomemore。Wehaveonemailadayattwelveo’clock。Ruraldeliveryisablessingtothefarmers！
Ourpostmannotonlydeliversletters，butherunserrandsforusintown，atfivecentsanerrand。Yesterdayhebroughtmesomeshoe-stringsandajarofcoldcream（IsunburnedalltheskinoffmynosebeforeIgotmynewhat）andablueWindsortieandabottleofblackingallfortencents。Thatwasanunusualbargain，owingtothelargenessofmyorder。
AlsohetellsuswhatishappeningintheGreatWorld。
Severalpeopleontheroutetakedailypapers，andhereadsthemashejogsalong，andrepeatsthenewstotheoneswhodon’tsubscribe。
SoincaseawarbreaksoutbetweentheUnitedStatesandJapan，orthepresidentisassassinated，orMr。RockefellerleavesamilliondollarstotheJohnGrierHome，youneedn’tbothertowrite;
I’llhearitanyway。
NosignyetofMasterJervie。Butyoushouldseehowcleanourhouseis——andwithwhatanxietywewipeourfeetbeforewestepin！
Ihopehe’llcomesoon;Iamlongingforsomeonetotalkto。
Mrs。Semple，totellyouthetruth，getsrathermonotonous。
Sheneverletsideasinterrupttheeasyflowofherconversation。
It’safunnythingaboutthepeoplehere。Theirworldisjustthissinglehilltop。Theyarenotabituniversal，ifyouknowwhatImean。It’sexactlythesameasattheJohnGrierHome。
Ourideastherewereboundedbythefoursidesoftheironfence，onlyIdidn’tminditsomuchbecauseIwasyounger，andwassoawfullybusy。BythetimeI’dgotallmybedsmadeandmybabies’
faceswashedandhadgonetoschoolandcomehomeandhadwashedtheirfacesagainanddarnedtheirstockingsandmendedFreddiePerkins’strousers（hetorethemeverydayofhislife）andlearnedmylessonsinbetween——Iwasreadytogotobed，andIdidn’tnoticeanylackofsocialintercourse。Butaftertwoyearsinaconversationalcollege，Idomissit;andIshallbegladtoseesomebodywhospeaksmylanguage。
IreallybelieveI’vefinished，Daddy。Nothingelseoccurstomeatthemoment——I’lltrytowritealongerletternexttime。
Yoursalways，JudyPS。Thelettucehasn’tdoneatallwellthisyear。Itwassodryearlyintheseason。
25thAugustWell，Daddy，MasterJervie’shere。Andsuchanicetimeaswe’rehaving！AtleastIam，andIthinkheis，too——hehasbeenheretendaysandhedoesn’tshowanysignsofgoing。ThewayMrs。Semplepampersthatmanisscandalous。Ifsheindulgedhimasmuchwhenhewasababy，Idon’tknowhowheeverturnedoutsowell。
HeandIeatatalittletablesetonthesideporch，orsometimesunderthetrees，or——whenitrainsoriscold——inthebestparlour。
HejustpicksoutthespothewantstoeatinandCarrietrotsafterhimwiththetable。Thenifithasbeenanawfulnuisance，andshehashadtocarrythedishesveryfar，shefindsadollarunderthesugarbowl。
Heisanawfullycompanionablesortofman，thoughyouwouldneverbelieveittoseehimcasually;helooksatfirstglancelikeatruePendleton，butheisn’tintheleast。Heisjustassimpleandunaffectedandsweetashecanbe——thatseemsafunnywaytodescribeaman，butit’strue。He’sextremelynicewiththefarmersaroundhere;hemeetstheminasortofman-to-manfashionthatdisarmsthemimmediately。Theywereverysuspiciousatfirst。
Theydidn’tcareforhisclothes！AndIwillsaythathisclothesareratheramazing。Hewearsknickerbockersandpleatedjacketsandwhiteflannelsandridingclotheswithpuffedtrousers。
Wheneverhecomesdowninanythingnew，Mrs。Semple，beamingwithpride，walksaroundandviewshimfromeveryangle，andurgeshimtobecarefulwherehesitsdown;sheissoafraidhewillpickupsomedust。
Itboreshimdreadfully。He’salwayssayingtoher：
`Runalong，Lizzie，andtendtoyourwork。Youcan’tbossmeanylonger。I’vegrownup。’
It’sawfullyfunnytothinkofthatgreatbig，long-leggedman（he’snearlyaslong-leggedasyou，Daddy）eversittinginMrs。Semple’slapandhavinghisfacewashed。Particularlyfunnywhenyouseeherlap！
Shehastwolapsnow，andthreechins。Buthesaysthatonceshewasthinandwiryandspryandcouldrunfasterthanhe。
Suchalotofadventureswe’rehaving！We’veexploredthecountryformiles，andI’velearnedtofishwithfunnylittlefliesmadeoffeathers。Alsotoshootwitharifleandarevolver。Alsotoridehorseback——there’sanastonishingamountoflifeinoldGrove。
Wefedhimonoatsforthreedays，andheshiedatacalfandalmostranawaywithme。
WednesdayWeclimbedSkyHillMondayafternoon。That’samountainnearhere;
notanawfullyhighmountain，perhaps——nosnowonthesummit——butatleastyouareprettybreathlesswhenyoureachthetop。Thelowerslopesarecoveredwithwoods，butthetopisjustpiledrocksandopenmoor。
Westayedupforthesunsetandbuiltafireandcookedoursupper。
MasterJerviedidthecooking;hesaidheknewhowbetterthanmeandhedid，too，becausehe’susedtocamping。Thenwecamedownbymoonlight，and，whenwereachedthewoodtrailwhereitwasdark，bythelightofanelectricbulbthathehadinhispocket。
Itwassuchfun！Helaughedandjokedallthewayandtalkedaboutinterestingthings。He’sreadallthebooksI’veeverread，andalotofothersbesides。It’sastonishinghowmanydifferentthingsheknows。
Wewentforalongtrampthismorningandgotcaughtinastorm。
Ourclothesweredrenchedbeforewereachedhomebutourspiritsnotevendamp。YoushouldhaveseenMrs。Semple’sfacewhenwedrippedintoherkitchen。
`Oh，MasterJervie——MissJudy！Youaresoakedthrough。Dear！Dear！
WhatshallIdo？Thatnicenewcoatisperfectlyruined。’
Shewasawfullyfunny;youwouldhavethoughtthatweweretenyearsold，andsheadistractedmother。Iwasafraidforawhilethatweweren’tgoingtogetanyjamfortea。
SaturdayIstartedthisletteragesago，butIhaven’thadasecondtofinishit。
Isn’tthisanicethoughtfromStevenson？
Theworldissofullofanumberofthings，Iamsureweshouldallbeashappyaskings。
It’strue，youknow。Theworldisfullofhappiness，andplentytogoround，ifyouareonlywillingtotakethekindthatcomesyourway。ThewholesecretisinbeingPLIABLE。Inthecountry，especially，therearesuchalotofentertainingthings。
Icanwalkovereverybody’sland，andlookateverybody’sview，anddabbleineverybody’sbrook;andenjoyitjustasmuchasthoughIownedtheland——andwithnotaxestopay！
It’sSundaynightnow，abouteleveno’clock，andIamsupposedtobegettingsomebeautysleep，butIhadblackcoffeefordinner，so——nobeautysleepforme！
Thismorning，saidMrs。SempletoMr。Pendleton，withaverydeterminedaccent：
`Wehavetoleavehereataquarterpastteninordertogettochurchbyeleven。’
`Verywell，Lizzie，’saidMasterJervie，`youhavethebuggyready，andifI’mnotdressed，justgoonwithoutwaiting。’’We’llwait，’
saidshe。
`Asyouplease，’saidhe，`onlydon’tkeepthehorsesstandingtoolong。’
Thenwhileshewasdressing，hetoldCarrietopackupalunch，andhetoldmetoscrambleintomywalkingclothes;andweslippedoutthebackwayandwentfishing。
Itdiscommodedthehouseholddreadfully，becauseLockWillowofaSundaydinesattwo。Butheordereddinneratseven——heordersmealswheneverhechooses;youwouldthinktheplacewerearestaurant——
andthatkeptCarrieandAmasaifromgoingdriving。Buthesaiditwasallthebetterbecauseitwasn’tproperforthemtogodrivingwithoutachaperon;andanyway，hewantedthehorseshimselftotakemedriving。Didyoueverhearanythingsofunny？
AndpoorMrs。SemplebelievesthatpeoplewhogofishingonSundaysgoafterwardstoasizzlinghothell！Sheisawfullytroubledtothinkthatshedidn’ttrainhimbetterwhenhewassmallandhelplessandshehadthechance。Besides——shewishedtoshowhimoffinchurch。
Anyway，wehadourfishing（hecaughtfourlittleones）andwecookedthemonacamp-fireforlunch。Theykeptfallingoffourspikedsticksintothefire，sotheytastedalittleashy，butweatethem。
Wegothomeatfourandwentdrivingatfiveandhaddinneratseven，andattenIwassenttobedandhereIam，writingtoyou。
Iamgettingalittlesleepy，though。
Goodnight。
HereisapictureoftheonefishIcaught。
ShipAhoy，Cap’nLong-Legs！
Avast！Belay！Yo，ho，ho，andabottleofrum。GuesswhatI’mreading？
Ourconversationthesepasttwodayshasbeennauticalandpiratical。
Isn’tTreasureIslandfun？Didyoueverreadit，orwasn’titwrittenwhenyouwereaboy？Stevensononlygotthirtypoundsfortheserialrights——Idon’tbelieveitpaystobeagreatauthor。
MaybeI’llbeaschool-teacher。
ExcusemeforfillingmyletterssofullofStevenson;mymindisverymuchengagedwithhimatpresent。HecomprisesLockWillow’slibrary。
I’vebeenwritingthisletterfortwoweeks，andIthinkit’saboutlongenough。Neversay，Daddy，thatIdon’tgivedetails。
Iwishyouwerehere，too;we’dallhavesuchajollytimetogether。
Ilikemydifferentfriendstoknoweachother。IwantedtoaskMr。PendletonifheknewyouinNewYork——Ishouldthinkhemight;
youmustmoveinaboutthesameexaltedsocialcircles，andyouarebothinterestedinreformsandthings——butIcouldn’t，forIdon’tknowyourrealname。
It’sthesilliestthingIeverheardof，nottoknowyourname。
Mrs。Lippettwarnedmethatyouwereeccentric。Ishouldthinkso！
Affectionately，JudyPS。Onreadingthisover，Ifindthatitisn’tallStevenson。
ThereareoneortwoglancingreferencestoMasterJervie。
10thSeptemberDearDaddy，Hehasgone，andwearemissinghim！Whenyougetaccustomedtopeopleorplacesorwaysofliving，andthenhavethemsnatchedaway，itdoesleaveanawfullyempty，gnawingsortofsensation。
I’mfindingMrs。Semple’sconversationprettyunseasonedfood。
CollegeopensintwoweeksandIshallbegladtobeginworkagain。
Ihaveworkedquitealotthissummerthough——sixshortstoriesandsevenpoems。ThoseIsenttothemagazinesallcamebackwiththemostcourteouspromptitude。ButIdon’tmind。It’sgoodpractice。
MasterJerviereadthem——hebroughtinthepost，soIcouldn’thelphisknowing——andhesaidtheywereDREADFUL。TheyshowedthatIdidn’thavetheslightestideaofwhatIwastalkingabout。
（MasterJerviedoesn’tletpolitenessinterferewithtruth。）
ButthelastoneIdid——justalittlesketchlaidincollege——
hesaidwasn’tbad;andhehadittypewritten，andIsentittoamagazine。They’vehadittwoweeks;maybethey’rethinkingitover。
Youshouldseethesky！There’sthequeerestorange-colouredlightovereverything。We’regoingtohaveastorm。
Itcommencedjustthatmomentwithtremendouslybigdropsandalltheshuttersbanging。Ihadtoruntoclosethewindows，whileCarrieflewtotheatticwithanarmfulofmilkpanstoputundertheplaceswheretheroofleaksandthen，justasIwasresumingmypen，IrememberedthatI’dleftacushionandrugandhatandMatthewArnold’spoemsunderatreeintheorchard，soIdashedouttogetthem，allquitesoaked。Theredcoverofthepoemshadrunintotheinside;
DoverBeachinthefuturewillbewashedbypinkwaves。
Astormisawfullydisturbinginthecountry。Youarealwayshavingtothinkofsomanythingsthatareoutofdoorsandgettingspoiled。
ThursdayDaddy！Daddy！Whatdoyouthink？Thepostmanhasjustcomewithtwoletters。
1st。Mystoryisaccepted。$50。
ALORS！I’manAUTHOR。
2nd。Aletterfromthecollegesecretary。I’mtohaveascholarshipfortwoyearsthatwillcoverboardandtuition。Itwasfoundedfor`markedproficiencyinEnglishwithgeneralexcellencyinotherlines。’AndI’vewonit！IappliedforitbeforeIleft，butIdidn’thaveanideaI’dgetit，onaccountofmyFreshmanbadworkinmathsandLatin。ButitseemsI’vemadeitup。Iamawfullyglad，Daddy，becausenowIwon’tbesuchaburdentoyou。
ThemonthlyallowancewillbeallI’llneed，andmaybeIcanearnthatwithwritingortutoringorsomething。
I’mLONGINGtogobackandbeginwork。
Yoursever，JerushaAbbott，AuthorofWhentheSophomoresWontheGame。Forsaleatallnewsstands，pricetencents。
26thSeptemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Backatcollegeagainandanupperclassman。Ourstudyisbetterthaneverthisyear——facestheSouthwithtwohugewindowsandoh！
sofurnished。Julia，withanunlimitedallowance，arrivedtwodaysearlyandwasattackedwithafeverforsettling。
Wehavenewwallpaperandorientalrugsandmahoganychairs——
notpaintedmahoganywhichmadeussufficientlyhappylastyear，butreal。It’sverygorgeous，butIdon’tfeelasthoughIbelongedinit;I’mnervousallthetimeforfearI’llgetaninkspotinthewrongplace。
And，Daddy，Ifoundyourletterwaitingforme——pardon——Imeanyoursecretary’s。
WillyoukindlyconveytomeacomprehensiblereasonwhyIshouldnotacceptthatscholarship？Idon’tunderstandyourobjectionintheleast。Butanyway，itwon’tdotheslightestgoodforyoutoobject，forI’vealreadyaccepteditandIamnotgoingtochange！
Thatsoundsalittleimpertinent，butIdon’tmeanitso。
Isupposeyoufeelthatwhenyousetouttoeducateme，you’dliketofinishthework，andputaneatperiod，intheshapeofadiploma，attheend。
Butlookatitjustasecondfrommypointofview。IshallowemyeducationtoyoujustasmuchasthoughIletyoupayforthewholeofit，butIwon’tbequitesomuchindebted。Iknowthatyoudon’twantmetoreturnthemoney，butnevertheless，Iamgoingtowanttodoit，ifIpossiblycan;andwinningthisscholarshipmakesitsomucheasier。
Iwasexpectingtospendtherestofmylifeinpayingmydebts，butnowIshallonlyhavetospendone-halfoftherestofit。
Ihopeyouunderstandmypositionandwon’tbecross。TheallowanceIshallstillmostgratefullyaccept。ItrequiresanallowancetoliveuptoJuliaandherfurniture！Iwishthatshehadbeenrearedtosimplertastes，orelsethatshewerenotmyroom-mate。
Thisisn’tmuchofaletter;Imeanttohavewrittenalot——butI’vebeenhemmingfourwindowcurtainsandthreeportieres（I’mgladyoucan’tseethelengthofthestitches），andpolishingabrassdesksetwithtoothpowder（veryuphillwork），andsawingoffpicturewirewithmanicurescissors，andunpackingfourboxesofbooks，andputtingawaytwotrunkfulsofclothes（itdoesn’tseembelievablethatJerushaAbbottownstwotrunksfullofclothes，butshedoes！）
andwelcomingbackfiftydearfriendsinbetween。
Openingdayisajoyousoccasion！
Goodnight，Daddydear，anddon’tbeannoyedbecauseyourchickiswantingtoscratchforherself。She’sgrowingupintoanawfullyenergeticlittlehen——withaverydeterminedcluckandlotsofbeautifulfeathers（allduetoyou）。
Affectionately，Judy30thSeptemberDearDaddy，Areyoustillharpingonthatscholarship？Ineverknewamansoobstinate，andstubbornandunreasonable，andtenacious，andbull-doggish，andunable-to-see-other-people’s-point-of-view，asyou。
YoupreferthatIshouldnotbeacceptingfavoursfromstrangers。
Strangers！——Andwhatareyou，pray？
IsthereanyoneintheworldthatIknowless？Ishouldn’trecognizeyouifImetyouinthestreet。Now，yousee，ifyouhadbeenasane，sensiblepersonandhadwrittennice，cheeringfatherlyletterstoyourlittleJudy，andhadcomeoccasionallyandpattedheronthehead，andhadsaidyouweregladshewassuchagoodgirl——Then，perhaps，shewouldn’thavefloutedyouinyouroldage，butwouldhaveobeyedyourslightestwishlikethedutifuldaughtershewasmeanttobe。
Strangersindeed！Youliveinaglasshouse，Mr。Smith。
Andbesides，thisisn’tafavour;it’slikeaprize——Iearneditbyhardwork。IfnobodyhadbeengoodenoughinEnglish，thecommitteewouldn’thaveawardedthescholarship;someyearstheydon’t。Also——
Butwhat’stheuseofarguingwithaman？Youbelong，Mr。Smith，toasexdevoidofasenseoflogic。Tobringamanintoline，therearejusttwomethods：onemusteithercoaxorbedisagreeable。
IscorntocoaxmenforwhatIwish。Therefore，Imustbedisagreeable。
Irefuse，sir，togiveupthescholarship;andifyoumakeanymorefuss，Iwon’tacceptthemonthlyallowanceeither，butwillwearmyselfintoanervouswrecktutoringstupidFreshmen。
Thatismyultimatum！
Andlisten——Ihaveafurtherthought。SinceyouaresoafraidthatbytakingthisscholarshipIamdeprivingsomeoneelseofaneducation，Iknowawayout。YoucanapplythemoneythatyouwouldhavespentformetowardseducatingsomeotherlittlegirlfromtheJohnGrierHome。
Don’tyouthinkthat’saniceidea？Only，Daddy，EDUCATEthenewgirlasmuchasyouchoose，butpleasedon’tLIKEheranybetterthanme。
Itrustthatyoursecretarywon’tbehurtbecauseIpaysolittleattentiontothesuggestionsofferedinhisletter，butIcan’thelpitifheis。He’saspoiledchild，Daddy。I’vemeeklygivenintohiswhimsheretofore，butthistimeIintendtobeFIRM。
Yours，Withamind，CompletelyandIrrevocablyandWorld-without-EndMade-up，JerushaAbbott9thNovemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，IstarteddowntowntodaytobuyabottleofshoeblackingandsomecollarsandthematerialforanewblouseandajarofvioletcreamandacakeofCastilesoap——allverynecessary;Icouldn’tbehappyanotherdaywithoutthem——andwhenItriedtopaythecarfare，IfoundthatIhadleftmypurseinthepocketofmyothercoat。
SoIhadtogetoutandtakethenextcar，andwaslateforgymnasium。
It’sadreadfulthingtohavenomemoryandtwocoats！
JuliaPendletonhasinvitedmetovisitherfortheChristmasholidays。
Howdoesthatstrikeyou，Mr。Smith？FancyJerushaAbbott，oftheJohnGrierHome，sittingatthetablesoftherich。
Idon’tknowwhyJuliawantsme——sheseemstobegettingquiteattachedtomeoflate。Ishould，totellthetruth，verymuchprefergoingtoSallie’s，butJuliaaskedmefirst，soifI
goanywhereitmustbetoNewYorkinsteadoftoWorcester。
I’mratherawedattheprospectofmeetingPendletonsENMASSE，andalsoI’dhavetogetalotofnewclothes——so，Daddydear，ifyouwritethatyouwouldpreferhavingmeremainquietlyatcollege，Iwillbowtoyourwisheswithmyusualsweetdocility。
I’mengagedatoddmomentswiththeLifeandLettersofThomasHuxley——
itmakesnice，lightreadingtopickupbetweentimes。Doyouknowwhatanarchaeopteryxis？It’sabird。Andastereognathus？
I’mnotsuremyself，butIthinkit’samissinglink，likeabirdwithteethoralizardwithwings。No，itisn’teither;I’vejustlookedinthebook。It’samesozoicmammal。
I’veelectedeconomicsthisyear——veryilluminatingsubject。
WhenIfinishthatI’mgoingtotakeCharityandReform;then，Mr。Trustee，I’llknowjusthowanorphanasylumoughttoberun。
Don’tyouthinkI’dmakeanadmirablevoterifIhadmyrights？
Iwastwenty-onelastweek。Thisisanawfullywastefulcountrytothrowawaysuchanhonest，educated，conscientious，intelligentcitizenasIwouldbe。
Yoursalways，Judy7thDecemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，ThankyouforpermissiontovisitJulia——Itakeitthatsilencemeansconsent。
Suchasocialwhirlaswe’vebeenhaving！TheFounder’sdancecamelastweek——thiswasthefirstyearthatanyofuscouldattend;
onlyupperclassmenbeingallowed。
IinvitedJimmieMcBride，andSallieinvitedhisroom-mateatPrinceton，whovisitedthemlastsummerattheircamp——anawfullynicemanwithredhair——andJuliainvitedamanfromNewYork，notveryexciting，butsociallyirreproachable。HeisconnectedwiththeDelaMaterChichesters。Perhapsthatmeanssomethingtoyou？Itdoesn’tilluminatemetoanyextent。
However——ourguestscameFridayafternoonintimeforteaintheseniorcorridor，andthendasheddowntothehotelfordinner。
Thehotelwassofullthattheysleptinrowsonthebilliardtables，theysay。JimmieMcBridesaysthatthenexttimeheisbiddentoasocialeventinthiscollege，heisgoingtobringoneoftheirAdirondacktentsandpitchitonthecampus。
Atseven-thirtytheycamebackforthePresident’sreceptionanddance。
Ourfunctionscommenceearly！Wehadthemen’scardsallmadeoutaheadoftime，andaftereverydance，we’dleavethemingroups，undertheletterthatstoodfortheirnames，sothattheycouldbereadilyfoundbytheirnextpartners。JimmieMcBride，forexample，wouldstandpatientlyunder`M’untilhewasclaimed。（Atleast，heoughttohavestoodpatiently，buthekeptwanderingoffandgettingmixedwith`R’s’and`S’s’andallsortsofletters。）
Ifoundhimaverydifficultguest;hewassulkybecausehehadonlythreedanceswithme。Hesaidhewasbashfulaboutdancingwithgirlshedidn’tknow！
Thenextmorningwehadagleeclubconcert——andwhodoyouthinkwrotethefunnynewsongcomposedfortheoccasion？It’sthetruth。
Shedid。Oh，Itellyou，Daddy，yourlittlefoundlingisgettingtobequiteaprominentperson！
Anyway，ourgaytwodaysweregreatfun，andIthinkthemenenjoyedit。
Someofthemwereawfullyperturbedatfirstattheprospectoffacingonethousandgirls;buttheygotacclimatedveryquickly。
OurtwoPrincetonmenhadabeautifultime——atleasttheypolitelysaidtheyhad，andthey’veinvitedustotheirdancenextspring。
We’veaccepted，sopleasedon’tobject，Daddydear。
JuliaandSallieandIallhadnewdresses。Doyouwanttohearaboutthem？Julia’swascreamsatinandgoldembroideryandsheworepurpleorchids。ItwasaDREAMandcamefromParis，andcostamilliondollars。
Sallie’swaspalebluetrimmedwithPersianembroidery，andwentbeautifullywithredhair。Itdidn’tcostquiteamillion，butwasjustaseffectiveasJulia’s。
Minewaspalepinkcrepedechinetrimmedwithecrulaceandrosesatin。
AndIcarriedcrimsonroseswhichJ。McB。sent（Salliehavingtoldhimwhatcolourtoget）。Andweallhadsatinslippersandsilkstockingsandchiffonscarfstomatch。
Youmustbedeeplyimpressedbythesemillinerydetails。
Onecan’thelpthinking，Daddy，whatacolourlesslifeamanisforcedtolead，whenonereflectsthatchiffonandVenetianpointandhandembroideryandIrishcrochetaretohimmereemptywords。
Whereasawoman——whethersheisinterestedinbabiesormicrobesorhusbandsorpoetryorservantsorparallelogramsorgardensorPlatoorbridge——isfundamentallyandalwaysinterestedinclothes。
It’stheonetouchofnaturethatmakesthewholeworldkin。
（Thatisn’toriginal。IgotitoutofoneofShakespeare’splays）。
However，toresume。DoyouwantmetotellyouasecretthatI’velatelydiscovered？Andwillyoupromisenottothinkmevain？
Thenlisten：
I’mpretty。
Iam，really。I’dbeanawfulidiotnottoknowitwiththreelooking-glassesintheroom。
AFriendPS。Thisisoneofthosewickedanonymouslettersyoureadaboutinnovels。
20thDecemberDearDaddy-Long-Legs，I’vejustamoment，becauseImustattendtwoclasses，packatrunkandasuit-case，andcatchthefour-o’clocktrain——butIcouldn’tgowithoutsendingawordtoletyouknowhowmuchIappreciatemyChristmasbox。
IlovethefursandthenecklaceandtheLibertyscarfandtheglovesandhandkerchiefsandbooksandpurse——andmostofallIloveyou！
ButDaddy，youhavenobusinesstospoilmethisway。I’monlyhuman——
andagirlatthat。HowcanIkeepmymindsternlyfixedonastudiouscareer，whenyoudeflectmewithsuchworldlyfrivolities？
IhavestrongsuspicionsnowastowhichoneoftheJohnGrierTrusteesusedtogivetheChristmastreeandtheSundayice-cream。
Hewasnameless，butbyhisworksIknowhim！Youdeservetobehappyforallthegoodthingsyoudo。
Goodbye，andaverymerryChristmas。
Yoursalways，JudyPS。Iamsendingaslighttoken，too。Doyouthinkyouwouldlikeherifyouknewher？
11thJanuaryImeanttowritetoyoufromthecity，Daddy，butNewYorkisanengrossingplace。
Ihadaninteresting——andilluminating——time，butI’mgladIdon’tbelongtosuchafamily！IshouldtrulyratherhavetheJohnGrierHomeforabackground。Whateverthedrawbacksofmybringingup，therewasatleastnopretenceaboutit。IknownowwhatpeoplemeanwhentheysaytheyareweigheddownbyThings。Thematerialatmosphereofthathousewascrushing;Ididn’tdrawadeepbreathuntilIwasonanexpresstraincomingback。Allthefurniturewascarvedandupholsteredandgorgeous;thepeopleImetwerebeautifullydressedandlow-voicedandwell-bred，butit’sthetruth，Daddy，Ineverheardonewordofrealtalkfromthetimewearriveduntilweleft。Idon’tthinkanideaeverenteredthefrontdoor。
Mrs。Pendletonneverthinksofanythingbutjewelsanddressmakersandsocialengagements。ShedidseemadifferentkindofmotherfromMrs。McBride！IfIevermarryandhaveafamily，I’mgoingtomakethemasexactlyliketheMcBridesasIcan。NotforallthemoneyintheworldwouldIeverletanychildrenofminedevelopintoPendletons。
Maybeitisn’tpolitetocriticizepeopleyou’vebeenvisiting？
Ifitisn’t，pleaseexcuse。Thisisveryconfidential，betweenyouandme。
IonlysawMasterJervieoncewhenhecalledatteatime，andthenIdidn’thaveachancetospeaktohimalone。
Itwasreallydisappointingafterournicetimelastsummer。
Idon’tthinkhecaresmuchforhisrelatives——andIamsuretheydon’tcaremuchforhim！Julia’smothersayshe’sunbalanced。
He’saSocialist——except，thankHeaven，hedoesn’tlethishairgrowandwearredties。Shecan’timaginewherehepickeduphisqueerideas;
thefamilyhavebeenChurchofEnglandforgenerations。Hethrowsawayhismoneyoneverysortofcrazyreform，insteadofspendingitonsuchsensiblethingsasyachtsandautomobilesandpoloponies。
Hedoesbuycandywithitthough！HesentJuliaandmeeachaboxforChristmas。
Youknow，IthinkI’llbeaSocialist，too。Youwouldn’tmind，wouldyou，Daddy？They’requitedifferentfromAnarchists;
theydon’tbelieveinblowingpeopleup。ProbablyIamonebyrights;
Ibelongtotheproletariat。Ihaven’tdeterminedyetjustwhichkindIamgoingtobe。IwilllookintothesubjectoverSunday，anddeclaremyprinciplesinmynext。
I’veseenloadsoftheatresandhotelsandbeautifulhouses。
Mymindisaconfusedjumbleofonyxandgildingandmosaicfloorsandpalms。I’mstillprettybreathlessbutIamgladtogetbacktocollegeandmybooks——IbelievethatIreallyamastudent;
thisatmosphereofacademiccalmIfindmorebracingthanNewYork。
Collegeisaverysatisfyingsortoflife;thebooksandstudyandregularclasseskeepyoualivementally，andthenwhenyourmindgetstired，youhavethegymnasiumandoutdoorathletics，andalwaysplentyofcongenialfriendswhoarethinkingaboutthesamethingsyouare。Wespendawholeeveninginnothingbuttalk——
talk——talk——andgotobedwithaveryupliftedfeeling，asthoughwehadsettledpermanentlysomepressingworldproblems。Andfillingineverycrevice，thereisalwayssuchalotofnonsense——justsillyjokesaboutthelittlethingsthatcomeupbutverysatisfying。
Wedoappreciateourownwitticisms！
Itisn’tthegreatbigpleasuresthatcountthemost;it’smakingagreatdealoutofthelittleones——I’vediscoveredthetruesecretofhappiness，Daddy，andthatistoliveinthenow。
Nottobeforeverregrettingthepast，oranticipatingthefuture;
buttogetthemostthatyoucanoutofthisveryinstant。
It’slikefarming。Youcanhaveextensivefarmingandintensivefarming;well，Iamgoingtohaveintensivelivingafterthis。
I’mgoingtoenjoyeverysecond，andI’mgoingtoKNOWI’menjoyingitwhileI’menjoyingit。Mostpeopledon’tlive;theyjustrace。
Theyaretryingtoreachsomegoalfarawayonthehorizon，andintheheatofthegoingtheygetsobreathlessandpantingthattheyloseallsightofthebeautiful，tranquilcountrytheyarepassingthrough;
andthenthefirstthingtheyknow，theyareoldandwornout，anditdoesn’tmakeanydifferencewhetherthey’vereachedthegoalornot。I’vedecidedtositdownbythewayandpileupalotoflittlehappinesses，evenifIneverbecomeaGreatAuthor。
DidyoueverknowsuchaphilosopheressasIamdevelopinginto？
Yoursever，JudyPS。It’srainingcatsanddogstonight。Twopuppiesandakittenhavejustlandedonthewindow-sill。
DearComrade，Hooray！I’maFabian。
That’saSocialistwho’swillingtowait。Wedon’twantthesocialrevolutiontocometomorrowmorning;itwouldbetooupsetting。
Wewantittocomeverygraduallyinthedistantfuture，whenweshallallbepreparedandabletosustaintheshock。
Inthemeantime，wemustbegettingready，byinstitutingindustrial，educationalandorphanasylumreforms。
Yours，withfraternallove，JudyMonday，3rdhour11thFebruaryDearD-L-L。，Don’tbeinsultedbecausethisissoshort。Itisn’taletter;
it’sjustaLINEtosaythatI’mgoingtowritealetterprettysoonwhenexaminationsareover。ItisnotonlynecessarythatIpass，butpassWELL。Ihaveascholarshiptoliveupto。
Yours，studyinghard，J。A。
5thMarchDearDaddy-Long-Legs，PresidentCuylermadeaspeechthiseveningaboutthemoderngenerationbeingflippantandsuperficial。Hesaysthatwearelosingtheoldidealsofearnestendeavourandtruescholarship;
andparticularlyisthisfalling-offnoticeableinourdisrespectfulattitudetowardsorganizedauthority。Wenolongerpayaseemlydeferencetooursuperiors。
Icameawayfromchapelverysober。
AmItoofamiliar，Daddy？OughtItotreatyouwithmoredignityandaloofness？——Yes，I’msureIought。I’llbeginagain。
MyDearMr。Smith，YouwillbepleasedtohearthatIpassedsuccessfullymymid-yearexaminations，andamnowcommencingworkinthenewsemester。Iamleavingchemistry——havingcompletedthecourseinqualitativeanalysis——
andamenteringuponthestudyofbiology。Iapproachthissubjectwithsomehesitation，asIunderstandthatwedissectanglewormsandfrogs。
AnextremelyinterestingandvaluablelecturewasgiveninthechapellastweekuponRomanRemainsinSouthernFrance。Ihaveneverlistenedtoamoreilluminatingexpositionofthesubject。
WearereadingWordsworth’sTinternAbbeyinconnectionwithourcourseinEnglishLiterature。Whatanexquisiteworkitis，andhowadequatelyitembodieshisconceptionsofPantheism！
TheRomanticmovementoftheearlypartofthelastcentury，exemplifiedintheworksofsuchpoetsasShelley，Byron，Keats，andWordsworth，appealstomeverymuchmorethantheClassicalperiodthatprecededit。Speakingofpoetry，haveyoueverreadthatcharminglittlethingofTennyson’scalledLocksleyHall？
Iamattendinggymnasiumveryregularlyoflate。Aproctorsystemhasbeendevised，andfailuretocomplywiththerulescausesagreatdealofinconvenience。Thegymnasiumisequippedwithaverybeautifulswimmingtankofcementandmarble，thegiftofaformergraduate。Myroom-mate，MissMcBride，hasgivenmeherbathing-suit（itshranksothatshecannolongerwearit）
andIamabouttobeginswimminglessons。
Wehaddeliciouspinkice-creamfordessertlastnight。
Onlyvegetabledyesareusedincolouringthefood。Thecollegeisverymuchopposed，bothfromaestheticandhygienicmotives，totheuseofanilinedyes。
Theweatheroflatehasbeenideal——brightsunshineandcloudsinterspersedwithafewwelcomesnow-storms。Iandmycompanionshaveenjoyedourwalkstoandfromclasses——particularlyfrom。
Trusting，mydearMr。Smith，thatthiswillfindyouinyourusualgoodhealth，Iremain，Mostcordiallyyours，JerushaAbbott24thAprilDearDaddy，Springhascomeagain！Youshouldseehowlovelythecampusis。
Ithinkyoumightcomeandlookatitforyourself。MasterJerviedroppedinagainlastFriday——buthechoseamostunpropitioustime，forSallieandJuliaandIwerejustrunningtocatchatrain。
Andwheredoyouthinkweweregoing？ToPrinceton，toattendadanceandaballgame，ifyouplease！Ididn’taskyouifImightgo，becauseIhadafeelingthatyoursecretarywouldsayno。Butitwasentirelyregular;wehadleave-of-absencefromcollege，andMrs。
McBridechaperonedus。Wehadacharmingtime——butIshallhavetoomitdetails;theyaretoomanyandcomplicated。
SaturdayUpbeforedawn！Thenightwatchmancalledus——sixofus——andwemadecoffeeinachafingdish（youneversawsomanygrounds！）
andwalkedtwomilestothetopofOneTreeHilltoseethesunrise。
Wehadtoscrambleupthelastslope！Thesunalmostbeatus！
Andperhapsyouthinkwedidn’tbringbackappetitestobreakfast！
Dearme，Daddy，Iseemtohaveaveryejaculatorystyletoday;
thispageispepperedwithexclamations。
Imeanttohavewrittenalotaboutthebuddingtreesandthenewcinderpathintheathleticfield，andtheawfullessonwehaveinbiologyfortomorrow，andthenewcanoesonthelake，andCatherinePrentisswhohaspneumonia，andPrexy’sAngorakittenthatstrayedfromhomeandhasbeenboardinginFergussenHallfortwoweeksuntilachambermaidreportedit，andaboutmythreenewdresses——
whiteandpinkandbluepolkadotswithahattomatch——butIamtoosleepy。Iamalwaysmakingthisanexcuse，amInot？Butagirls’
collegeisabusyplaceandwedogettiredbytheendoftheday！
Particularlywhenthedaybeginsatdawn。
Affectionately，Judy15thMayDearDaddy-Long-Legs，Isitgoodmannerswhenyougetintoacarjusttostarestraightaheadandnotseeanybodyelse？
Averybeautifulladyinaverybeautifulvelvetdressgotintothecartoday，andwithouttheslightestexpressionsatforfifteenminutesandlookedatasignadvertisingsuspenders。
Itdoesn’tseempolitetoignoreeverybodyelseasthoughyouweretheonlyimportantpersonpresent。Anyway，youmissalot。
Whileshewasabsorbingthatsillysign，Iwasstudyingawholecarfullofinterestinghumanbeings。
Theaccompanyingillustrationisherebyreproducedforthefirsttime。
Itlookslikeaspiderontheendofastring，butitisn’tatall;
it’sapictureofmelearningtoswiminthetankinthegymnasium。
Theinstructorhooksaropeintoaringinthebackofmybelt，andrunsitthroughapulleyintheceiling。Itwouldbeabeautifulsystemifonehadperfectconfidenceintheprobityofone’sinstructor。
I’malwaysafraid，though，thatshewilllettheropegetslack，soIkeeponeanxiouseyeonherandswimwiththeother，andwiththisdividedinterestIdonotmaketheprogressthatI
otherwisemight。
Verymiscellaneousweatherwe’rehavingoflate。ItwasrainingwhenIcommencedandnowthesunisshining。SallieandIaregoingouttoplaytennis——therebygainingexemptionfromGym。
AweeklaterIshouldhavefinishedthisletterlongago，butIdidn’t。Youdon’tmind，doyou，Daddy，ifI’mnotveryregular？Ireallydolovetowritetoyou;itgivesmesucharespectablefeelingofhavingsomefamily。Wouldyoulikemetotellyousomething？
YouarenottheonlymantowhomIwriteletters。Therearetwoothers！IhavebeenreceivingbeautifullonglettersthiswinterfromMasterJervie（withtypewrittenenvelopessoJuliawon’trecognizethewriting）。Didyoueverhearanythingsoshocking？
Andeveryweekorsoaveryscrawlyepistle，usuallyonyellowtabletpaper，arrivesfromPrinceton。AllofwhichIanswerwithbusiness-likepromptness。Soyousee——Iamnotsodifferentfromothergirls——Igetletters，too。
DidItellyouthatIhavebeenelectedamemberoftheSeniorDramaticClub？Veryrechercheorganization。Onlyseventy-fivemembersoutofonethousand。DoyouthinkasaconsistentSocialistthatIoughttobelong？
Whatdoyousupposeisatpresentengagingmyattentioninsociology？
Iamwriting（figurezvous！）apaperontheCareofDependentChildren。
TheProfessorshuffleduphissubjectsanddealtthemoutpromiscuously，andthatfelltome。C’estdrolecan’estpas？
Theregoesthegongfordinner。I’llpostthisasIpassthebox。
Affectionately，J。
4thJuneDearDaddy，Verybusytime——commencementintendays，examinationstomorrow;
lotsofstudying，lotsofpacking，andtheoutdoorworldsolovelythatithurtsyoutostayinside。
Butnevermind，vacation’scoming。Juliaisgoingabroadthissummer——
itmakesthefourthtime。Nodoubtaboutit，Daddy，goodsarenotdistributedevenly。Sallie，asusual，goestotheAdirondacks。
AndwhatdoyouthinkIamgoingtodo？Youmayhavethreeguesses。
LockWillow？Wrong。TheAdirondackswithSallie？Wrong。
（I’llneverattemptthatagain;Iwasdiscouragedlastyear。）
Can’tyouguessanythingelse？You’renotveryinventive。
I’lltellyou，Daddy，ifyou’llpromisenottomakealotofobjections。
Iwarnyoursecretaryinadvancethatmymindismadeup。
IamgoingtospendthesummerattheseasidewithaMrs。CharlesPatersonandtutorherdaughterwhoistoentercollegeintheautumn。
ImetherthroughtheMcBrides，andsheisaverycharmingwoman。