Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
26th September
Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,
Back at college again and an upper classman. Our study is better thanever this year--faces the South with two huge windows and oh! sofurnished. Julia, with an unlimited allowance, arrived two days earlyand was attacked with a fever for settling.
We have new wall paper and oriental rugs and mahogany chairs--notpainted mahogany which made us sufficiently happy last year, but real.It's very gorgeous, but I don't feel as though I belonged in it; I'mnervous all the time for fear I'll get an ink spot in the wrong place.
And, Daddy, I found your letter waiting for me--pardon--I mean yoursecretary's.
Will you kindly convey to me a comprehensible reason why I should notaccept that scholarship? I don't understand your objection in theleast. But anyway, it won't do the slightest good for you to object,for I've already accepted it and I am not going to change! That soundsa little impertinent, but I don't mean it so.
I suppose you feel that when you set out to educate me, you'd like tofinish the work, and put a neat period, in the shape of a diploma, atthe end.
But look at it just a second from my point of view. I shall owe myeducation to you just as much as though I let you pay for the whole ofit, but I won't be quite so much indebted. I know that you don't wantme to return the money, but nevertheless, I am going to want to do it,if I possibly can; and winning this scholarship makes it so mucheasier. I was expecting to spend the rest of my life in paying mydebts, but now I shall only have to spend one-half of the rest of it.
I hope you understand my position and won't be cross. The allowance Ishall still most gratefully accept. It requires an allowance to liveup to Julia and her furniture! I wish that she had been reared tosimpler tastes, or else that she were not my room-mate.
This isn't much of a letter; I meant to have written a lot--but I'vebeen hemming four window curtains and three portieres (I'm glad youcan't see the length of the stitches), and polishing a brass desk setwith tooth powder (very uphill work), and sawing off picture wire withmanicure scissors, and unpacking four boxes of books, and putting awaytwo trunkfuls of clothes (it doesn't seem believable that JerushaAbbott owns two trunks full of clothes, but she does!) and welcomingback fifty dear friends in between.
Opening day is a joyous occasion!
Good night, Daddy dear, and don't be annoyed because your chick iswanting to scratch for herself. She's growing up into an awfullyenergetic little hen--with a very determined cluck and lots ofbeautiful feathers (all due to you).
Affectionately, Judy
Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,
Back at college again and an upper classman. Our study is better thanever this year--faces the South with two huge windows and oh! sofurnished. Julia, with an unlimited allowance, arrived two days earlyand was attacked with a fever for settling.
We have new wall paper and oriental rugs and mahogany chairs--notpainted mahogany which made us sufficiently happy last year, but real.It's very gorgeous, but I don't feel as though I belonged in it; I'mnervous all the time for fear I'll get an ink spot in the wrong place.
And, Daddy, I found your letter waiting for me--pardon--I mean yoursecretary's.
Will you kindly convey to me a comprehensible reason why I should notaccept that scholarship? I don't understand your objection in theleast. But anyway, it won't do the slightest good for you to object,for I've already accepted it and I am not going to change! That soundsa little impertinent, but I don't mean it so.
I suppose you feel that when you set out to educate me, you'd like tofinish the work, and put a neat period, in the shape of a diploma, atthe end.
But look at it just a second from my point of view. I shall owe myeducation to you just as much as though I let you pay for the whole ofit, but I won't be quite so much indebted. I know that you don't wantme to return the money, but nevertheless, I am going to want to do it,if I possibly can; and winning this scholarship makes it so mucheasier. I was expecting to spend the rest of my life in paying mydebts, but now I shall only have to spend one-half of the rest of it.
I hope you understand my position and won't be cross. The allowance Ishall still most gratefully accept. It requires an allowance to liveup to Julia and her furniture! I wish that she had been reared tosimpler tastes, or else that she were not my room-mate.
This isn't much of a letter; I meant to have written a lot--but I'vebeen hemming four window curtains and three portieres (I'm glad youcan't see the length of the stitches), and polishing a brass desk setwith tooth powder (very uphill work), and sawing off picture wire withmanicure scissors, and unpacking four boxes of books, and putting awaytwo trunkfuls of clothes (it doesn't seem believable that JerushaAbbott owns two trunks full of clothes, but she does!) and welcomingback fifty dear friends in between.
Opening day is a joyous occasion!
Good night, Daddy dear, and don't be annoyed because your chick iswanting to scratch for herself. She's growing up into an awfullyenergetic little hen--with a very determined cluck and lots ofbeautiful feathers (all due to you).
Affectionately, Judy