7th December
Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,
Thank you for permission to visit Julia--I take it that silence meansconsent.
Such a social whirl as we've been having! The Founder's dance camelast week--this was the first year that any of us could attend; onlyupper classmen being allowed.
I invited Jimmie McBride, and Sallie invited his room-mate atPrinceton, who visited them last summer at their camp--an awfully niceman with red hair--and Julia invited a man from New York, not veryexciting, but socially irreproachable. He is connected with the De laMater Chichesters. Perhaps that means something to you? It doesn'tilluminate me to any extent.
However--our guests came Friday afternoon in time for tea in the seniorcorridor, and then dashed down to the hotel for dinner. The hotel wasso 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 eventin this college, he is going to bring one of their Adirondack tents andpitch it on the campus.
At seven-thirty they came back for the President's reception and dance.Our functions commence early! We had the men's cards all made outahead of time, and after every dance, we'd leave them in groups, underthe letter that stood for their names, so that they could be readilyfound by their next partners. Jimmie McBride, for example, would standpatiently under 'M' until he was claimed. (At least, he ought to havestood patiently, but he kept wandering off and getting mixed with 'R's'and 'S's' and all sorts of letters.) I found him a very difficultguest; he was sulky because he had only three dances with me. He saidhe was bashful about dancing with girls he didn't know!
The next morning we had a glee club concert--and who do you think wrotethe funny new song composed for the occasion? It's the truth. Shedid. Oh, I tell you, Daddy, your little foundling is getting to bequite a prominent person!
Anyway, our gay two days were great fun, and I think the men enjoyedit. Some of them were awfully perturbed at first at the prospect offacing one thousand girls; but they got acclimated very quickly. Ourtwo Princeton men had a beautiful time--at least they politely saidthey had, and they've invited us to their dance next spring. We'veaccepted, so please don't object, Daddy dear.
Julia and Sallie and I all had new dresses. Do you want to hear aboutthem? Julia's was cream satin and gold embroidery and she wore purpleorchids. It was a DREAM and came from Paris, and cost a milliondollars.
Sallie's was pale blue trimmed with Persian embroidery, and wentbeautifully with red hair. It didn't cost quite a million, but wasjust as effective as Julia's.
Mine was pale pink crepe de chine trimmed with ecru lace and rosesatin. And I carried crimson roses which J. McB. sent (Sallie havingtold him what colour to get). And we all had satin slippers and silkstockings and chiffon scarfs to match.
You must be deeply impressed by these millinery details.
One can't help thinking, Daddy, what a colourless life a man is forcedto lead, when one reflects that chiffon and Venetian point and handembroidery and Irish crochet are to him mere empty words. Whereas awoman--whether she is interested in babies or microbes or husbands orpoetry or servants or parallelograms or gardens or Plato or bridge--isfundamentally and always interested in clothes.
It's the one touch of nature that makes the whole world kin. (Thatisn't original. I got it out of one of Shakespeare's plays).
However, to resume. Do you want me to tell you a secret that I'velately discovered? And will you promise not to think me vain? Thenlisten:
I'm pretty.
I am, really. I'd be an awful idiot not to know it with threelooking-glasses in the room.
A Friend
PS. This is one of those wicked anonymous letters you read about innovels.