Friday
What do you think, Daddy? The English instructor said that my lastpaper shows an unusual amount of originality. She did, truly. Thosewere her words. It doesn't seem possible, does it, considering theeighteen years of training that I've had? The aim of the John GrierHome (as you doubtless know and heartily approve of) is to turn theninety-seven orphans into ninety-seven twins.
The unusual artistic ability which I exhibit was developed at an earlyage through drawing chalk pictures of Mrs. Lippett on the woodshed door.
I hope that I don't hurt your feelings when I criticize the home of myyouth? But you have the upper hand, you know, for if I become tooimpertinent, you can always stop payment of your cheques. That isn't avery polite thing to say--but you can't expect me to have any manners;a foundling asylum isn't a young ladies' finishing school.
You know, Daddy, it isn't the work that is going to be hard in college.It's the play. Half the time I don't know what the girls are talkingabout; their jokes seem to relate to a past that every one but me hasshared. I'm a foreigner in the world and I don't understand thelanguage. It's a miserable feeling. I've had it all my life. At thehigh school the girls would stand in groups and just look at me. I wasqueer and different and everybody knew it. I could FEEL 'John GrierHome' written on my face. And then a few charitable ones would make apoint of coming up and saying something polite. I HATED EVERY ONE OFTHEM--the charitable ones most of all.
Nobody here knows that I was brought up in an asylum. I told SallieMcBride that my mother and father were dead, and that a kind oldgentleman was sending me to college which is entirely true so far as itgoes. I don't want you to think I am a coward, but I do want to belike the other girls, and that Dreadful Home looming over my childhoodis the one great big difference. If I can turn my back on that andshut out the remembrance, I think, I might be just as desirable as anyother girl. I don't believe there's any real, underneath difference,do you?
Anyway, Sallie McBride likes me!
Yours ever, Judy Abbott (Nee Jerusha.)
Saturday morning
I've just been reading this letter over and it sounds prettyun-cheerful. But can't you guess that I have a special topic due Mondaymorning and a review in geometry and a very sneezy cold?