14th December
Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,
I dreamed the funniest dream last night. I thought I went into a bookstore and the clerk brought me a new book named The Life and Letters ofJudy Abbott. I could see it perfectly plainly--red cloth binding witha picture of the John Grier Home on the cover, and my portrait for afrontispiece with, 'Very truly yours, Judy Abbott,' written below. Butjust as I was turning to the end to read the inscription on mytombstone, I woke up. It was very annoying! I almost found out whomI'm going to marry and when I'm going to die.
Don't you think it would be interesting if you really could read thestory of your life--written perfectly truthfully by an omniscientauthor? And suppose you could only read it on this condition: thatyou would never forget it, but would have to go through life knowingahead of time exactly how everything you did would turn out, andforeseeing to the exact hour the time when you would die. How manypeople do you suppose would have the courage to read it then? or howmany could suppress their curiosity sufficiently to escape from readingit, even at the price of having to live without hope and withoutsurprises?
Life is monotonous enough at best; you have to eat and sleep about sooften. But imagine how DEADLY monotonous it would be if nothingunexpected could happen between meals. Mercy! Daddy, there's a blot,but I'm on the third page and I can't begin a new sheet.
I'm going on with biology again this year--very interesting subject;we're studying the alimentary system at present. You should see howsweet a cross-section of the duodenum of a cat is under the microscope.
Also we've arrived at philosophy--interesting but evanescent. I preferbiology where you can pin the subject under discussion to a board.There's another! And another! This pen is weeping copiously. Pleaseexcuse its tears.
Do you believe in free will? I do--unreservedly. I don't agree at allwith the philosophers who think that every action is the absolutelyinevitable and automatic resultant of an aggregation of remote causes.That's the most immoral doctrine I ever heard--nobody would be to blamefor anything. If a man believed in fatalism, he would naturally justsit down and say, 'The Lord's will be done,' and continue to sit untilhe fell over dead.
I believe absolutely in my own free will and my own power toaccomplish--and that is the belief that moves mountains. You watch mebecome a great author! I have four chapters of my new book finishedand five more drafted.
This is a very abstruse letter--does your head ache, Daddy? I thinkwe'll stop now and make some fudge. I'm sorry I can't send you apiece; it will be unusually good, for we're going to make it with realcream and three butter balls.
Yours affectionately, Judy
PS. We're having fancy dancing in gymnasium class. You can see by theaccompanying picture how much we look like a real ballet. The one atthe end accomplishing a graceful pirouette is me--I mean I.