I could FEEL 'John Grier
Home' written on my face. And then a few charitable ones would make a
point of coming up and saying something polite. I HATED EVERY ONE OF
THEM--the charitable ones most of all.

Nobody here knows that I was brought up in an asylum. I told Sallie
McBride that my mother and father were dead, and that a kind old
gentleman was sending me to college which is entirely true so far as it
goes. I don't want you to think I am a coward, but I do want to be
like the other girls, and that Dreadful Home looming over my childhood
is the one great big difference. If I can turn my back on that and
shut out the remembrance, I think, I might be just as desirable as any
other 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 pretty
un-cheerful. But can't you guess that I have a special topic due Monday
morning and a review in geometry and a very sneezy cold?

Sunday

I forgot to post this yesterday, so I will add an indignant postscript.
We had a bishop this morning, and WHAT DO YOU THINK HE SAID?

'The most beneficent promise made us in the Bible is this, "The poor ye
have always with you." They were put here in order to keep us
charitable.'

The poor, please observe, being a sort of useful domestic animal. If I
hadn't grown into such a perfect lady, I should have gone up after
service and told him what I thought.

25th October

Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

I'm in the basket-ball team and you ought to see the bruise on my left
shoulder. It's blue and mahogany with little streaks of orange. Julia
Pendleton tried for the team, but she didn't get in. Hooray!

You see what a mean disposition I have.

College gets nicer and nicer. I like the girls and the teachers and
the classes and the campus and the things to eat. We have ice-cream
twice a week and we never have corn-meal mush.

You only wanted to hear from me once a month, didn't you? And I've
been peppering you with letters every few days! But I've been so
excited about all these new adventures that I MUST talk to some