Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

Isn\'t it funny? I started to write to you yesterday afternoon,
but as far as I got was the heading, `Dear Daddy-Long-Legs\', and then
I remembered I\'d promised to pick some blackberries for supper,
so I went off and left the sheet lying on the table, and when I
came back today, what do you think I found sitting in the middle
of the page? A real true Daddy-Long-Legs!

I picked him up very gently by one leg, and dropped him out
of the window. I wouldn\'t hurt one of them for the world.
They always remind me of you.

We hitched up the spring wagon this morning and drove to the Centre
to church. It\'s a sweet little white frame church with a spire
and three Doric columns in front (or maybe Ionic--I always get
them mixed).

A nice sleepy sermon with everybody drowsily waving palm-leaf fans,
and the only sound, aside from the minister, the buzzing of locusts
in the trees outside. I didn\'t wake up till I found myself on
my feet singing the hymn, and then I was awfully sorry I hadn\'t
listened to the sermon; I should like to know more of the psychology
of a man who would pick out such a hymn. This was it:

Come, leave your sports and earthly toys
And join me in celestial joys.
Or else, dear friend, a long farewell.
I leave you now to sink to hell.


I find that it isn\'t safe to discuss religion with the Semples.
Their God (whom they have inherited intact from their remote
Puritan ancestors) is a narrow, irrational, unjust, mean, revengeful,
bigoted Person. Thank heaven I don\'t inherit God from anybody!
I am free to make mine up as I wish Him. He\'s kind and sympathetic
and imaginative and forgiving and understanding--and He has a sense
of humour.

I like the Semples immensely; their practice is so superior to
their theory. They are better than their own God. I told them so--
and they are horribly troubled. They think I am blasphemous--
and I think they are! We\'ve dropped theology from our conversation.

This is Sunday afternoon.

Amasai (hired man) in a purple tie and some bright yellow buckskin gloves,
very red and shaved, has just driven off with ............