Daddy Long Legs Page #5

I don't know what wild plans you have,

Jervis, but I don't propose to-

- Ah, here comes Linda.

- Oh!

Linda, darling.

Can you ever forgive your UncleJervis?

- For heaven's sake, Jervis. That's not Linda.

- Oh, I am sorry.

- What in the world are you doing here anyway? Linda, dear.

- Mother.

I don't suppose you remember your UncleJervis,

but that's perfectly all right.

- He doesn't remember you either.

- Hello, UncleJervis.

Linda, dear. I-I've been very foolish

in not coming to see you more often.

- You're lovely.

- Why, thank you.

Mm-hmm. Well, I guess

I haven't made a mistake.

- What?

- Well, I took the liberty of-

- That is, the girls insisted I fill out a dance card for you.

- Sounds charming.

So if you just go

and stand under your initial...

you'll be claimed like

a piece of luggage at an airport.

A well-traveled piece of luggage.

Linda, dear, do I have the pleasure

of a dance with your mother?

- Why, no. Oh, I mean- Well, it never occurred

to me when l- - My, my. Isn't it a shame?

Well, here I go.

- Come off it, McBride.

- You can't keep her to yourself.

Sorry, boys. I gave up one dance to

somebody's uncle, and that's as far as I'll go.

- I beg your pardon, Professor.

- That's quite all right, fella. Quite all right.

Only I don't happen

to be a... professor.

- Mr. McBride.

- Yes, Miss Andre.

- I believe this is our dance.

- Thank you, ma'am. Pardon us, Professor.

I told you

I was not a prof-

- Oh, you must be UncleJervis.

- Oh.

- Well, I'm Sally McBride, Linda's roommate.

- I thought Linda's roommate was-

Oh. You mean the vision of loveliness

that just danced off with my brother?

Well, that's Julie Andre.

She's the third cell mate.

Oh, I see.

- Well, uh, shall we have a go at it?

- Why, uh-

Of course, if this is too bluesy for you,

we could sit this one out.

- Well, I'll do my best.

- All right.

- I, uh- I can do the box step.

- Oh.

One, two. One, two.

Well, you're quite good.

Thank you. I'm glad those lessons

weren't a complete waste.

- Oh.

- Last week they put me on Spanish rhythms.

Hmm. Mr. McBride seems to be

quite taken with Miss Andre.

Taken? He's Georgia,

and she's Sherman marching through.

- Uh, she the same way about him?

- She'd be a darn fool if she weren't.

Hmm.

- Am I leading?

- Well, up to now, I think it's a tie.

That's a fault of mine.

It comes of going to a girls' school.

- Well, that's that.

- Thanks a lot.

Oh, and, uh, you won't forget.

Tomorrow afternoon we're playing Vassar.

- I do hope you can be there.

- Good luck. Although I'm sure you could beat Yale.

Why, thank you!

Mr. Pendleton?

I am Julie Andre.

How do you do?

Is this our dance?

Yes. If you'd rather

not dance, we can talk.

Oh, I think I'd like that. Isn't there,

uh, someplace we could go?

In the garden perhaps? Or maybe that

would be bad for your reputation.

Uh, it would.

Come on. Let's destroy my reputation.

Spring is in the air,

isn't it?

Yes. Isn't it?

Now, uh, where do you suggest

we have our flirtation?

Well, one usually

goes that way.

- Tell me. Haven't we met somewhere before?

- No.

That sounds like what the boys

usually say, but haven't we?

No. No. l- I'm sure

I would have remembered.

I have the funniest feeling-

- Of course. I know. Come on.

- Where?

- You'll see.

- Oh!

I'm sorry. I beg your pardon.

I was just, uh-

- Miss Andre, where are you taking me?

- You'll see.

There you are.

Grandfather.!

What a wonderful way to end his days:

in the middle of a girls' school.

Ah. Did he have

a weakness for ladies?

Oh, no. Great strength.

Ah. Did you inherit

that tendency?

That is a very

direct question.

Ah. Suppose it is.

But, you know,

I never talked to an uncle before.

How do I talk

to an uncle?

Very respectfully.

And you don't ask questions. You answer them.

Now, sit down,

and do just that.

- Yes, sir.

- Not quite that respectful.

- Yes, UncleJervis.

- That's better.

I take it that you haven't

any uncles of your own.

No uncles, no aunts,

no cousins...

no brothers,

no sisters, no nothing.

- Isn't there anyone who-

- Oh, it's a very sad story.

My father and mother were the duc

and duchesse de Monchartres...

and they both died

before I was born.

- Both.

- Yes.

It was during a typhoon.

Our yacht overturned

in the Sargasso Sea...

and I was

the only survivor.

Hmm.

- If you don't believe my story,

I have several others...

which are much more interesting.

I'm sure you have.

I only tell the stories

because nobody believes the truth.

Would you like to dance now?

Uh, yes. l- I would.

Uh...

would you tell me

what the truth is?

Yes. I have a guardian.

I see. Now, what

sort of man is he?

Oh, he's tall

and very skinny.

He always walks with a cane,

and he's bald up here.

But he has a lovely fringe

of white hair all around.

- All around?

- Uh-huh.

Sounds perfectly stunning.

Oh, don't you make fun of him.

I love him very much.

- When I get out of college, I'm going to live with him.

- Huh?

- You are?

- Yes.

But it's a surprise. He doesn't know it yet.

I have it all planned.

I'm going to read aloud to him

and plump his pillows...

and warm up his slippers...

and always make sure he wears

his galoshes when he goes out.

From the way you describe him...

I don't think he'll be going out very often.

Oh, well. He's not a boy anymore.

That is, uh,

probably true. Uh-

Does he ever come

to see you?

- No.

- Well, why not?

Well, he doesn't care

anything about me really.

Oh. Now, I'm sure he does.

Oh, I just pretend. One must have

somebody to love, you know.

So I make believe

that he really cares.

- Maybe he does care, more than you think.

- Oh, he does, huh?

I write to him all the time whenever

I get lonely. He doesn't even read my letters.

- How do you know?

- He throws them in the wastebasket.

He does no such thing.

I mean, I, uh, uh, don't think he does.

Then why

doesn't he ever answer?

Dropsy.

Probably can't hold a pencil.

Oh la la.

Hey, you.

Oh. It's only you, Professor.

I was gonna punch somebody in the nose.

- Hey, Julie. We missed a dance.

- Oh. Sorry, Jimmy.

This is Mr. Pendleton.

He's not a professor.

- Oh.

- Mr. Pendleton, Jimmy McBride.

- How do you do?

- How do you do, sir? Natural mistake, of course.

- Of course.

- Come on, Julie. They're gonna do "Sluefoot."

Oh, good.

Excuse us, UncleJervis.

Thank you for keeping

Little Red Riding Hood away from the wolves.

Now hear this

Now hear this

Everybody

everybody, everybody

Get ready for sluefoot

Go!

You want a dance

that's easy to do

Then dig the one

I'm hippin' you to

I'm gonna teach you

to fall in on what they are callin'

The sluefoot

You make your right foot

point to the north

You make your left foot

point to the south

And then you stroll

sort of westerly

Slow and "siestally,"Sluefoot

Don't be an oddball

and don't be a fig

Try

Why be shy

After all, it's even better

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