Down At The Dinghy by J.D. Salinger, 1949
The magic trick:
Accurate portrayal of a 4-year-old child
As the parent of a 4 year old daughter, I offer solid confirmation that Lionel, the 4 year old boy featured in today’s story, is a stunningly accurate portrait.
And that’s quite a trick on Salinger’s part.
The selection:
“Who told you that? Who told you I wasn’t an admiral?”
Lionel answered, but inaudibly.
“Who?” said Boo Boo.
“Daddy.”
Still in a squatting position, Boo Boo put her left hand through the V of her legs, touching the pier boards in order to keep her balance. “Your daddy’s a nice fella,” she said, “but he’s probably the biggest landlubber I know. It’s perfectly true that when I’m in port I’m a lady – that’s true. But my true calling is first, last, and always the bounding-“
“You aren’t an admiral,” Lionel said.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You aren’t an admiral. You’re a lady all the time.”
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