Have you a
financial secret?"
"Yes," said Linda, "I have what is to me a big secret, and I
don't in the least know how to handle it, so right away I thought
about you and that you would be the one to tell me what I could
do."
"Go ahead," said Mr. Worthington kindly. "I'll give you my word
of honor to keep any secret you confide to me."
Linda produced her letter. She opened it and without any
preliminaries handed it and the cheque to the banker. He looked
at the cheque speculatively, and then laid it aside and read the
letter. He gave every evidence of having read parts of it two or
three times, then he examined the cheque again, and glanced at
Linda.
"And just how did you come into possession of this, young lady?"
he inquired. "And what is it that you want of me?"
"Why, don't you see?" said Linda. "It's my letter and my cheque;
I'm 'Jane Meredith.' Now how am I going to get my money.
For one dazed moment Mr. Worthington studied Linda; then he threw
back his head and laughed unrestrainedly. He came around the
table and took both Linda's hands.
"Bully for you !" he cried exultantly. "How I wish your father
could see the seed he has sown bearing its fruit. Isn't that
fine? And do you want to go on with this anonymously?"
"I think I must," said Linda. "I have said in my heart that no
Jap, male or female, young or old, shall take first honors in a
class from which I graduate; and you can see that if people
generally knew this, it would make it awfully hard for me to go
on with my studies, and I don't know that the editor who is
accepting this work would take it if he knew it were sent him by
a high-school Junior.
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