and through the
double doors Anne caught sight of the little old lady, talking gayly to
her subjects, seated, like a diminutive queen, on a large throne.

"Why is she the sponsor of the class?" Anne asked of Jessica, who was
hovering near by.

"Oh, have you never heard?" returned Jessica. "Mrs. Gray's daughter died
during her freshman year at High School, long ago, and ever since then,
Mrs. Gray has offered a prize of twenty-five dollars for the girl who
makes the highest average in her examinations at the end of the freshman
year. She was made sponsor of the freshman class about ten years ago, so
each year, soon after school opens, some one of the freshmen gives a tea
and invites her to meet the new girls. You must come in and be
introduced, too, as soon as you are through here."

"A prize of twenty-five dollars," repeated Anne. "How I wish I might win
it!"

"It's even more than that," said Jessica. "For a perfect examination she
offers one hundred dollars. But, needless to say, no one has ever won
the hundred. It is considered impossible to pass a perfect examination
in every subject."

"One hundred dollars!" exclaimed Anne. "Oh, if I only could!"

"Well, you may win the twenty-five dollars, anyway, Anne," said Jessica.
"I suppose the one hundred dollar prize is beyond the reach of human
beings."

"And now, young ladies," Mrs. Gray was saying, smiling at the group of
girls who surrounded her, as she examined them through her lorgnette,
"most of you I have known since you were little tots, and your fathers
and mothers before you; but I don't know which of you excels in her
studies. Is it you, Grace, my dear?"

Grace shook her head vigorously.

"No, indeed, Mrs. Gray," she replied. "I could never be accused of
overstudy. I suppose I'm too fond of basketball."

"It won't hurt you, my dear," said the old lady, tapping the girl
indulgently with her lorgnette; "the open air is much better than that
of the schoolroom, and so long as you keep up an average, I daresay you
won't disappoint your mother. But none of you have told me yet who leads
the freshman class in her studies."

"Miriam Nesbit," said several voices in unison.

"Ah!" said Mrs. Gray, looking intently at Miriam. "So you are the gold
medal girl, Miriam? Dear me, what a young lady you are growing to be!
But you must not study too hard. Don't overdo it."

Mrs. Gray had gone through this same conversation every year since any
of the girls could reme