was while handling
these volumes that Linda shifted several of the books written by her
father, to separate them from those with which she meant to part. She
had grown so accustomed to opening each book she handled and looking
through it, that she mechanically opened the first one she picked up and
from among its leaves there fell a scrap of loose paper. She picked it
up and found it was a letter from the publishers of the book. Linda's
eyes widened suddenly as she read:

MY DEAR STRONG:

Sending you a line of congratulations. You have gone to the head of the
list of "best sellers" among medical works, and the cheque I draw you
for the past six months' royalties will be considerably larger than that
which goes to your most esteemed contemporary on your chosen subject.

Very truly yours,

The signature was that of Frederic Dickman, the editor of one of the
biggest publishing houses of the country.

"Hm," she said to herself softly. "Now that is a queer thing. That
letter was written nearly five years ago. I don't know why I never
thought of royalties since Daddy went. I frequently heard him
mention them before. I suppose they're being paid to John Gilman as
administrator, or to the Consolidated Bank, and cared for with Father's
other business. There's no reason why these books should not keep on
selling. There are probably the same number of young men, if not a
greater number, studying medicine every year. I wonder now, about these
royalties. I must do some thinking."

Then Linda began to examine books more carefully than before. The letter
she carried with her when she went to her room; but she made a point of
being on the lawn that evening when John Gilman came, and after talking
to him a few minutes, she said very casually: "John, as Father's
administrator, does a royalty from his medical books come to you?"

"No," said Gilman. "It is paid to his bank."

"I don't suppose," said Linda casually, "it would amount to enough to
keep one in shoes these inflated days."

"Oh, I don't know about that," said John testily. "I have seen a few of
those cheques in your Father's time. You should be able to keep fairly
well supplied with shoes."

"So I should," said Linda drily. "So I should."

Then she led him to the back of the house and talked the incident out
of his mind as cleverly as possible by giving him an intensive botanical
study of Cotyledon. But she could not interest him quite so deeply
as she had hoped, f