Legacy for Linda — Dorothy Worley

Linda had never known anything but comfort and happiness at Myrtlewood with her grandmother, Mary Winfield. So far as Linda knew, there had always been money in the family and there always would be. Then Sam Creighton, the family lawyer, called Linda to his office--and she discovered that only by the strictest economy could the gracious life at Myrtlewood go on. To make matters worse, the money that had been left to Linda by Judge Gentry, an old friend of the Winfield's, would not be forthcoming. Sam Creighton knew about the Judge's will, but the will had disappeared.

Mary Winfield was agreeable to disposing of the stable of horses and putting in a paying crop at the Winfield farm, Sunset Acres, yet she balked at canceling Linda's proposed trip to Europe. But When Sheila, Linda's step-sister in New York, wrote and invited her for a long visit, Linda decided in persuading her grandmother that this was what she wanted.

When Linda came back to Myrtlewood, Joanne Gentry and her mother, who had married the Judge's younger brother, were already in town to claim the Judge's estate. But missing wills and the specter of disaster that had hung over Myrtlewood were forgotten bugaboos now, Linda was engaged to a man who would restore Myrtlewood to its former glory and Joanne Gentry was welcome to whatever she could get.

Before leaving New York, Linda had a letter from Dr. David Glenister, wishing her happiness in her marriage and, in a way, washing his hands of any responsibility of her. That letter had given Linda a forlorn, almost lost feeling. David had been twelve when Linda was born--and when Linda's mother, Melinda Ann, knew that she was dying, she had asked David to look after Linda. David had been close at hand all Linda's life--taken for granted, imposed upon, and loved.

Back at Myrtlewood, no longer David's constant companion--David, it seemed, was one of the few persons in town who found time for Joanne and her mother--Linda's feeling of satisfaction over making a wealthy man happy, began to fade. David, she suddenly realized, was the one man neccessary for her happiness. Yet how could she let her beloved Myrtlewood go away from the family?