Martha comes from a poor family and as her parents could not afford to keep her, she is given to her grandparents to bring her up. But she is a hardworking girl who has been at the top of the class for all the 8 years. In the Texas school where she studied, there was a custom that the student who maintained the topmost grades for all the 8 years would be awarded a scholarship jacket on the passing out (graduation) function. The jacket was free. But that year a Board Member wanted her daughter to get the scholarship jacket. For that a rule was made that only if the student pays 15 dollars the jacket would be given.
The member and some of his supporters among the staff know that Martha is too poor to pay and thus Joann could get the jacket. When Martha goes home and asks her grandfather to pay 15 dollars, he refuses to pay saying that if the money is paid it will no more be a scholarship jacket.
Martha goes and says this to the principal. Some teachers, like Mr. Schmidt, Martha’s history teacher, had already insisted that the jacket should be given to Martha as she is the one who. really deserves it. Finally the principal decides to award it to Martha.