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A week later, Maurecia was eating lunch alone. She was eating a piece of sweet potato pie. Joy was crawling around in the dirt looking for more bags of money.
“Maurecia,” said Louis, “I’d like you to meet someone. This is Mr. Finch.”
Mr. Finch was an old man with white hair and a long white beard. He shook Maurecia’s hand with both of his hands.
“It’s your money, isn’t it?” asked Maurecia.
Mr. Finch nodded. “It was my life’s savings,” he said. “For fifty years I made pencils. I got a penny for every pencil I made. I hate pencils! But finally I saved enough money to quit my job and do what I always wanted to do.”
“What’s that?” asked Maurecia.
“I’m going to open my own ice cream parlor,” he said, then started to cry. “When I lost that money, I thought I’d have to start making pencils again.”
Maurecia cried too.
“Here, I want you to have this,” blubbered Mr. Finch. He gave her an envelope containing five hundred dollars.
It was the second largest amount of money Maurecia had ever had.
“And I will give you free ice cream for the rest of your life at my ice cream parlor,” he promised.
“Thank you!” said Maurecia.
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“No, thank you,” said Mr. Finch. “I’m so glad someone as kind and as honest as you found it. There are so many dishonest people in the world. It’s good to know there are still good people too.”
They hugged each other.
Joy crawled out of the bushes. “Hey. Who’s that?” she asked.
“This is Mr. Finch,” said Maurecia. “It’s his money. Look, he gave me a reward of five hundred dollars. And I’ll get free ice cream for the rest of my life!”
“Well, what about me?” Joy demanded. “Don’t I get anything?”
“Oh, dear me,” said Mr. Finch. “I didn’t realize there was someone else involved.”
“Maurecia would never have found the money if it wasn’t for me,” said Joy.
“Why, what’d you do?” asked Louis.
“I stole her lunch!” Joy said proudly.
Mr. Finch gave her a pencil.
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Chapter 28
Valooosh
Mrs. Jewls rang her cowbell. “I have some wonderful news,” she said.
The children stopped what they were doing and looked up. They waited for Mrs. Jewls to tell them the wonderful news.
