I have yet to decide whether or not I’m a huge chump for this, but first, I’ll explain the story…
So I’m at my local library scanning the shelves when I notice a book titled “Bob Cousey on the Celtic Mystique.” I don’t even like the Celtics, but for some reason the book caught my eye and I decided to take a look at it. As I’m flipping through and come across a section on Larry Bird I begin reading, only to flip the page to find $400 folded inside!!!
My first instinct was to stash it right away, but of course I ended up doing the right thing and telling one of the librarians about my discovery. Now she’s going to set up a money claim and I’ll have to wait and see whether or not I end up with the cash. I’m kicking myself in the ass somewhat for it now, but I suppose my conscience will be much clearer whether or not I end up with the money.
So the question is…what would you have done? As a poor college student, $400 is quite a bit of money, but I also realize there’s a chance that it belongs to someone that really needs it. Would you have taken the money and hoped that nobody happened to see you, or would you have taken it to the front desk? This could be interesting.
It would certainly be tempting to just take it, but in the end I think I would have done just what you did and returned it to the librarian. You might end up with it anyway and then you can feel good about it.
Right now i barely have enough money to pay rent. I would have put it in my checking account. Sleep in the rain or be a good samaritan. Heirarchy on needs baby!
If it was a person that really needed it they wouldn’t have been so careless to leave it in a book. Also in response to the Karma thing maybe you are being given the $400 because its good Karma coming back to you from a previous good act… Hope it ends up with you in the end…you just got to hope that the librarian doesn’t take it for herself!!
I would have been tempted, but would have done what you did–if it were me, and I had kept the money, I likely would have been hit by a car as I left the library
you did the morally right thing. If you throw out the morals though, you got yourself $400 bucks. I’ve found checkbooks, stashes of cash, wallets, purses, phones and all kinds of shit, and I always turn them in. As for the Karma thing, the more you do good, the more you get back.
i also think that you have done the right thing. i saw some guy near me drop 20 dollars on the ground. then he left. so i picked it up and chased him down and gave it to him. he was very appreciative about it. of cource 400 dollars is a lot different then 20 i would be tempted but i still would take it to the front desk. just like sombody said before you still might end up with the cash! you’ll see you will be rewarded for your good deed in the long run.
yeah dude, I also am a proponent of karma. It seems like its been working well, I can never tell. Do good things and good things will happen. Good job buddy.
This reminds me of that old urban legend where a doctorate student puts $100 in the middle of their thesis and then returns to the library each year to see if someone has actually taken if off the shelf and read the dang thing.
On a side note, according to snopes.com, a textbook writer actually did something like this. Burried deep in the copyright notice was a note saying that if you read the line you were supposed to write in and you could win the car on one of the pages in the book. Of 60,000 texts, only five wrote in. The five names were thrown in a hat and one student was chosen to win the 1965 Thunderbird convertable.
I’m very tempted to say you did the right thing and it will come back to you, whether that be monitarily or otherwise. But that damnable practical side of me says “Who the hell puts $400 in a library book?” I’ve stashed cash in various and sundry places before, books included, but they’ve all been books I own.
Was it left there by accident? Only by a fucking idiot that deserves to lose it.
Was it left there as a test? Possibly.
Will the “owner” of the money come forward to claim it only to give you twice the amount as a prize for being honest? Only in the movies.
Will the librarian think you are the coolest guy on the planet and give it up quicker than a Budweiser-guzzling prom queen? That’s the most likely scenario yet.
You did the right thing.
You didn’t do what I’d do, however.
I have actually thought through this kind of stuff some.
If I find straight money, I’ll take it for myself. If I find a wallet I’ll hand it over to the police (or whatever) and not touch whatever amount of cash that may be in it. The same goes for other easily identifiable money.
The book is somewhat in the middle, because you can probably get the librarian to check who borrowed it last. On the other hand it may not have been that person who left the money in there.
Anyone have any idea why someone would put a wad into a library book?
Was this money in hundreds or twenties?
Just makes no sense to me. I mean I’ve seen people who do it to books they own (my grandma was one), but library books seems like more of a test to me.