Finders or Keepers?

Mel Kiser was driving along a busy highway in Columbus, Ohio. He saw an armored truck and a few cars ahead of him. Suddenly the doors of the armored truck opened, and a blue plastic bag fell out of the truck. A car in front of Mr. Kiser hit the bag. The bag ripped and money spilled out. Then another bag fell out of the truck, and another. Money was flying everywhere.

At first, drivers thought the green papers on the highway were leaves. Then they realized that the green papers were not leaves—they were money! Drivers stopped their cars right in the middle of the highway. People jumped out of their cars and began picking up money. They were putting ten, twenty, and one-hundred-dollar bills into their pockets. One man said, "Money, money, money! It's all free! Grab some while you can!"

Mr. Kiser also got out of his car. He grabbed a plastic bag of money, put the bag in his car, and drove away.

Later Mr. Kiser counted the money. He had $57 000. For the next two hours Mr. Kiser thought about the money. He dreamed about spending it. He needed a new furnace for his house. He wanted to take a vacation in Florida. But he decided to return the money. He drove to the police station and gave the police the $57 000.

The armored truck company offered 10 percent rewards, so Mr. Kiser got a reward of $5 700. A few more people returned money and got rewards, but over one million dollars were still missing.

Then a man telephoned the armored truck company and said, "I was driving along the highway when I saw the money. People were running everywhere. I had a camera in my car and I took some pictures. Would you like the pictures?"

"Yes!" answered the company. The company gave the pictures to the police. The police looked closely at the pictures. They looked at the cars, the license plates, and the people's faces. They tried to find the people who had taken the money, but they didn't have much luck.

One man telephoned a Columbus newspaper. The man did not give his name. "I took two bags of money." he said. "I'm going to take the money and leave Columbus. I have enough money for the rest of my life."

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Mel Kiser see when he was driving along a busy highway?
2. Why did the drivers stop suddenly in the middle of the highway?
3. What can we guess from the fact that Mel Kiser needed a furnace?
4. How much would the company pay him as a reward, if a man returned a million dollars to the company?
5. What was the result after the police looked closely at the pictures?

(Keys.)