Mr. Arnold, principal of a large city high school, was informed by
several girls one morning that their lunch money had been repeatedly
taken from their coat pockets.
[Sidenote: Money]
Mr. Arnold asked the girls to wait for several days; by that time he
would probably have some light on the affair. In the meantime, he asked
the head of the lunchroom if any pupil had been eating his lunch there
the past three days who had never done so before. Several were named.
He then asked the janitor to watch the dressing-rooms during the school
session. The teachers who had had charge of the assembly-room the past
three days were asked to report the name of any girl who had repeatedly
asked permission to leave the room. The three sources pointed to a
certain little girl who was known to come from a poor family where no
thought was given to proper training of the children.
Incidentally in a conversation with the girl, Mr. Arnold asked her to
stop in his office the last period of the day. Before the interview was
over, he had, through this effort, secured the whole story from the
child.
“I never have any money of my own for a hot lunch. One day when I was in
the dressing-room I happened to think, ‘Why not take money from the
pockets of the girls who never know what it is to be hungry for
something good to eat?’”
“I am very glad you have told me this,” said Mr. Arnold. “The matter
will go no farther than this office. It is an affair between just you
and me. Mrs. Arnold wants someone to take care of the children in the
afternoon after school. Wouldn’t you like to earn some money? Well, come
over to our house with me and talk it over with Mrs. Arnold. When you
have earned enough money to pay back what you have spent, I shall return
it to the girls and they need never know who took the money.”