Book News
School library reaps payback 51 years later.
A high school librarian in Phoenix says a former student at the school returned two overdue books checked out 51 years ago along with a $1,000 money order to cover the fines.
Camelback High School librarian Georgette Bordine said the two Audubon Society books checked out in 1959 and the money order were sent by someone who wanted to remain anonymous.
Bordine said the letter explained that the borrower’s family moved to another state and the books were mistakenly packed.
The letter said the money order was to cover fines of 2 cents per day for each book. That would total about $745. The letter says the extra money was added in case the rates had changed.
Bordine said the money will buy more books, and the overdue books will be returned to the shelves.
The Associated Press
First Lines
Ancestors and Others: New and Selected Stories, by Fred Chappell
(From the story “Ember”) When I came out of Paradise, they were shooting at me. Shotguns and pistols mostly, whatever they could grab hold of. I jumped into my old green pickup truck in the parking lot and drove off. I couldn’t shoot back because I’d already pitched my .44 pistol away. I wouldn’t have shot back anyway, so I stepped on the gas. Probably it was rocks thrown up against the undercarriage, but it might have been bullets hitting the truck, so I ducked my head down.
Scared, hell yes, I was scared. Couldn’t breathe except in gulps and my hands were shaking and two drops of dead-cold sweat inched from my armpit down my left side. It wasn’t so much getting shot at — though I hear tell you never get used to that — but the faces of the people, faces of them that used to be my friends and neighbors turned red and murderous. I couldn’t stand up to that.
Ten minutes later I felt a little easier and stopped trembling so much, not seeing the headlights after me in my mirror. But I knew they’d be coming and I knew they’d already called the sheriff and the Highway Patrol. I was a wanted man now, the only time in my life. I didn’t know what to think.
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