I was about ten. We lived in a one-store place called Cavanaugh,seven miles from Fort Smith, Arkansas. My Dad worked for Harding Glass Company in Fort Smith. He was a member of their union, which was required. Once each month on Saturday evening we would go to Fort Smith in our A Model so Daddy could go to union meeting. He had to. We would spend that time looking around in the stores. Not buying. Looking. On a thirty-five dollar a week salary, and a family of seven there was not much money left over.
My favorite store was Kress. On a Saturday evening while in that store I walked by the jewelry department. A ring was lying on the floor. It was a diamond ring. They sold for twelve cents. I could not believe it. It was not in it's place on the counter. It was on the floor. It didn't belong to anyone. It could be mine! I walked around the counter several times. No one else was there. The diamond ring still lay on the floor. Finders keepers. It was MY ring. All I had to do was pick it up and put it in my pocket. I circled the location several more times. It was still there. I should pick it up. A diamond ring! I picked it up and put it in my pocket and headed for the door. No one had seen me, but I was flooded with guilt. The ring came alive in my pocket. What could I do with it? Where could I hide it? What if my parents found it. They would think I had stolen it from Kress. I found a hiding place but knew it would be found. Monday morning I took it to school. I had to get rid of it. It was a monster in my pocket. One boy at school offered me fifteen cents for the diamond ring and I sold it immediately. The guilt was still there. I had money for an RC Cola, my favorite drink, and a moon pie, my favorite snack, but I simply couldn't buy them. Now, having the money was a problem. I wasn't supposed to have fifteen cents! Finally another Saturday came around. I pocketed the fifteen cents as we headed for Fort Smith. Again I was in Kress. Did they have police waiting for me? Would I be recognized as the ring thief? I didn't know. It was awful. Finally, just before we were to leave I found a clerk and gave her fifteen cents. With a puzzled look she said, "What are you buying?". I said, "Nothing!", and I dashed for the door.
A word of caution from a repentant thief. If you see a ring on the floor in a store, head for the door. To my knowledge that was my last theft.