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Ice Cream Cone Reward

When I was living and working in Avenel N.J. I hunted the beaches south of Sandy Hook every weekend for the entire summer. One day when the wind was really blowing, there were only a couple people on the beach. I was detecting near the dunes. I had a pocket full of clad coins when I noticed a very old woman with 2 little girls about 30 yards or so that seemed like they were having trouble. I worked my way closer and saw that the little girls were crying and the lady was very upset and in tears. I walked over to them and asked what was wrong. The lady acted scared of me. She thought that I was there to harm them. After I calmed her down she imparted this story to me.

The 2 little ones were her great granddaughters, and she was just brought them to the beach for the day. She laid her blanket down and took off her $1400 diamond ring and her very expensive 24" gold necklace that her departed husband bought her in 1940. She put them down on the blanket and covered them with a towel. Then she walked into the water with one of the girls, leaving the other little one at the blanket. She was in the water for a few minutes. Upon returning to the blanket the jewelry was gone..

The one girl shook of the sand from the blanket and the articles went flying. They were looking for them when I saw her from the distance. I told her what I was doing and would look for them for her. I was searching about 15 or 20 feet away from them when I turned around and they were packing up to leave. Then BINGO I got a great signal and there they were. The ring was tangled up in the necklace. I grabbed them and walked over to them and said, ARE THESE THEM?

She and the little girls screamed with joy and started crying even more. She offered me a nice reward but I turned it down. I told her to buy the little ones a Ice Cream Cone and don't punish the girl. Then the girls quit crying and started laughing. All 3 of them hugged me and then they started for their car and I went on my merry detecting way. That was one of my very best days in this hobby. The Ice Cream Treat for the little girls was the best reward I could have ever hoped for.