(A) Six months ago, 55yearold Billy Ray Harris was homeless. He lived on a street corner in Kansas City, holding out a cup and asking passersby for spare change. But then, one day, his life changed. In February, Sarah Darling passed Harris at his usual spot and dropped some change into his cup. But she also accidentally dropped in her engagement ring. Though Harris considered selling the ring — (a) he got it appraised for $4,000 — a few days later, he returned the ring to Darling. “I am not trying to say that I am a saint, but I am no devil either,” he said at the time.
(B) They were happily reunited, and Harris is now working on his relationship with them. And the Kansas City community hasn’t forgotten about Harris and his good deed. “I still see some of the same people,” (b) he says, “but only now, instead of coming up and giving me change, they’re coming up shaking my hand and saying, ‘Hey, good job’.” Since the fateful day that Darling’s ring landed in his cup, Harris’s life has turned completely around. “I want to thank all the people that helped (c) me out,” he says.
(C) As a way to say thank you, Darling gave Harris all the cash she had with her. Then her husband, Bill Krejci, launched a Give Forward page to collect money for Harris. As of midmorning Tuesday, close to $152,000 had been donated. Over the weekend, (d) he spoke with Harris about what he’s planning to do with the donations, and knew that he had a very solid plan of making it happen.
(D) The fund raised far more than any of them expected — in just three months, people donated more than $190,000. Harris talked to a lawyer, who helped (e) him put the money in a trust. Since then, he’s been able to buy a car and even put money down on a house, which he’s fixing up himself. And that’s not all: After he appeared on TV, his family members who had been searching for him for 16 years were able to find him.
* trust: 신탁 (재산)