Very noble gesture but the cynic in me asks how did he know the pharmacist didn’t just keep the money?
>> how did he know the pharmacist didn’t just keep the money?
He just knew. One of the many perks of living in a small community.
He didn’t know, but making the offer may have helped to keep the pharmacist conscience free.
Its a legitimate question. Where does social trust come from?
In this case, Wikipedia says Geraldine Alabama has a population of 900. So its a small farm town, pharmacist is also the owner of the store. They probably went to high school together, or they are distance cousins, or they are neighbors, or their grandparents were neighbors, or all of the above
I grew up in a town like that. Although I don't return often, when I do, driving around town, I can still recognize former neighbors or people I grew up with. It would be a sin not to stop and chat with them. The last thing you would want to do is screw someone for a few $$ hundred.