Most women and men I know love cologne. I am one of those women who like to buy cologne and I also like the free gifts that come with my purchase. Recently, my husband's favorite cologne was just about gone, so off we went to the mall for a refill.

His favorite fragrance is Cool Water for men, while I like the Cool Water for women. But, my all-time favorite is Ralph Lauren's Romance. So, first stop was the women's fragrance counter, then downstairs to the men's department. Usually, I buy cologne, leave it in the shopping bag it came in, and then tossed it into the back of my closet. But, after this little shopping expedition, I found my closet looking a little cluttered, so I decided to clean it out first.

I left the shopping bag next to my nightstand and after much rearranging and re-hanging of clothes, I was ready to transfer the bag to the newly cleaned closet. For some reason, instead of just tossing the bag inside and closing the door, I opened the bag to get the cologne for my travel bag. To my surprise, the bottle was not alone. Inside, I found a blue bag that, at first, I thought was a free makeup bag that the sales lady had given me for buying the perfume.

Instead of the freebie, it was a bank bag full of cash. By this time, it was about 11 p.m. and the store was closed. I could only imagine how the salesperson must be feeling. I know how I would have felt — panicked. While I am sure you can get a free purse with a purchase, I'm also sure

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it's not filled with 20-dollar bills. I know some people might ask why did I give the money back, but, well, honesty pays. How would I feel if it were me? Or how would you feel if it were you? So, first thing in the morning, I called the store and spoke to the same salesperson who waited on me. I told her I found . . . and before I could say the words, she said, "A blue bag."

I said, yes and with $120 in cash inside, too. I explained I was at work and that I would bring her bag with the money after work. She was so happy she called me an angel. That was a first for me because I'm no angel. I was just happy that she was happy and she was such a nice salesperson. I'm just glad my closet was a mess and I decided to clean it. I might have tossed the shopping bag in there and left it for months. I'm not sure about the commission they get from selling cologne, but she would probably have had to pay the lost money back. While I consider myself a good housekeeper, this was one time I was glad I'd messed up. Marva Hamilton is the librarian at the Connecticut Post and writes on the first Monday of the month. She can be reached at mhamilton@ctpost.com.