Trout Lake (Aug 15/03) - Joe Punch's wallet is a little heavier and his smile a little broader.

His hope that an honest person would return his missing $105 and his NWT health care card was fulfilled on Aug. 7.

On that day, he noticed a hand-written envelope among his mail. Upon opening it up, his money and health card were revealed within the letter.

A man by the name of Albert Adams sent a brief explanation that he found Punch's belongings and felt he must send them to their rightful owner.

"I was really surprised myself," Punch said of Adams's letter. "(I was hoping) there would be some honest guy."

Punch was on his way back from the Dene National Assembly in mid-July when he stopped at the Mackenzie Hotel in Inuvik for coffee. Unbeknownst to him, his $105 and health care card fell out of his pocket and onto the floor.

That's where Adams came into the picture.

"I found it in the hotel on the floor and I picked it up. There were a lot of people around but I didn't know who this Joe Punch was," said Adams, who works in the oil and gas field and splits his time between Inuvik and Edmonton.

"I just felt sorry for the guy and I figured I would send it back. I figured, you know, the poor guy would need it back like anybody else," Adams added.

The only thing is that Punch said he dropped a $100 and a $5 bill. What he received in the envelope was five $20s and a $10 bill -- a profit of $5.

Adams noted that he didn't have proper change when he sent the money 10 days after finding it.

"It's for a tip," Punch said, laughing.