E.B.怀特的妻子一直很不喜欢（美国缅因州的）布鲁克林图书馆隔壁的一桩附属建筑。有一天怀特给她送上了一张支票，供她实现自己的愿望，（应该是要先从图书馆手里买下那幢房子，然后）拆了那幢房子。
「K:
So many times I have felt that I wanted to present you with a fine ruby, or we’ll say a perfect sapphire, or a couple of matched pearls that step along together, yet in the presence of rubies, sapphires, pearls or in almost any jeweled atmosphere whatsoever I have turned away empty, blinded by the glitter probably. This impotence in my relationship with precious stones has left me a rich man, and you are my precious stone, all the more so because you don’t glitter. So I now have the strong desire to make you a gift in lieu of rubies, and it seemed to me the other night that the thing you most wanted was to tear down Earl Firth’s house—so I am giving you that, my love my own. Hit it hard and true!
E. B. White」
@reading