Tea drinker leaves queue to generosity

MARYSVILLE, Wash. - One woman's kindness to a fellow Starbucks patron resulted in more than a thousand others spreading the holiday-season generosity in this northwest Washington town.

A regular patron at the chain had paid for the person in line behind her a few times before, according to the Everett Herald. But on Wednesday, her good deed set off a chain of 1,013 customers' paying for the next person's drink.

Many coffee-shop patrons tacked on an extra $10 or $20, which shift manager Sarah Nix said Starbucks Corp. will donate to its ongoing holiday toy drive.

The seemingly spontaneous pay-it-forward run ended at 6:20 a.m. yesterday, a store employee said. The name of the iced-tea drinker who started it remains unknown. *