TAMPA — Nine-year-old Lucas White didn't know what to say.

When his mom approached his lemonade stand with a stranger holding a gift bag Friday, Lucas stood quietly as friends correctly guessed what was inside.

Lucas got a new iPod Touch, just like the one that was stolen from him Wednesday when teenagers in a Lutz apartment complex pushed him to the ground and robbed the children's drink stand of all $13.53 in profits.

The stranger, Scott Leckington, bought not only a new iPod, but $30 in iTunes gift cards. He gave Lucas' mother, who was recently laid off from her job, $150. And he gave $75 in Pizza Hut gift cards so Lucas could treat his fellow lemon-squeezers to a pizza party. Leckington delivered another pizza card and an iPod case donated by Pizza Hut and Best Buy.

"I like it," Lucas said as he choked back tears. He threw his arms around Leckington and held on for a few minutes before he went to work putting the iPod in its case. He tried to hand Leckington a cup full of Friday's drink proceeds but the 44-year-old Brandon man wouldn't have it.

Eventually Lucas came to accept the gift with a toothy smile, just like he did for waves of people that day who had traveled for as long as two hours to buy a $1 cup of lemonade or "lime-onade" in a parking lot at the Livingston apartments.

The kids guessed they had made at least $100 but hadn't counted their profits yet.

The lemonade stand heist had been reported in the Tampa Bay Times and on local television news programs.

"When I saw the story, it was just sad to see how two teenagers would take something away from a little 9-year-old," Leckington said. "It was just wrong, and I saw it was an opportunity to give back."

He got in touch with Lucas' mother, Jacqueline Jolly, Thursday night. He, too, had been recently laid off and said he wanted to reach out to the mother who had worked to help her son set up his first lemonade stand even though money was tight. She had bought pizza for the kids who helped out.

Lucas' initial goal was to make $50 selling lemonade to buy toys, but when friends pitched in, he decided to divide the earnings. They decorated a cardboard box, offering balloons with each purchase, and played Eric Church and country songs on his iPod.

About 5 p.m. neighbor Deante Small, 19, and a 16-year-old girl the kids didn't know asked for two glasses of lemonade.

The customers began to argue with the kids that their portions were too small, and Lucas splashed them with water. The girl then pushed him to the ground and grabbed his iPod while Small grabbed the money cup. The two drove away as Jolly called the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Small was arrested Wednesday night and charged with robbery by sudden snatching. The girl, whose name was not released, was charged with battery and petty theft. Small was released Thursday on $2,000 bail.

"It was just one bad decision, but now the kids are seeing that there are consequences when you make a bad decision and there's also good in the world and people who will pitch in to help you when you're down," said Tamika Wright, whose children Nylia-Jane, 9, and Jadin, 10, joined in the lemonade venture from the start. "I know they've learned a lot from this."

Within minutes of setting up shop Friday, a man on a motorcycle came from New Tampa to hand the kids a wad of bills. Workers who came to clean the apartment pool stopped to donate $12 and a 79-year-old woman from Temple Terrace gave $30 for a hug and a drink. As Jolly and other parents and brothers stood outside to keep an eye on the kids, her phone buzzed with emails from people wanting to give money. One sent her $200 on PayPal.

"Once a man gave us a $50 bill and told us to 'keep the change,' and people are giving us money and not even wanting any lemonade," said Nylia-Jane. "We didn't even want any money, we just wanted to help Lucas to be nice, but he's being nice and giving us money."

The best gift, though, was completely unexpected and led Jolly to break down in tears.

She got a call about 1 p.m. from the apartment office that the arrested teen's mother had left a gift for Lucas. It was a new, black folding table, matching folding chairs, a glass beverage dispenser and a juicer so the kids no longer had to squeeze lemons by hand. There was a card from Small's mother containing $20 and an apology. There was also a handwritten letter from the son, known as "Casper" to the kids in the neighborhood, saying he hopes to "dearly apologize" for his actions.

"It's pretty good," Lucas said of the gesture.

"I accept his apology."

Contact Anastasia Dawson at [email protected] or (813) 226-3377. Follow @adawsonwrites.