Martha and her family were all gathered in the library of Grand Manor to read the will of their dear departed Uncle Frederick, who died just short of his 99th birthday.
In attendance were her brother Freddie, her young cousin Tiffany, Tiffany’s much older half-sister Agatha, and Uncle Fredrick’s not so grieving window Twinkie, the latest in a series of strippers the old man married.
Agatha was a spinster school teacher with a somewhat unfavorable disposition. She was affectionately known as Miss Grouch by her many students.
Her half-sister, Tiffany, a mere 30 years younger, resembled her mother’s beauty and free will spirit from head to toe. Tiffany was a budding artist with Bohemian proclivities and a kind and wholesome heart.
Growing up on the farm portion of the estate, Martha and Freddie were as different as siblings could be. Freddie was immensely spoiled by their parents, living the life of a Playboy off his allowance.
Martha on the other hand was the true salt of the Earth. At 18 she pledged to the convent. But years later, after her parents passed, she returned to the small farm, cultivating it into a proper business.
Only Uncle Fredrick lived in the house for decades, as no one could stand the deplorable site of this vagrant voyeur who cycled through a different stripper each year, just so he could have personal lap dances. After he got tired with them, he would buy them off and divorce them.
Although Martha did look in on him and stop by for visits, when he was between wives, no one was really close to Uncle Fredrick.
Old Frederick outlived his parents and siblings, leaving only a rag tag band of relatives who barely knew uncle Frederick.
The Grand family was old money crafted from the robber barons of the earliest part of the 20th century. In accordance with the will of the head of the Grand family, the Colonel, each heir would be provided a living sum each year, but the eldest male would inherit the bulk of the fortune and manage the estate.
Naturally, Martha’s brother Freddie thought this privilege would go to him as the only male heir. Her parents even made him Uncle Frederick’s namesake in an attempt to influence the will, just in case.
Uncle Frederick was by all means, unconventional in every manner of his life and the will of several generations before with The Colonel would not guarantee his wishes were granted.
The five sat in the library, staring at each other, wondering who Uncle Frederick favored with his fortune.
Holding their breath in anticipation, they waited in silence as the attorney read the will.
“I, Frederick Grand, being of sound mind, most of the time, do hereby bequeath my inherited estate as follows:
To my latest wife Twinkie I offer you a lump sum of $250,000 and wish you well on your way. You may keep all personal possessions and gifts I bestowed on you during our relationship, but you are given 30 days to move out of the mansion.
Each of my four remaining nieces and nephew will inherit equal portions of the estate in the amount of $2.5 million each. The farm and all its lands and appurtenances is hereby willed to Martha Grand, provided she continue to farm it for a period of no less than 10 years.
As to the ancestral Grand Manor, and the balance of the $10 million fortune, that will go to one of the four of you exclusively the winner of the grand gemstone hunt.
There are 50 raw gemstones of varying types, sizes, and weights with differing values hidden in the mansion. Whoever finds gemstones of the most value will exclusively win the mansion and the balance of my wealth.”
Twinkie giggled at the rest of them and left the room quickly. “Good luck y’all.”
Still in shock, the four glared at each other trying to comprehend what they heard.
“I protest. According to the Colonel‘s will, I am to inherit everything,” Freddie boasted.
The attorney sook his head in disagreement.
“Freddie, it was up to your uncle Frederick to decide how to distribute his own wealth, regardless of the Colonel’s will,” the attorney corrected him.
Agatha‘s face turned an eggplant shade of purple as she tussled herself into a frenzy.
“Am I to understand that I must compete in some type of winner takes all game of chance?”
“Well, yes Miss Agatha however, you do keep any gemstones you find, whether or not you win the grand prize,” the attorney explained.
She huffed with displeasure and they all glared at each other, suspiciously wondering who had the advantage for victory.
The attorney glanced at his watch and raised his hand.
“You have 5 hours at which point we will reconvene here with a gemologist. You may begin now!”
He lowered his hand and they immediately staggered out of the room, scrambling in different directions.
Agatha took a methodical approach, entering each room to scout where the gems could be hidden to create a plan of attack.
Freddie stomped like a child into the drawing room, whining at the unfairness and poured himself a drink while dragging his feet around the room touching books and opening cabinets.
Tiffany pranced around the upstairs bedrooms singing and laughing as she gleefully searched.
But Martha sat in the library still as a glass pond.
The attorney gathered his papers and noticed she hadn’t moved.
“Sister, you understand you have only five hours.”
Martha grinned and nodded without moving, as the attorney shook his head and left the room.
Hours ticked away and clatter from each end of the house roared, as each room was upended. Yet Martha remained silent and still.
With only one hour remaining, Martha heard the grandfather clock in the foyer chime the fifth hour, but she did not rise. Finally with 30 minutes left, the attorney returned to the library with a befuddled look of shock on his face and the gemologist in tow.
“Sister, don’t you want to look for the gems? The others are tearing the place apart. But it’s strange, this room is untouched.”
Martha arose and steadily walked over to library shelf and removed a volume of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac and took her seat, placing the book on her lap.
“Fifteen minutes left,” the attorney yelled to the others and shot a confused look at Martha.
In the next minutes, the other three raced into the library, panting in exhaustion.
Agatha put a box on the desk with 20 gems. Freddie emptied his pockets to count 15 gems and Tiffany dug into her sack purse of to reveal the 10 gems she found.
As the gemologist examined the stones, the trio wriggled on the edge of their seats waiting for the verdict. Again, Martha sat steadfast on her chair.
“Miss Agatha had a fine collection. Many stones but nothing superlative. I estimate the total value at $50,000,” the gemologist determined.
“Mr. Freddie’s modest lot had several outstanding stones. I would value his collection at $65,000,” he said.
“And Miss Tiffany’s grouping had one superlative gem and several other unremarkable stones. The value of hers is $45,000.”
Freddie jumped out of his chair in delight.
“I win I win.” He said.
Martha rose and walked to the desk with her book.
“Just a minute Freddie, I found one stone.”
The other scoffed at her for thinking one stone could make a difference. But Martha carefully opened the book to expose a false section cut out with a very large sky blue stone concealed within.
Everyone gasped as they saw the beautiful stone sparkling in the light as Martha held it up.
The gemologist’s eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as he smiled and gently took the stone from her hand.
“Now this is something. I’ve never seen such a perfect specimen of a blue diamond.”
He took out his jeweler’s loop and thoroughly examined the gem with a big grin on his face.
“This is truly superlative. I would value this gem at $1 million dollars.”
The others sat plastered like statues in momentary shock, until Freddie spoke up.
“I don’t understand. How did you know about this?”
Martha smiled with a Cheshire grin.
“I knew it because Uncle Frederick told me his favorite book was Poor Richard’s Almanac. He said it contained a valuable truth and knowledge beyond fortune. I knew that’s where he would hide a priceless gemstone.”
Freddie sunk and his chair defeat as Agatha huffed and stuck her head up in the air, and Tiffany squeaked a soft sigh.
“You are all welcome to live in the manor as long as you’d like,” Martha announced as the three gleeful faces lit up in excitement.
“Of course you’d have to share it with the orphans and the other sisters. I intend to turn the manor into an orphanage to house abandoned children and teach them how to farm and other useful lessons. The other sisters from my convent will help me.”
Suddenly, the others’ joy turned into disappointment as one by one they lowered their heads and left the library in defeat.
The attorney chuckled after they left the room.
“I don’t understand these people. They were all granted plenty of money to live on and you even offered to let them stay in the house for free. Yet they walk out as if they were given nothing.”
Martha smiled.
“In this book, Benjamin Franklin wrote, ‘Get what you can, and what you get hold; ‘Tis the stone that will turn all your lead into gold.’ I’m afraid these three never learned the true value of gold, so it will always be lead to them.”
(C) copyright 2025, Suzanne Rudd Hamilton
SUZANNE RUDD HAMILTON 