By Bessie Grimes:

“I’m not just old, I’m ancient. I passed my 100th birthday ten years ago. I live with my son and his wife. His ten children are all married, but sometimes they visit with all their kids. The last time I counted, there were fifty of them. I tell you, the din can be fierce.

“The floor also vibrates a lot.

“That’s serious. I own the house and all of its furnishings.

“The article I prize most if the grandfather clock my great-grandfather built. He was both a cabinet maker and a clock maker. He was a great teacher. He taught my father and my father the art of clock repair and I earned my living for years in the industry.

“Now I have quite a task. I have to mend the old clock. It’s not a simple matter. Its works are intricate and it is encased in a large cabinet with several compartments.”

“You see, two days ago the family were all here and before I knew it, the clock was on the floor. It took three strong men to pick it up. My son was all for throwing it out. He claimed it couldn’t be fixed. I said I thought I’d taught him differently. If he wouldn’t fix it, I would!

“So now I’m trying. I’m lucky it only needed a couple of parts and I have them. Parts for this kind of clock aren’t easy to get.

“I admit I’m slow, but, at least, I’m trying. There! I think I’ve got it! I have. It’s ticking again.”

The old man examined the clock carefully.

“There are a lot of cubbyholes in this cabinet. It was built in 1 810 and, back then, people sometimes hid things in furniture like this.

“What’s this? I think I have a letter here. The writing is copperplate. It’s lucky I learned to read this when I was young. No one writes like this anymore.”

The old man adjusted his glasses and unfolded the paper. The letter, written by his great-grandfather, was addressed to him.

“This is unbelievable! I was a baby when he died! But no one else in the family has my name. It has to be me!”

He started to read.

“My dear great-grandson,” the letter began, “I am so old I cannot remember ever being as young as you are. Someday, however, you may reach my age.

“My grandfather left me something. I put it deep inside this clock which I built when I was only twelve.

It was my first attempt and it has worked ever since. Maybe you can find the object. If a certain drawer sticks, you won’t. My grandfather died when I was fifteen. He was an even 100 years old. He told me this object dates from l5 13 and was passed down to him.

“You’ll need to make a choice; one each one of us through the generations has had to make. You can use up the object or you can send it on down through the generations. I wish I could know how long it will last. It’s not an easy choice. The decision you make will define who you are. Personally, I hope you are the same kind of man I am.”

The letter was signed simply, “Great-grandpa.”

The old man shook his head.

“Well, here’s a puzzle. There are a few more drawers in I would, at least, like to see what the object is.”

He tried a couple of drawers, then found another one. He gave it a tug, then paused.

“Something’s funny here. If I open this drawer, the whole mechanism will fall out of this clock and I won’t be able to rebuild it. Some of these parts are not replaceable. Right now, I have this clock working and it, itself, is a family heirloom. I’m wondering if the mysterious object isn’t just an integral part of the clock.”

He secured the problem drawer and sighed.

“Yep, the thing that matters to this family is the clock itself, despite what my son thinks. That’s what I’ll preserve. After all, we’ve had it for 203 years.

“Come to think of it, I have a two-year-old great-grandson of my own. I’ll let him go to the trouble of investigating the mysteries of this clock. Maybe he’ll find the object before he’s as old as I am.”

He began to write.

“Dear Great-grandson.…”

He finished the letter and sighed. “It would have been nice to know what the object is for sure.”

He slapped the clock smartly.

Still another drawer opened and a coin fell out. It was a British sovereign picturing King Henry VIII!

He started to laugh.

“So this is the treasure! Well, it was worth a lot back then.” He reached in his wallet, pulled out a one hundred dollar bill and hid it, the coin and the letters in a couple of the drawers.

He stepped away from the clock.

His work was done.