A wealthy man and his son
loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection,
from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great
works of art.
When the Viet Nam conflict
broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while
rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his
only son.
About a month later, just before
Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a
large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the
soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he
was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died
instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art. The young man held
out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I
think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the
package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in
awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the
painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with
tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.
"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his
mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of
his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There
was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered,
excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase
one for their collection.
On the platform sat the
painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the
bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was
silence.
Then a voice in the back
of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But
the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start
the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see
this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the
real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take
the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the
longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting."
Being a poor man, it was
all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for
$10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd
was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the
more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the
gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted.
"Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm
sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was
called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.
I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.
Only the painting of the
son Would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire
estate, Including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"
--author unknown