Martha was growing comfortable with the idea of working at the B&B. Making the beds, cooking the breakfast, and all the interaction with the guests did not seem to be as daunting as she had first imagined.
As Martha served their only guests, Bethany and her husband, Richard, breakfast, Bethany looked up at her. “Any chance you could take me sightseeing today, Martha? Richard wants to drive to town, but I just want to go for a bike ride.”
Martha looked at Miriam for permission, and she nodded. “That’s a good idea, Martha. It’s a beautiful, sunny morning, too.”
Later that morning, Martha and Bethany set off on bicycles for a ride along the country lanes. “It’s so beautiful and peaceful out here,” Bethany said. “Nothing much ever seems to happen.”
Martha chuckled. “Not so peaceful always, plenty’s happened around here. This area, or rather the B&B, has an exciting history.”
Bethany shot her glance. “Go on, tell me!”
“Well, have you heard of Captain Kidd, the pirate?”
“Of course,” Bethany said. “Hasn’t everyone?”
Martha shrugged. “Well, for years people have looked for Captain Kidd’s buried treasure. It was known that he buried gold and silver in Gardiners Island, New York, and that treasure was later dug up. One of his men, Dr. John Eden, came to these parts after Captain Kidd was executed in England, and he’s said to have buried treasure here.”
Bethany interrupted her. “Wait a minute, Eden? I thought Miriam Berkholder named the B&B Eden after the Garden of Eden, but was the place already called Eden?”
Martha nodded. “Jah, it was. In fact, Dr. John Eden’s original house was built where the B&B now stands. It eventually fell to ruin, and a young family bought the land and built a house on it. The legend goes that they suddenly became wealthy. They were the ones who built the house that is now B&B. So you can see, many treasure hunters think that there is still treasure buried under the B&B, or at least buried somewhere on the grounds.”
Bethany slowed down, and looked at Martha. “Is this accurate?”
Martha giggled. “Well, the ending’s the same. I mean, everyone adds a little something to the story. But not me, I’ve told it to you just as I’ve heard it.”
“Have you searched for the treasure?”
Martha looked across at Bethany and saw that her eyes had lighted up. “Nee, why would I want to look for treasure?”
Bethany appeared to be astounded. “You can’t be serious!” she exclaimed. “You’re not interested in treasure?”
Martha laughed. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” she quoted, and then felt immediately bad for being so prideful as to memorize and then quote Scripture. Luckily, no one from the community was around to call her Scripture Smart.
Bethany looked puzzled. “Do you mean that Amish people are not interested in treasure? Oh I see, you lead a simple life, which is centered around God, and so you don’t need treasure.” She said it more to herself than to Martha.
Martha nodded. “That’s right. What use would treasure be to us?” She was going to say more, but Bethany interrupted once again.
“So are people sure that Dr. Eden buried his treasure under where the B&B stands now?”
Martha shrugged. “Who knows? That’s the legend, anyway. There are just so many contradictions amongst the people who’ve told this story. Some say Dr. Eden went down with his ship and his treasure sank with him. Some say that he went to live in the Caribbean. But most of the folks who tell this story say that he buried his treasure under where Eden now stands today.”
Bethany smiled, and Martha smiled too. The sun was at its furthest point from the horizon, and a breeze had started to blow.
As they dismounted from their bikes and walked toward the B&B, Martha noticed that the contractors were at the side of the house, each with a shovel in his hand. She quietly made her way toward the main door with Bethany, stopping for a second or two just before entering to glance at Amos and the shy James.
After she returned from her duty as tour guide to Bethany, Martha made some iced meadow tea. Bethany had scampered away to look for Richard, and Miriam was nowhere to be seen, so Martha set some chilled glasses on a tray.
Martha walked around the corner and shyly offered the drinks to the two young menner. James smiled just as shyly, but Amos was far more forthright.
“Did you have a good time out riding with Bethany?” he asked.
Martha nodded. “Jah, I told her all about the legend of Dr. Eden’s buried treasure.”
Amos stared intently at her. “So, do you believe that the fortune could be on this property?”
Martha was shy to be around the good looking James, but she was even more shy to be conversing so freely with a young Englischer man. “Um, no, not really. We were all brought up knowing about the legend, but I don’t know if anyone really takes it too seriously.”
Amos rubbed his chin. “You know, the treasure could well be here. I don’t think it’s such a stretch of the imagination as you think. It’s known that Captain Kidd did have treasure. When he was tried in Boston, the governor ordered some of his treasure be brought to trial as evidence. There were silver bowls, bars of silver, Spanish dollars, gold dust, diamonds, and rubies. There’s even a plaque on the island on the spot where they dug up the treasure.”
“How do you know so much about it?” James asked him.
Amos shrugged. “My father’s from around here. He’s talked about the treasure for years. You know, I bet it could be buried somewhere right here, on this land.”
At that point, Martha looked up to see Miriam standing there, her face white and drawn. “Amos, please don’t suggest to anyone that the treasure could be here. We’ve had enough trouble with looters as it is.”
“Sure, Mrs. Berkholder.”
Martha stood, watching Amos for a moment. There was something about him that made her uneasy, but she had no idea what it was.