age. They could not
find him, but an hour later they heard him, coming from the stable.
He at once went into the house. They rushed into the chamber, where
they found the door of the closet open.

"Balla, come in here," called their mother from within. "Have you got
them safe?" she asked.

"Yes'm; jes' as safe as they kin be. I want to be 'bout here when they
come, or I'd go down an' stay whar they is."

"What is it?" asked the boys.

"Where is the best place to put that?" she said, pointing to a large,
strong box in which, they knew, the finest silver was kept; indeed,
all excepting what was used every day on the table.

"Well, I declar', Mistis, that's hard to tell," said the old driver,
"without it's in the stable."

"They may burn that down."

"That's so; you might bury it under the floor of the smoke-house?"

"I have heard that they always look for silver there," said the boys'
mother. "How would it do to bury it in the garden?"

"That's the very place I was gwine name," said Balla, with flattering
approval. "They can't burn _that_ down, and if they gwine dig for it
then they'll have to dig a long time before they git over that big
garden." He stooped and lifted up one end of the box to test its
weight.

"I thought of the other end of the flower-bed, between the big
rose-bush and the lilac."

"That's the very place I had in my mind," declared the old man. "They
won' never fine it dyah!"

"We know a good place," said the boys both together; "it's a heap
better than that. It's where we bury our treasures when we play
'Black-beard the Pirate.'"

"Very well," said their mother; "I don't care to know where it is
until after to-morrow, anyhow. I know I can trust you," she added,
addressing Balla.

"Yes'm, you know dat," said he, simply. "I'll jes' go an' git my hoe."

"The garden hasn't got a roof to it, has it, Unc' Balla?" asked Willy,
quietly.

"Go 'way from here, boy," said the old man, making a sweep at him with
his hand. "That boy ain' never done talkin' 'bout that thing yit," he
added, with a pleased laugh, to his mistress.

"And you ain't ever given me all those chickens either," responded
Willy, forgetting his grammar.

"Oh, well, I'm _gwi'_ do it; ain't you hear me say I'm gwine do it?"
he laughed as he went out.

The boys were too excited to get sleepy before the silver was hidden.
Their mother told them they might go down into the garden and help
Balla, on condition that they would