“Yo’ was a b’y den, but still yo’ muss’ ’member how Moses were dinin’-yoom sarvint, an’ how he had charge ob all de silber in de house.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Berry well, den. An’ yo’ ’members de time w’en de sale were?”
“I was in college then, and knew nothing of it until I came home, to find my mother turned out of house and home, and having her only shelter in this poor hut.”
“So yo’ was, young marse, an’ so yo’ did. Well, jus’ ’fo’ de crash come, an’ w’en we fus’ knowed it was comin’, wot yo’ fink my po’ ole man did?”
“I don’t know. What did he do?”
“In de dead o’ night he tuk all ob de silberware—de big tea tray an’ teapot an’ coffee pot, an’ de urn an’ de sugar bowl, an’ de punch bowl, an’ tankards, an’ goblets, an’ spoons an’ forks, an’ sugar tongs, an’ ebery singly fing, an’ totes ’em up de hill inter de big woods, far f’om any yoad or paff, an’ buries ob ’em in a deep hole he had dug, an’ covers ob ’em up, an’ covers de top ob de place wid dried leabes an’ sticks an’ fings, to ’ceal de new turned up yeth. Dere! dat’s wot my ole man did, an’ he did it fo’ de ole mist’ess, not fo’ hisse’f.”
“Then you must have known of this act as well as suspected it.”
“Look yere, young marse, I knowed ’bout dat buried silber all de time, not as my ole man eber tol’ me, fo’ he didn’t; but I foun’ out—nebber min’ how, at present, but I foun’ out. But, Lor’, sah, I nebber, nebber frought as dat was wot de po’ ole man had on his conshence. I didn’t ’sider dat to ’mount to anyfing. No, sah. It’s on’y lately as I knowed it was nuffin ’tall but de buried silber.”
“At the sale was no inquiry made for the silver?”