've hid the gold
away."

"Where?" asked Jan, as excited as the boys.

"I think it must be up in the cave," went on Hal. "If we could only go
there and look we could find it too. Let's go."

"Maybe mother wouldn't let us," suggested Ted.

"We don't have to tell her," said Jan.

"I don't mean to do anything bad, nor have you," went on Hal. "But
wouldn't it be great if we could go up to the cave, without anybody
knowing it, and get the gold? Then your mother would be glad, and your
grandpa, too."

"Maybe they would--if there was gold in the blue stones," agreed Ted.

"We could pretend there was," said Janet. "Wouldn't that be fun? But I
don't want to go into that dark cave 'cept maybe grandpa goes, too, with
a light."

"You wouldn't be afraid with us, would you?" asked Hal.

"Hal and I would be with you," added Ted.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be afraid if you took hold of my hands. But it's
dark there--awful dark."

"I've got one of those little electric lights," Hal said. "My father
sent it to me for my birthday when I was in the Home, and I didn't use
it hardly at all, 'cause I wasn't up nights. It flashes bright. I
brought it with me when I came to visit you, and I can get it and take
it to the cave with us."

"That'll be fun!" cried Ted. "Let's go, Jan!" he pleaded.

"Well, maybe I will. But hadn't we better ask mother?"

"Maybe she'd say we couldn't," suggested her brother, speaking very
slowly. "We'll tell her when we come back."

Of course this was not just the right thing to do, especially after Ted
and his sister had been told not to go to the cave alone. But they
forgot all about that when Hal spoke about gold being in the blue
stones. Ted and Jan thought it would be wonderful if they could get some
gold for their mother and grandfather, who was not as rich as he had
been, even if he did sell a lot of cherries.

"We can't take Trouble along," said Jan, as she saw her little brother
coming out of the tent. "We've got to leave him here."

"Yes," agreed Hal. "But we don't need to go right away. We can play with
him awhile. You and Ted take care of Trouble and I'll go to get my
flashlight. I put it under my pillow last night."

"And I'll get something to eat from Nora," added Ted. "We'll
make-believe we're going on a little picnic in the woods."

"Oh, that'll be fun!" cried Jan. She was not afraid to think of the dark
cave now.

"Trouble want p'ayhouse!" cried Baby William, as he toddled up to