you once. Did your
cab hit anything?"

"Only the hub of an ashcart," says she. "We lost part of a front
fender. And once a traffic policeman tried to arrest us. We rushed
him, though."

"Auntie!" comes from Vee husky, as she drops back on a window seat.
But Auntie takes no notice.

"I say," goes on Old Hickory, "has Killam shown you the jewelry he dug
from the mound?"

Auntie nods. "It is genuine antique," says she, "the Louis Treize
period, one piece. If there is much like that, no collection in the
world can match it."

"Hm-m-m-m!" says Old Hickory. "I am rather interested in that sort of
thing myself. Then there is the bullion. Of course, if it should turn
out to be part of the Louisiana Purchase money, and it became known
that it had been recovered, I suppose the federal government would step
in, perhaps claim the larger share."

"That would be an outrage," says Auntie. "There's no sense in that,
not a bit. You--you mean you would give the information--that is,
unless--"

"I never make threats," says Old Hickory, "even when I think I have
been cheated out of doing something I've wanted all my life to have a
try at."

It's Auntie's turn to stare at him. And hanged if she don't sort of
mellow up.

"Really?" says she. "I--I had no idea. And it would be fun, wouldn't
it, sailing off for that enchanted coast to hunt for a real treasure
island?"

"'Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum!'" roars out Mr. Ellins.

It's the battiest remark I ever heard him make. I was lookin' for
Auntie to throw some sort of a fit. But she don't. She comes nearer
chucklin' than anything else.

"Mr. Ellins," says she, "I think perhaps I have misjudged you. And
I--I suppose I really ought not to attempt such a thing alone. Shall
we--er--"

"Why not?" says he, reachin' out his hand. "Share and share alike."

"Agreed!" says Auntie. "And now, suppose we get the Captain and look
for that yacht."

They was so anxious to get at it that they chases off without a word to
either Vee or me. She just sits there starin' after 'em.

"Did anyone ever hear of anything quite so absurd?" says Vee.

"I don't know," says I. "I never worked in a filbert factory myself.
I'm sure of one thing, though. With them two on the job, it's goin' to
be put up to Rupert to come across."

CHAPTER XI

A JOLT FROM OLD HICKORY

You know Old Hickory Ellins ain't what you might call a sunshine
distributor. His disposition would