Chapter 13

Mother had many things on her mind ... never time to brood. There were two revolvers she still held. She had not declared them; she would not help the German war effort.

She went to town the next day to buy some staples at my cousin's store. That evening he visited us.

"Hello, Ed. How are you? Strange to see you here."

"Your mother talked to me today about burying some guns in the garden."

"What? You mean to tell me she still has those guns! Didn't she surrender them?"

"No, she didn't. I'm going to bury them this evening among the bushes near the wooden fence."

"Where? We don't own any of the garden anymore. The guns could be exposed, when the Germans prepare the land for planting."

"We'll not bury them in the open space; only somewhere in the bushes near the fence in front."

My mother heard our conversation, but made no comment.

As it was already dark, he went for the shovel. With a flashlight she led the way to the spot, which she thought would provide a good hiding place until the time when the guns in the metal box would be needed.

One thing the two diggers never contemplated ... wasn't all of this activity evident from the upper and lower floors of the villa?

She handed the flashlight to me. They shoveled and pushed the dirt until both were satisfied that the depth was sufficient to place the steel box. They quickly covered their cache. We left, trying to disturb as few of the branches as possible.

For a while, I worried ... maybe needlessly.

Again my mother went to town to see my cousin. Again he came, but now in broad daylight.

I looked at him suspiciously. "What is it today?"

He gave me a sheepish smile. "Today we're going to hide some silver coins."

"Where, Ed, where?" I was frightened. "I never knew Mother still had coins. They were to have been turned in to the authorities some time ago. This mother of mine will be the death of us. Sixty-six years old and still up to tricks."

"Never mind, Radzia." Mother was listening. Then, turning to Ed, she said, "I thought this thick wall would be fine for the hole, don't you think so, Ed?"

She found a small sledge hammer and some rags. "These will muffle the sounds."

Every time the hammer made contact with the wall my heart sank. As Ed pounded away, I trembled. "Oh, Mother, they will feel every vibration. All of them are upstairs in the dining room. Right over us. They'll report us to the police. We'll all be sent to a concentration camp ... you, me, Ed and the children. I'm frightened. Don't you feel any compassion for us?"

"Ed, don't listen to Radzia. Just work. We don't have much time."

Ed banged and pounded into the solid wall of concrete and bricks, the rags not helping one bit. After a half-hour of pounding, the hole was ready, the steel box of silver coins placed inside, and the prepared cement smeared over the hole.

"Not bad," said Mother, breathing a sigh of relief.

Now I was really terrified and dreaded to think what else could happen.