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+Project Gutenberg's A Little Maid of Ticonderoga, by Alice Turner Curtis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+Author: Alice Turner Curtis
+
+Illustrator: Wuanita Smith
+
+Release Date: September 29, 2008 [EBook #26723]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LITTLE MAID OF TICONDEROGA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by D Alexander, Juliet Sutherland and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+BY
+
+ALICE TURNER CURTIS
+
+AUTHOR OF
+
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF PROVINCE TOWN"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF MASSACHUSETTS COLONY"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF NARRAGANSETT BAY"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF BUNKER HILL"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF OLD CONNECTICUT"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF OLD PHILADELPHIA"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF OLD MAINE"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF OLD NEW YORK"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF VIRGINIA"
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY WUANITA SMITH
+
+THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY PHILADELPHIA
+
+1929
+
+
+
+
+COPYRIGHT 1917 BY THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY
+
+A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "MY NAME IS ETHAN ALLEN"]
+
+
+
+
+Introduction
+
+
+This is the story of a little girl whose home was among the Green
+Mountains of Vermont, then known as "The Wilderness," at the beginning
+of the American Revolution; and at the time when Ethan Allen and his
+brave soldiers were on guard to defend their rights. Ethan Allen was
+the friend of Faith, the heroine of the story, whose earnest wish to
+be of help is fulfilled. She journeys from her Wilderness home across
+Lake Champlain to Ticonderoga, and spends a winter with her aunt and
+cousin near Fort Ticonderoga. Here she learns a secret about the fort
+that is of importance later to Ethan Allen's "Green Mountain Boys."
+
+There are two very interesting bears in this story. Like the earlier
+volumes of this series, "A Little Maid of Province Town," "A Little
+Maid of Massachusetts Colony," "A Little Maid of Narragansett Bay,"
+and "A Little Maid of Bunker Hill"--the present volume introduces the
+heroes of American history and tells of famous deeds and places of
+which all American children should know.
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+     I.      ESTHER AND BRUIN                               9
+    II.      FAITH MAKES A PROMISE                         22
+   III.      MORE MISCHIEF                                 33
+    IV.      A NEW PLAN                                    42
+     V.      KASHAQUA                                      51
+    VI.      THE JOURNEY                                   59
+   VII.      NEW FRIENDS                                   70
+  VIII.      THE SHOEMAKER'S DAUGHTER                      81
+    IX.      LOUISE                                        90
+     X.      THE MAJOR'S DAUGHTERS                        100
+    XI.      A DAY OF ADVENTURE                           110
+   XII.      SECRETS                                      119
+  XIII.      LOUISE MAKES A PRESENT                       129
+   XIV.      A BIRTHDAY                                   140
+    XV.      NEW ADVENTURES                               150
+   XVI.      LOUISE DISAPPEARS                            161
+  XVII.      FAITH AGAIN VISITS THE FORT                  172
+ XVIII.      HOME AGAIN                                   184
+   XIX.      FAITH WRITES A LETTER                        194
+    XX.      THE CAPTURE OF THE FORT                      208
+
+
+
+
+A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+ESTHER AND BRUIN
+
+
+Faith Carew was ten years old when Esther Eldridge came to visit her.
+Faith lived in a big comfortable log cabin on one of the sloping
+hillsides of the Green Mountains. Below the cabin was her father's
+mill; and to Faith it always seemed as if the mill-stream had a gay
+little song of its own. She always listened for it when she awoke each
+morning.
+
+"I wonder if Esther will hear what the brook sings?" thought Faith as
+she drew on her moccasin slippers and dressed as quickly as she could,
+for her mother had already called her twice, and Faith had just
+reached the top of the stairs when the third call of, "Faith! Faith! I
+shall not keep your porridge hot another instant," sounded from the
+kitchen.
+
+"I'm coming, mother dear," the little girl called back, and hurried
+down the stairs, wondering to herself why grown people who could
+always do exactly as they pleased should think it best to rise before
+the sun was really up.
+
+"Your father was off to the mill an hour ago," said Mrs. Carew,
+setting a bowl of steaming porridge on the end of the table beside a
+narrow window, "so you will have to eat your porridge alone."
+
+Faith sat down at the table, looking out through the open window
+toward the mill.
+
+"I do hope Esther Eldridge and her father will come to-day," she said.
+"Do you think they will, mother dear?"
+
+"Yes, child; they will probably arrive before sunset. Your father
+expected them yesterday. It will be a fine thing for you to have a
+little girl for a companion. But she is a village child, and may not
+be happy in the Wilderness," responded Mrs. Carew.
+
+"Why, of course she will like being here! Just think, she has never
+seen wheat ground into flour! And she can see that in our mill; and
+she has always walked on real roads, and here she will not even see a
+road; and I know many pleasant paths where we can walk, and I can
+tell her the names of different trees and flowers. I'm sure she will
+think the Wilderness a fine place," said Faith, nodding her head so
+that her yellow curls seemed to dance about her face.
+
+"I hope they make the journey from Brandon safely. Your father has
+been told that the Indians have been troublesome to the settlers near
+Lake Dunmore; and besides that, there are many bears coming out into
+the clearings these fine autumn days. But Mr. Eldridge is a good shot,
+and I am seeking trouble in naming Indians or bears. Finish your
+breakfast, Faithie, and run to the garden and bring me in the ripest
+of the pumpkins; for I must make some cakes for our company."
+
+The Carews lived in a log house on a slope of cleared ground running
+down to the mill-stream. There were no roads, only rough trails, and
+they had no near neighbors. Faith's father had a large grant of land,
+a "New Hampshire Grant," it was called, which ran toward the eastern
+shore of Lake Champlain. Faith had no playmates, and when Mr.
+Eldridge, of the town of Brandon, had sent word that he was coming to
+see Mr. Carew on business and would bring his small daughter with
+him, Faith had been overjoyed and had made many plans of what she
+would do to entertain her visitor.
+
+Faith finished her breakfast, and helped her mother clear the table
+and wash the dishes, and then went up the slope to where a number of
+fine pumpkins and squashes, growing among the corn, were ripening in
+the early September sunshine. She looked about carefully, and selected
+a yellow pumpkin. "This is about as large as my head," she said aloud,
+"and I guess it is about the same color," and she ran back to the
+house carrying the pumpkin, which Mrs. Carew set to bake in the brick
+oven beside the fireplace.
+
+"When it is baked may I fix the shell for a work-basket for Esther?"
+asked Faith.
+
+"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Carew smilingly. "Your Aunt Prissy was
+greatly pleased with the one you gave her when she visited here last
+autumn."
+
+"I wish I could go to Ticonderoga and visit Aunt Prissy," said Faith.
+
+"Why, so you shall some day. But 'tis a troublesome journey, since one
+must be set across the strait," replied her mother. "But look, child!
+Can it be that Mr. Eldridge has arrived at this early hour?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. I see his little girl! Look, mother! Father has lifted
+her down from the horse; and Mr. Eldridge is walking, too! Oh, mother!
+See the fine hat she has on!" and Faith ran to the open door to get a
+better look at the little girl who was walking so slowly up the path
+to the log house.
+
+In a moment the little girl looked up toward the open door and Faith
+waved her hand.
+
+"She didn't wave back, mother dear," exclaimed Faith, and then the
+travelers were close at hand, and Mrs. Carew was greeting the tall,
+grave-faced man and welcoming Esther.
+
+"My little girl was so tired that we stopped for the night at your
+neighbor Stanley's house, five miles east," said Mr. Eldridge; "and
+that is why we are in good season this morning."
+
+While Mr. Eldridge was speaking Esther held fast to her father's
+hand, her large black eyes fixed on Mrs. Carew. Faith looked at her
+admiringly, wishing that her own eyes were black, and that her feet
+were small like Esther's, and that she had a hat with a wide scarlet
+ribbon.
+
+"Esther, this is Faith," she heard her mother say, "and she will try
+and make you so happy here that you will wish to stay all winter."
+
+The two little girls smiled shyly, and Esther let go her clasp on her
+father's hand and followed Mrs. Carew into the pleasant kitchen. Faith
+watched her eagerly; she wondered why Esther looked about the big room
+with such a curious expression. "Almost as if she did not like it,"
+thought Faith.
+
+The little gray kitten came bouncing out from behind the big wood-box
+and Esther gave a startled exclamation.
+
+"It's just 'Bounce,'" said Faith, picking up the kitten and smoothing
+its pretty head. "I named it 'Bounce' because it never seems to walk.
+It just bounces along."
+
+Esther smiled again, but she did not speak. Faith noticed that she was
+very thin, and that her hands looked almost like little brown shadows.
+
+"Are you tired?" she asked, suddenly remembering that she had heard
+her father say that "Mr. Eldridge's little maid was not well, and he
+thought the change would do her good."
+
+Esther nodded. "Yes, I'm always tired," she answered, sitting down in
+the low wooden rocker beside the light stand.
+
+"For pity's sake, child, we must see to it that you are soon as strong
+and well as Faith," said Mrs. Carew, untying the broad scarlet ribbon
+and taking off Esther's hat. She smoothed back the dark hair with a
+tender hand, remembering that Esther's own mother was not well, and
+resolving to do her best for this delicate child.
+
+"I think the pumpkin is cooked by this time, Faithie. I'll set it in
+the window to cool and then you can take out the pulp and I'll make
+the cakes," said Mrs. Carew.
+
+Bounce jumped up in Esther's lap, and Faith sat down on the braided
+rug beside her.
+
+"I'm going to make the pumpkin shell into a work-basket for you," said
+Faith. "Did you ever see a pumpkin-shell work-basket?"
+
+Esther shook her head. She did not seem much interested. But she asked
+eagerly: "Are the pumpkin cakes sweet?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. You shall have one as soon as they are baked; may she
+not, mother dear?"
+
+"Why, yes; only if Esther is not well it may not be wise for her to
+eat between meals," responded Mrs. Carew.
+
+"Oh! But I eat cakes whenever I want them," declared Esther, "and I
+love sweets. I had a fine cake when I left home and I ate it all
+before we got to Lake Dunmore."
+
+Mrs. Carew thought to herself that she did not wonder Esther was
+always tired and not strong. Esther did not say that the "fine cake"
+had been sent as a gift to Faith. But her face flushed a little, and
+she added, "I meant to bring the cake as a present; but I was hungry."
+
+"Of course you were," agreed Faith quickly. "Is not the pumpkin cool
+enough to cut, mother dear?" asked Faith.
+
+"Yes," replied her mother, setting the yellow pumpkin on the table.
+
+"Come and see me do it, Esther," said Faith, and Esther, with a little
+sigh, left the comfortable chair and came and leaned against the
+table.
+
+With a sharp knife Faith cut a circle about the stem of the pumpkin
+and took it off, a little round, with the stem in the center. "That
+will be the work-box cover," she explained, laying it carefully on a
+wooden plate. Then she removed the seeds and the pulp, putting the
+pulp in a big yellow bowl, and scraping the inside of the pumpkin
+shell. "There! Now when it dries a bit 'twill be a fine work-box, and
+it is for you, Esther," she said; but Esther was watching Mrs. Carew,
+who was beating up eggs with the pumpkin pulp.
+
+"Do you put spices in the cakes?" she questioned eagerly. "How long
+before they will be baked?"
+
+Faith stood holding the yellow pumpkin shell, and looking at her
+visitor wonderingly.
+
+"All she cares about is something to eat," thought Faith, a little
+scornfully, setting the fine pumpkin shell on the table.
+
+Esther's face brightened as she listened to Mrs. Carew's description
+of pumpkin cakes, and of pumpkin pies sweetened with maple syrup.
+
+"I think I must teach you to cook, Esther. I am sure you would soon
+learn," said Mrs. Carew.
+
+"I guess I wouldn't be strong enough," responded Esther in a listless
+tone, going back to the rocking-chair, without even a glance at
+Faith's present.
+
+"Come, Esther, let's go down to the mill. I'll show you the big wheel,
+and how father raises the water-gate," suggested Faith, who was
+beginning to think that a visitor was not such a delightful thing,
+after all.
+
+Esther left her chair with a regretful sigh, and followed Faith
+out-of-doors.
+
+"Listen!" said Faith. "That rippling, singing noise is the brook."
+
+Esther laughed. "You're funny," she said. "Why should I listen to a
+noisy old mill-stream?"
+
+"I thought perhaps you'd like to hear it. I do. Sometimes, just as I
+go to sleep, I hear it singing about the stars, and about little foxes
+who come down to drink, and about birds...." Faith stopped suddenly,
+for Esther was laughing; and as Faith turned to look at her she
+realized that Esther cared nothing about the music of the stream.
+
+"I do believe you are silly," Esther responded. "Do you think your
+mother will bake the cakes and pies while we are away?"
+
+"Yes," replied Faith dully. Only that morning she had said to herself
+how nice it would be to have a girl friend to talk with, but if Esther
+thought she was "silly"--why, of course, she must not talk. "I'll let
+her talk," resolved Faith.
+
+For a few moments the two little girls walked on in silence, then
+Esther said suddenly: "Does your mother ever let you boil down maple
+molasses for candy?"
+
+"Sometimes," replied Faith.
+
+Esther slipped her little brown hand under Faith's arm. "Ask her to
+let us make candy this afternoon. Do. Tell her it will keep me from
+being lonesome. For my father will be going to Ticonderoga as soon as
+dinner is over; he will be gone for days. Will you ask her, Faith?"
+
+"Yes, I'll ask her," Faith answered.
+
+"I know I'm going to have a fine visit," declared Esther, with more
+interest than she had shown since her arrival. "Does your mother ever
+bake little pies, in saucers, for you?"
+
+"No," said Faith, still resolved to say no more than was necessary.
+
+"Oh! Doesn't she? That's too bad. I wish I had asked her to. Then we
+could play keep-house in the afternoon, and have the pies to eat. Will
+your mother make pies again to-morrow?"
+
+"I don't know," said Faith.
+
+Esther did not care much about the mill. She hardly glanced at the big
+water-wheel, and was eager to get back to the house. Several times
+she reminded Faith of her promise about the maple candy. Faith had
+expected that she and Esther would be the best of friends, but the
+time before dinner seemed very long to both the children.
+
+Soon after dinner Mr. Eldridge went on his way. He left his horse in
+Mr. Carew's care, as he was to walk to the shore of Lake Champlain and
+trust to good fortune to find a canoe or boat in which he could cross
+the narrow strait to Ticonderoga. He would not return for a week, and
+he seemed greatly pleased that his little daughter was so contented to
+be left with her new friends.
+
+"She is an only child, like your own little maid," he said to Mrs.
+Carew, "and I am glad they are to be friends."
+
+They all walked down the slope with him, and watched him striding off
+along the rough path.
+
+"He's going to fetch me some rock-candy," said Esther as they turned
+back to the house.
+
+Mrs. Carew stopped at the mill, and the two little girls went back to
+the house.
+
+"We'll make the maple candy now, shan't we?" said Esther, as they
+reached the kitchen door. "See, the kettle is all clean, and I know
+where the molasses jug is," and before Faith could remind her that she
+had not yet asked permission, Esther was dragging the heavy jug from
+the pantry.
+
+"Oh, look out, Esther. You'll spill it," cautioned Faith, running to
+help her.
+
+"No, I won't. Here, help me turn it into the kettle and get it over
+the fire before your mother comes back," urged Esther, and the two
+girls lifted the jug and turned the maple syrup into the kettle.
+"There, that will make a lot of candy," said Esther. "You stir up the
+fire and put on more wood."
+
+Faith obeyed. She hardly knew what else she could do, although she was
+sure that her mother would not want them to use all the syrup for
+candy. As she piled on the wood, she heard a scrambling noise at the
+door, and a sudden scream from Esther: "Faith! Faith! A bear! A bear!"
+and looking over her shoulder she saw a big brown bear coming in
+through the kitchen door.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+FAITH MAKES A PROMISE
+
+
+For a second Faith was too frightened to move. Then pulling one of the
+newly kindled sticks from the fire she hurled it at the big creature
+and ran for the stairs, up which Esther was already hurrying.
+
+The flaming brand halted the bear for a second only, but the little
+girls had reached the upper floor before he was well into the kitchen,
+and, sniffing the molasses, he turned toward the empty jug and the
+full kettle.
+
+"What shall we do? What shall we do?" sobbed Esther. "He will come up
+here and eat us. I know he will."
+
+"We must get out of the window and run to the mill," whispered Faith.
+"We mustn't wait a minute, for mother dear may be on her way to the
+house. Come," and she pushed Esther before her toward the window.
+"Here, just take hold and swing yourself down," she said.
+
+"I can't, oh, I can't," sobbed Esther.
+
+"You must. I'll go first, then;" and in a moment Faith was swinging
+from the windowsill, had dropped to the ground, and was speeding down
+the path to the mill, while Esther, frightened and helpless, leaned
+out screaming at the top of her voice.
+
+Mrs. Carew was just leaving the mill when she saw Faith racing toward
+her. "A bear! A bear in our kitchen," she called.
+
+"Hugh!" called Mrs. Carew, and Mr. Carew came running from the mill to
+hear the story.
+
+"It's lucky I keep a musket at the mill," he said. "Here, you take
+Faith into the mill and fasten the door on the inside. I'll attend to
+the bear," and he was off, racing toward the house, while Mrs. Carew
+hurried Faith into the mill and shut the heavy door.
+
+"I do hope Esther will stay in the chamber until your father gets
+there," said Mrs. Carew anxiously. "I do not believe the bear will
+venture up the stairs."
+
+"He was after the syrup," said Faith, "and if he tried the stairs
+Esther could drop out of the window."
+
+It was not long before they heard the loud report of the musket.
+
+"Mayn't we open the door now, mother dear?" asked Faith.
+
+"Not yet, Faithie. We'll wait a little," and Faith realized that her
+mother's arm trembled as she drew the girl to her side.
+
+There was silence for what seemed a very long time to Mrs. Carew and
+Faith, and then they heard Mr. Carew calling; "All right, open the
+door. Here is Esther safe and sound."
+
+Esther, sobbing and trembling, clung to Mrs. Carew, and Faith held
+tight to her father's hand while he told the story. The bear, with his
+nose in the kettle of syrup, had not even heard Mr. Carew's approach,
+and had been an easy mark.
+
+"You'll find your kitchen in a sad state, Lucy," said Mr. Carew, as he
+finished. "I have dragged the bear outside, and he will furnish us
+some fine steaks, and a good skin for a rug; but your kettle of syrup
+is all over the floor."
+
+"Kettle of syrup?" questioned Mrs. Carew. "Why, there was no kettle of
+syrup." Neither of the little girls offered any explanation. Mr. Carew
+looked about the clearing to see if any other bear was in the
+neighborhood, but it was evident that the creature had come alone.
+
+"'Tis not often they are so bold," said Mr. Carew, as they neared the
+cabin, "although last year an old bear and two cubs came down by the
+mill, but they were off before I could get a shot at them."
+
+Mrs. Carew looked about her kitchen with a little feeling of dismay.
+The kettle had been overturned, and what syrup the bear had not eaten
+was smeared over the hearth and floor. The little rocking-chair was
+tipped over and broken, and everything was in disorder.
+
+Esther looked into the kitchen, but Mrs. Carew cautioned her not
+to enter. "You and Faith go to the front door and go into the
+sitting-room," she said. "There is nothing that either of you can do
+to help;" so Faith led the way and pushed open the heavy door which
+led directly into a big comfortable room. The lower floor of the cabin
+was divided into two rooms, the sitting-room and kitchen, and over
+these were two comfortable chambers. The stairs led up from the
+kitchen.
+
+Faith thought the sitting-room a very fine place. There was a big
+fireplace on one side of the room, and the walls were ceiled, or
+paneled, with pine boards. On one side of the fireplace was a broad
+wooden settle, covered with a number of fur robes, and several big
+cushions. Between the two front windows stood a table of dark wood,
+and on the table were two tall brass candlesticks. A small narrow
+gilt-framed mirror hung over the table.
+
+There were several strongly-made comfortable wooden chairs with
+cushions. The floor was of pine, like the ceiled walls, and was now a
+golden brown in color. There were several bearskin rugs on the floor,
+for Mr. Carew, like all the men of the "Wilderness," was a hunter; and
+when not busy in his mill or garden was off in the woods after deer,
+or wild partridge, or larger game, as these fine skins proved.
+
+"What a funny room," exclaimed Esther, with a little giggle. "Our
+sitting-room has beautiful paper on the walls, and we have pictures,
+and a fine carpet on the floor. What are you going to tell your mother
+about that maple syrup?" she concluded sharply.
+
+"I don't know," responded Faith.
+
+"Well, don't tell her anything," suggested Esther.
+
+"I guess that I shall have to tell her," said Faith.
+
+"You mean about me? That I teased you to make candy? Well, if you do
+that I'll get my father to take me home with him instead of staying
+until he comes next month," declared Esther.
+
+"I shan't tell anything about you," answered Faith.
+
+Esther looked at her a little doubtfully.
+
+"Of course I shan't," repeated Faith. "You are my company. No matter
+what you did I wouldn't talk about it. Why, even the Indians treat
+visitors politely, and give them the best they have, and that's what I
+shall do," and Faith stood very straight and looked at Esther very
+seriously.
+
+"Truly? Truly? What is the 'best' you have? And when will you give it
+to me?" demanded Esther, coming close to her and clasping her arm. "Is
+it beads? Oh! I do hope it is beads! And you can't back out after what
+you have said," and Esther jumped up and down in delight at the
+thought of a possible string of fine beads.
+
+For a moment it seemed as if Faith would burst into tears. She had
+meant to tell Esther that she would do her best to be kind and polite
+to her because Esther was a guest, and now Esther was demanding that
+Faith should do exactly as she had promised and give her "the best she
+had." And it happened that Faith's dearest possession was a string of
+fine beads. Aunt Priscilla Scott, who lived in Ticonderoga, had
+brought them as a gift on her last visit. They were beautiful blue
+beads,--like the sky on a June day,--and Faith wore them only on
+Sundays. They were in a pretty little wooden box in the sitting-room
+closet.
+
+Suddenly Esther let go of Faith's arm. "I knew you didn't mean it,"
+she said scornfully.
+
+Faith made no reply. She walked across the room and pushed a brass
+knob set in one of the panels. The panel opened, and there was a
+closet. The little wooden box that held the beads was on the middle
+shelf. Faith took it up, closed the door, and turned toward Esther.
+
+"Here! This is the best thing I have in all the world, the prettiest
+and the dearest. And it is beads. Take them," and she thrust the box
+into Esther's eager hands and ran out of the room. She forgot the dead
+bear, the wasted syrup, the danger and fright of so short a time ago;
+all she could think of was to get away from Esther Eldridge.
+
+She ran across the clearing and along a narrow path that circled
+behind the mill into the woods. She ran on and on until she could no
+longer hear the sound of the brook, and the path began to grow rocky
+and difficult. Then, tired and almost breathless, Faith sat down on a
+big rock and looked about her. For a few moments she could think of
+nothing but her lost beads, and of the disagreeable visitor. Then
+gradually she realized that she had never before been so far along
+this rough path. All about her rose huge, towering pines. Looking
+ahead the path seemed to end in a dense thicket. She heard the rustle
+of some little forest animal as it moved through the vines behind
+her, and the call of birds near at hand. Faith began to recall the
+happenings of the morning: the excitement of Esther's arrival, the
+sudden appearance of the bear in the kitchen doorway, her terror lest
+her mother should come before she could be warned; and then, again,
+Esther and the loss of her beads. She began to cry. She felt very
+tired and unhappy. She felt Esther was to blame for everything, even
+for the appearance of the bear. Never before had a bear dared come to
+the house. Faith leaned back against a friendly tree with a tired
+little sigh. She would rest, and then go home, she thought, and closed
+her eyes.
+
+When she awoke, she thought she must still be dreaming; for, standing
+a little way down the path, was a tall man leaning on a musket. He
+wore a flannel blouse, and his homespun trousers were tucked into high
+leathern gaiters.
+
+The man smiled and nodded. "Do not be frightened, little maid," he
+said in a friendly voice. "I did not want to leave you here in the
+woods until I was sure that you could make your way home. Are you
+Miller Carew's little girl?"
+
+"Yes, sir," answered Faith, wondering who this tall, dark-eyed man,
+who knew her father, could be, and then adding, "My name is Faith."
+
+The tall man smiled again, and took off his leather cap.
+
+"My name is Ethan Allen," he responded; "it may be that you have heard
+your father speak of me."
+
+"Yes, sir! You are a Green Mountain Boy; and you help the settlers to
+keep their 'Grants,'" Faith replied quickly; for she had often heard
+her father and mother speak of the trouble the settlers were having to
+prove their titles to land taken under the "New Hampshire Grants," and
+she remembered hearing her father say that Ethan Allen would help any
+man defend his rights. She wished that she could tell him all about
+Esther Eldridge and the blue beads, but she remembered her promise. "I
+guess there are times when people don't have any rights," she decided,
+and was quite unconscious that she had spoken aloud until she heard
+her companion say very clearly:
+
+"There can never be such a time as that. People would be slaves indeed
+not to uphold their just and rightful claims. But why is a small maid
+like yourself troubling about 'rights'?"
+
+"I have company at my house----" began Faith.
+
+"I see, I see!" interrupted Colonel Allen. "Of course you have to let
+the guest do whatever she pleases," and he smiled and nodded, as if he
+understood all about it. "And now we had best start toward your
+father's mill, for it is well toward sunset."
+
+"Sunset? Have I slept all the afternoon!" exclaimed Faith, jumping up.
+
+As they walked down the path Ethan Allen asked Faith many questions
+about the people who came along the trail from the settlements on
+their way to Lake Champlain.
+
+When they reached the clearing where the mill stood Faith's father and
+mother came running to meet them. They welcomed Mr. Allen, and said
+that they had been sadly worried about Faith. "But where is Esther?"
+asked Mrs. Carew. "Is she not with you, Faith?"
+
+"I left her in the sitting-room, hours ago!" answered the little girl.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MORE MISCHIEF
+
+
+"'Hours ago,'" repeated Mrs. Carew. "Why, dear child, it is only an
+hour since Esther came up from the mill with the dishes."
+
+Faith looked so bewildered that her mother exclaimed: "Why, child!
+Have you forgotten that you and Esther had your dinner at the mill?"
+
+"But I did not have any dinner," declared Faith. "It was not dinner
+time when I ran off and left Esther in the sitting-room. I----" and
+then Faith stopped suddenly. She resolved that she would not tell her
+mother that she had given Esther the blue beads,--not until Esther was
+found.
+
+"Well, I declare. Esther came into the kitchen just as I was preparing
+dinner, and asked if you girls could not have a picnic dinner at the
+mill, and I was well pleased to let you. I put some cold meat and
+bread, a good half of pumpkin pie and some of the pumpkin cakes in a
+basket, and gave her a pitcher of milk, and off she went. An hour ago
+she came in to ask for a lunch and I gave her a good piece of molasses
+cake. Your father was busy skinning the bear, and we gave but little
+thought to you children. But when I called your name, and found
+neither of you at the mill, I became alarmed. But where can Esther be
+now?" concluded Mrs. Carew, looking anxiously about the clearing.
+
+"Go back to the house with Faith and give the child something to eat.
+Colonel Allen and I will search the mill again," said Mr. Carew.
+
+"I'm tired," said Faith, as they reached the house, "and I don't like
+Esther."
+
+"Hush, Faithie. She is your guest. And if she has wandered into any
+harm or danger I do not know what we can say to Mr. Eldridge,"
+responded her mother; "but I do not understand about the food," she
+added, half to herself, wondering if Esther could really have eaten it
+all.
+
+Faith looked about the kitchen. "It looks just the same. Just as if
+the bear had not come in," she said.
+
+Mrs. Carew brought her a bowl of milk and a plate of corn bread, and
+another plate with two of the pumpkin cakes.
+
+"I'll run back to the mill while you eat your supper, Faithie, and see
+if Esther has been found. When I come back you must tell me what you
+were turning syrup into the kettle for."
+
+Faith was hungry, but as she ate her bread and milk she felt very
+unhappy. She remembered her promise to Esther not to tell Mrs. Carew
+about the syrup.
+
+"I don't know what I shall do," she said aloud. "I guess I'll go and
+rest on the settle until mother dear comes," so she opened the door
+and entered the sitting-room. As she lay back among the cushions of
+the settle she heard a faint noise from the further side of the room.
+"I guess it's 'Bounce,'" she thought.
+
+Then the noise came again: "Gr-r-r! Gr-rrr!" Faith sat up quickly. She
+wondered if another bear had made its way into the house. The big
+black bearskin rug in front of the table was moving; it was standing
+up, and coming toward the settle.
+
+"It's you, Esther Eldridge! You can't frighten me," said Faith, and
+Esther dropped the rug from her shoulders and came running toward the
+settle. Her black eyes were dancing, and she was laughing.
+
+"Oh! I've had the greatest fun! I ate all your dinner, and I hid under
+that bearskin and your mother and father hunted everywhere for me.
+Where have you been?" concluded Esther, looking down at Faith. The
+little girls did not notice that, just as Esther began speaking, Mrs.
+Carew had opened the sitting-room door.
+
+"I've been way off in the woods, and my mother has asked me to tell
+her about the maple syrup," replied Faith accusingly.
+
+"Well, Esther!"
+
+Both the girls gave an exclamation of surprise at the sound of Mrs.
+Carew's voice. "You may go to the mill and tell Mr. Carew that you are
+safe, and then come directly back," she said a little sternly, and
+stood by the door until Esther was on her way. Then she crossed over
+to the settle and sat down beside Faith.
+
+"I will not ask you about the syrup, Faithie dear," she said,
+smoothing Faith's ruffled hair. "And you had best go up-stairs to bed.
+I will have a talk with Esther, and then she will go to bed. It has
+been a difficult day, has it not, child? But to-morrow I trust
+everything will go pleasantly, without bears or trouble of any sort."
+
+"But Esther will be here," said Faith.
+
+"Never mind; I think Esther has made mischief enough to-day to last
+all her visit," responded Mrs. Carew; and Faith, very tired, and
+greatly comforted, went up to her pleasant chamber which Esther was to
+share. She wondered to herself just what her mother would say to
+Esther. But she did not stay long awake, and when Esther came
+up-stairs shortly after, very quietly, and feeling rather ashamed of
+herself after listening to Mrs. Carew, Faith was fast asleep.
+
+But Esther did not go to sleep. She wondered to herself what her
+father would say if Mrs. Carew told him of her mischief, and began to
+wish that she had not deceived Mrs. Carew about the dinner. She could
+feel her face flush in the darkness when she remembered what Mrs.
+Carew had said to her about truthfulness. Esther's head ached, and she
+felt as if she was going to be ill. Down-stairs she could hear the
+murmur of voices. Ethan Allen would sleep on the settle, and be off at
+an early hour the next morning. It seemed a long time before the
+voices ceased, and she heard Mr. and Mrs. Carew come up the stairs.
+Esther began to wish that she had not eaten the fine pumpkin pie and
+all the cakes. It was nearly morning before she fell asleep, and she
+was awake when Faith first opened her eyes.
+
+"It's time to get up. It always is the minute I wake up," said Faith
+sleepily.
+
+Esther answered with a sudden moan: "I can't get up. I'm sick," she
+whispered.
+
+Faith sat up in bed and looked at Esther a little doubtfully. But
+Esther's flushed face and the dark shadows under her eyes proved that
+she spoke the truth.
+
+"I'll tell mother. Don't cry, Esther. Mother will make you well before
+you know it," said Faith, quickly slipping out of bed and running into
+the little passage at the head of the stairs.
+
+In a few moments Mrs. Carew was standing beside the bed. She said to
+herself that she did not wonder that Esther was ill. But while Faith
+dressed and got ready for breakfast Mrs. Carew smoothed out the
+tumbled bed, freshened the pillows and comforted their little visitor.
+
+"Run down and eat your porridge, Faithie, and then come back and sit
+with Esther," said Mrs. Carew.
+
+When Faith returned Mrs. Carew went down and brewed some bitter herbs
+and brought the tea for Esther to drink. The little girl swallowed the
+unpleasant drink, and shortly after was sound asleep. She had not
+awakened at dinner time, and Mrs. Carew was sure that she would sleep
+off her illness.
+
+"The child must be taught not to crave sweet foods," she said, as she
+told Faith to run down to the mill and amuse herself as she pleased.
+"Only don't go out of sight of the mill, Faithie," she cautioned, and
+Faith promised and ran happily off down the path. She was eager to ask
+her father about Mr. Ethan Allen.
+
+Mr. Carew was busy grinding wheat. There were few mills in the
+Wilderness, and nearly every day until midwinter settlers were coming
+and going from the mill, bringing bags of wheat or corn on horseback
+over the rough trail and carrying back flour or meal. When Mr. Carew
+had tied up the bag of meal and his customer had ridden away, he came
+to where Faith was sitting close by the open door and sat down beside
+her.
+
+"Why do you call Mr. Allen a 'Green Mountain Boy'?" asked the little
+girl, after she had answered his questions about Esther; "he is a big
+man."
+
+Mr. Carew smiled down at Faith's eager face, and then pointed to the
+green wooded hills beyond the clearing. "It's because he, and other
+men of these parts, are like those green hills,--strong, and
+sufficient to themselves," he answered. "Every settler in the
+Wilderness knows that Ethan Allen will help them protect their homes;
+and no man knows this part of the country better than Colonel Allen."
+
+"Why do you call him 'Colonel'?" asked Faith.
+
+"Because the Bennington people have given him that title, and put him
+in command of the men of the town that they may be of service to
+defend it in case King George's men come over from New York," replied
+her father; "but I do not know but the bears are as dangerous as the
+'Yorkers.' Do you think Esther will be quite well to-morrow?"
+concluded Mr. Carew.
+
+Faith was quite sure that Esther would soon be as well as ever. She
+did not want to talk about Esther. She wanted to hear more about her
+friend Colonel Allen. "I heard him tell mother that he slept in a cave
+one night on his way here," she said.
+
+"Oh, yes; he can sleep anywhere. But you must talk of him no more
+to-day, Faithie," answered Mr. Carew; "and here is 'Bounce' looking
+for you," he added, as the little gray kitten jumped into Faith's lap.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+A NEW PLAN
+
+
+Esther was much better the next morning, but she was not well enough
+to come down-stairs for several days, and when her father appeared he
+agreed with Mrs. Carew that the little girl was not fit to undertake
+the journey on horseback along the rough trail to Brandon.
+
+Mrs. Carew was able to assure him, however, that he need not be
+anxious about his little daughter, and he decided to go directly home,
+leaving Esther to regain health and strength in Mrs. Carew's charge.
+
+"I will come for you the first Monday in October, three weeks from
+to-day," he told Esther, "and you must mind Mrs. Carew in everything
+she bids you."
+
+Esther promised tearfully. She did not want to stay, but she resolved
+to herself, as she watched her father ride away, that she would do
+everything possible to please Mrs. Carew and make friends with Faith.
+She could hardly bear to think of the first day of her visit.
+
+As she lay on the settle comfortably bolstered up with the soft
+pillows, and a little fire crackling on the hearth, Esther looked
+about the sitting-room and began to think it a very pleasant place.
+Faith brought all her treasures to entertain her little visitor. Chief
+of these was a fine book called "Pilgrim's Progress," with many
+pictures. There was a doll,--one that Faith's Aunt Priscilla had
+brought her from New York. This doll was a very wonderful creature.
+She wore a blue flounced satin dress, and the dress had real buttons,
+buttons of gilt; and the doll wore a beautiful bonnet.
+
+Faith watched Esther a little anxiously as she allowed her to take
+Lady Amy, as the doll was named. But Esther was as careful as Faith
+herself, and declared that she did not believe any little girl that
+side of Bennington had such a beautiful doll.
+
+"I think your Aunt Priscilla is the best aunt that ever was. She gave
+you this lovely doll, and your blue beads----" Esther stopped
+suddenly. She had lost the beads, and she did not want to tell Faith.
+She had resolved to hunt for them as soon as possible, and give them
+back. She was sure she could find them when she could run about again.
+
+Faith did not look at Esther. She wished Esther had not reminded her
+of the beads. But Esther had been so grateful for everything that Mrs.
+Carew and Faith did for her that they had almost forgotten her
+mischief, and were beginning to like their little visitor.
+
+"Yes, my Aunt Prissy is lovely," said Faith. "She is a young aunt. Her
+hair is yellow and her eyes are blue; she can run as fast as I can,"
+and Faith smiled, remembering the good times she always had when Aunt
+Prissy came for a visit to the log cabin. "When I go to visit her I
+shall see the fort where the English soldiers are," she added.
+
+"Colonel Ethan Allen could take the fort away from them if he wanted
+to; my father said so," boasted Esther; and Faith was quite ready to
+agree to this, for it seemed to her that the tall, dark-eyed colonel
+could accomplish almost anything.
+
+"How would you and Faithie like to have your supper here by the fire?"
+asked Mrs Carew, coming in from the kitchen. "Faith can bring in the
+light stand and use her own set of dishes. And I will make you a fine
+dish of cream toast."
+
+Both the little girls were delighted at the plan. And Faith ran to
+the kitchen and, with her mother's help, brought in the stand and
+put it down in front of the settle. She spread a white cloth over
+it, and then turned to the closet, from which she had taken the
+blue beads, and brought out her treasured tea-set. There was a
+round-bodied, squatty teapot with a high handle, a small pitcher,
+a round sugar-bowl, two cups and saucers, and two plates. The dishes
+were of delicate cream-tinted china covered with crimson roses and
+delicate buds and faint green leaves.
+
+One by one Faith brought these treasures to the little table, smiling
+with delight at Esther's exclamations of admiration.
+
+"My grandmother who lives in Connecticut sent me these for my last
+birthday present," said Faith. "My Grandmother Carew, whom I have
+never seen. And they came from across the big salt ocean, from
+England."
+
+"To think that a little girl in a log cabin should have such lovely
+things!" exclaimed Esther. "I have a silver mug with my name on it,"
+she added.
+
+Mrs. Carew brought them in the fine dish of cream toast, and filled
+the china teapot with milk so they could play that it was a real
+tea-party. There were baked apples to eat with the toast, and although
+Esther longed for cake she did not speak of it, and, bolstered up with
+cushions, and Faith sitting in a high-backed chair facing her, she
+began really to enjoy herself.
+
+"My father made this little table," said Faith, helping Esther to a
+second cup of "tea," "and he made these chairs and the settle. He came
+up here with Mr. Stanley years ago, and cut down trees and built this
+house and the barn and the mill; then he went way back where my
+grandmother lives and brought my mother here. Some day I am to go to
+Connecticut and go to school."
+
+"Why don't you come to Brandon and go to school?" suggested Esther.
+"Oh, do! Faith, ask your mother to let you go home with me and go to
+school this winter. That would be splendid!" And Esther sat up so
+quickly that she nearly tipped over her cup and saucer.
+
+"I guess I couldn't," replied Faith. "My mother would be lonesome."
+
+But Esther thought it would be a fine idea; and while Faith carried
+the dishes to the kitchen, washed them with the greatest care,
+and replaced them on the closet shelf, Esther talked of all the
+attractions of living in a village and going to school with other
+little girls.
+
+"I feel as well as ever," declared Esther as the two little girls went
+to bed that night; "but I do wish your mother thought sweet things
+would be good for me. At home I have all I want."
+
+"Mother says that is the reason you are not well," answered Faith.
+"Hear the brook, Esther! Doesn't it sound as if it was saying, 'Hurry
+to bed! Hurry to bed!' And in the morning it is 'Time to get up! Time
+to get up!'"
+
+"You are the queerest girl I ever knew. The idea that a brook could
+say anything," replied Esther; but her tone was friendly. "I suppose
+it's because you live way off here in the woods. Now if you lived in a
+village----"
+
+"I don't want to live in a village if it will stop my hearing what the
+brook says. And I can tell you what the robins say to the young
+robins; and what little foxes tell their mothers; and I know how the
+beavers build their homes under water," declared Faith, with a little
+laugh at Esther's puzzled expression.
+
+"Tell me about the beavers," said Esther, as they snuggled down in the
+big feather-bed.
+
+"Every house a beaver builds has two doors," began Faith, "and it has
+an up-stairs and down-stairs. One of the doors to the beaver's house
+opens on the land side, so that they can get out and get their
+dinners; and the other opens under the water--way down deep, below
+where ice freezes."
+
+"How do you know?" questioned Esther, a little doubtfully.
+
+"Father told me. And I have seen their houses over in the mill meadow,
+where the brook is as wide as this whole clearing."
+
+Before Faith had finished her story of how beavers could cut down
+trees with their sharp teeth, and of the dams they built across
+streams, Esther was fast asleep.
+
+Faith lay awake thinking over all that Esther had said about school;
+about seeing little girls and boys of her own age, and of games and
+parties. Then with a little sigh of content she whispered to herself:
+"I guess I'd be lonesome without father and mother and the brook."
+
+Mrs. Carew had heard Esther's suggestion about Faith going to Brandon
+to go to school, and after the little girls had gone to bed she spoke
+of it to Faith's father, as they sat together before the fire.
+
+"Perhaps we ought to send Faithie where she could go to school and be
+with other children," said Mr. Carew, "but I hardly know how we could
+spare her."
+
+There was a little silence, for the father and mother knew that their
+pleasant home on the slope of the hillside would be a very different
+place without their little maid.
+
+"But of course we would not think of Brandon," continued Faith's
+father. "If we must let her go, why, her Aunt Priscilla will give her
+a warm welcome and take good care of the child; and the school at
+Ticonderoga is doubtless a good one."
+
+"Esther seems sorry for her mischief, but I should not wish Faith to
+be with her so far from home. Perhaps we had best send some word to
+Priscilla by the next traveler who goes that way, and ask her if Faith
+may go to her for the winter months," said Mrs. Carew.
+
+So, while Faith described the beaver's home to the sleepy Esther, it
+was settled that as soon as it could be arranged she should go to stay
+with her Aunt Priscilla in the village of Ticonderoga, across Lake
+Champlain, and go to school.
+
+"If 'twere not that some stray Indians might happen along and make a
+bonfire of our house and mill we might plan for a month's visit
+ourselves," said Mr. Carew.
+
+"We must not think of it," responded his wife. For the log cabin home
+was very dear to her, and at that time the Indians, often incited by
+the British in command of the forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point,
+burned the homes of settlers who held their land through grants given
+by the New Hampshire government.
+
+"More settlers are coming into this region every year. We shall soon
+have neighbors near at hand, and can have a school and church," said
+Mr. Carew hopefully. "Colonel Allen is not journeying through the
+wilderness for pleasure. He has some plan in mind to make this region
+more secure for all of us. Well, tell Faithie, if she has aught to say
+of going to Brandon, that she is soon to visit Aunt Priscilla. I doubt
+not 'twill be best for the child."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+KASHAQUA
+
+
+Esther did not find the blue beads; and when her father came for her
+she had not said a word to Faith about them.
+
+Mr. Eldridge found his little daughter fully recovered from her
+illness, and in better health than when she came to the Wilderness.
+When she said good-bye Faith was really sorry to have her go, but she
+wondered a little that Esther made no mention of the beads, for Esther
+had been a model visitor since her illness. She had told Mrs. Carew
+the full story of the attempt to make maple candy, which the bear had
+interrupted, and she had claimed the pumpkin-shell work-box with
+evident delight. All these things had made Faith confident that Esther
+would return the beads before starting for home, and she was sadly
+disappointed to have Esther depart without a word about them.
+
+Esther had asked Mrs. Carew if Faith might not go to Brandon, and so
+Mrs. Carew had told the little girls of the plan for Faith to go to
+her Aunt Priscilla in Ticonderoga for the winter and attend school
+there.
+
+"Oh! But that's New York. Why, the 'Yorkers' want to take all the
+Wilderness. I shouldn't want to go to school with 'Yorkers,'" Esther
+had responded, a little scornfully.
+
+For she had often heard her father and his friends talk of the
+attempts made by the English officials of New York to drive the
+settlers on the New Hampshire Grants from their homes.
+
+"'Tis not the people of New York who would do us harm," Mrs. Carew had
+answered. "And Faith will make friends, I hope, with many of her
+schoolmates."
+
+It was a beautiful October morning when Esther, seated in front of her
+father on the big gray horse, with the pumpkin-shell work-box wrapped
+in a safe bundle swinging from the front of the saddle, started for
+Brandon. Their way for most of the journey led over a rough trail.
+They would pass near the homes of many settlers, then over the lower
+slopes of Mooselamoo Mountain, and skirt Lake Dunmore, and would then
+find themselves on a smoother road for the remainder of their journey.
+
+Faith walked beside the travelers to the edge of the wood and then the
+two little girls said good-bye.
+
+"I'll come again in the spring," Esther called back.
+
+Faith stood watching them until the branches of the trees hid them
+from sight. The maples seemed to be waving banners of scarlet leaves,
+and the slopes of the Green Mountains were beautiful in the glory of
+autumn foliage. The sun shone brightly, the sky was as blue as summer,
+and as Faith turned to run swiftly along the path to the mill she
+almost wished that she too was starting for a day's journey through
+the woods. The path ran along beside the mill-stream.
+
+It seemed to Faith that the brook was traveling beside her like a gay
+companion, singing as it went. The little girl had had so few
+companions, none except an occasional visitor, that she had made
+friends with the birds and small woodland animals, and found
+companionship in the rippling music of the stream. There was a fine
+family of yellow-hammers just below the mill that Faith often visited,
+and she was sure that they knew her quite well. She had watched them
+build their nest in the early spring; had seen them bring food to the
+young birds, and had sat close by the nest while the young birds made
+their first efforts to fly. She knew where a fine silver-coated fox
+made its home on the rocky hillside beyond the garden-slope, and had
+told her father that "Silver-nose," as she had named the fox, knew
+that she was his friend, and would lie quite still at the entrance to
+its hole, while she would sit on a big rock not far distant.
+
+But Faith was not thinking of these woodland friends as she ran along
+toward the mill; she was thinking of what she had heard her father say
+to Mr. Eldridge that morning. "Tell Colonel Allen the men of the
+Wilderness will be ready whenever he gives the word," Mr. Carew had
+said; and Mr. Eldridge had answered that it would not be long. Faith
+wondered what her father had meant, and if Colonel Allen would again
+visit the mill. She hoped he would, for he had seemed to know all
+about the woodland creatures, and had told Faith a wonderful story
+about the different months of the year. She thought of it now as she
+felt the warmth of the October sunshine.
+
+"October is stirring the fire now," she called to her father, who was
+watching her from the door of the mill.
+
+"What do you mean by that, child?" asked her father, smiling down at
+Faith's tanned face and bright eyes.
+
+"'Tis what Colonel Allen told me about the months. All twelve, every
+one of the year, sit about the fire. And now and then one of them
+stirs the fire, and that makes all the world warmer. July and August,
+when it is their turn, make it blaze; but the other months do not care
+so much about it. But once in a while each month takes its turn,"
+answered Faith. "That's what Colonel Allen told me."
+
+"'Tis a good story," said Mr. Carew. "Did your mother tell you that I
+have sent word to your Aunt Priscilla about your going to her house as
+soon as some trustworthy traveler going to Ticonderoga passes this
+way?"
+
+"Yes, father. But I am learning a good deal at home. Mother says I
+read as well as she did when she was my age. And I can figure in
+fractions, and write neatly. I do not care much about school,"
+answered Faith; for to be away from her mother and father all winter
+began to seem too great an undertaking.
+
+"Yes, indeed; your mother tells me you learn quickly. But 'tis best
+for you to become acquainted with children of your own age. And you
+have never seen your cousins. Three boy cousins. Think of that. Why,
+your Aunt Prissy says that Donald is nearly as tall as you are; and he
+is but eight years old. And Hugh is six, and Philip four. Then there
+are neighbor children close at hand. You will play games, and have
+parties, and enjoy every day; besides going to school," responded her
+father encouragingly.
+
+Then he told her of his own pleasant school days in the far-off
+Connecticut village where Grandmother Carew lived; and when Mrs. Carew
+called them to dinner Faith had begun to think that it would really be
+a fine thing to live with Aunt Priscilla and become acquainted with
+her little cousins, and all the pleasant, well-behaved children that
+her father described, with whom she would go to school and play games.
+
+"It is nearly time for Kashaqua's yearly visit," said Mrs. Carew. "I
+have knit a scarf for her of crimson yarn. She generally comes before
+cold weather. Don't let her see your blue beads, Faith."
+
+Faith did not make any answer. Kashaqua was an Indian woman who had
+appeared at the cabin every fall and spring ever since the Carews had
+settled there. When Faith was a tiny baby she had come, bringing a
+fine beaver skin as a gift for the little girl. She always came alone,
+and the family looked upon her as a friend, and always made a little
+feast for her, and sent her on her way laden with gifts. Not all the
+Indians of the Wilderness were friendly to settlers; and the Carews
+were glad to feel that Kashaqua was well disposed toward them. She
+often brought gifts of baskets, or of bright feathers or fine
+moccasins for Faith.
+
+"I hope she will come before I go to Aunt Prissy's," said Faith. "I
+like Kashaqua."
+
+"Kashaqua likes little girl."
+
+Even Mr. Carew jumped at these words and the sudden appearance of the
+Indian woman standing just inside the kitchen door. She seemed pleased
+by their warm welcome, and sat down before the fire, while Faith
+hastened to bring her a good share of their simple dinner. Faith sat
+down on the floor beside her, greatly to Kashaqua's satisfaction, and
+told her about Esther Eldridge's visit, about the bear coming into the
+kitchen, and of how she had jumped from the window and run to the mill
+to tell her father. Kashaqua grunted her approval now and then.
+
+"And what do you think, Kashaqua! I am to go to my Aunt Priscilla
+Scott, to Ticonderoga, and stay all winter," she concluded.
+
+"Ticonderoga? When?" questioned Kashaqua, dipping a piece of corn
+bread in the dish of maple syrup.
+
+"I am to go just as soon as some one goes over the trail who will take
+me," answered Faith.
+
+"I take you. I go to Ticonderoga to-morrow. I take you," said
+Kashaqua.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE JOURNEY
+
+
+"Mother dear, mother dear! Did you hear what Kashaqua says: that she
+will take me to Aunt Prissy's to-morrow?" said Faith.
+
+The Indian woman had turned quickly, and her sharp little eyes were
+fixed on Mrs. Carew's face.
+
+"You 'fraid let little girl go with Kashaqua?" she said, a little
+accusing note in her voice.
+
+"No, indeed. Kashaqua would take good care of Faith. I know that. But
+to-morrow----" Mrs. Carew spoke bravely, but both Faith's father and
+mother were sadly troubled. To offend the Indian woman would mean to
+make enemies of the tribe to which she belonged; and then neither
+their lives nor their property would be safe; and she would never
+forgive them if they doubted her by refusing to let Faith make the
+journey to Ticonderoga in her care.
+
+It was Faith who came to the rescue by declaring: "Oh, I'd rather go
+with Kashaqua than anybody. Mother dear, you said Aunt Prissy would
+see about my shoes and dresses. I don't have to wait to get ready,"
+and Faith ran to her mother eager for her consent, thinking it would
+be a fine thing to go on a day's journey through the woods with the
+Indian woman, and quite forgetting for the moment that it meant a long
+absence from home.
+
+Nothing could have pleased Kashaqua more than Faith's pleading. The
+half-angry expression faded from her face, and she nodded and smiled,
+grunting her satisfaction, and taking from one of her baskets a pair
+of fine doeskin moccasins, which she gave to Faith. "Present," she
+said briefly.
+
+"They are the prettiest pair I ever had!" said Faith, looking
+admiringly at their fringed tops, and the pattern of a vine that ran
+from the toes to insteps, stitched in with thread-like crimson and
+blue thongs.
+
+"It is a fine chance for Faith to go to her Aunt Priscilla," said Mr.
+Carew. "Do you know where Philip Scott lives, across Champlain?"
+
+"Me know. Not great ways from Fort," responded Kashaqua. "Me take
+little girl safe to Scott's wigwam."
+
+"That's right, Kashaqua," said Mr. Carew.
+
+"Then me come back to mill and get meal an' get pie," said Kashaqua.
+
+"Of course. I will make you the finest pie you ever tasted," said Mrs.
+Carew, with a little sigh of relief. For she had wondered how long it
+would be before they could get news that Kashaqua had kept her
+promise, and that Faith had reached her aunt's house in safety.
+
+In the surprise and excitement of this new decision neither Faith nor
+her parents had much time to think about their separation. Although
+Aunt Priscilla was to see that Faith was well provided with suitable
+dresses, shoes, hat, and all that a little girl would need to wear to
+school and to church, there was, nevertheless, a good deal to do to
+prepare and put in order such things as she would take with her.
+Beside that Mrs. Carew meant to give the squaw a well-filled luncheon
+basket; so the remainder of the day went very quickly. Faith helped
+her mother, and talked gaily with Kashaqua of the good time they would
+have on the journey; while Kashaqua smoked and nodded, evidently quite
+satisfied and happy.
+
+When night came the Indian woman made her preparations to sleep
+before the kitchen fire, and the Carews went up-stairs to bed. The
+mother and father lay long awake that night. While they assured each
+other that Faith would be perfectly safe, and that the Indian woman
+would defend the little girl from all danger, they could not but feel
+an uncertainty. "We can trust the strength and love that has protected
+us always to go with our little maid," said Mr. Carew; "perhaps
+Kashaqua is the safest person we could find."
+
+"We must hope so; but I shall not draw a good breath until she is here
+again, and tells me Faithie is safe with Priscilla," responded Mrs.
+Carew.
+
+The little household was awake at an early hour the next morning.
+Faith was to wear the new moccasins. She wore her usual dress of brown
+homespun linen. Faith had never had a hat, or a pair of leather shoes,
+and only the simplest of linen and wool dresses. She had never before
+been away from home, except for a day's visit at the house of some
+neighboring settler. She knew that when she got to Aunt Prissy's she
+would have a hat, probably like the one Esther Eldridge had worn,
+ribbons to tie back her yellow curls, shining leather shoes, and many
+things that she had never before seen. She had thought a good deal
+about these things when planning for the journey, but now that the
+time was so near when she must say good-bye to her mother and father
+she forgot all about the good times in store, and wished with all her
+heart that she were not going.
+
+"Don't let Kashaqua see you cry, child," her father whispered, seeing
+Faith's sad face; so she resolutely kept back her tears.
+
+Breakfast was soon over. Kashaqua had stowed Faith's bundle of
+clothing in one of her baskets and swung it over her shoulder. The
+basket of luncheon also was secured by stout thongs and hung across
+her back, and they were ready to start.
+
+"Be a good child, Faithie, dear," whispered Mrs. Carew.
+
+"I'll fetch you home when it is April's turn to stir the fire," said
+her father smilingly, and Faith managed to smile back, and to say
+good-bye bravely, as she trudged down the path holding tight to
+Kashaqua's brown hand.
+
+"I be back to-morrow night," Kashaqua called back, knowing that would
+be a word of comfort to the white woman who was letting her only
+child go from home.
+
+Neither Faith nor Kashaqua spoke for some little time. At last Faith
+stopped suddenly and stood still, evidently listening. "I can't hear
+the brook," she said.
+
+Kashaqua nodded, and the two walked on through the autumn woods. But
+now Kashaqua began to talk. She told Faith stories of the wild animals
+of the woods; of the traps she set along the streams to catch the
+martens and otters; and of a bear cub that the children of her village
+had tamed. But it had disappeared during the summer.
+
+"The papooses catch birds and feed them," she continued, "tame birds
+so they know their name, and come right to wigwam." Faith listened
+eagerly, and began to think that an Indian village must be a very
+pleasant place to live.
+
+"Where is your village, Kashaqua?" she asked.
+
+"You not know my village? Way back 'cross Mooselamoo," answered
+Kashaqua.
+
+"Perhaps I can go there some time," suggested Faith. But Kashaqua
+shook her head.
+
+For several hours they walked steadily on through the autumn woods.
+They climbed several rocky ridges, crossed brooks, and carefully made
+their way over a swampy stretch of ground. Faith was very tired when
+Kashaqua finally swung the baskets and bundles from her shoulders and
+declared that it was time to eat.
+
+The trail had led them up a hill, and as Faith, with a little tired
+sigh, seated herself on a moss-covered rock, she looked about with a
+little exclamation of wonder. Close beside the trail was a rough
+shelter made of the boughs of spruce and fir trees, and near at hand
+was piled a quantity of wood ready for a fire. There was a clearing,
+and the rough shelter was shaded by two fine oak trees.
+
+"Does somebody live here?" asked Faith.
+
+"Traveler's wigwam," explained Kashaqua, who was unpacking the lunch
+basket with many grunts of satisfaction. "White men going down the
+trail to big road to Shoreham sleep here," she added, holding up a
+fine round molasses cake in one hand and a roasted chicken in the
+other.
+
+Faith was hungry as well as tired, and the two friends ate with good
+appetite. Kashaqua repacked the basket with what remained of the food,
+and with a pleasant nod to Faith declared she would "sleep a little,"
+and curled herself up near the shelter.
+
+Faith looked about the rough camp, and peered down the trail. She
+decided she too would sleep a little, and stretched herself out close
+beside Kashaqua, thinking that it was a wonderful thing to be so far
+from home,--nearly in sight of Lake Champlain, Kashaqua had told her,
+with an Indian woman for her guide and protector; and then her eyes
+closed and she was sound asleep.
+
+It seemed to Faith that she had not slept a minute before she awakened
+suddenly, and found that Kashaqua had disappeared. But she heard a
+queer scrambling sound behind her and sat up and looked around. For a
+moment she was too frightened to speak, for a brown bear was clawing
+the remainder of their luncheon from the basket, grunting and
+sniffing, as if well pleased with what he found.
+
+As Faith looked at him she was sure that this creature had dragged
+Kashaqua off into the woods, and that he might turn and seize her as
+soon as he had finished with the basket.
+
+"Kashaqua! Kashaqua!" she called hopelessly. "What shall I do? What
+shall I do?"
+
+There was a rustle of leaves close behind her and the Indian woman
+darted into the clearing. Without a word to Faith she ran straight to
+where the bear was crouched over the basket. Faith could hardly
+believe what she saw, for Kashaqua had seized the basket and pushed it
+out of the bear's reach, and was now belaboring him with a stout piece
+of wood that she had seized from the pile by the shelter. As she hit
+the bear she called out strange words in the Indian tongue, whose
+meaning Faith could not imagine, but which the bear seemed to
+understand. The creature accepted the blows with a queer little
+whimper which made Faith laugh in spite of her fear. And when Kashaqua
+had quite finished with him he crept along beside her, looking up as
+if pleading for forgiveness.
+
+"Oh, Kashaqua! Is it the bear that your papooses tamed?" exclaimed
+Faith, remembering the story told her on the way.
+
+Kashaqua nodded, at the same time muttering words of reproach to the
+bear.
+
+"He like bad Indian, steal from friends," she explained to Faith. "His
+name Nooski," she added.
+
+Nooski was quite ready to make friends with Faith, but she was not
+yet sure of his good-nature. It seemed to the little girl that the
+bear understood every word Kashaqua uttered; and when they went on
+their way down the trail Nooski followed, or kept close beside them.
+
+It was still early in the afternoon when they reached level ground and
+Faith had her first glimpse of the blue waters of Lake Champlain and
+saw the heights of Ticonderoga on the opposite shore. For a moment she
+forgot Nooski and Kashaqua, and stood looking at the sparkling waters
+and listening to the same sound of "Chiming Waters" that had made the
+early French settlers call the place "Carillon." She wondered if she
+should ever see the inside of the fort of which she had heard so much,
+and then heard Kashaqua calling her name.
+
+"Canoe all ready, Faith." The Indian woman had drawn the birch-bark
+canoe from its hiding-place in the underbrush, and the light craft now
+rested on the waters of the lake. The baskets and bundles were in the
+canoe, and Kashaqua, paddle in hand, stood waiting for her little
+companion.
+
+"Where's Nooski?" asked Faith, looking about for the young bear.
+
+Kashaqua pointed toward the distant range of mountains which they had
+left behind them. "He gone home," she said.
+
+Kashaqua told her how to step into the canoe, and how to sit, and
+cautioned her not to move. Faith felt as if the day had been a
+wonderful dream. As Kashaqua with swift strokes of her paddle sent the
+canoe over the water Faith sat silent, with eyes fixed on the looming
+battlements of the fort, on the high mountain behind it, and thought
+to herself that no other little girl had ever taken such a journey.
+
+Kashaqua landed some distance below the fort; the canoe was again
+safely hidden, and after a short walk across a field they reached a
+broad, well-traveled road. "'Most to Philip Scott's house," grunted
+Kashaqua. "You be glad?" and she looked down at the little girl with a
+friendly smile.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+NEW FRIENDS
+
+
+"An Indian woman and a little girl with yellow hair are coming across
+the road, mother," declared Donald Scott, rushing into the
+sitting-room, where his mother was busy with her sewing.
+
+Mrs. Scott hastened to the front door. "Oh, Aunt Prissy," called
+Faith, running as fast as her tired feet could carry her, and hardly
+seeing the brown-haired little cousin standing by his mother's side.
+
+Aunt Prissy welcomed her little niece, whom she had not expected to
+see for weeks to come, and then turned to thank Kashaqua. But the
+Indian woman had disappeared. The bundle containing Faith's clothing
+lay on the door-step, but there was no trace of her companion. Long
+afterward they discovered that Kashaqua had started directly back over
+the trail, and had reached the Carews' cabin, with her message of
+Faith's safe arrival at her aunt's house, early the next morning.
+
+"Come in, dear child. You are indeed welcome. Your father's letter
+reached me but yesterday," said Aunt Prissy, putting her arm about
+Faith and leading her into the house. "I know you are tired, and you
+shall lie down on the settle for a little, and then have your supper
+and go straight to bed."
+
+Faith was quite ready to agree. As she curled up on the broad sofa her
+three little cousins came into the room. They came on tiptoe, very
+quietly, Donald leading the two younger boys. Their mother had told
+them that Cousin Faith was tired after her long journey, and that they
+must just kiss her and run away.
+
+Faith smiled up at the friendly little faces as they bent over to
+welcome her. "I know I shan't be lonesome with such dear cousins," she
+said, and the boys ran away to their play, quite sure that it was a
+fine thing to have a girl cousin come from the Wilderness to visit
+them.
+
+Faith slept late the next morning, and awoke to hear the sound of rain
+against the windows. It was a lonesome sound to a little girl so far
+from her mother and father, and Faith was already thinking to herself
+that this big house, with its shining yellow floors, its white window
+curtains, and its nearness to a well-traveled road, was a very dreary
+place compared to her cabin home, when her chamber door opened and in
+came her Aunt Prissy, smiling and happy as if a rainy day was just
+what she had been hoping for.
+
+"We shall have a fine time to-day, Faithie dear," she declared, as she
+filled the big blue wash-basin with warm water. "There is nothing like
+a rainy day for a real good time. Your Uncle Philip and the boys are
+waiting to eat breakfast with you, and I have a great deal to talk
+over with you; so make haste and come down," and Aunt Prissy, with a
+gay little nod, was gone, leaving Faith greatly cheered and wondering
+what the "good time" would be.
+
+Uncle Philip Scott was waiting at the foot of the stairs. "So here is
+our little maid from the Wilderness! Well, it is a fine thing to have
+a girl in the house," he declared, leading Faith into the dining-room
+and giving her a seat at the table beside his own. "Did you have any
+adventures coming over the trail?" he asked, after Faith had greeted
+her little cousins.
+
+Faith told them of "Nooski's" appearance, greatly to the delight of
+her boy cousins, who asked if the Indian woman had told Faith the best
+way to catch bear cubs and tame them.
+
+"Come out to the shop, boys," said Mr. Scott as they finished
+breakfast, "and help me repair the cart, and fix 'Ginger's' harness.
+Perhaps Cousin Faith will come, too, later on in the morning."
+
+"We'll see. Faithie and I have a good deal to do," responded Mrs.
+Scott.
+
+The boys ran off with their father, chattering gaily, but at the door
+Donald turned and called back: "You'll come out to the shop, won't
+you, Cousin Faith?"
+
+"If Aunt Prissy says I may," answered Faith.
+
+"Yes; she will come," added Aunt Prissy, with her ready smile.
+
+It seemed to Faith that Aunt Prissy was always smiling. "I don't
+believe she could be cross," thought the little girl.
+
+She helped her aunt clear the table and wash the dishes, just as she
+had helped her mother at home; and as they went back and forth in the
+pleasant kitchen, with the dancing flames from the fireplace
+brightening the walls and making the tins shine like silver, Faith
+quite forgot that the rain was pouring down and that she was far from
+home.
+
+"I am going to begin a dress for you this very day. It is some
+material I have in the house; a fine blue thibet, and I shall put
+ruffles on the skirt. That will be your Sunday dress," said Aunt
+Priscilla, "and your father wrote me you were to have the best shoes
+that the shoemaker can make for you. We'll see about the shoes
+to-morrow. Did you bring your blue beads, Faithie? But of course you
+did. They will be nice to wear with your blue frock. And I mean you to
+have a warm hood of quilted silk for Sunday wear."
+
+Faith drew a long breath as her aunt finished. She wondered what Aunt
+Prissy would say if she told her about giving the blue beads to Esther
+Eldridge. But in the exciting prospect of so many new and beautiful
+things she almost forgot the lost beads. She had brought "Lady Amy,"
+carefully packed in the stout bundle, and Aunt Prissy declared that
+the doll should have a dress and hood of the fine blue thibet.
+
+"When shall I go to school, Aunt Prissy?" asked Faith.
+
+"I think the school begins next week, and you shall be all ready. I
+mean to make you a good dress of gray and scarlet homespun for school
+wear," replied her aunt. "The schoolhouse is but a half-mile walk from
+here; a fine new cabin, and you and Donald may go together. I declare,
+the rain has stopped. 'Rain before seven, clear before eleven' is a
+true saying."
+
+Faith ran to the window and looked out. "Yes, indeed. The sky is blue
+again," she said.
+
+"You'd best run out to the shop a while now, Faithie. I'll call you
+when 'tis time," said her aunt.
+
+Faith opened the kitchen door to step out, but closed it quickly, and
+looked around at her aunt with a startled face. "There's a little bear
+right on the door-step," she whispered.
+
+"A bear! Oh, I forgot. You have not seen 'Scotchie,' our dog," said
+Aunt Prissy. "No wonder you thought he was a bear. But he is a fine
+fellow, and a good friend. I often wish your dear father had just such
+a dog," and she opened the door and called "Scotchie! Scotchie!"
+
+The big black Newfoundland dog came slowly into the room.
+
+"Put your hand on his head, Faith," said Aunt Prissy, "and I'll tell
+him who you are, and that he is to take care of you. He went to school
+with Donald all last spring, and we knew he would take care of him.
+Here, 'Scotchie,' go to the shop with Faith," she concluded.
+
+Faith started for the square building on the further side of the yard,
+and the big dog marched along beside her. Donald and little Philip
+came running to meet her.
+
+"I'm going to make you a bow and some arrows, Cousin Faith," said
+Donald, pushing open the shop door. "I have a fine piece of ash, just
+right for a bow, and some deerskin thongs to string it with. I made
+bows for Hugh and Philip."
+
+The workshop seemed a very wonderful place to Faith, and she looked at
+the forge, with its glowing coals, over which her Uncle Philip was
+holding a bar of iron, at the long work-bench with its tools, and at
+the small bench, evidently made for the use of her little cousins.
+
+The boys were eager to show her all their treasures. They had a box
+full of bright feathers, with which to tip their arrows.
+
+"We'll show you how to make an arrow, Cousin Faith," said Donald.
+"First of all, you must be sure the piece of wood is straight, and has
+no knots," and Donald selected a narrow strip of wood and held it on a
+level with his eyes, squinting at its length, just as he had seen his
+father do. "This is a good straight piece. Here, you use my knife, and
+whittle it down until it's about as big as your finger. And then I'll
+show you how to finish it."
+
+But before Faith had whittled the wood to the required size, they
+heard the sound of a gaily whistled tune, and Donald ran toward the
+door and called out: "Hallo, Nathan," and a tall, pleasant-faced boy
+of about fifteen years appeared in the doorway. He took off his
+coonskin cap as he entered.
+
+"Good-morning, Mr. Scott," he said, and then turned smilingly to speak
+to the boys.
+
+"Faith, this is Nathan Beaman," said Donald, and the tall boy bowed
+again, and Faith smiled and nodded.
+
+"I've been up to the fort to sell a basket of eggs," explained Nathan,
+turning again to Mr. Scott.
+
+"You are a great friend of the English soldiers, are you not, Nathan?"
+responded Mr. Scott.
+
+"No, sir!" the boy answered quickly. "I go to the fort when my errands
+take me. But I know well enough what those English soldiers are there
+for; all the Shoreham folk know that. I wish the Green Mountain Boys
+held Ticonderoga," he concluded.
+
+Mr. Scott rested a friendly hand on the boy's shoulder.
+
+"Best not say that aloud, my boy; but I am glad the redcoats have not
+made you forget that American settlers have a right to defend their
+homes."
+
+"I hear there's a reward offered for the capture of Ethan Allen," said
+the boy.
+
+Mr. Scott laughed. "Yes, but he's in small danger. Colonel Allen may
+capture the fort instead of being taken a prisoner," he answered.
+
+Nathan now turned toward the children, and Donald showed him the bow
+he was making for his cousin. "I'll string it for you," offered
+Nathan; and Donald was delighted to have the older boy finish his
+work, for he was quite sure that anything Nathan Beaman did was a
+little better than the work of any other boy.
+
+"Who wants to capture Colonel Allen?" Faith asked.
+
+"The 'Yorkers.' The English," responded the boy carelessly; "but it
+can't be done," he added. "Why, every man who holds a New Hampshire
+Grant would defend him. And Colonel Allen isn't afraid of the whole
+English army."
+
+"I know him. He was at my father's house just a few weeks ago," said
+Faith.
+
+"Don't tell anybody," said Nathan. "Some of the people at the fort may
+question you, but you mustn't let them know that you have ever seen
+Colonel Allen."
+
+Donald had been busy sorting out feathers for the new arrows, and now
+showed Nathan a number of bright yellow tips, which the elder boy
+declared would be just what were needed.
+
+Nathan asked Faith many questions about her father's mill, and about
+Ethan Allen's visit. And Faith told him of the big bear that had
+entered their kitchen and eaten the syrup. When Mrs. Scott called them
+to dinner she felt that she was well acquainted with the good-natured
+boy, whom Mrs. Scott welcomed warmly.
+
+"I believe Nathan knows as much about Fort Ticonderoga as the men who
+built it," she said laughingly, "for the soldiers have let him play
+about there since he was a little boy."
+
+"And Nathan made his own boat, too. The boat he comes over from
+Shoreham in," said Donald. For Nathan Beaman lived on the further side
+of the strip of water which separated Ticonderoga from the New
+Hampshire Grants.
+
+That afternoon Faith and her aunt worked on the fine new blue dress.
+The next day Mrs. Scott took her little niece to the shoemaker, who
+measured her feet and promised to have the shoes ready at the end of a
+week.
+
+As they started for the shoemaker's Mrs. Scott said:
+
+"The man who will make your shoes is a great friend of the English
+soldiers. Your uncle thinks that he gathers up information about the
+American settlers and tells the English officers. Do not let him
+question you as to what your father thinks of American or English
+rule. For I must leave you there a little while to do an errand at the
+next house."
+
+Faith began to think that it was rather a serious thing to live near
+an English fort.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE SHOEMAKER'S DAUGHTER
+
+
+The shoemaker was the smallest man Faith had ever seen. She thought to
+herself that she was glad he was not an American. When he stood up to
+speak to Mrs. Scott Faith remembered a picture in one of her mother's
+books of an orang-outang. For the shoemaker's hair was coarse and
+black, and seemed to stand up all over his small head, and his face
+was nearly covered by a stubbly black beard. His arms were long, and
+he did not stand erect. His eyes were small and did not seem to see
+the person to whom he was speaking.
+
+But he greeted his customers pleasantly, and as Faith sat on a little
+stool near his bench waiting for her aunt's return, he told her that
+he had a little daughter about her own age, but that she was not very
+well.
+
+"Perhaps your aunt will let you come and see her some day?" he said.
+
+"I'll ask her," replied Faith, and before they had time for any
+further conversation the door opened and a tall man in a scarlet coat,
+deerskin trousers and high boots entered the shop.
+
+"Any news?" he asked sharply.
+
+"No, captain. Nothing at all," replied the shoemaker.
+
+"You're not worth your salt, Andy," declared the officer. "I'll wager
+this small maid here would have quicker ears for news."
+
+Faith wished that she could run away, but did not dare to move.
+
+"Well, another summer we'll put the old fort in order and have a
+garrison that will be worth while. Now, what about my riding boots?"
+he added, and after a little talk the officer departed.
+
+It was not long before Mrs. Scott called for her little niece and the
+two started for home.
+
+Faith told her aunt what the shoemaker had said about his little girl,
+and noticed that Aunt Prissy's face was rather grave and troubled.
+
+"Do I have to go, Aunt Prissy?" she asked.
+
+"We'll see, my dear. But now we must hurry home, and sew on the new
+dresses," replied Aunt Prissy, and for a few moments they walked on in
+silence.
+
+Faith could hear the musical sound of the falls, and was reminded of
+the dancing mill-stream, of the silver fox and of her own dear
+"Bounce." Every hour since her arrival at Aunt Prissy's had been so
+filled with new and strange happenings that the little girl had not
+had time to be lonely.
+
+"What is the name of the shoemaker's little girl, Aunt Prissy?" she
+asked, as they came in sight of home, with Donald and Philip, closely
+followed by "Scotchie," coming to meet them.
+
+"Her name is Louise Trent, and she is lame. She is older than you,
+several years older," answered Aunt Prissy, "and I fear she is a
+mischievous child. But the poor girl has not had a mother to care for
+her for several years. She and her father live alone."
+
+"Does she look like her father?" questioned Faith, resolving that if
+such were the case she would not want Louise for a playmate.
+
+"Oh, no. Louise would be pretty if she were a neat and well-behaved
+child. She has soft black hair, black eyes, and is slenderly built.
+Too slender, I fear, for health," replied Mrs. Scott, who often
+thought of the shoemaker's motherless little girl, whose father
+seemed to resent any effort to befriend her.
+
+"Why, that sounds just the way Esther Eldridge looks. Only Esther
+isn't lame," responded Faith; and, in answer to her aunt's questions,
+Faith described Esther's visit to the cabin, omitting, however, the
+fact that she had given Esther the blue beads.
+
+Faith did not think to speak of the red-coated soldier until the
+family were gathered about the supper-table that night. Then she
+suddenly remembered what he had said, and repeated it to her uncle,
+who was asking her about her visit to Mr. Trent's shop.
+
+"So that's their plan. More soldiers to come another summer! 'Twas a
+careless thing for an officer to repeat. But they are so sure that
+none of us dare lift a hand to protect ourselves that they care not
+who knows their plans. I'll see to it that Ethan Allen and the men at
+Bennington get word of this," said Mr. Scott, and then asked Faith to
+repeat again exactly what the officer had said.
+
+In a few days both of Faith's new dresses were finished; and, greatly
+to her delight, Aunt Prissy had made her a pretty cap of blue velvet,
+with a partridge's wing on one side. She was trying on the cap before
+the mirror in the sitting-room one afternoon when she heard a queer
+noise on the porch and then in the front entry. Aunt Prissy was
+up-stairs, and the boys were playing outdoors.
+
+"I wonder what it is?" thought Faith, running toward the door. As she
+opened it she nearly exclaimed in surprise, for there, leaning on a
+crutch, was the queerest little figure she had ever imagined. A little
+girl whose black hair straggled over her forehead, and whose big dark
+eyes had a half-frightened expression, stood staring in at the
+pleasant room. An old ragged shawl was pinned about her shoulders, and
+beneath it Faith could see the frayed worn skirt of gray homespun. But
+on her feet were a pair of fine leather shoes, well fitting and highly
+polished.
+
+"I brought your shoes," said this untidy visitor, swinging herself a
+step forward nearer to Faith, and holding out a bundle. "Father
+doesn't know I've come," she added, with a little smile of
+satisfaction. "But I wanted to see you."
+
+"Won't you sit down?" said Faith politely, pulling forward a big
+cushioned chair.
+
+Louise Trent sat down as if hardly knowing if she dared trust the
+chair or not.
+
+"Your aunt didn't let you come to see me, did she? I knew she
+wouldn't," continued Louise. "What you got?" she questioned, looking
+at the pretty cap with admiring eyes.
+
+"It's new. And I never had one before," answered Faith.
+
+"Well, I've never had one, and I never shall have. You wouldn't let me
+try that one on, would you?" said Louise, looking at Faith with such a
+longing expression in her dark eyes that Faith did not hesitate for a
+moment.
+
+"Of course I will," she answered quickly, and taking off the cap
+placed it carefully on Louise's untidy black hair.
+
+"If your hair was brushed back it would look nice on you," declared
+Faith. "You wait, and I'll get my brush and fix your hair," and before
+Louise could reply Faith was running up the stairs. She was back in a
+moment with brush and comb, and Louise submitted to having her hair
+put in order, and tied back with one of the new hair ribbons that Aunt
+Prissy had given Faith. While Faith was thus occupied Louise looked
+about the sitting-room, and asked questions.
+
+"There," said Faith. "Now it looks nice on you. But what makes you
+wear that old shawl?"
+
+Louise's face clouded, and she raised her crutch as if to strike
+Faith. "Don't you make fun of me. I have to wear it. I don't have
+nothing like other girls," she exclaimed, and dropping the crutch, she
+turned her face against the arm of the chair and began to sob
+bitterly.
+
+For a moment Faith looked at her in amazement, and then she knelt down
+beside the big chair and began patting the shoulder under the ragged
+shawl.
+
+"Don't cry, Louise. Don't cry. Listen, I'll ask my aunt to make you a
+cap just like mine. I know she will."
+
+"No. She wouldn't want me to have a cap like yours," declared Louise.
+
+"Isn't your father good to you?" questioned Faith. And this question
+made Louise sit up straight and wipe her eyes on the corner of the old
+shawl.
+
+"Good to me! Of course he is. Didn't he make me these fine shoes?" she
+answered, pointing to her feet. "But how could he make me a pretty
+cap or a dress? And he doesn't want to ask anybody. But you needn't
+think he ain't good to me!" she concluded, reaching after the crutch.
+
+"Don't go yet, Louise. See, that's my doll over on the sofa. Her name
+is 'Lady Amy,'" and Faith ran to the sofa and brought back her beloved
+doll and set it down in Louise's lap.
+
+"I never touched a doll before," said Louise, almost in a whisper.
+"You're real good to let me hold her. Are you going to live here?"
+
+"I'm going to school," replied Faith. "I've never been to school."
+
+"Neither have I," said Louise. "I s'pose you know your letters, don't
+you?"
+
+"Oh, yes. Of course I do. I can read and write, and do fractions,"
+answered Faith.
+
+"I can't read," declared Louise.
+
+Just then Mrs. Scott entered the room. If she was surprised to see the
+shoemaker's daughter seated in her easy chair, wearing Faith's new cap
+and holding "Lady Amy," she did not let the little girls know it, but
+greeted Louise cordially, took Faith's new shoes from their wrapping
+and said they were indeed a fine pair of shoes. Then she turned to
+Louise, with the pleasant little smile that Faith so admired, and
+said: "You are the first little girl who has come to see my little
+niece, so I think it would be pleasant if you two girls had a taste of
+my fruit cake that I make just for company," and she started toward
+the dining-room and soon returned with a tray.
+
+"Just bring the little table from the corner, Faithie, and set it in
+front of Louise and 'Lady Amy,'" she said, and Faith hastened to obey.
+
+Aunt Prissy set the tray on the table. "I'll come back in a little
+while," she said, and left the girls to themselves.
+
+The tray was very well filled. There was a plate of the rich dark
+cake, and beside it two dainty china plates and two fringed napkins.
+There was a plate of thin slices of bread and butter, a plate of
+cookies, and two glasses filled with creamy milk.
+
+"Isn't this lovely?" exclaimed Faith, drawing a chair near the table.
+"It's just like a party, isn't it? I'm just as glad as I can be that
+you brought my shoes home, Louise. We'll be real friends now, shan't
+we?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+LOUISE
+
+
+"I must go home," said Louise, with a little sigh at having to end the
+most pleasant visit she ever remembered. The two little girls had
+finished the lunch, and had played happily with "Lady Amy." Mrs. Scott
+had left them quite by themselves, and not even the small cousins had
+come near the sitting-room.
+
+As Louise spoke she took off the blue velvet cap, which she had worn
+all the afternoon, and began to untie the hair ribbon.
+
+"Oh, Louise! Don't take off that hair ribbon. I gave it to you. It's a
+present," exclaimed Faith.
+
+Louise shook her head. "Father won't let me keep it," she answered.
+"He wouldn't like it if he knew that I had eaten anything in this
+house. He is always telling me that if people offer to give me
+anything I must never, never take it."
+
+Before Faith could speak Aunt Prissy came into the room.
+
+"Tell your father I will come in and pay him for Faith's shoes
+to-morrow, Louise," she said pleasantly, "and you must come and see
+Faith again."
+
+"Yes'm. Thank you," responded Louise shyly, and nodding to Faith with
+a look of smiling understanding, the crippled child made her way
+quickly from the room.
+
+"Aunt Prissy, I like Louise Trent. I don't believe she is a
+mischievous girl. Just think, she never had a doll in her life! And
+her father won't let her take presents!" Faith had so much to say that
+she talked very rapidly.
+
+"I see," responded her aunt, taking up the rumpled hair ribbon which
+Louise had refused. "I am glad you were so kind to the poor child,"
+she added, smiling down at her little niece. "Tell me all you can
+about Louise. Perhaps there will be some way to make her life
+happier."
+
+So Faith told her aunt that Louise could not read. That she had never
+before tasted fruit cake, and that she had no playmates, and had never
+had a present. "Why do you suppose she came to see me, Aunt Prissy?"
+she concluded.
+
+"I cannot imagine. Unless it was because you are a stranger," replied
+Aunt Prissy. "I have an idea that I can arrange with Mr. Trent so that
+he will be willing for me to make Louise a dress, and get for her the
+things she ought to have. For the shoemaker is no poorer than most of
+his neighbors. How would you like to teach Louise to read?"
+
+"I'd like to! Oh, Aunt Prissy, tell me your plan!" responded Faith
+eagerly.
+
+"Wait until I am sure it is a good plan, Faithie dear," her aunt
+replied. "I'll go down and see Mr. Trent to-morrow. I blame myself
+that I have not tried to be of use to that child."
+
+"May I go with you?" urged Faith.
+
+"Why, yes. You can visit Louise while I talk with her father, since he
+asked you to come."
+
+"Has the Witch gone?" called Donald, running into the room. "Didn't
+you know that all the children call the Trent girl a witch?" he asked
+his mother.
+
+"No, Donald. But if they do they ought to be ashamed. She is a little
+girl without any mother to care for her. And now she is your cousin's
+friend, and we hope to see her here often. And you must always be
+polite and kind to her," replied Mrs. Scott.
+
+Donald looked a little doubtful and puzzled.
+
+"You ought to be more kind to her than to any other child, because she
+is lame," said Faith.
+
+"All right. But what is a 'witch,' anyway?" responded Donald.
+
+"It is a wicked word," answered his mother briefly. "See that you do
+not use it again."
+
+Faith's thoughts were now so filled with Louise that she nearly lost
+her interest in the new dresses and shoes, and was eager for the next
+day to come so that she could again see her new friend.
+
+Faith had been taught to sew neatly, and she wondered if she could not
+help make Louise a dress. "And perhaps Aunt Prissy will teach her how
+to make cake," she thought; for never to taste of cake seemed to Faith
+to be a real misfortune. For the first night since her arrival at her
+aunt's home Faith went to sleep without a homesick longing for the
+cabin in the Wilderness, and awoke the next morning thinking about all
+that could be done for the friendless little girl who could not accept
+a present.
+
+"We will go to Mr. Trent's as soon as our morning work is finished,"
+said Aunt Prissy, "and you shall wear your new shoes and cap. And I
+have a blue cape which I made for you before you came. The morning is
+chilly. You had best wear that."
+
+"I don't look like Faith Carew, I am so fine," laughed the little
+girl, looking down at her shoes, and touching the soft cloth of the
+pretty blue cape.
+
+As they walked along Faith told Aunt Prissy of her plans to teach
+Louise to sew, as well as to read. "And perhaps you'll show her how to
+make cake! Will you, Aunt Prissy?"
+
+"Of course I will, if I can get the chance," replied her aunt.
+
+The shoemaker greeted them pleasantly. Before Mrs. Scott could say
+anything of her errand he began to apologize for his daughter's visit.
+
+"She slipped off without my knowing it. It shan't happen again," he
+said.
+
+"But Faith will be very sorry if it doesn't happen again," replied
+Aunt Prissy. "Can she not run in and see Louise while I settle with
+you for the shoes?"
+
+The shoemaker looked at her sharply for a moment, and then motioned
+Faith to follow him, leading the way across the shop toward a door on
+the further side of the room. The shop occupied the front room of the
+shoemaker's house. The two back rooms, with the chambers above, was
+where Louise and her father made their home.
+
+Mr. Trent opened the door and said: "You'll find her in there," and
+Faith stepped into the queerest room that she had ever seen, and the
+door closed behind her. Louise was standing, half-hidden by a clumsy
+wooden chair. The shawl was still pinned about her shoulders.
+
+"This ain't much like your aunt's house, is it? I guess you won't ever
+want to come again. And my father says I can't ever go to see you
+again. He says I don't look fit," said Louise.
+
+But Faith's eyes had brightened, and she was looking at the further
+side of the room and smiling with delight. "Oh, Louise! Why didn't you
+tell me that you had a gray kitten? And it looks just like 'Bounce,'"
+and in a moment she had picked up the pretty kitten, and was sitting
+beside Louise on a roughly made wooden seat, telling her of her own
+kitten, while Louise eagerly described the cleverness of her own pet.
+
+"What's its name?" asked Faith.
+
+"Just 'kitten,'" answered Louise, as if surprised at the question.
+
+"But it must have a real name," insisted Faith, and it was finally
+decided that it should be named "Jump," the nearest approach to the
+name of Faith's kitten that they could imagine.
+
+The floor of the room was rough and uneven, and not very clean. There
+was a table, the big chair and the wooden seat. Although the morning
+was chilly there was no fire in the fireplace, although there was a
+pile of wood in one corner. There was but one window, which looked
+toward the lake.
+
+"Come out in the kitchen, where it's warm," suggested Louise, after a
+few moments, and Faith was glad to follow her.
+
+"Don't you want to try on my new cape?" asked Faith, as they reached
+the kitchen, a much pleasanter room than the one they had left.
+
+Louise shook her head. "I daresn't," she replied. "Father may come in.
+And he'd take my head off."
+
+"You are coming to see me, Louise. Aunt Prissy is talking to your
+father about it now," said Faith; but Louise was not to be convinced.
+
+"He won't let me. You'll see," she answered mournfully. "_I_ know.
+He'll think your aunt is 'Charity.' Why, he won't make shoes any more
+for the minister because his wife brought me a dress; and I didn't
+wear the dress, either."
+
+But there was a surprise in store for Louise, for when Mrs. Scott and
+Mr. Trent entered the kitchen the shoemaker was smiling; and it seemed
+to Faith that he stood more erect, and did not look so much like the
+picture of the orang-outang.
+
+"Louise, Mrs. Scott and I have been making a bargain," he said. "I am
+going to make shoes for her boys, and she is going to make dresses for
+my girl. Exchange work; I believe that's right, isn't it, ma'am?" and
+he turned to Mrs. Scott with a little bow.
+
+"Yes, it is quite right. And I'll send you the bill for materials,"
+said Aunt Prissy.
+
+"Of course. Well, Louise, I warrant you're old enough to have proper
+dresses. And Mrs. Scott will take you home to stay with her until you
+are all fixed up as fine as this little maid," and the shoemaker
+nodded to Faith.
+
+"Do you mean I'm to stay up there?" asked Louise, pointing in the
+direction of the Scotts' house. "I can't. Who'd take care of you,
+father?"
+
+Mr. Trent seemed to stand very straight indeed as Louise spoke, and
+Faith was ashamed that she had ever thought he resembled the ugly
+picture in her mother's book.
+
+"She's a good child," he said as if whispering to himself; but he
+easily convinced Louise that, for a few days, he could manage to take
+care of himself; and at last Louise, happy and excited over this
+change in her fortunes, hobbled off beside Mrs. Scott and Faith, while
+her father stood in the shop doorway looking after them.
+
+It was a very differently dressed little daughter who returned to him
+at the end of the following week. She wore a neat brown wool dress,
+with a collar and cuffs of scarlet cloth, a cape of brown, and a cap
+of brown with a scarlet wing on one side. These, with her well-made,
+well-fitting shoes, made Louise a very trim little figure in spite of
+her lameness. Her hair, well brushed and neatly braided, was tied
+back with a scarlet ribbon. A bundle containing underwear, aprons,
+handkerchiefs, and hair ribbons of various colors, as well as a stout
+cotton dress for Louise to wear indoors, arrived at the shoemaker's
+house with the little girl.
+
+Her father looked at her in amazement. "Why, Flibbertigibbet, you are
+a pretty girl," he declared, and was even more amazed at the gay laugh
+with which Louise answered him.
+
+"I've learned a lot of things, father! I can make a cake, truly I can.
+And I'm learning to read. I'm so glad Faith Carew is going to live in
+Ticonderoga. Aren't you, father?"
+
+Mr. Trent looked at his daughter again, and answered slowly: "Why,
+yes, Flibbertigibbet, I believe I am."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE MAJOR'S DAUGHTERS
+
+
+The day that school began Faith returned home to find that a letter
+from her mother and father had arrived. It was a long letter, telling
+the little girl of all the happenings since her departure at the
+pleasant cabin in the Wilderness. Her father had shot a deer, which
+meant a good supply of fresh meat. Kashaqua had brought the good news
+of Faith's arrival at her aunt's house; and, best of all, her father
+wrote that before the heavy snows and severe winter cold began he
+should make the trip to Ticonderoga to be sure that his little
+daughter was well and happy.
+
+But there was one sentence in her mother's letter that puzzled Faith.
+"Your father will bring your blue beads," her mother had written, and
+Faith could not understand it, for she was sure Esther had the beads.
+She had looked in the box in the sitting-room closet after Esther's
+departure, hoping that Esther might have put them back before
+starting for home, but the box had been empty.
+
+"Who brought my letter, Uncle Phil?" she questioned, but her uncle did
+not seem to hear.
+
+"Father got it from a man in a canoe when we were down at the shore.
+The man hid----"
+
+"Never mind, Hugh. You must not repeat what you see, even at home,"
+said Mr. Scott.
+
+So Faith asked no more questions. She knew that the Green Mountain
+Boys sent messengers through the Wilderness; and that Americans all
+through the Colonies were kept notified of what the English soldiers
+stationed in those northern posts were doing or planning. She was sure
+that some such messenger had brought her letter; and, while she
+wondered if it might have been her friend Ethan Allen, she had learned
+since her stay in her uncle's house that he did not like to be
+questioned in regard to his visitors from across the lake.
+
+"I'll begin a letter to mother dear this very night, so it will be all
+ready when father comes," she said, thinking of all she longed to tell
+her mother about Louise, the school and her pretty new dresses.
+
+"So you did not bring your beads," said Aunt Prissy, as she read Mrs.
+Carew's letter. "Did you forget them?"
+
+Faith could feel her face flush as she replied: "No, Aunt Prissy." She
+wished that she could tell her aunt just why she had felt obliged to
+give them to Esther Eldridge, and how puzzled she was at her mother's
+reference to the beads. Faith was already discovering that a secret
+may be a very unpleasant possession.
+
+As she thought of Esther, she recalled that her aunt had spoken of
+Louise as "mischievous," and Faith was quite sure that Louise would
+never have accepted the beads or have done any of the troublesome
+things that had made the first days of Esther's visit so difficult.
+
+"Louise isn't mischievous," she declared suddenly. "What made you
+think she was, Aunt Prissy?"
+
+Aunt Prissy was evidently surprised at this sudden change of subject,
+but she replied pleasantly:
+
+"I ought not to have said such a thing; but Louise has improved every
+day since you became her friend. How does she get on in her learning
+to read?"
+
+For Faith stopped at the shoemaker's house every day on her way home
+from school to teach Louise; and "Flibbertigibbet," as her father
+generally called her, was making good progress.
+
+"She learns so quickly," replied Faith, "and she is learning to write.
+I do wish she would go to school, Aunt Prissy," for Louise had become
+almost sullen at the suggestion.
+
+Faith did not know that Louise had appeared at the schoolhouse several
+years before, and had been so laughed at by some of the rough children
+of the village that she had turned on them violently and they had not
+dared come near her since. They had vented their spite, however, in
+calling, "Witch! Witch! Fly home on your broomstick," as Louise
+hobbled off toward home, vowing that never again would she go near a
+school, and sobbing herself to sleep that night.
+
+Aunt Prissy had heard something of the unfortunate affair, and was
+glad that Louise, when next she appeared at school, would have some
+little knowledge to start with and a friend to help her.
+
+"Perhaps she will go next term, now that she has a girl friend to go
+with her," responded Mrs. Scott.
+
+Faith was making friends with two girls whose seats in the schoolroom
+were next her own. Their names were Caroline and Catherine Young.
+Faith was quite sure that they were two of the prettiest girls in the
+world, and wondered how it was possible for any one to make such
+beautiful dresses and such dainty white ruffled aprons as these two
+little girls wore to school. The sisters were very nearly of an age,
+and with their soft black curls and bright brown eyes, their flounced
+and embroidered dresses with dainty collars of lace, they looked very
+different from the more suitably dressed village children.
+
+Caroline was eleven, and Catherine nine years old. But they were far
+in advance of the other children of the school.
+
+They lost no time in telling Faith that their father was an English
+officer, stationed at Fort Ticonderoga; and this made Faith look at
+them with even more interest. Both the sisters were rather scornful in
+their manner toward the other school children. As Faith was a
+newcomer, and a stranger, they were more cordial to her.
+
+"You must come to the fort with us some day," Caroline suggested, when
+the little girls had known each other for several weeks; and Faith
+accepted the invitation with such eagerness that the sisters looked at
+her approvingly. Their invitations to some of the other children had
+been rudely refused, and the whispered "Tories" had not failed to
+reach their ears.
+
+"We like you," Caroline had continued in rather a condescending
+manner, "and we have told our mother about you. Could you go to the
+fort with us to-morrow? It's Saturday."
+
+"Oh, yes; I'm sure I may. I have wanted to go to the fort ever since I
+came. You are real good to ask me," Faith had responded gratefully, to
+the evident satisfaction of the English girls who felt that this new
+little girl knew the proper way to receive an invitation.
+
+It was settled that they would call for Faith early on Saturday
+afternoon.
+
+"I may go, mayn't I, Aunt Prissy?" Faith asked, as she told her aunt
+of the invitation, and was rather puzzled to find that Aunt Prissy
+seemed a little doubtful as to the wisdom of permitting Faith visiting
+the fort with her new friends.
+
+"It is a mile distant, and while that is not too long a walk, I do not
+like you to go so far from home with strangers," she said; but on
+Faith's declaring that the sisters were the best behaved girls in
+school, and that she had promised to go, Mrs. Scott gave her consent;
+and Faith was ready and waiting when Caroline and Catherine arrived,
+soon after dinner on Saturday.
+
+"Is your father an officer?" asked Caroline, as the little girls
+started off.
+
+Faith walked between her new friends, and looked from one to the other
+with admiring eyes.
+
+"No, my father is a miller. And he owns a fine lot of land, too," she
+answered smilingly.
+
+"Our father is a major. He will go back to Albany in the spring, and
+that is a much better place to live than this old frontier town," said
+Catherine. "We shan't have to play with common children there."
+
+Faith did not quite know what Catherine meant, so she made no
+response, but began telling them of her own journey through the
+wilderness and across the lake. But her companions did not seem much
+interested.
+
+"Your uncle is just a farmer, isn't he?" said Caroline.
+
+"Yes, he is a farmer," Faith replied. She knew it was a fine thing to
+be a good farmer, so she answered smilingly. But before the fort was
+reached she began to feel that she did not like the sisters as well as
+when they set out together. They kept asking her questions. Did her
+mother have a silver service? and why did her aunt not have servants?
+As they neared the fort Catherine ran to her sister's side and
+whispered in her ear. After that they kept close together, walking a
+little way ahead of Faith. At the entrance to the fort Faith was
+somewhat alarmed to find a tall soldier, musket in hand. But he
+saluted the little girls, and Faith followed her companions along the
+narrow passageway. She wondered to herself what she had done to offend
+them, for they responded very stiffly to whatever she had to say. The
+narrow passage led into a large open square, surrounded by high walls.
+Faith looked about with wondering eyes. There were big cannons, stacks
+of musketry, and many strange things whose name or use she could not
+imagine. There were little groups of soldiers in red coats strolling
+about.
+
+"Where is your father, Catherine?" she asked, and then looked about
+half fearfully; for both her companions had vanished.
+
+None of the soldiers seemed to notice Faith For a moment she looked
+about with anxious eyes, and then decided that her friends must have
+turned back to the entrance for some reason.
+
+"And they probably think that I am right behind them," she thought,
+running toward an arched passageway which she believed was the one by
+which she had entered the fort. But it seemed much longer than when
+she came in a moment before. She began running, expecting to see the
+sisters at every step. Suddenly she found that she was facing a heavy
+door at the end of the passage, and realized that she had mistaken her
+way. But Faith was not frightened. "All I have to do is to run back,"
+she thought, and turned to retrace her steps. But there were two
+passageways opening behind her at right angles. For an instant she
+hesitated, and then ran along the one to the right.
+
+"I'm sure this is the way I came," she said aloud. But as she went on
+the passageway seemed to curve and twist, and to go on and on in an
+unfamiliar way. It grew more shadowy too. Faith found that she could
+not see very far ahead of her, and looking back it seemed even darker.
+She began to feel very tired.
+
+"I'm sure Caroline and Catherine will come and find me," she thought,
+leaning against the damp wall of the passage. "I'll just rest a
+minute, and then I'll call so they will know which way to turn to find
+me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+A DAY OF ADVENTURE
+
+
+"Caroline! Caroline!" called Faith, and the call echoed back to her
+astonished ears from the shadowy passage. "I'd better go back! I'm
+sure the other was the right way," she finally decided; and very
+slowly she retraced her steps, stopping now and then to call the names
+of the girls who had deserted her.
+
+It seemed a long time to Faith before she was back to where the big
+solid door had blocked the first passage. She was sure now that the
+other way would lead her back to the square where she had last seen
+her companions. But as she stood looking at the door she could see
+that it was not closed. It swung a little, and Faith wondered to
+herself if this door, after all, might not open near the entrance so
+that she could find her way to the road, and so back to Aunt Prissy.
+
+She could just reach a big iron ring that swung from the center of the
+door; and she seized this and pulled with all her might. As the door
+slowly opened, letting in the clear October sunlight, Faith heard
+steps coming down the passage. The half-opened door nearly hid her
+from sight, and she looked back expecting to see either Caroline or
+Catherine, and, in the comfort of the hope of seeing them, quite ready
+to accept any excuse they might offer. But before she could call out
+she heard a voice, which was vaguely familiar, say: "I did leave that
+door open. Lucky I came back," and Nathan Beaman, the Shoreham boy,
+was close beside her.
+
+When he saw a little girl still grasping the iron ring, he seemed too
+surprised to speak.
+
+"I'm lost!" Faith whispered. "I'm so glad you came. Major Young's
+little girls asked me to come to the fort, and then ran away and left
+me," and Faith told of her endeavors to find her companions.
+
+"Lucky I came back," said Nathan again, but this time his voice had an
+angry tone. "It was a mean trick. Those girls----" Then Nathan stopped
+suddenly. "Well, they're Tories," he concluded.
+
+"I was afraid it was night," said Faith.
+
+"No, but you might have wandered about in these passageways until you
+were tired out. Or you might have fallen from that door. Look out, but
+hold close to the door," said Nathan.
+
+Faith came to the doorway and found herself looking straight down the
+face of a high cliff to the blue waters of the lake. Lifting her eyes
+she could look across and see the distant wooded hills of the Green
+Mountains, and could hear the "Chiming Waters" of the falls.
+
+"It's lovely. But what do they have a door here for?" Faith asked.
+
+And then Nathan explained what forts were for. That a door like that
+gave the soldiers who held the fort a chance to look up and down the
+lake in order to see the approach of an enemy by water. "And gives
+them a chance to scramble down the cliff and get away if the enemy
+captures the fort from the other side." Then he showed Faith the two
+big cannon that commanded the lake and any approach by the cliff.
+
+"But come on. I must take you home," he declared, moving as if to
+close the door.
+
+"Could we get out any other way than by going back through that
+passage?" asked Faith, who thought that she never wanted to see the
+two sisters again, and now feared they might be waiting for her.
+
+"Certainly we could. That is, if you are a good climber," replied
+Nathan. "I'll tell you something, that is, if you'll never tell," he
+added.
+
+"I won't," Faith declared earnestly.
+
+"Well, I can go down that cliff and up, too, just as easily as I can
+walk along that passage. And the soldiers don't pay much attention to
+this part of the fort. There's a sentry at the other end of the
+passage, but he doesn't mind how I get in and out. If you'll do just
+as I say I'll take you down the cliff. My boat is hidden down by
+Willow Point, and I'll paddle you alongshore. 'Twill be easier than
+walking. That is, if you're not afraid," concluded Nathan.
+
+"No, I'm not afraid," said Faith, thinking to herself that here was
+another secret, and almost wishing that she had not agreed to listen
+to it.
+
+"Come on, then," said Nathan, stepping outside the door, and holding
+tightly to the door-frame with one hand and reaching the other toward
+Faith. "Hold tight to my hand and don't look down," he said. "Look to
+the right as you step out, and you'll see a chance for your feet.
+I've got a tight hold. You can't fall."
+
+Faith clutched his hand and stepped out. There was room toward the
+right for her to stand. She heard the big door clang behind her. "I
+had to shut it," Nathan said, as he cautiously made his way a step
+down the face of the cliff. Faith followed cautiously. She noticed
+just how Nathan clung to the outstanding rocks, how slowly and
+carefully he made each movement. She knew if she slipped that she
+would push him as well as herself off into the lake.
+
+"I mustn't slip! I mustn't," she said over and over to herself.
+
+Nathan did not speak, except to tell her where to step. At last they
+were safely down, standing on a narrow rocky ledge which hardly gave
+them a foothold. Along this they crept to a thick growth of alder
+bushes where a clumsy wooden punt was fastened.
+
+Faith followed Nathan into the punt, and as he pushed the boat off
+from the bushes she gave a long sigh of relief.
+
+"That was great!" declared Nathan triumphantly. "Say, you're the
+bravest girl I know. I've always wondered if I could bring anybody
+down that cliff, and now I know I can. But you mustn't tell any one
+how we got out of the fort. You won't, will you?" And Faith renewed
+her promise not to tell.
+
+Nathan paddled the boat out around the promontory on which the fort
+was built. He kept close to the shore.
+
+"Does Major Young stay at the fort?" questioned Faith.
+
+"Not very long at a time. He comes and goes, like all spies," replied
+Nathan scornfully. "I wish the Green Mountain Boys would take this
+fort and send the English back where they belong. They keep stirring
+the Indians up against the settlers, so that people don't know when
+they are safe."
+
+It was the last day of October, and the morning had been bright and
+sunny. The sun still shone, but an east wind was ruffling the waters
+of the lake, and Faith began to feel chilly.
+
+"I'll warrant you don't know when this lake was discovered?" said
+Nathan; and Faith was delighted to tell him that Samuel De Champlain
+discovered and gave the lake his name in 1609.
+
+"The Indians used to call it 'Pe-ton-boque,'" she added.
+
+But when Nathan asked when the fort was built she could not answer,
+and the boy told her of the brave Frenchmen who built Ticonderoga in
+1756, bringing troops and supplies from Canada.
+
+"The old fort has all sorts of provisions, and guns and powder that
+the English have stored there. I wish the American troops had them. If
+I were Ethan Allen or Seth Warner I'd make a try, anyway, for this
+fort and for Crown Point, too," said Nathan.
+
+The rising wind made it rather difficult for the boy to manage his
+boat, and he finally landed some distance above the point where
+Kashaqua had reached shore. Faith was sure that she could go over the
+fields and find her way safely home, and Nathan was anxious to cross
+the lake to Shoreham before the wind became any stronger. Faith felt
+very grateful to him for bringing her from the fort.
+
+"You'll be as brave as Colonel Allen when you grow up," she said, as
+she stood on the shore and watched him paddle off against the wind.
+
+He nodded laughingly. "So will you. Remember your promise," he called
+back.
+
+The wind seemed to blow the little girl before it as she hurried
+across the rough field. She held tight to her velvet cap, and, for the
+first time, wondered if she had torn or soiled the pretty new dress in
+her scramble down the cliff. Her mind was so full of the happenings of
+the afternoon that she did not look ahead to see where she was going,
+and suddenly her foot slipped and she fell headlong into a mass of
+thorn bushes, which seemed to seize her dress in a dozen places. By
+the time Faith had fought her way clear her hands were scratched and
+bleeding and her dress torn in ragged ugly tears that Faith was sure
+could never be mended.
+
+She began to cry bitterly. "It's all the fault of those hateful
+girls," she sobbed aloud. "If they had not run off and left me I
+should be safe at home. What will Aunt Prissy say?"
+
+Faith reached the road without further mishap, and was soon walking up
+the path. There was no one in sight; not even Scotchie was about. A
+sudden resolve entered her mind. She would slip up-stairs, change her
+dress, and not tell her aunt about the torn dress. "Perhaps I can mend
+it, after all," she thought.
+
+As she changed her dress hurriedly, she wondered where all the family
+could be, for the house was very quiet. But she bathed her hands and
+face, smoothed her ruffled hair, and then looked for a place to hide
+the blue dress until she could find a chance to mend it. She peered
+into the closet. A small hair-covered trunk stood in the far corner
+and Faith lifted the top and thrust her dress in. At that moment she
+heard Donald's voice, and then her aunt's, and she started to go
+down-stairs to meet them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+SECRETS
+
+
+"Did you see all the fort, and the guns, and the soldiers?" asked
+Donald eagerly, running to meet his cousin as she came slowly into the
+sitting-room. "Why, your hand is all scratched!" he added in a
+surprised tone.
+
+Faith tried to cover the scratched hand with a fold of her skirt. Aunt
+Prissy noticed that the little girl wore her every-day dress.
+
+"Didn't you wear your blue dress, Faithie?" and without waiting for an
+answer said: "Well, perhaps this one was just as well, for you might
+have hurt your blue dress."
+
+Faith sat down on the big sofa thinking to herself that she could
+never be happy again. First, and worst of all, was the ruined dress.
+Then the remembrance of the way she had been treated by Caroline and
+Catherine; and, last of all, her _secrets_!--every one a little more
+important and dreadful than the other. First the blue beads; then
+Nathan's knowledge of a hidden entrance to Fort Ticonderoga; and then
+the dress. She was so taken up with her unhappy thoughts that she did
+not realize she had not answered Donald, or spoken to her aunt, until
+Donald, who was standing directly in front of her, demanded: "What's
+the matter, Cousin Faith? Does your tooth ache?"
+
+Faith shook her head. "I'm tired. I didn't have a good time at all. I
+don't like those girls," and, greatly to Donald's alarm, she put her
+head on the arm of the sofa and began to cry.
+
+In an instant she felt Aunt Prissy's arm about her, and heard the kind
+voice say: "Never mind, dear child. Don't think about them."
+
+After a little Aunt Prissy persuaded Faith to lie down and rest until
+supper time.
+
+"I'll sit here with my sewing and keep you company," said Aunt Prissy.
+"It's an hour to candle-light."
+
+Donald tiptoed out of the room, but was back in a moment standing in
+the doorway and beckoning his mother; and Mrs. Scott went quietly
+toward him, closing the door softly behind her.
+
+"It's those girls. The ones Faith went with to the fort," Donald
+explained in a whisper. "They're on the door-step."
+
+Caroline and Catherine were standing, very neat and demure, at the
+front door.
+
+"Has your little girl got home?" inquired Catherine in her most polite
+manner; "she ran off and left us," added Caroline.
+
+"Faith is safe at home," responded Mrs. Scott in a pleasant voice.
+
+"Why didn't you ask them to supper, mother? You said you were going
+to," demanded Donald, as he watched the sisters walk down the path.
+
+"Your cousin is too tired for company," said his mother, who had
+planned a little festivity for Faith and her friends on their return,
+but had quickly decided that her little niece would be better pleased
+not to see the sisters again that day.
+
+"All the more cake for us then," said Donald cheerfully, for he
+had seen a fine cake on the dining-room table; "there comes the
+shoemaker's girl," he added. "Shall you ask her to stay, mother?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," and Mrs. Scott turned to give Louise a cordial welcome.
+
+"Faith is resting on the sofa, but you may go right in, Louise. I know
+she will be glad to see you," she said, smiling down at the dark-eyed
+little girl. "When are you coming to make us another visit?"
+
+"Father said I might stay all night if you asked me," responded
+Louise, who now felt sure that Mrs. Scott was her friend.
+
+"We shall be glad indeed to have you, my dear. Let me take your cap
+and cape. And go in and cheer up Faithie, for I fear she has had an
+unhappy time," said Mrs. Scott.
+
+Louise's smile faded. She had never had a friend until Faith Carew
+came to Ticonderoga, and the thought that any one had made Faith
+unhappy made her ready to inflict instant punishment on the offenders.
+
+"Oh, Louise! I'm so glad it's you!" exclaimed Faith, as she heard the
+sound of Louise's crutch stubbing across the floor.
+
+Louise sat down beside the crumpled little figure on the sofa.
+
+"What did they do, Faith?" she demanded.
+
+Faith told the story of the walk to the fort; of the disagreeable
+manner of both Caroline and Catherine toward her, and of their
+disappearance as soon as they were inside the fort. But she did not
+tell of her efforts to find them, nor of Nathan Beaman's appearance.
+
+"They are hateful things!" Louise declared, "but it won't be long
+before they'll go to Albany with their father. Oh!" she ended a little
+fearfully. "I ought not to have told that. It's a secret," she added
+quickly.
+
+"No, it isn't. They told me," answered Faith, "and if it were a secret
+I shouldn't want to know it. I hate and despise secrets."
+
+Louise looked at her friend with a little nod of comprehension.
+"That's because you have a secret," she said.
+
+"How did you know, Louise?" and Faith wondered if it were possible
+Louise could know about the blue dress.
+
+"I know," said Louise. "It's dreadful to know secrets. I can stay all
+night. My father has gone to the fort. Oh!" and again she put her hand
+over her mouth. "I ought not to have told that. He doesn't want any
+one to know."
+
+Faith leaned back against the sofa with a little sigh of
+discouragement. It seemed to her there was nothing but secrets. She
+wished she was with her mother and father in her pleasant cabin home,
+where everybody knew about everything.
+
+"Where's 'Lady Amy'?" asked Louise, quite sure that such a beautiful
+doll would comfort any trouble. And her question made Faith remember
+that Louise was a guest.
+
+"I'll get her," she said, and in a few moments "Lady Amy" was sitting
+on the sofa between the two little friends, and Faith was displaying
+the new dresses that Aunt Prissy had helped her make for the doll.
+
+"Father says he will buy me a doll," Louise announced, "and he's going
+to get me a fine string of beads, too, when he goes away again;" for
+the shoemaker went away frequently on mysterious business. Many of the
+settlers were quite sure that he carried messages for the British
+officers to other forts; but he came and went so stealthily that as
+yet no proof was held against him.
+
+"I have some blue beads. My father is going to bring them when he
+comes to see me," said Faith. "I hope yours will be just like them."
+
+Louise shook her head a little doubtfully. "I may never get them,
+after all. Father forgets things," she said.
+
+Before supper time Faith was in a much happier state of mind. She had
+helped Louise with her reading lesson; they had played that the sofa
+was a throne and Lady Amy a queen, and that they were Lady Amy's
+daughters; and the unpleasantness of the early afternoon had quite
+vanished when the candles were lighted, and supper on the table.
+
+The supper seemed a feast to the shoemaker's daughter. Every time she
+came to visit Faith Louise tasted some new dish, so daintily prepared
+that she was at once eager to learn to make it. Faith was hungry, too,
+and, as no reference was made to her trip to the fort, she enjoyed her
+supper; and not until it was finished was she reminded of her
+troubles.
+
+"To-morrow Louise may go to church with us, and you may wear your blue
+dress that you are so careful of," Aunt Prissy said.
+
+Faith made no response. She did not know what to do or say. She was so
+quiet that her aunt was sure her little niece was overtired, and soon
+after supper sent the little girls off to bed.
+
+"What is the matter, Faith?" questioned Louise, when they were safely
+in the big chamber, with its high white bed, curtained windows, and
+comfortable chairs, and which to Louise seemed the finest bedroom in
+all the world.
+
+Faith threw herself face down on the bed. "I don't know what to do! I
+don't know what to do! I've spoiled my blue dress!" she sobbed. There!
+That was one secret the less, she thought. And Louise would never
+tell. "I can't go to church. I don't dare tell Aunt Prissy about the
+dress. It was to be my best dress all winter," she added. "What shall
+I do, Louise?"
+
+Louise shook her head. That Faith Carew, who seemed to her to be the
+most fortunate girl in all the world, should be in trouble was a far
+more dreadful thing to Louise than any trouble of her own.
+
+"Let me see the dress," she said; "perhaps it isn't very bad."
+
+Faith opened the trunk and pulled out the blue dress, which only that
+morning had been so fresh and dainty. Now it was rumpled, soiled and
+torn. Faith's tears flowed afresh as she held it out for Louise to
+see.
+
+"I guess you'd better tell your aunt," Louise said soberly. "Tell her
+now, this minute," she added quickly; "the sooner the better."
+
+Faith looked at her in surprise. She wondered at herself that she had
+hidden the dress, or even thought of not telling Aunt Prissy.
+
+"I'll go now," she said, and, still holding the dress, walked out of
+the room. She no longer felt afraid. As she went down the stairs she
+thought over all Aunt Prissy's goodness toward her. "I'll tell her
+that I can wear my other dress for best," she decided.
+
+The boys were already in bed; Mr. Scott was attending to the evening
+chores, and Aunt Prissy was alone in the sitting-room when Faith
+appeared in the doorway.
+
+"Aunt Prissy, look! I tore my dress coming home to-day, and I was
+afraid to tell you! Oh, Aunt Prissy!" for her aunt had taken Faith and
+the blue dress into her arms, and held the little girl closely as she
+said:
+
+"Why, dear child! How could you ever be afraid of me? About a dress,
+indeed! A torn dress is nothing. Nothing at all."
+
+"Louise, you are my very best friend," Faith declared happily, as she
+came running into the room a few minutes later. "I am so glad you
+made me tell."
+
+Louise looked at Faith with shining eyes. She wished there was some
+wonderful thing that she could do for Faith as a return for all the
+happiness her friendship had brought into her life.
+
+The clouds had lifted. Faith had disposed of one secret, and felt the
+others would not matter very much. The two little friends snuggled
+down in the big feather bed and were soon fast asleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+LOUISE MAKES A PRESENT
+
+
+The week following Faith's visit to the fort proved rather a difficult
+one for her at school. Caroline and Catherine seemed to think they had
+played a fine joke, and accused her of running home when they were
+waiting for her. Faith had resolved not to quarrel with them, but
+apparently the sisters meant to force her into trouble, if sneering
+words and ridicule could do it.
+
+"You're an American, so you don't dare talk back," sneered Catherine
+one day when Faith made no reply to the assertion that Faith had meant
+to run home from the fort alone.
+
+"Americans are not afraid," replied Faith quickly.
+
+Catherine jumped up and down with delight at having made Faith angry.
+
+"Oh, yes they are. My father says so. Another summer the English
+soldiers are going to take all the farms, and all you rebels will be
+our servants," declared Catherine.
+
+"Another summer the Green Mountain Boys will send the English soldiers
+where they will behave themselves," declared Faith. "Ethan Allen is
+braver than all the men in that fort."
+
+"I don't care what you say. We're not going to play with you any more,
+are we, Caroline?" said Catherine. "You play with that horrid little
+lame girl."
+
+"She isn't horrid. She is much better than you are. She wouldn't say
+or do the things you do!" responded Faith, now too angry to care what
+she said, "and she is my very best friend. I wouldn't play with you
+anyway. You're only Tory children," and Faith walked off with her head
+lifted very proudly, feeling she had won the battle; as indeed she
+had, for the sisters looked after her in silent horror.
+
+To be called "only" Tory children was a new point of view, and for
+several days they let Faith wholly alone. Then one morning they
+appeared at school with the news that it would be their last
+appearance there.
+
+"We're going to Albany, and never coming back to this rough common
+place," Catherine said.
+
+"I am glad of it," Faith replied sharply; "perhaps you will learn to
+be polite in Albany."
+
+Some of the other children overheard these remarks, and a little
+titter of amusement and satisfaction followed Faith's words. For the
+sisters had made no effort to be friendly with their schoolmates, and
+not one was sorry to see the last of them.
+
+Faith awoke each morning hoping that her father would come that day,
+but it was toward the last of November before he appeared. There had
+been several light falls of snow; the ground was frozen and ice formed
+along the shores of the lake. The days were growing shorter, and Mrs.
+Scott had decided that it was best for Faith to come straight home
+from school at night, instead of stopping in to help Louise with her
+lessons. But both the little girls were pleased with the new plan that
+Mrs. Scott suggested, for Louise to come home with Faith on Tuesdays
+and Fridays and stay all night. Louise was learning a good deal more
+than to read and write. Mrs. Scott was teaching her to sew neatly, and
+Faith had taught her to knit. She was always warmly welcomed by
+Donald and the two younger boys, and these visits were the bright days
+of the week for Louise.
+
+At last, when Faith had begun to think her father might not come after
+all, she returned from school one night to find him waiting for her.
+It was difficult to tell which of the two, father or daughter, was the
+happier in the joy of seeing each other. Mr. Carew had arrived in the
+early afternoon, and Aunt Prissy was now busy preparing the evening
+meal and Faith and her father had the sitting-room to themselves.
+There was so much to say that Faith hardly knew where to begin, after
+she had listened to all her father had to tell her of her mother.
+
+"I would have come before, but I have been waiting for Kashaqua to
+come and stay with your mother," said Mr. Carew. "She appeared last
+night, and will stay until I return. And your mother could have no
+better protector. Kashaqua is proud enough since we proved our
+confidence in her by sending you here in her charge."
+
+Faith told him about Louise, and was surprised to see her father's
+face grave and troubled. For Mr. Carew had heard of the shoemaker, and
+was sure that he was an English spy, and feared that his daughter's
+friendship with Faith might get the Scotts into some trouble.
+
+"She is my dearest friend. I tell her everything," went on Faith.
+
+"I'm afraid her father is not a friend to the settlers about here,"
+replied Mr. Carew. "Be careful, dear child, that you do not mention
+any of the visitors who come to your uncle's house. Your friend would
+mean no harm, but if she told her father great harm might come of it,"
+for Mr. Scott was doing his best to help the Americans. Messengers
+from Connecticut and Massachusetts with news for the settlers came to
+his house, and Mr. Scott found ways to forward their important
+communications to the men on the other side of Lake Champlain.
+
+"Aunt Prissy likes Louise; we all do," pleaded Faith; so her father
+said no more, thinking that perhaps he had been overanxious.
+
+"Your mother sent your blue beads. I expect you would have been
+scolded a little for being a careless child if you had been at home,
+for she found them under the settle cushion the very day you left
+home," said Mr. Carew, handing Faith two small packages. "The larger
+package is one that came from Esther Eldridge a few weeks ago," he
+added, in answer to Faith's questioning look.
+
+"I wonder what it can be," said Faith; but before she opened Esther's
+package she had taken the blue beads from the pretty box and put them
+around her neck, touching them with loving fingers, and looking down
+at them with delight. Then she unfastened the wrapping of the second
+package.
+
+"Here is a letter!" she exclaimed, and began reading it. As she read
+her face brightened, and at last she laughed with delight. "Oh,
+father! Read it! Esther says to let you and mother read it. And she
+has sent me another string of beads!" And now Faith opened the other
+box, a very pretty little box of shining yellow wood with "Faith" cut
+on the top, and took out another string of blue beads, so nearly like
+her own that it was difficult to tell them apart.
+
+Mr. Carew read Esther's letter. She wrote that she had lost Faith's
+beads, and had been afraid to tell her. "Now I am sending you another
+string that my father got on purpose. I think you were fine not to say
+a word to any one about how horrid I was to ask for your beads.
+Please let your mother and father read this letter, so they will know
+how polite you were to company."
+
+"So it was Esther who lost the beads! Well, now what are you going to
+do with two strings of beads?" said her father smilingly.
+
+When Aunt Prissy came into the room Faith ran to show her Esther's
+present and the letter, and told her of what had happened when she had
+so rashly promised to give Esther anything she might ask for. "I am so
+glad to have my own beads back again. And most of all I am glad not to
+have the secret," she said, thinking to herself that life was much
+happier when father and mother and Aunt Prissy could know everything
+that she knew. Then, suddenly, Faith recalled the fort, and the
+difficult climb down the cliff. "But that's not my secret. It's
+something outside. Something that I ought not to tell," she thought,
+with a little sense of satisfaction.
+
+"But which string of beads did Esther send you? I can't tell them
+apart," she heard Aunt Prissy say laughingly.
+
+When the time came for Mr. Carew to start for home Faith was sure
+that she wanted to go home with him. And it was only when her father
+had promised to come after her early in March, "or as soon as March
+stirs the fire, and gives a good warm day," he said, that Faith could
+be reconciled and persuaded to let him go without her. She was glad
+indeed that it was a Tuesday, and that Louise would come to stay all
+night. Faith was eager to tell Louise the story of the blue beads, and
+to show her those Esther had sent, and those that Aunt Prissy had
+given her. Faith was sure that she herself could tell the beads apart,
+and equally sure that no one else could do so.
+
+Louise was waiting at the gate when Faith came from school. At the
+first sight of her Faith was hardly sure that it was Louise; for the
+little girl at the gate had on a beautiful fur coat. It was made of
+otter skins, brown and soft. On her head was a cap of the same fur;
+and, as Faith came close, she saw that Louise wore fur mittens.
+
+"Oh, Louise! Your coat is splendid," she exclaimed. "And you look so
+pretty in it; and the cap and mittens." And Faith looked at Louise,
+smiling with delighted admiration.
+
+Louise nodded happily. "My father sent to Albany for them. A man
+brought them last night," she said. "You do truly like them?" she
+questioned, a little anxiously.
+
+"Of course! Any girl would think they were beautiful. Aunt Prissy will
+be just as glad as I am," declared Faith. "What's in that big bundle?"
+she added, as Louise lifted a big bundle from beside the gate.
+
+But if Louise heard she made no reply, and when Faith offered to carry
+the package she shook her head laughingly. Faith thought it might be
+something that Louise wanted to work on that evening, and was so
+intent on telling of her father's visit, the blue beads, and the
+promised visit to her own dear home in March, that she did not really
+give much thought to the package.
+
+Aunt Prissy was at the window watching for the girls, with the three
+little boys about her. They all came to the door, and Aunt Prissy
+exclaimed, just as Faith had done, over the beauty of Louise's new
+possessions. "But what is in that big bundle, Louise?" she asked, when
+the little lame girl had taken off coat, cap and mittens, and stood
+smiling up at her good friend.
+
+"Once you said to me that a present was something that any one ought
+to be very happy to receive," she said.
+
+"Yes, I remember. And I know you are happy over your father's gift,"
+replied Mrs. Scott.
+
+Louise nodded, and began unwrapping the bundle.
+
+"This is my present to Faith," she said, struggling to untie the heavy
+string.
+
+"Let me, Louise; let me," and Donald was down on his knees and in a
+moment the bundle was opened, and Donald exclaimed:
+
+"My! It's a coat exactly like Louise's."
+
+"There's a cap too, and mittens," said Louise eagerly. "Do try it on."
+
+Donald stood holding the coat; and Faith, as excited and happy as
+Louise, slipped on the coat, put the cap on her head and held out her
+hands for the mittens.
+
+"Oh, Louise! They are lovely. I may keep them, mayn't I, Aunt Prissy?"
+she asked, turning about for her aunt to see how nicely the coat
+fitted.
+
+Neither of the little girls noticed that Mrs. Scott looked grave and a
+little troubled, for she was thinking that this was almost too fine a
+present for her little niece to accept from the shoemaker's daughter.
+But she knew that to refuse to let Faith accept it would not only make
+both the girls very unhappy, but that Mr. Trent would forbid Louise
+coming to the house, and so stop all her friendly efforts to help
+Louise; so she added her thanks to those of Faith, and the two little
+friends were as happy as it is possible to be over giving and
+receiving a beautiful gift. Faith even forgot her blue beads in the
+pleasure of possessing the pretty coat and cap.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+A BIRTHDAY
+
+
+"Can you skate, Cousin Faith?" asked Donald, on their way to school
+one morning in late December. There had been a week of very cold
+weather, and the ice of the lake glittered temptingly in the morning
+sun.
+
+"No, I never had any skates, and there wasn't a very good chance for
+skating at home," answered Faith regretfully; for many of the school
+children were eager for the sport, and told her of their good times on
+the ice.
+
+"Mother has a pair of skates for you; I heard her say so; and father
+is going to teach you to skate," responded Donald. "I can skate," he
+added, "and after you learn we'll have a fine time. Nat Beaman comes
+across the lake on the ice in no time."
+
+It was rather difficult for Faith to pay attention to her studies that
+day. She wondered when Aunt Prissy would give her the skates, and
+Uncle Phil teach her how to use them. And when the schoolmaster
+announced that there would be no school for the remainder of the week
+Faith felt that everything was planned just right for her. Now, she
+thought, she could begin the very next day, if only the cold, clear
+weather would continue.
+
+The sun set clear and red that night, and the stars shone brightly.
+Faith was sure the next day would be pleasant. Donald found a chance
+to tell Faith that the skates were a "secret." "But I didn't know it
+until just a few minutes ago," he explained, adding briefly: "I hate
+secrets."
+
+Faith agreed heartily. If the skates were a secret who could tell when
+Aunt Prissy would give them to her? She went to bed a little
+despondent, thinking to herself that as soon as she was clear of one
+secret another seemed ready to interfere with her happiness. But she
+was soon asleep, and woke up to find the sun shining in at her
+windows, and Aunt Prissy starting the fire with a shovelful of coals
+from the kitchen hearth. And what were those shining silver-like
+objects swinging from the bed-post?
+
+"Skates! My skates!" she exclaimed, sitting up in bed. "Oh, Aunt
+Prissy! I did want them so to-day."
+
+"They are your birthday present from your father and mother," said
+Aunt Prissy, coming to the side of the bed, and leaning over to kiss
+her little niece. "Eleven years old to-day! And you had forgotten all
+about it!"
+
+"Why, so I am! Why, so I did!" said Faith. "Well, I like secrets that
+end this way. May I go skating right away, Aunt Prissy?"
+
+"Breakfast first!" laughed Aunt Prissy, and was out of the room before
+Faith had noticed that lying across the foot of her bed was a dress of
+pretty plaided blue and brown wool. A slip of paper was pinned to it:
+"For Faith to wear skating," she read.
+
+"Lovely! Lovely!" exclaimed Faith, as she hastened to dress in front
+of the blazing fire.
+
+"Why, here are new stockings, too," she said, as she discovered a pair
+of warm knit brown and blue stockings.
+
+She came running into the dining-room, skates in hand, to be met by
+her uncle and little cousins with birthday greetings. Donald had at
+last finished the bow and arrows that he had promised her weeks
+before, and now gave them to her; Hugh had made a "quiver," a little
+case to hold the arrows, such as the Indians use, of birch bark, and
+little Philip had a dish filled with molasses candy, which he had
+helped to make.
+
+It was a beautiful morning for Faith, and the broiled chicken and hot
+corn cake gave the breakfast an added sense of festivity.
+
+Soon after breakfast Mr. Scott, Donald and Faith were ready to start
+for the lake. Donald took his sled along. "So we can draw Cousin Faith
+home, if she gets tired," he explained, with quite an air of being
+older and stronger than his cousin.
+
+Aunt Prissy watched them start off, thinking to herself that Faith had
+never looked so pretty as she did in the fur coat and cap, with her
+skates swinging from her arm, the bright steel catching the rays of
+sunlight.
+
+They crossed the road, and went down the field to the shore. The hard
+crust gave Faith and Donald a fine coast down the slope, and both the
+children exclaimed with delight when Mr. Scott, running and sliding,
+reached the shore almost as soon as they did.
+
+Mr. Scott fastened on Faith's skates, and held up by her uncle on one
+side and Donald on the other, Faith ventured out on the dark, shining
+ice. After a few lurches and tumbles, she found that she could stand
+alone, and in a short time could skate a little.
+
+"Father, are those Indians?" asked Donald, pointing to a number of
+dark figures coming swiftly down the lake from the direction of the
+fort.
+
+Mr. Scott looked, and answered quickly: "Yes. They have seen us; so we
+will skate toward them. They will probably be friendly." But he told
+Faith to sit down on the sled, and took fast hold of Donald's hand. In
+a few moments the flying figures of the Indians were close at hand.
+There were six of them, young braves, and evidently racing either for
+sport, or bound on some errand of importance, for they sped straight
+past the little group, with a friendly call of salutation.
+
+"I wonder what that means," said Mr. Scott, turning to watch them. "It
+may be they are on their way to Albany as messengers from the fort,"
+he added, as if speaking to himself.
+
+"What kind of a message, Uncle Philip?" asked Faith.
+
+"Heaven knows, child. Perhaps for troops enough to crush the American
+settlers, and drive them from their homes," replied Mr. Scott. For
+news of the trouble in Boston, the blockade of the port, and the lack
+of supplies, had reached the men of the Wilderness; and Mr. Scott knew
+that the English were planning to send a larger body of troops to Fort
+Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and the sight of these speeding Indians
+made him wonder if they might not be English messengers.
+
+"Couldn't we stop them, uncle?" asked Faith, so earnestly that her
+uncle looked down at her in smiling surprise.
+
+"Couldn't we? It will be dreadful to leave our homes," said Faith.
+
+Mr. Scott swung the little girl gently around. "Look!" he said,
+pointing down the lake. Already the Indians were but dark specks in
+the distance. "If trouble comes there are brave Americans ready," he
+said; "and now we had best be going toward home, or you will be too
+tired to come out this afternoon."
+
+Faith and Donald were surprised to find that it was dinner time. They
+had a great deal to tell Aunt Prissy of their morning's adventures.
+
+"Could a little girl do anything to help, Aunt Prissy, if the English
+do try to drive us away?" Faith asked, as she helped her aunt clear
+the dining-room table.
+
+"Who knows?" responded Mrs. Scott, cheerfully. "A brave girl might be
+of great service. But I do not believe the Tories will dare go much
+farther. At all events, we will be ready for them. Run to the door,
+Faithie; there comes Louise."
+
+Louise was as pleased over Faith's presents as Faith herself, and
+delighted at the prospect of going to the lake with Faith and Donald
+that afternoon. Faith and Donald promised to draw her on the sled, and
+Aunt Prissy was to be their companion.
+
+"Mother can skate like a bird," Donald declared admiringly.
+
+Louise was no longer the sullen, sad-faced child whom Faith had first
+seen. She knew that she had friends; she was included in all the
+pleasant happenings with Faith; her father seemed to take pride in her
+appearance; and best of all, she thought, she was to begin school when
+the spring term opened. To-day as they started off for the lake she
+was as full of happiness as any child could be.
+
+There were a number of children and young people on the ice, skating
+and sliding. A number of boys had built a bonfire on the shore, where
+they could warm their chilled toes and fingers.
+
+Nathan Beaman was there, circling about in skilful curves, or darting
+off with long swift strokes, greatly to the admiration of the other
+children. He was quite ready to take the sled rope and give Louise a
+fine ride up the lake toward the fort, and back to the fire, and to
+guide Faith in her clumsy efforts to skate.
+
+Faith and Louise were warming their fingers at the fire when they
+heard loud voices and a commotion on the ice.
+
+"What is it? Indians?" exclaimed Faith, looking around, for the
+settlers never knew at what moment the Indians might become
+mischievous.
+
+"No! Soldiers. Soldiers from the fort," replied Aunt Prissy, drawing
+the little girls away from the fire. "Perhaps they are only coming to
+warm their fingers."
+
+Two red-coated soldiers came swinging close to the shore. They were
+talking loudly, and as they neared the fire they called out: "Clear
+away from that fire. We'll have no fires built on this shore. 'Tis
+too good a way to send messages across the lake."
+
+With a couple of stout sticks they beat out the flame, kicking snow
+over the coals, and extinguishing the last bit of fire.
+
+Mrs. Scott had helped Louise toward the ice, but Faith had lingered a
+moment. As one of the soldiers turned from the fire he found himself
+facing a little fur-clad figure with flushed cheeks and angry eyes.
+
+"That was our fire. You had no business to put it out," Faith
+declared.
+
+"Oh, ho! What's this?" laughed the soldier. "Do you own this lake? Or
+perhaps you are our new captain?"
+
+"It is a mean thing to spoil our fire," continued Faith; "we wouldn't
+do you any harm."
+
+"I'm not so sure about that," replied the soldier. "You have a pretty
+fierce expression," and with another kick at the fire, and a
+"good-bye, little rebel," to Faith, the two soldiers started back to
+the fort. The skaters now, troubled and angry by the unfriendly
+interference, were taking off their skates and starting for home.
+
+"I wish American soldiers were in that fort," said Nat Beaman.
+
+"Why don't you ask Colonel Allen to come and take it?" asked Faith
+earnestly; she was quite sure that Ethan Allen could do anything he
+attempted.
+
+"Ask him yourself," responded Nathan laughingly.
+
+"I guess I will," Faith thought to herself, as she followed Aunt
+Prissy up the field toward home. "Perhaps that would be doing
+something to help Americans."
+
+The more Faith thought about this the stronger became her resolve to
+ask Colonel Allen to take possession of Fort Ticonderoga. She was so
+silent all the way home that her companions were sure she was
+overtired. Louise had to return to her own home, and soon after supper
+Faith was ready to go to bed.
+
+"I've got a real secret now; even if I don't like secrets," she
+thought to herself. For she realized that she could not tell any one
+of her determination to find some way to ask Ethan Allen to capture
+Ticonderoga and send the troublesome English soldiers back to their
+own homes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+NEW ADVENTURES
+
+
+"It will be a good day to put a quilt in the frame," said Aunt Prissy,
+the morning after Faith's birthday. "You and Donald can help me with
+it right after breakfast; then while you children are off to the lake
+I will mark the pattern."
+
+"Can't I help mark the pattern?" asked Faith, who had sometimes helped
+her mother, and thought it the most interesting part of the quilting.
+
+The quilting-frame, four long strips of wood, was brought into the
+sitting-room and rested on the backs of four stout wooden chairs,
+forming a square. The frame was held firmly together at the corners by
+clamps and screws, so that it could be changed and adjusted to fit the
+quilt.
+
+This quilt was a very pretty one, Faith thought, as she watched Aunt
+Prissy fasten it to the frame with stout linen thread. It was made of
+bits of bright woolen cloth. There were pieces of Faith's new dresses,
+and of the dresses made for Louise, and they were neatly stitched
+together in a diamond-shaped pattern. Faith had made a good many of
+these, and so had Louise in the evenings as they sat with Aunt Prissy
+before the open fire.
+
+First of all Aunt Prissy had fastened the lining for the quilt to the
+frame. Over this she spread an even layer of soft wool, and then over
+this the bright patchwork was spread and fastened. And now it was
+ready to mark the quilting pattern.
+
+Aunt Prissy took a ball of firm twine and rubbed it well with white
+chalk. The cord was fastened tightly across the surface of the quilt.
+
+"Now," said Aunt Prissy, and Faith took the tight cord up and "snap"
+it went when her fingers released their hold, leaving a straight white
+mark across the quilt. Back and forth they stretched the cord and
+"snapped" the line, until the quilt was marked in a checkerboard
+pattern of white lines, which the quilters would follow with their
+neat stitches.
+
+"I believe I'll have a quilting bee to-morrow," said Aunt Prissy.
+"When you and Donald start out you can go down and ask the minister's
+wife, and be sure and say that we shall expect Mr. Fairbanks to tea.
+Then ask Neighbor Willis and her husband, and Mrs. Tuttle. I think
+that will be a pleasant number."
+
+"May I help quilt?" asked Faith.
+
+"Of course you may. Tell Mrs. Tuttle to bring her daughter. And now,
+my dear, in what manner will you ask our friends to the quilting party
+and to tea?" asked Aunt Prissy, looking down at her little niece with
+her pretty smile.
+
+"I shall rap at the minister's door first, of course; and when Mrs.
+Fairbanks opens the door I shall make my best curtsy, like this:" and
+Faith took a bit of her skirt in each hand, and bent in a very pretty
+curtsy indeed; "and I shall say: 'Good-morning, Mrs. Fairbanks. My
+Aunt Prissy will be very happy if you and the minister will come to
+her quilting bee to-morrow afternoon and stay to tea.'"
+
+Aunt Prissy nodded approvingly. "I think that will do very nicely
+indeed. Now put on your things and run along. Donald is waiting."
+
+Donald and "Scotchie" were at the door when Faith was ready to start.
+The big dog barked his delight at being allowed to go with the
+children.
+
+"I'd like to harness him to the sled; he could draw us both,"
+suggested Donald, but Faith was sure that "Scotchie" would upset the
+sled; so her cousin gave up the project.
+
+"We can go on the lake just below Mrs. Tuttle's house, and skate along
+the shore home; can't we, Cousin Faith?" asked Donald, after they had
+stopped at Mrs. Willis' house and that of the clergyman.
+
+"Let's call and get Louise," suggested Faith.
+
+"Oh, there won't be time. Look, there goes an English soldier into the
+shoemaker's now. The boys all say that the shoemaker is an English
+spy," answered Donald.
+
+They were nearly in front of Mr. Trent's shop now, and Faith noticed
+that the soldier was the one who had been on the lake the previous
+day, and who had called her "a little rebel."
+
+"Come to the back door, Donald. Just a moment, while I speak to
+Louise. And make 'Scotchie' keep still," said Faith, turning into the
+path leading to the back door.
+
+"Scotchie" was barking fiercely as if he resented the sight of the
+redcoat.
+
+The soldier turned quickly. "Stop that dog before I put a bullet into
+him," he called.
+
+"He's afraid," Donald whispered to Faith, with a word to "Scotchie,"
+and Faith ran up the path and entered the house.
+
+Donald and "Scotchie" stood waiting, the dog growling now and then,
+whenever the soldier moved about on the door-step. It was evident that
+the shoemaker was not at home, for no answer came to the raps. In a
+moment Louise appeared at the door and told the man that her father
+was not at home.
+
+"Send that boy with the dog about his business," said the soldier.
+
+"'Tis the public road, sir; and 'tis not likely he'd mind what I might
+say," responded Louise smilingly, as she closed the door.
+
+Donald rested his mittened hand on "Scotchie's" head.
+
+"You needn't be afraid. I won't let him hurt you," Donald called.
+
+The soldier came down the path scowling.
+
+"I've a great mind to kick the beast," he said.
+
+"You'd better not," said Donald.
+
+Evidently the man agreed, for he went past as quickly as possible.
+Donald watched him with a little scornful smile. The boy was not old
+enough to realize, as Faith did, the difference between these hired
+soldiers of England, and the brave Americans who were ready to
+undertake any sacrifice to secure the freedom of their country, but he
+was a brave boy, and thought poorly of this soldier's courage.
+
+Louise listened to Faith's hurried account of the proposed quilting
+party.
+
+"And you must come too, Louise," she concluded, "and come early."
+
+Louise promised. She had never been to a quilting party, and was sure
+that it would be a great experience. She could not go to the lake, for
+she must not leave the house until her father returned.
+
+When Faith rejoined Donald he told her of the soldier's evident fear
+of the dog. "I don't see what made 'Scotchie' growl so," added Donald.
+
+"I'm glad he did," responded Faith. "Come on; let's hurry, or we won't
+have much time on the ice," so off they went across the field.
+
+But as they reached the shore they looked at each other questioningly.
+The lake seemed to be in the possession of the redcoats. At least
+half the garrison of the fort were on the ice; skating, racing, and
+evidently enjoying themselves.
+
+"We had better go home," said Faith, and Donald made no objections.
+The two children, disappointed of their morning's sport, went slowly
+back toward home.
+
+"That's the way they take everything," declared Faith, renewing her
+promise to herself to try in some way to let Ethan Allen know how easy
+it would be to drive the English from Ticonderoga.
+
+"I am glad you did not venture on the ice," Aunt Prissy said when
+Donald and Faith told their story. "The English become less friendly
+every day. Well, we will not think of them when there is so much to do
+as we have before us."
+
+"I asked Louise to come to the quilting," said Faith.
+
+"That's right; and I am going to send Donald to ask a number of your
+schoolmates to come in the evening. The moon will be full to light
+them home, and you children can have the kitchen to yourselves after
+supper, and make molasses candy," said Aunt Prissy.
+
+This seemed a very delightful idea to both Faith and Donald. The
+thought of making candy reminded Faith of Esther Eldridge, and of the
+bear's sudden appearance at the kitchen door. Mr. Carew had promised
+Faith to ask Esther's father to bring her to visit Faith on her return
+home, and Faith often thought of how much she and Esther would have to
+tell each other.
+
+That afternoon Faith helped her Aunt Prissy in preparing for the
+quilting. Aunt Prissy was cooking a ham, and the brick oven held some
+of the spiced cakes that the children liked so well. Donald cracked a
+big dish full of hickory-nuts, while Faith rubbed the pewter plates
+and pitchers until they shone like silver. The two younger boys ran in
+and out of the kitchen, thinking a quilting party must be a great
+affair.
+
+Mr. Scott had been cutting wood at the edge of the forest, and did not
+return until nearly dusk; and when he arrived there was a man with
+him--evidently a traveler, for there was a pack on his back, and he
+was tired. Faith heard her Aunt Prissy call the stranger by name, and
+welcome him.
+
+"Why, it is Esther's father. Of course it is!" she exclaimed suddenly.
+
+Mr. Eldridge told her all about Esther, and promised that his little
+daughter should again visit the Wilderness cabin. Faith wondered what
+business it was that took Mr. Eldridge through the Wilderness and up
+and down the lakes. Long afterward she discovered that he was one of
+the trusted messengers of the American leaders, and through him the
+American settlers along the lake shores and through the New Hampshire
+Grants were kept informed of what the English were doing. She did not
+know that he underwent constant danger.
+
+The little boys went early to bed that night, but Faith was not
+sleepy. The firelight in the sitting-room made dancing pictures on the
+wall, as she sat in a small chair at the end of the sofa. The sound of
+Aunt Prissy's knitting needles made her think of the silvery tinkle of
+the mill-stream under the winter ice in her Wilderness home. Mr.
+Eldridge and her uncle were talking quietly. She heard her uncle say
+that: "Ticonderoga was the lock to the gate of the country," and Mr.
+Eldridge respond that until Crown Point and Ticonderoga were taken by
+the Americans that none of the colonies could be safe.
+
+"If there were any way to get into Fort Ticonderoga," said Mr.
+Eldridge. "They say there's a secret passageway."
+
+Faith was all attention at this. She quite forgot that she was
+listening to conversation not intended for her ears, as she heard her
+uncle answer:
+
+"There is such a door, but no way for an American to find it. If some
+one could get entrance to the fort in that way, discover just the plan
+of the place, and escape, it would be of the greatest service to the
+Americans when the right time came to take the fort."
+
+"Time for bed, Faithie," said Aunt Prissy, and, very reluctantly, the
+little girl went up-stairs. She was thinking of all that her uncle and
+Mr. Eldridge had said, and of the unguarded door opening on the cliff
+at the fort. She wondered if she could make her way up that steep
+cliff as easily as Nathan had declared he had so often done.
+
+"Perhaps Nathan will help capture the fort," she thought. "Anyway he
+could show the Green Mountain Boys the way. If I were at home I would
+put a note in that cave near Lake Dunmore and tell Ethan Allen about
+Nathan."
+
+Only Ethan Allen and a few of his friends knew of this mountain cave,
+and it was there messages were left for him by the men of the
+Wilderness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+LOUISE DISAPPEARS
+
+
+The guests for the quilting party arrived at an early hour in the
+afternoon. All that morning Faith and Aunt Prissy were busy. Dishes
+filled with red apples were brought up from the cellar; cakes were
+made ready, and the house in order before dinner time.
+
+Only one little girl, Jane Tuttle, had been asked to come in the early
+afternoon. Jane was about Faith's age, and at school they were in the
+same classes. She was not very tall, and was very fat. Jane was one of
+the children whom Caroline and Catherine Young had taken especial
+delight in teasing.
+
+     "Jane, Jane! Fat and plain;
+     With a button nose and turned-in toes,"
+
+they would call after her, until the little girl dreaded the very
+sight of them. When Faith had proved that she was not afraid of the
+sisters Jane Tuttle became her steadfast admirer, and was greatly
+pleased to come in the afternoon with her mother. But she was
+surprised to find Louise Trent there before her, and evidently very
+much at home. However, she was too kind-hearted a child not to be
+pleasant and polite to the lame girl, and Louise was now as ready to
+make friends as, before knowing Faith, she had been sullen and
+unfriendly.
+
+Each of the girls was encouraged to set a few neat stitches in the
+quilt. Then, on the arrival of Mrs. Fairbanks and Mrs. Lewis, Aunt
+Prissy told Faith that if she wanted to take the little girls to her
+own room she might do so.
+
+There was a glowing fire on the hearth, and Faith was pleased for Jane
+to see her pleasant chamber, and to introduce "Lady Amy."
+
+"I wish I had brought my doll," said Jane, as the little girls
+gathered in front of the fire. "Mine is one my mother made for me."
+
+"There, Louise! We could make you a doll!" exclaimed Faith, knowing
+how much her friend had always wished for a doll of her own.
+
+But Louise shook her head. "I guess I am too old for dolls; I'm
+twelve," she said slowly, "and I don't have time to make dresses for
+dolls now that I'm learning to read and write. You see," and she
+turned to Jane, "I keep house for my father."
+
+Jane looked at Louise, wondering to herself why she had ever imagined
+that Louise Trent was a girl that she could not have for a friend.
+Why, Louise was really pretty! thought fat little Jane, looking
+admiringly at the smooth black hair, and the neat and pretty dress.
+And so nearly grown-up, too. Twelve years old! Jane resolved to go and
+see Louise, and to ask her to come for a visit.
+
+"I shall always play with dolls," she heard Faith declare. "I'd like
+to have a regiment of dolls, and play games with them. Wouldn't it be
+fun to have dolls that we could make up names for, and then have them
+do all sorts of things?"
+
+Louise and Jane agreed that would be a fine game.
+
+"We could dress up the pillows on your bed for dolls," suggested
+Louise.
+
+"Yes, and put my dresses on them," responded Faith eagerly, running to
+the closet and bringing out the blue dress, a skirt and a small
+shawl. It was not long before two "cushiony" figures, as large as
+Jane, were seated on the bed.
+
+"Let's put our coats and caps on them, Faith; and when the other girls
+come this evening we'll make them think the pillows are company,"
+suggested Louise.
+
+Jane jumped about the room with delight as Faith and Louise adjusted
+the caps and fur coats.
+
+"We'll introduce them as Annie Snow and Mary White," said Faith. "It
+will be fun to see what the girls will say."
+
+Four little girls were expected, and several boy friends of Donald's.
+Aunt Prissy wondered a little at Faith's eagerness to take the girls
+directly up-stairs on their arrival, but she was greatly pleased to
+see that Louise, Jane and Faith were evidently having a delightful
+time.
+
+It was nearly dusk when the little visitors arrived, and Faith's room
+was rather dim and shadowy. The little girls coming in were rather
+surprised to find that there were strangers, evidently just arrived,
+sitting on Faith's bed.
+
+"Girls, these are two of my best friends, Annie Snow and Mary White,"
+said Faith, trying hard not to laugh, as her schoolmates bowed
+politely and greeted the stout figures on the bed, who, apparently,
+did not hear the introductions.
+
+Jane, giggling with delight, circled around the newcomers; while
+Louise seated herself on the bed and began talking to Annie Snow.
+Faith endeavored to make the newcomers at ease, and it was not long
+before she had to run down-stairs to help her aunt with the supper,
+leaving Louise and Jane to carry on the game.
+
+The children were to have their supper in the kitchen. The tables for
+young and old had been spread before the arrival of any of the guests,
+so there was but little for Aunt Prissy and Faith to do before calling
+the guests to supper.
+
+Louise was the last one to enter the kitchen, her face radiant with
+fun and delight at the success of "Annie Snow" and "Mary White." She
+found a chance to tell Faith that "Annie" and "Mary" had managed to
+say that they didn't feel like eating supper, and that the girls had
+not yet discovered the joke.
+
+"We'll bring them down after supper," Faith whispered.
+
+"Are your friends from the Wilderness?" asked Peggy Tibbetts, the
+oldest girl of the party, as Faith sat down beside her.
+
+"No," Faith answered slowly. "They are both coming down after supper,
+and I know you will be surprised when I tell you that they live right
+in this house."
+
+Peggy Tibbetts was surprised. She looked almost frightened, and lost
+no time in whispering this information to the other girls; so that
+when Faith announced that she would run up-stairs and ask "Annie" and
+"Mary" to come down there was an anxious silence.
+
+Faith asked Jane to go with her, and in a few moments they returned
+with the two clumsy "girls." In the brightly-lit kitchen the
+dressed-up figures could no longer be mistaken, and the children were
+greatly pleased and amused by "Annie" and "Mary," who were established
+in straight-backed chairs, and urged to share in the supper.
+
+There was so much laughter and merriment in the kitchen that Aunt
+Prissy looked in for a moment. "Faithie dear, who are the little girls
+in the corner?" she asked. To Louise and Jane this seemed a triumph
+indeed, and when Aunt Prissy, entering into the spirit of the affair,
+insisted upon being introduced to "Annie" and "Mary," and said she
+was very glad to see them, the children danced about, greatly pleased
+with this unexpected fun.
+
+When the clock struck nine the grown people and children were all
+ready to start for home. Louise was to stay all night with Faith.
+As the children said their good-byes and stepped out into the
+snow-trodden path they called back messages to "Annie" and "Mary."
+The full moon shone down so brightly that the path could be plainly
+seen, and in the distance the dark line of the forest, and the heights
+of Ticonderoga.
+
+"It's the best time I ever had in all my life," declared Jane, as she
+trotted off holding fast to her mother's hand.
+
+And Faith said the same as she bade Aunt Prissy good-night. "It's fun
+to have parties, isn't it, Aunt Prissy," she said, "and all the girls
+are so pleasant."
+
+"That is what makes the good time, isn't it?" responded her aunt.
+
+"I hope it won't storm to-morrow," Louise said, as the two girls
+prepared for bed.
+
+"What makes you think of a storm?" questioned Faith.
+
+"There was a ring around the moon," said Louise; "that's one sign, and
+the air felt like snow."
+
+But Faith was too happy over the evening to think about weather signs.
+She had, for that night, quite forgotten about the English soldiers
+and her resolve to send a message to Ethan Allen.
+
+Louise's predictions proved right; for when the morning came snow was
+falling steadily, and great drifts were heaped up against the walls
+and fences. A chill east wind came sweeping across the ice-bound lake,
+and it was plain that there would be no more skating for many days.
+
+For nearly a week trails and roads were impassable. Mr. Trent, knowing
+that Louise was safe and happy with her friends, made no effort to
+reach her; and the Scotts were glad to keep indoors, safe from the
+fierce cold and wind.
+
+Donald and Hugh dug a tunnel to the shop, and Mr. Scott kept a path
+open to the barn, while indoors Aunt Prissy kept the two girls busy
+and happy. She declared that she had been hoping for a day to dye some
+recently woven blankets, and asked Faith what color she thought would
+be best.
+
+"But how can you make any color you like, Aunt Prissy?" asked Faith.
+
+"Perhaps not 'any color I like,' but I have a good lot of colors to
+choose from," replied Aunt Prissy. "People who live in the wilderness
+need only to step outdoors to find almost anywhere some plant that
+furnishes dye, and I gather my dye-plants and roots every summer, as I
+am sure your own mother does."
+
+"I know mother always gathers the dogwood roots to make a scarlet dye.
+Kashaqua told her about that," answered Faith. "The Indians use it for
+their feathers."
+
+"And I am sure your mother dyed your brown dress with the shells of
+the hickory-nut," said Aunt Prissy, "and the yellow root is what I
+used to color the covers on the chair cushions in your room."
+
+This was all new to Louise, and she listened eagerly, thinking to
+herself that she would color the faded quilts on her own bed; and that
+another summer she would gather a good supply of the roots and plants
+of which Mrs. Scott spoke.
+
+"The pokeweed berries will color a good red," continued Mrs. Scott;
+"but for scarlet we must use the dogwood roots."
+
+Then Mrs. Scott showed the little girls her bundles of dyestuffs, each
+plant and root tied up and marked carefully with its name and use. A
+large number of the dogwood roots were put into a huge iron kettle,
+the kettle filled with water, and hung over the fire. When it had
+boiled for several hours there would be a good scarlet dye in which
+the new blankets would be dipped. Then they would be hung to dry in
+the shed.
+
+The next day the sun came out and shone brightly down on a white and
+glistening world, and that afternoon Mr. Trent came to take Louise
+home. He would not come in, but waited at the door until she was ready
+to go. But he thanked Mrs. Scott for all her kindness to his little
+daughter.
+
+Faith was quite sure that Mr. Trent must be sorry to be a Tory instead
+of a loyal American. "But I suppose he can't help it," she decided,
+and always thought of her friend's father as unfortunate.
+
+Faith and Louise always had so many things to talk about that they
+seldom spoke of the redcoats; and when they did Louise seemed to
+dislike them more than Faith herself.
+
+Faith and Donald both had snow-shoes, and on their way to school, a
+few days later, Faith stopped at the shoemaker's door. But there was
+no response to her knock, and when she tried the door it would not
+open. She wondered where Louise and her father could be, but not until
+the next day did she hear that the shoemaker and Louise had left their
+home, apparently not to return. They had gone with a number of English
+families, on sledges, down the river, without a good-bye to the kind
+friends who had grown to love the little lame girl.
+
+"I know Louise couldn't help it," Faith declared, when Aunt Prissy
+told her the news. "She will write to me, I know she will," but it was
+a long time before any word came to her from her little friend. And
+now Faith became more and more eager for March to come, that she might
+once more see her father and mother, and make some attempt to send a
+message to Ethan Allen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+FAITH AGAIN VISITS THE FORT
+
+
+The night after hearing that Louise had gone Faith felt more nearly
+homesick than at any time since her arrival at her aunt's house.
+Everything seemed to remind her of her friend. Even "Lady Amy" made
+her remember that Louise had never owned a doll of her own.
+
+"And I had meant to give Louise one of my strings of blue beads just
+as soon as I had asked Aunt Prissy," she thought, regretfully, holding
+up the pretty beads, and recalling how much Louise had admired them.
+
+"Aunt Prissy," she called, running down the stairs and into the
+sitting-room, "may I not give Louise one of my bead necklaces?"
+
+Aunt Prissy looked up in amazement.
+
+"But how can you, Faithie, dear? We do not know where she is," she
+answered.
+
+"We shall know some time. Of course we shall. And when we do, may I? I
+meant to ask you the day of the quilting," said Faith.
+
+"Of course you may, child. I was sure that you would want to when
+Esther sent the beads. I only hope you may have a chance to give them
+to Louise at an early day," responded Aunt Prissy.
+
+This decision proved a comfort to Faith. As the weeks went by, and no
+news of the shoemaker and his little daughter was received, she would
+often look at the string of blue beads which she meant to give her
+friend. "I wish I had given them to her on my birthday," she thought
+regretfully, "but she shall have them some time," for Faith was quite
+sure that it could not be very long before Louise would find a way to
+let them know where she was.
+
+March came, "stirring the fire" vigorously from the day of its
+arrival. The ice in the lake broke up rapidly, the snow melted, and by
+the middle of the month Faith began to expect her father. Nathan
+Beaman, in his clumsy boat, had crossed from Shoreham a number of
+times. He often teasingly reminded Faith of her plan to ask Ethan
+Allen to come and take possession of Fort Ticonderoga.
+
+"You'd better hurry. The British will be sending men down from Canada
+by early summer, and then 'twill be of no use for the Green Mountain
+Boys to try to capture the fort," he said.
+
+"How do you always know so much about what the English are going to
+do?" asked Faith.
+
+The children were all in the shop. Nathan was helping Donald in the
+construction of a small boat, and Faith and the two younger boys had
+been filling a basket with chips and shavings to carry into the house.
+
+"Can't help knowing," answered Nathan. "I hear the men at the fort
+talking about all their fine plans to own all this country every time
+I go there."
+
+"Nathan," and Faith lowered her voice so that the other children would
+not hear, "you know I promised not to tell about the door at the
+fort?"
+
+Nathan nodded; he was looking at her sharply, and half feared that she
+was about to tell him that she had broken the promise.
+
+"Well, of course I shan't tell. But if my telling some American would
+help send the soldiers away, mayn't I tell then?" and Faith's face was
+very serious as she waited for his response.
+
+"Yes. I meant you weren't to tell Louise Trent, or those Young girls,"
+said Nathan. "And don't tell any one unless you are sure it will be of
+some use. You see I may tell, if it comes to that."
+
+Faith drew a long breath. "Thank you, Nathan," she said, in so serious
+a tone that the boy laughed aloud.
+
+"You are as grave about that old fort as my father and the Shoreham
+men are. You ought to hear my father tell about the big fight here in
+1758. He was a young man then, and the French held the fort, and the
+English were after it."
+
+Donald had stopped his work, and he and Hugh were listening eagerly.
+"Tell us, tell us about it," said Donald.
+
+"Father says there'll never be anything like it again. All the
+Colonies sent men, and Lord Howe brought thousands of English
+soldiers. England was our friend then," said Nathan. "They had
+thousands of boats, and rafts to carry their big guns. They had big
+flags, and music; and they didn't lurk or skulk about. Their boats
+came right down the lake in fine shape; they landed, and marched
+toward the fort. But the French were ready for them, and beat them
+back. However, the next year the English and Americans drove the
+French out."
+
+"I guess the English are brave," Donald ventured, returning to his
+work.
+
+"Of course they are. Why, we're all English ourselves," declared
+Nathan, "and that's why we won't stand being treated so unfairly. We
+can't stand it."
+
+"I'm not English. I'm an American," said Faith; "and when the
+Americans take Ticonderoga that will be American too."
+
+"That's the way to talk, little maid," said a gruff voice, and the
+children turned quickly toward the door.
+
+"I didn't mean to listen," and a tall man, dressed in deerskin jacket
+and trousers, with moccasins, and wearing a fur cap, stepped into the
+shop, resting his musket against the wall near the door. "Shouldn't
+have dared come in if I had not heard I was in good company," he said
+laughingly, his sharp eyes looking carefully about the shop.
+
+Nathan, with a half-muttered word of good-bye to the children, had
+started toward the door; but the newcomer's hand grasped his arm.
+
+"Wait a minute!" he said, swinging the boy about. "I'm not so sure
+about letting you start off so smart. You may head straight for the
+fort, for all I know. What's your name?"
+
+Nathan stood silent. His face flushed, but he looked the newcomer
+steadily in the face.
+
+"Let go of Nathan!" said Donald sturdily, clutching at the man's arm,
+and kicking at his legs. "This isn't your shop. You let go of him."
+
+"I guess I'd better," laughed the man, taking a firm hold of Donald
+and looking at both his captives in evident amusement. "Well, Philip
+Scott, what sort of a hornet's nest have you here?" he called out, and
+Faith turned around to see her Uncle Philip standing in the doorway.
+"I'll not let go these men until you promise to defend me," continued
+the stranger.
+
+"You are safe, Phelps," responded Mr. Scott, coming forward and, as
+Nathan and Donald were released, giving the stranger a cordial
+welcome. Nathan vanished without a word, but on Mr. Scott's saying
+that he was the son of Mr. Beaman of Shoreham, the stranger was
+reassured. It was evident he did not wish his arrival to become known
+at the fort.
+
+Faith heard the stranger say that he had come from Hartford, and that
+he would cross to the New Hampshire Grants as soon as he could safely
+do so.
+
+"I'd like to look in at Fort Ticonderoga if I could without the
+soldiers knowing it," she heard him say, and her uncle replied that it
+would be impossible.
+
+Faith was sure that this stranger was on some errand to the Green
+Mountain Boys, for he spoke of Remember Baker, and Seth Warner.
+
+"I'd like to take Colonel Allen a plan of the fort," she heard him
+say, as she helped Aunt Prissy prepare an early dinner for their
+visitor.
+
+Faith wished that she was grown up. Then, she was sure, she would dare
+to tell this stranger of the way up the cliff to the unguarded
+entrance. "He could go up this evening, and then he could tell Colonel
+Allen all about it," she thought, and before dinner was over she had
+resolved to find a way to tell him. But after a talk with Mr. Scott
+the visitor had declared he must get a few hours sleep. He said that
+he had been on the trail since very early that morning, and must be
+off again soon after sunset.
+
+"Run in the sitting-room, Faithie, and fix a cushion for Mr. Phelps,"
+said Aunt Prissy, and the little girl started obediently.
+
+"I'll tell him now," she resolved, and as the tall man followed her
+she said quickly: "I know how you can get into the fort and no one see
+you. It's a secret. I'll show you. But Uncle Phil won't let me if you
+tell him."
+
+"I'll not tell him. You are a brave child. Tell me quickly," responded
+the tall stranger.
+
+"There's a canoe under the big willow at the bottom of the field----"
+began Faith, but he interrupted.
+
+"Yes! Yes! I know. I am to cross the lake in it. But how can I get
+into the fort?"
+
+"I could show you. I can't tell you," answered Faith.
+
+"Then 'tis of small use. Harm might come to you, child," he answered,
+stretching himself out on the long settle with a tired sigh.
+
+Faith went slowly back to the kitchen. Here was the very chance she
+had so long hoped for, and this stranger would not let her attempt it.
+
+All that afternoon Faith was very quiet. She walked across the fields
+to the shore and looked at the big willow tree where the canoe was
+concealed. She looked off toward Mount Defiance, and Mount Hope,
+rising clearly against the sky, as if standing sentinels for Fort
+Ticonderoga.
+
+"I'll try, anyway," she said to herself, as she turned toward home.
+
+After supper she went early up-stairs. But she did not undress. She
+knew that her uncle would not go to the lake shore with his visitor,
+for that might attract the attention of some hunter or fisherman. It
+would not be long before Mr. Phelps would start. There was no time to
+lose. She put on her fur cap, and a knit jacket, and then peered out
+of the window. The sky was clear, and the moon made it almost as light
+as day. The sound of the falls came clearly through the quiet air.
+
+"He could find his way up the cliff as plainly as if it were
+daylight," thought Faith, as she turned from the window.
+
+She opened her door and closed it silently behind her. Her cousins
+were in bed, her uncle and aunt in the sitting-room with their
+visitor. Faith would have to pass the sitting-room door and go through
+the kitchen; the slightest noise would betray her. She had put on
+her moccasins, the ones Kashaqua had given her, and she stepped
+cautiously, without a sound. In a few moments she was safely
+out-of-doors and running across the field. She crouched down in the
+canoe and waited.
+
+Faith did not hear or see the stranger as he came toward the
+shore--not until he grasped the canoe to push it into the water.
+
+"King of Britain!" he whispered under his breath, when Faith spoke his
+name. "What are you doing here?"
+
+"I'm going to show you the way into the fort. Yes! 'Twill take not
+more than an hour or two. Then you can leave me here. 'Twill do me no
+harm, and you will tell Colonel Allen about the fort," said Faith, in
+a whisper.
+
+The man slid the canoe into the water. "You are well-named, Faith," he
+responded. "Well, 'tis a chance, and no man will harm a little maid,"
+and with a stroke of his paddle he sent the canoe clear of the willows
+and headed toward the fort.
+
+"Keep close to the shore," whispered Faith, peering anxiously ahead.
+
+Several hours later Faith stepped from the canoe, and said a whispered
+good-bye to the stranger, and watched the canoe dart off straight
+toward Shoreham. He had scaled the cliff, while Faith kept the canoe
+close under the alder bushes, entered the door of the fort, and
+skilfully made his way about the fortifications, determining the right
+place for an attack and assuring himself that the fortress contained
+valuable stores.
+
+As Faith stepped from the canoe the man tried to thank her.
+
+"Some day your Uncle Scott will hear of this, and be proud indeed of
+so brave a child," he said, "and I shall tell Colonel Allen your name,
+and of your courage. Be sure of that. You have helped the American
+cause more than a regiment of soldiers."
+
+Faith said over his words as she made her way across the fields. She
+recalled her first visit to the fort. "I'm glad those girls ran off
+that day," she thought, as she gently tried the back door. It was
+securely fastened. A low warning growl from "Scotchie" made her fear
+to lift a window. He would arouse the household. She stood on the
+steps, shivering a little in the sharp March wind. "I must get in
+without making a noise," she thought. But she could think of no way to
+accomplish it.
+
+In spite of her silence "Scotchie" realized that some one was outside.
+He barked, growled, and once or twice threw himself against the door.
+Then suddenly his growls stopped, and, before Faith had time to move,
+the kitchen door opened slightly and she heard her uncle say, "Who's
+there?" and knew that, musket in hand, he was awaiting her answer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+HOME AGAIN
+
+
+"Scotchie's" warning growl turned to a joyful greeting as Faith spoke
+his name.
+
+"Great Cæsar! Faith!" exclaimed her uncle, drawing her into the
+kitchen. "What on earth are you doing out-of-doors at this time of
+night?"
+
+"You locked the door," whimpered Faith.
+
+"But why did you not call out? We thought you went straight to bed,"
+said her uncle.
+
+"I went down to the shore----" began Faith, and then stopped suddenly.
+
+"Well, go straight to bed, and tell your aunt about it in the morning.
+She is fast asleep now."
+
+Faith was glad to obey. She was too tired and sleepy to be greatly
+troubled by what would happen in the morning. She had resolved that if
+Aunt Prissy questioned her she would tell the truth. But she hoped
+earnestly that in some way the secret could be kept even from her
+aunt and uncle, until Mr. Phelps should tell them.
+
+When she came down to breakfast it appeared that her uncle had only
+told Aunt Prissy that Faith had run out after supper, and, instead of
+calling and knocking until some one opened the door, had waited until
+"Scotchie's" bark had brought him to the door.
+
+Aunt Prissy was more surprised and alarmed at this news than Faith had
+expected. She cautioned Faith never to go out without telling some one
+of the family.
+
+"Why, some wolf or wildcat might have been about; or a party of
+Indians might have happened along and taken you off," she said. "And
+we should never have known what had become of you."
+
+Faith promised never again to leave the house without her aunt's
+permission, and was glad indeed that she had escaped without telling
+of her journey to the fort.
+
+"Aunt Prissy! Do you know what day this is?" she asked, so soberly
+that her aunt looked at her a little anxiously. "It is the very last
+day of March; it has been a warm and pleasant month, and my father has
+not come for me."
+
+"And are you so anxious to say good-bye to us, Faithie? You know that
+instead of your making a visit home your father has decided it is best
+for you to stay; not come back unless for a visit, until another
+autumn," responded Aunt Prissy.
+
+"Yes, I know. But why does he not come?" persisted Faith.
+
+"Perhaps to-day will bring him," Aunt Prissy answered hopefully.
+
+Faith came and stood close beside Aunt Prissy's chair. She wanted to
+say that she loved her cousins and uncle and Aunt Prissy very dearly;
+to tell her that she had been happy; and that it had been a beautiful
+visit; but that now she wanted to see her own dear mother more than
+anything else. But how could she say all this so that Aunt Prissy
+would understand?
+
+Aunt Prissy put down her knitting and drew the little girl into her
+lap.
+
+"There! Now tell me all about it, dear," she said, resting her face
+against Faith's yellow curls.
+
+And Faith told her all that she had been thinking; all that she had
+thought would be so difficult. And Aunt Prissy listened, saying, "Of
+course," and "Yes, indeed," from time to time, and understanding even
+more than Faith found words to tell.
+
+"Why, Aunt Prissy, it's almost like having two homes," concluded
+Faith.
+
+Before Aunt Prissy could answer there was the sound of voices in the
+kitchen, and Donald, closely followed by Mr. Carew, came into the
+room.
+
+"It's the very last day of March!" Faith reminded him.
+
+"And I came near not getting here to-day," her father replied, as
+Faith drew him to the big chair near the window, and climbed to a seat
+on his knees. "I was held up on the trail by a tall fellow, from
+Connecticut, as it proved. He was bound to make me own up that I was
+an English spy. I told him my name, and my errand, and when I spoke
+Faith's name, why, he was at once my best friend, told me of his visit
+at this house, and could not say enough in praise of my little
+daughter," responded Mr. Carew.
+
+"The Americans seem to be gaining courage," said Aunt Prissy. "The men
+of the Wilderness do not mean to let the other Colonies do all the
+fighting, I'm sure."
+
+"Indeed we'll do our part, Priscilla," her brother assured her.
+
+Faith told her father of the disappearance of Mr. Trent and Louise; of
+the quilting party, and of all the happenings since his November
+visit. But she did not tell him of guiding the Connecticut man to the
+pathway up the cliff to Fort Ticonderoga.
+
+It was evident that Mr. Phelps had kept the secret for some purpose of
+his own; so, much as she wanted her father to know, Faith resolved
+that she would not tell him. This secret did not worry and trouble her
+as the others had done. "I guess it's because this secret means
+helping somebody, and the others were just--well, just mean secrets,"
+Faith decided, as she thought it over.
+
+The next morning Faith and her father were ready to start at an early
+hour. Uncle Phil, Aunt Prissy, the boys and "Scotchie" walked with
+them to the shore.
+
+"You will come back when summer comes, won't you, Cousin Faith?" said
+Donald. "You'll come for a visit even if you don't stay and go to
+school."
+
+"I will if I can," Faith promised, "and when Louise comes back give
+her the blue beads, Aunt Prissy."
+
+"Yes, indeed, dear child," responded her aunt, wondering to herself if
+Louise and her father would ever again be seen in that vicinity. Then
+there were messages for Faith's mother, and not until she was in the
+canoe were the good-byes really said.
+
+The little group stood on the shore watching the canoe for some
+minutes, and then turned back toward the house. They were all very
+quiet, but as they reached the road Donald called out: "There's
+somebody on our door-step! Why, it is Louise! Yes, it is," and with a
+gay call he was off, running swiftly toward the house while the others
+hurried after him.
+
+"Where is Faith?" Louise asked eagerly, when Mrs. Scott had welcomed
+her, and they were in the big kitchen.
+
+"She's gone home," said Donald, before his mother could answer. But
+Mrs. Scott told the little girl of how much Faith had missed her, and
+of the string of blue beads that she had left to be given to Louise.
+
+It was evident that Louise was greatly disappointed to find that her
+friend had gone. But she fastened the beads about her neck, and
+touched them with loving fingers.
+
+"Faith was my very first friend," she said. "My father says that we
+have come back to stay," she added, "and perhaps Faith will come in
+the summer?" There was such a pleading, questioning look in the girl's
+dark eyes that Mrs. Scott felt a new tenderness and sympathy for her,
+and put her arm about Louise as she answered:
+
+"Perhaps she will. But you must come often and see me; for we shall
+both miss her very much."
+
+"Oh, may I, Mrs. Scott? I was afraid you wouldn't want me to come,"
+and Louise's face brightened.
+
+"Why, I am to help you with your studies, and Donald is to call for
+you when you begin school. Faith arranged all that," responded Mrs.
+Scott smilingly.
+
+Faith was silent as the canoe went swiftly across the lake, and they
+had nearly reached the shore before she began asking questions about
+"Bounce," whom her father declared to be now a "grown-up cat," and
+about all the familiar things about the house and mill.
+
+"Listen, father!" she said, as they landed, and he drew the canoe to
+its hiding-place in the alder bushes. "Hear the falls!" and for a
+moment the two stood quietly hearkening to the "Chiming Waters."
+
+Then Mr. Carew adjusted the pack, containing Faith's belongings,
+picked up his musket, without which no woodsman dared travel in those
+days, and they started up the trail.
+
+Everywhere were evidences that spring was near at hand. Many trees
+and shrubs were showing the delicate gray green of coming buds; and
+now and then the fragrance of the wild arbutus was in the air. Birds
+were busy; wood-thrushes and pewees were calling; now and then a
+golden-throated warbler sounded his clear note. The air was soft and
+warm for the season, and Faith was so happy in the thought of being
+really on her way home that she forgot for a time that Mr. Phelps had
+said that no American settler's home in the Wilderness could be safe
+until Fort Ticonderoga was held by American soldiers.
+
+"It's lovely to be going home, isn't it, father?" she said; and Mr.
+Carew smiled down at his little daughter, and agreed with her that
+nothing better could be desired.
+
+     "We shall see with glad surprise
+     Lilies spring, and verdure rise;
+     And soon, amidst the wilds, we'll hear
+     Murmuring waters falling clear,"--
+
+sang Mr. Carew softly.
+
+"Oh, that is mother's song," exclaimed Faith. "It just means home,
+doesn't it?" And again her father was quite ready to agree.
+
+They walked slowly up the rocky trail and when they reached the top of
+the first ridge they stopped to rest and eat the excellent lunch that
+Aunt Prissy had prepared for them. But Faith declared that she was not
+tired. It seemed to her that she could run all the way if her father
+would only permit. And when in the early afternoon she first heard the
+sound of the mill-stream she did run, until, out of breath, she had to
+rest on a moss-grown stump for her father to catch up with her.
+
+And then, in a short time, they were standing on the edge of the
+clearing. The brook was dancing and singing as if eager to welcome
+Faith; the sun shone warmly down on mill and cabin and running down
+the path came Mrs. Carew; while standing near the cabin was Kashaqua,
+in her gayest feathers, grunting and smiling.
+
+"Mother dear! Mother dear!" called Faith, as she ran forward and was
+held close in her mother's arms.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+FAITH WRITES A LETTER
+
+
+Kashaqua was evidently delighted to see Faith safely at home once
+more. She had brought a present for her little friend; and after Faith
+had talked to her mother, and yet, as she declared, had "not begun to
+tell her" all she had to tell, Kashaqua unrolled a soft bundle and
+spread out the skin of a black bear cub. It was hardly larger than the
+skin of a good-sized puppy; but the fur was so soft and glossy that
+Faith and her mother exclaimed admiringly over its beauty, and Faith
+said that she would take the greatest care of it. She questioned
+Kashaqua about "Nooski," the tame bear which had followed them on
+their journey to Ticonderoga.
+
+"Gone!" replied Kashaqua, and had no more to tell of the wild creature
+that she had tamed, and, suddenly, Kashaqua disappeared in her usual
+silent fashion without a sign or word of farewell.
+
+Faith was tired, and quite satisfied to rest on the big settle and
+talk to her mother, while "Bounce," steady and well-behaved, curled up
+on the hearth rug. Faith told her mother about Louise; about Caroline
+and Catherine and their mischief, and of the quilting party. She told
+her about Nathan Beaman, and of the skating on the lake, and how the
+English soldiers had extinguished the fire and spoiled their fun. But
+she did not tell her of the evening when she had guided Mr. Phelps up
+the moonlit lake to the foot of the cliff, and told him how to make
+his way into the fort. Some time, she resolved, her mother should know
+all about it; but she still felt that she must keep it a secret.
+
+Mrs. Carew asked many questions about the fort.
+
+"There is more travel over the trails than ever before," she told the
+little girl, "and we hardly know who are our friends. The English are
+sending their spies everywhere. Be very cautious, Faithie, and say
+nothing to any stranger that you have ever been near Fort Ticonderoga.
+This part of the country will not be safe until American soldiers take
+the place of the English in the fort."
+
+"Oh, mother dear, I hope they will soon. I wish that I could help take
+the fort."
+
+"Who knows but you may help in some way, when the right time comes,"
+her mother responded, smiling at her little daughter's eagerness.
+"Now, I am going out to get something for you. Something that you will
+like very much," she added, and left Faith alone.
+
+Faith closed her eyes, wondering happily what it was that her mother
+would bring. She thought of the caraway cookies, of the little round
+pies made of the dried pumpkin, and then a noise at the door made her
+open her eyes. For an instant she believed that she must be asleep and
+dreaming, for Esther Eldridge was standing in the door--Esther grown
+taller and stronger, with red cheeks and shining eyes.
+
+"Yes, it's really Esther," Mrs. Carew called over the little girl's
+shoulder, and Esther ran toward the settle as Faith started forward to
+meet her.
+
+"Isn't this a fine surprise?" Esther exclaimed. "I was so afraid you
+would hear about our living here before you got home."
+
+"Living here?" questioned Faith, looking so puzzled that both Mrs.
+Carew and Esther laughed aloud.
+
+"Yes! yes, indeed! My father and mother and I," answered Esther
+delightedly.
+
+"But where? I have been up-stairs, and all over the house and I didn't
+see anybody, or anything," said Faith.
+
+"Oh, we live in our own house--a house just like this; or it will
+be just like this when it is all finished," and Esther told of her
+father's decision to bring his family to the Wilderness to live. He
+had purchased a grant of land adjoining that held by Mr. Carew soon
+after Esther's visit in September. The timber for the cabin had been
+cut early in the winter, and the cabin begun, and now it was nearly
+finished. "We moved last week," said Esther, "and you can see our
+house from your back door."
+
+Faith forgot all about being tired and ran to the back door to look.
+Yes, there it was; the big new cabin, near the path down which Ethan
+Allen had led her home, when, angry at Esther, she had run off to the
+woods.
+
+"Isn't it splendid! Oh, Esther, it is the very best thing that ever
+happened," Faith declared; "isn't it, mother dear?"
+
+Mrs. Carew was quite ready to agree with her little daughter. "Good
+neighbors was the only thing we really lacked," she agreed, "and
+perhaps others will come when there is better protection for their
+safety."
+
+The two little friends had much to tell each other, and when Esther
+started for home Faith walked with her as far as the mill. From the
+mill the new cabin could be clearly seen.
+
+"Do you remember asking me if I listened to the brook?" Esther asked
+laughingly, as they stood looking at the dancing waters of the stream.
+"Well, I know now just what you meant. It's company, isn't it?"
+
+Then Faith told her of the "Chiming Waters" of Ticonderoga, and of
+some of the old tales of the lake that her aunt and Nathan had
+related.
+
+"Did you see the English soldiers?" questioned Esther.
+
+"Oh, yes." And Faith described the skating party on the lake that the
+redcoats had interfered with. "I wish I could see Ethan Allen, as I
+did that day in September, and tell him all about the fort and the
+soldiers, and ask him to drive the English away. My father says that
+Colonel Allen could drive them away," said Faith.
+
+"Of course he could! My father says so, too," agreed Esther. "Would it
+not be a fine thing for us to send him a letter, Faith, and ask him?"
+
+"Oh, Esther! That's just what I thought of. But we ought to do it
+right away, for more soldiers are coming to the fort, Nathan Beaman
+says, and then it won't be so easy," responded Faith.
+
+The two little girls talked earnestly. They both knew of the cave on
+the rocky slope near Lake Dunmore, and that messages were sometimes
+left there for the settlers. But Lake Dunmore was a long distance
+away.
+
+"It would take all day to go and get back," said Esther, "and our
+mothers would never let us go; you know they wouldn't."
+
+"One of us ought to go to-morrow," answered Faith, "but how can we
+plan it?"
+
+"I know! I know!" declared Esther. "I'll ask your mother if you may
+come for a visit, and then you'll go home at night. Some time you
+can tell her all about it," concluded Esther as she noticed Faith's
+serious and doubtful expression.
+
+"And what will you do? Don't you mean to go with me?" asked Faith.
+
+"Oh, yes! I'll tell my mother I am going to spend the day with you.
+Then we'll start off in good season, and we'll get home before our
+mothers miss us," said Esther.
+
+"Faith! Faith!" and Mrs. Carew's voice sounded through the clear air.
+
+"I must run back now. I'll write the letter to-night and be over near
+your house as early as I can in the morning," said Faith.
+
+"Hide behind the big pine," said Esther, and the two friends, greatly
+excited over their project, separated and ran toward their respective
+homes.
+
+It was not easy for Faith to write the letter, for she would have to
+ask her mother for the quill pen, and the bottle of ink, made from the
+juice of the pokeberry. But in the early evening, while her mother was
+busy, Faith secured the quill and ink and a sheet of the treasured
+paper and wrote her letter:
+
+     "Dear Mr. Colonel Ethan Allen," she wrote. "Will you please send
+     the English soldiers away from Fort Ticonderoga? Nathan Beaman,
+     who lives at Shoreham, will show you how to get in. Please send
+     them soon, or more will come.
+
+          "Respectfully your friend,
+
+                "FAITH CAREW."
+
+She had time to fold and seal the letter with the big stick of red
+wax, softening the wax before the sitting-room fire. A moment later
+and her mother came in, saying she had best go to bed and get a good
+night's rest.
+
+"May I spend to-morrow, all day, with Esther?" asked Faith, as her
+mother went up-stairs with her, and feeling her face flush with the
+consciousness of not telling her mother all the truth.
+
+"Your very first day at home, dear child! Why, I should be running
+over to Mrs. Eldridge's every hour to make sure that you were really
+within reach," responded her mother.
+
+"Oh, mother, you wouldn't!" said Faith, so earnestly that Mrs. Carew
+smiled reassuringly and said:
+
+"Well, perhaps not every hour. But if you want to spend the day with
+Esther you may. 'Tis not as if you were going back to Aunt Prissy in a
+week."
+
+"And you won't come to Mrs. Eldridge's at all, will you, mother dear?"
+pleaded Faith. "I'll be safe, and I'll come home early."
+
+"You shall do as you like, dear child. I know you will do nothing but
+what will please me," and Mrs. Carew leaned over to kiss Faith
+good-night.
+
+"Oh, dear," Faith whispered to herself guiltily, as her mother went
+down the stairs. "Here is another secret, the biggest of all. But I
+can't tell mother."
+
+The song of the brook seemed louder than ever before to the little
+girl that night, as she lay watching the April stars shine through her
+window. She remembered that her mother had said that perhaps a little
+girl could help. "Mother dear is sure to be glad when she knows that
+Colonel Allen had to be told about Nathan," thought Faith; and then
+the brook's song grew softer and softer and she was fast asleep.
+
+Faith was down-stairs the next morning almost as soon as her father
+and mother. She had on her brown dress and her moccasins, and the
+letter was safely hidden in her pocket. She could hardly keep still
+long enough to eat her breakfast.
+
+"Esther wanted me to come early, mother dear, and I promised,"
+she urged; so her mother bade her be off, and stood in the door
+and watched the little girl run down the slope, feeling a little
+disappointed that Faith should be so eager to be with Esther instead
+of remaining at home.
+
+But early as it was Faith found Esther waiting for her.
+
+"Did you bring anything to eat?" asked Esther.
+
+"I never thought of it!" replied Faith, "and I don't believe I could,
+anyway."
+
+"Well, I thought of it. I have a fine square of corn cake, a piece of
+cold venison, and a square of molasses cake," said Esther, holding up
+a small basket. "Now, creep along on the edge of the trail until we
+are well up the ridge. Then we can walk as we please."
+
+Faith obeyed. She thought to herself how fortunate it was that Esther
+had come to live in the Wilderness, and that she was ready to help
+carry the message.
+
+"Isn't it lovely in the woods!" said Esther, as they reached the
+summit of the ridge, and turned to look back down the winding trail.
+"Father said this morning that the spring was early, and 'tis surely
+warm as summer."
+
+As they rested for a little while on a bank of firm green moss Faith
+told Esther of "Nooski's" sudden appearance when she and Kashaqua
+were on their journey to the lake.
+
+"Goodness!" exclaimed Esther, peering anxiously into the underbrush.
+"I hope we shan't see any bears to-day, not even a tame one."
+
+The sun was high in the April skies when the two little girls came in
+sight of Lake Dunmore. The trail led near the lake; and Esther was
+very sure that she knew just where to look for the cave.
+
+"It's near a big pine tree, and you can only see rocks. Father showed
+me when we came from Brandon," she said.
+
+The little girls were very tired and hungry, and Faith suggested that
+they should eat their luncheon and rest before searching for the cave.
+
+"I wish I had brought more corn bread," said Esther, when they had
+finished the last morsel of the food.
+
+"It's lucky you brought as much as you did," responded Faith. "We'd
+better begin looking for the cave now."
+
+It was hard work climbing up the rocky hillside, and it did not
+seem such an easy matter to locate the cave as Esther had expected.
+They peered under rocks, and climbed over ledges, and were nearly
+discouraged when a sudden noise made Faith grasp Esther's arm with a
+whispered "Hush"; for almost in front of them, apparently coming
+directly out of the hillside, appeared the head and shoulders of a
+man. But they were too near to conceal themselves or to try and run
+away.
+
+"Great Cæsar's Ghost!" exclaimed the man, crawling out from the cave.
+"Two little maids! Where did you come from?"
+
+Faith's hold on Esther's arm tightened. "Don't tell. Don't answer his
+questions," she whispered, remembering her mother's caution about
+strangers, and thinking perhaps this might be an English spy who had
+discovered the cave.
+
+"Where are the others?" asked the man.
+
+Esther looked questioningly at Faith, but neither of them spoke.
+
+The man's stern face softened as he looked at the two little figures.
+He realized they must be the children of some settler in the
+Wilderness--perhaps children who had wandered too far from home and
+lost their way.
+
+"You need not be afraid to speak," he said smilingly. "Perhaps I know
+your fathers. Tell me your names."
+
+Faith was quite sure that this was a question which could be safely
+answered, so both the little girls spoke their names, and instantly
+the man responded by saying:
+
+"Then you," and he nodded to Faith, "are Miller Carew's daughter. I
+know your father well. Tell him Seth Warner has been in Salisbury and
+is now starting back to Bennington. But how come you this distance
+from home?"
+
+Both Faith and Esther knew that Seth Warner was a friend of the
+settlers, and before he had finished speaking Faith was quite ready
+to tell him their errand and to give the note for Colonel Allen into
+his hands.
+
+He listened in evident amazement to the story of their morning's
+journey, for he well knew the dangers of the wilderness trail.
+
+"I will go with you to within sight of your homes," insisted their
+new friend, "and I shall not forget to tell Colonel Allen of your
+courage."
+
+"Will he come soon and take the fort?" asked Faith.
+
+"More quickly for your help than without it, little maid. But go not
+so far from home again," Mr. Warner answered, with a kindly smile.
+
+It was sunset, and Mr. Carew was starting to bring Faith home from her
+visit to Esther, when he saw his little daughter coming down the path.
+She walked so slowly that her father hastened to meet her.
+
+"I'm so tired, father," she said. "Couldn't you carry me home?"
+
+"Of course I can," and he lifted her in his arms and, anxious and
+worried by her pale face and evident fatigue, hurried toward the
+house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE CAPTURE OF THE FORT
+
+
+It was noon the next day when Faith awoke; and although she was quite
+ready to dress and go down-stairs, her mother thought it best for her
+to stay in bed.
+
+Faith wondered to herself if Esther's feet ached as hers did; and,
+more than this, she was anxious to know if their parents had any idea
+of where she and Esther had spent the previous day.
+
+"There will be so much for me to tell mother," she thought, a little
+uneasily, hoping that soon she would again have no secrets to conceal.
+
+When Faith came down-stairs she found Esther waiting to see her;
+and, in response to Faith's questioning look, she nodded and smiled
+reassuringly. Esther had brought over her English grammar, for it had
+been decided that the two little girls were to study together two
+hours each day; one day at Faith's house, and the next at Esther's.
+
+"It's all right; our mothers don't know. But what made you so tired?"
+said Esther, as soon as the girls were alone.
+
+Faith shook her head. "I don't know. I do hope we can tell all about
+it soon. I've a great mind to tell mother now."
+
+"You mustn't. Don't you remember? Mr. Warner said that soon he would
+tell our fathers, and they would be proud of us. But if we tell them
+now they won't be proud; they will be vexed, and maybe punish us. Wait
+until Colonel Allen tells them that you helped him. Then 'twill be all
+right," advised Esther, and Faith agreed, a little doubtfully.
+
+It was difficult for the two little girls to fix their minds on their
+lessons that day, and for many days to come. They both watched the
+trail, each day expecting to see some messenger who would bring news
+that Colonel Allen was in possession of Fort Ticonderoga; but April
+passed, and Esther declared that she did not believe the Americans
+wanted the fort.
+
+"I am going to tell my mother everything. All about our going to Lake
+Dunmore, and my letter, and something else," declared Faith.
+
+It was one day early in May, and she and Esther were coming up from
+Beaver meadow, where they had been watching the little creatures,
+who Were very active and did not seem to fear the two little figures
+at the edge of the woods. The beavers were building a dam; they had
+dragged trees to the side of the stream, and it seemed a very
+wonderful thing to Esther when she saw the beavers sink one end of
+these stakes, while others raised and fastened the other end, twisting
+in the small branches of the trees, and plastering mud over all with
+their feet and tails. She was thinking to herself that there were more
+strange things to see in the Wilderness in one day than in a whole
+year in a village, when she felt Faith seize her arm and say
+laughingly:
+
+"You haven't heard a word. Now, listen! I am going to tell my mother."
+
+The little girls were now in sight of the clearing, and, before Esther
+could answer, Faith stopped suddenly and exclaimed:
+
+"Look, Esther! There's a man just leaving the mill, and running up the
+trail as fast as he can go. A stranger."
+
+Quite forgetting beavers and secrets the two little girls ran toward
+the house. "There's my father," said Esther as they reached the door.
+
+Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge were both in the kitchen of the Carew house, and
+none of the elder people appeared to notice the two girls.
+
+Mr. Carew was loading his musket, and Faith's mother was packing a
+knapsack with provisions.
+
+"Here are the children," said Mrs. Eldridge, as she turned toward the
+door; and then Esther saw that her father was waiting for Mr. Carew.
+
+"Faithie dear, your father is going to Castleton," said Mrs. Carew,
+fastening the knapsack, and in a moment Faith was held close in her
+father's arms, and then the two men were off, striding down the trail.
+
+"Are they going to take Ticonderoga?" Faith questioned eagerly.
+
+The two women looked at her in surprise, but Mrs. Carew answered
+quickly:
+
+"Of course they are. Americans are guarding the trail, so we are safe
+enough at present. But neither of you girls must go beyond the
+clearing."
+
+"When shall we know about the fort, mother? When will we know?" asked
+Faith.
+
+"Soon, I hope, child. But talk not of it now," responded her mother.
+
+But after a little Mrs. Eldridge told them that a messenger had come
+from Bennington, summoning the settlers to Castleton to meet Colonel
+Allen. Faith and Esther listened to the story of the far-off battle
+of Lexington, in Massachusetts, the news of which had determined the
+Green Mountain Boys to make an immediate attack on the fort. These men
+were the settlers of the New Hampshire Grants, living long distances
+apart, and obliged to travel over rough trails, through deep forests,
+across rivers and mountains.
+
+There were no smooth roads or fleet horses to help them on their way;
+there was little time for preparation when Allen's summons came; they
+had no uniforms, no strains of music; but no truer soldiers ever faced
+danger than the Green Mountain Boys.
+
+That night Faith told her mother the story of her adventure in the
+fort, when Nathan had rescued her and taken her down the cliff. She
+told of the evening in March when she had guided Mr. Phelps along the
+moonlit shore of the lake and told him of the entrance to the fort;
+and last of all she described her journey with Esther over the trail
+to Lake Dunmore, and the letter to Ethan Allen which she had given to
+Seth Warner.
+
+Mrs. Carew listened in amazement; but she had no word of blame for
+Faith. She realized the dangers the child had so unknowingly faced
+with a sense that her little girl had been guarded by a protection
+greater than any by which she could have surrounded her; and she
+wondered, too, if it were not possible that Faith might not really
+have helped in the great undertaking for which her father was ready to
+give all that he had to give.
+
+"Mother dear, I despise secrets," Faith whispered, as she finished the
+story, "and I mean never to have another one."
+
+Three days later Mr. Carew came swinging across the clearing. He waved
+his cap in the air as Faith came running to meet him.
+
+"Ticonderoga is ours," he called, "and the English prisoners are on
+their way to Hartford. And so it was you, little maid, who helped
+Phelps to a plan of the fort, and told Ethan Allen of young Beaman!"
+
+"Did it help, father? Did it help?" Faith asked eagerly.
+
+"Help? Indeed it did. Young Beaman led the way to the fort, and we
+were in without firing a shot. And Colonel Allen and his men hold the
+fort," replied Mr. Carew.
+
+He could stay for but a few hours, as he was carrying the news to the
+settlements. It was several days before he was at home again, and told
+them more fully of Allen's triumph, and of the capture of Crown Point
+by Seth Warner and his followers.
+
+Toward the last of May Aunt Prissy, accompanied by Nathan Beaman,
+arrived at the log cabin, and Faith heard the story of Louise's
+arrival at Ticonderoga.
+
+"Her father has been taken a prisoner to Hartford, and Louise will
+stay with me," Aunt Prissy said. "I will adopt her for my own daughter
+if her father consents."
+
+"I do hope he will," said Faith, glad indeed to know that her friend
+was safe.
+
+"And so my little Faith did help take the fort after all, thanks to
+Nathan," said Aunt Prissy, smiling down at her little niece.
+
+"'Twas Faith who really helped, for she told Colonel Allen about me,"
+Nathan added handsomely.
+
+All this made Faith a very happy little girl; but when, a few weeks
+later, a messenger brought her a letter from Ethan Allen himself, she
+felt that no other little girl in all the American Colonies could be
+as proud as Faith Carew. She confessed to her mother that, after all,
+some secrets were worth keeping. Colonel Allen invited her to make a
+visit to the fort, and it was arranged that her father should take her
+to Ticonderoga and that she should stay for a few days with Aunt
+Prissy.
+
+So once again she went over the trail and crossed the lake, and on a
+pleasant June morning with her father and Aunt Prissy, she stood again
+at the entrance to Fort Ticonderoga. This time she was not left alone,
+as on her first visit, a frightened deserted child. For it was Colonel
+Allen himself, tall and handsome, who met the little party at the
+entrance and escorted them about the fortifications.
+
+"'Faith,'" he said kindly, as he bade them good-bye, "'tis indeed the
+best of names for a little American girl; a name that I shall ever
+remember."
+
+Faith was very quiet as they walked toward home. She was thinking to
+herself of all the happy experiences of the past weeks; and not until
+she saw Louise waiting for her at Aunt Prissy's gate did her face lose
+its serious expression. She ran ahead of the others and called out:
+"Louise! Louise! You will be Aunt Prissy's little girl, won't you?
+Because then you'll really be an American."
+
+Louise nodded happily.
+
+"Yes; and father is going to be an American, too. Didn't Aunt Prissy
+tell you?" she responded; "and it's all because you were my friend,
+Faith," she added more soberly, as the two girls entered the house,
+and stood hand in hand at the door where, but a few months ago, Louise
+had entered a ragged, unhappy child.
+
+"We'll always be friends, shan't we!" said Faith, and Louise earnestly
+responded:
+
+"Always."
+
+
+
+
+The stories in this series are:
+
+ A LITTLE MAID OF PROVINCE TOWN
+ A LITTLE MAID OF MASSACHUSETTS COLONY
+ A LITTLE MAID OF NARRAGANSETT BAY
+ A LITTLE MAID OF BUNKER HILL
+ A LITTLE MAID OF TICONDEROGA
+ A LITTLE MAID OF OLD CONNECTICUT
+ A LITTLE MAID OF OLD MAINE
+ A LITTLE MAID OF OLD NEW YORK
+ A LITTLE MAID OF OLD PHILADELPHIA
+ A LITTLE MAID OF VIRGINIA
+ A LITTLE MAID OF MARYLAND
+ A LITTLE MAID OF MOHAWK VALLEY
+ A LITTLE MAID OF MONMOUTH
+ A LITTLE MAID OF NANTUCKET
+ A LITTLE MAID OF VERMONT
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
+
+Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors;
+otherwise, every effort has been made to remain true to the author's
+words and intent.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Little Maid of Ticonderoga, by 
+Alice Turner Curtis
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LITTLE MAID OF TICONDEROGA ***
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+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Little Maid Of Ticonderoga, by Alice Turner Curtis.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
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+
+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's A Little Maid of Ticonderoga, by Alice Turner Curtis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+Author: Alice Turner Curtis
+
+Illustrator: Wuanita Smith
+
+Release Date: September 29, 2008 [EBook #26723]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LITTLE MAID OF TICONDEROGA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by D Alexander, Juliet Sutherland and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 323px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="323" height="500" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+
+<h1>A Little Maid of<br />
+Ticonderoga</h1>
+
+<h4>BY</h4>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Alice Turner Curtis</span></h3>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">AUTHOR OF</span></p>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Province Town&#8221;</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Massachusetts Colony&#8221;</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Narragansett Bay&#8221;</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Bunker Hill&#8221;</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Old Connecticut&#8221;</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Old Philadelphia&#8221;</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Old Maine&#8221;</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Old New York&#8221;</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">&#8220;A Little Maid of Virginia&#8221;</span></p>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Illustrated by Wuanita Smith</span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 103px;">
+<img src="images/002.jpg" width="103" height="100" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<h3>THE PENN PUBLISHING<br />
+COMPANY PHILADELPHIA</h3>
+<p class="center">1929</p>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<p class="center">COPYRIGHT<br /> 1917 BY<br /> THE PENN<br /> PUBLISHING<br /> COMPANY</p>
+
+<p class="ispace">&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 103px;">
+<img src="images/003.jpg" width="103" height="100" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="center">A Little Maid of Ticonderoga</p>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 332px;">
+<img src="images/frontis.jpg" class="jpg ispace" width="332" height="500" alt="&#8220;MY NAME IS ETHAN ALLEN&#8221;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&#8220;MY NAME IS ETHAN ALLEN&#8221;</span>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<h2><a name="Introduction" id="Introduction"></a>Introduction</h2>
+
+<p>This is the story of a little girl whose home was among the Green
+Mountains of Vermont, then known as &#8220;The Wilderness,&#8221; at the beginning
+of the American Revolution; and at the time when Ethan Allen and his
+brave soldiers were on guard to defend their rights. Ethan Allen was
+the friend of Faith, the heroine of the story, whose earnest wish to
+be of help is fulfilled. She journeys from her Wilderness home across
+Lake Champlain to Ticonderoga, and spends a winter with her aunt and
+cousin near Fort Ticonderoga. Here she learns a secret about the fort
+that is of importance later to Ethan Allen&#8217;s &#8220;Green Mountain Boys.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There are two very interesting bears in this story. Like the earlier
+volumes of this series, &#8220;A Little Maid of Province Town,&#8221; &#8220;A Little
+Maid of Massachusetts Colony,&#8221; &#8220;A Little Maid of Narragansett Bay,&#8221;
+and &#8220;A Little Maid of Bunker Hill&#8221;&mdash;the present volume introduces the
+heroes of American history and tells of famous deeds and places of
+which all American children should know.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<h2>Contents</h2>
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" width="70%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" summary="CONTENTS">
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">I.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Esther and Bruin</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#A_Little_Maid_of_Ticonderoga">9</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">II.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Faith Makes a Promise</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">22</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">III.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">More Mischief</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">33</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">IV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">A New Plan</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">42</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">V.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Kashaqua</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">51</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">VI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Journey</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">59</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">VII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">New Friends</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">70</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">VIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Shoemaker&#8217;s Daughter</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">81</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">IX.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Louise</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">90</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">X.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Major&#8217;s Daughters</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">100</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Day of Adventure</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">110</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Secrets</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">119</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Louise Makes a Present</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">129</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XIV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Birthday</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">140</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XV.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">New Adventures</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">150</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XVI.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Louise Disappears</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">161</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XVII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Faith Again visits the Fort</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">172</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XVIII.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Home Again</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">184</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XIX.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">Faith Writes a Letter</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">194</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td align="right">XX.</td>
+<td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Capture of the Fort</span></td>
+<td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">208</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="A_Little_Maid_of_Ticonderoga" id="A_Little_Maid_of_Ticonderoga"></a>A Little Maid of Ticonderoga</h2>
+
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>ESTHER AND BRUIN</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Faith Carew</span> was ten years old when Esther Eldridge came to visit her.
+Faith lived in a big comfortable log cabin on one of the sloping
+hillsides of the Green Mountains. Below the cabin was her father&#8217;s
+mill; and to Faith it always seemed as if the mill-stream had a gay
+little song of its own. She always listened for it when she awoke each
+morning.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder if Esther will hear what the brook sings?&#8221; thought Faith as
+she drew on her moccasin slippers and dressed as quickly as she could,
+for her mother had already called her twice, and Faith had just
+reached the top of the stairs when the third call of, &#8220;Faith! Faith! I
+shall not keep your porridge hot another instant,&#8221; sounded from the
+kitchen.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>&#8220;I&#8217;m coming, mother dear,&#8221; the little girl called back, and hurried
+down the stairs, wondering to herself why grown people who could
+always do exactly as they pleased should think it best to rise before
+the sun was really up.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your father was off to the mill an hour ago,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew,
+setting a bowl of steaming porridge on the end of the table beside a
+narrow window, &#8220;so you will have to eat your porridge alone.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith sat down at the table, looking out through the open window
+toward the mill.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I do hope Esther Eldridge and her father will come to-day,&#8221; she said.
+&#8220;Do you think they will, mother dear?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, child; they will probably arrive before sunset. Your father
+expected them yesterday. It will be a fine thing for you to have a
+little girl for a companion. But she is a village child, and may not
+be happy in the Wilderness,&#8221; responded Mrs. Carew.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>&#8220;Why, of course she will like being here! Just think, she has never
+seen wheat ground into flour! And she can see that in our mill; and
+she has always walked on real roads, and here she will not even see a
+road; and I know many pleasant paths where we can walk, and I can
+tell her the names of different trees and flowers. I&#8217;m sure she will
+think the Wilderness a fine place,&#8221; said Faith, nodding her head so
+that her yellow curls seemed to dance about her face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hope they make the journey from Brandon safely. Your father has
+been told that the Indians have been troublesome to the settlers near
+Lake Dunmore; and besides that, there are many bears coming out into
+the clearings these fine autumn days. But Mr. Eldridge is a good shot,
+and I am seeking trouble in naming Indians or bears. Finish your
+breakfast, Faithie, and run to the garden and bring me in the ripest
+of the pumpkins; for I must make some cakes for our company.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Carews lived in a log house on a slope of cleared ground running
+down to the mill-stream. There were no roads, only rough trails, and
+they had no near neighbors. Faith&#8217;s father had a large grant of land,
+a &#8220;New Hampshire Grant,&#8221; it was called, which ran toward the eastern
+shore of Lake Champlain. Faith had no playmates, and when Mr.
+Eldridge, of the town of Brandon, had sent word that he was coming to
+see Mr. Carew on business and would <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span>bring his small daughter with
+him, Faith had been overjoyed and had made many plans of what she
+would do to entertain her visitor.</p>
+
+<p>Faith finished her breakfast, and helped her mother clear the table
+and wash the dishes, and then went up the slope to where a number of
+fine pumpkins and squashes, growing among the corn, were ripening in
+the early September sunshine. She looked about carefully, and selected
+a yellow pumpkin. &#8220;This is about as large as my head,&#8221; she said aloud,
+&#8220;and I guess it is about the same color,&#8221; and she ran back to the
+house carrying the pumpkin, which Mrs. Carew set to bake in the brick
+oven beside the fireplace.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;When it is baked may I fix the shell for a work-basket for Esther?&#8221;
+asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, indeed,&#8221; answered Mrs. Carew smilingly. &#8220;Your Aunt Prissy was
+greatly pleased with the one you gave her when she visited here last
+autumn.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wish I could go to Ticonderoga and visit Aunt Prissy,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, so you shall some day. But &#8217;tis a troublesome journey, since one
+must be set across the strait,&#8221; replied her mother.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> &#8220;But look, child!
+Can it be that Mr. Eldridge has arrived at this early hour?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, indeed. I see his little girl! Look, mother! Father has lifted
+her down from the horse; and Mr. Eldridge is walking, too! Oh, mother!
+See the fine hat she has on!&#8221; and Faith ran to the open door to get a
+better look at the little girl who was walking so slowly up the path
+to the log house.</p>
+
+<p>In a moment the little girl looked up toward the open door and Faith
+waved her hand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She didn&#8217;t wave back, mother dear,&#8221; exclaimed Faith, and then the
+travelers were close at hand, and Mrs. Carew was greeting the tall,
+grave-faced man and welcoming Esther.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My little girl was so tired that we stopped for the night at your
+neighbor Stanley&#8217;s house, five miles east,&#8221; said Mr. Eldridge; &#8220;and
+that is why we are in good season this morning.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>While Mr. Eldridge was speaking Esther held fast to her father&#8217;s
+hand, her large black eyes fixed on Mrs. Carew. Faith looked at her
+admiringly, wishing that her own eyes were black, and that her feet
+were small like Esther&#8217;s, and that she had a hat with a wide scarlet
+ribbon.
+</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span>&#8220;Esther, this is Faith,&#8221; she heard her mother say, &#8220;and she will try
+and make you so happy here that you will wish to stay all winter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The two little girls smiled shyly, and Esther let go her clasp on her
+father&#8217;s hand and followed Mrs. Carew into the pleasant kitchen. Faith
+watched her eagerly; she wondered why Esther looked about the big room
+with such a curious expression. &#8220;Almost as if she did not like it,&#8221;
+thought Faith.</p>
+
+<p>The little gray kitten came bouncing out from behind the big wood-box
+and Esther gave a startled exclamation.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just &#8216;Bounce,&#8217;&#8221; said Faith, picking up the kitten and smoothing
+its pretty head. &#8220;I named it &#8216;Bounce&#8217; because it never seems to walk.
+It just bounces along.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Esther smiled again, but she did not speak. Faith noticed that she was
+very thin, and that her hands looked almost like little brown shadows.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Are you tired?&#8221; she asked, suddenly remembering that she had heard
+her father say that &#8220;Mr. Eldridge&#8217;s little maid was not well, and he
+thought the change would do her good.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Esther nodded.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> &#8220;Yes, I&#8217;m always tired,&#8221; she answered, sitting down in
+the low wooden rocker beside the light stand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;For pity&#8217;s sake, child, we must see to it that you are soon as strong
+and well as Faith,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew, untying the broad scarlet ribbon
+and taking off Esther&#8217;s hat. She smoothed back the dark hair with a
+tender hand, remembering that Esther&#8217;s own mother was not well, and
+resolving to do her best for this delicate child.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think the pumpkin is cooked by this time, Faithie. I&#8217;ll set it in
+the window to cool and then you can take out the pulp and I&#8217;ll make
+the cakes,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>Bounce jumped up in Esther&#8217;s lap, and Faith sat down on the braided
+rug beside her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to make the pumpkin shell into a work-basket for you,&#8221; said
+Faith. &#8220;Did you ever see a pumpkin-shell work-basket?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Esther shook her head. She did not seem much interested. But she asked
+eagerly: &#8220;Are the pumpkin cakes sweet?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, indeed. You shall have one as soon as they are baked; may she
+not, mother dear?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, yes; only if Esther is not well it may not be wise for her to
+eat between meals,&#8221; responded Mrs. Carew.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>&#8220;Oh! But I eat cakes whenever I want them,&#8221; declared Esther, &#8220;and I
+love sweets. I had a fine cake when I left home and I ate it all
+before we got to Lake Dunmore.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew thought to herself that she did not wonder Esther was
+always tired and not strong. Esther did not say that the &#8220;fine cake&#8221;
+had been sent as a gift to Faith. But her face flushed a little, and
+she added, &#8220;I meant to bring the cake as a present; but I was hungry.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course you were,&#8221; agreed Faith quickly. &#8220;Is not the pumpkin cool
+enough to cut, mother dear?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; replied her mother, setting the yellow pumpkin on the table.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come and see me do it, Esther,&#8221; said Faith, and Esther, with a little
+sigh, left the comfortable chair and came and leaned against the
+table.</p>
+
+<p>With a sharp knife Faith cut a circle about the stem of the pumpkin
+and took it off, a little round, with the stem in the center. &#8220;That
+will be the work-box cover,&#8221; she explained, laying it carefully on a
+wooden plate. Then she removed the seeds and the pulp, putting the
+pulp in a big yellow bowl, and scraping the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>inside of the pumpkin
+shell. &#8220;There! Now when it dries a bit &#8217;twill be a fine work-box, and
+it is for you, Esther,&#8221; she said; but Esther was watching Mrs. Carew,
+who was beating up eggs with the pumpkin pulp.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do you put spices in the cakes?&#8221; she questioned eagerly. &#8220;How long
+before they will be baked?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith stood holding the yellow pumpkin shell, and looking at her
+visitor wonderingly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All she cares about is something to eat,&#8221; thought Faith, a little
+scornfully, setting the fine pumpkin shell on the table.</p>
+
+<p>Esther&#8217;s face brightened as she listened to Mrs. Carew&#8217;s description
+of pumpkin cakes, and of pumpkin pies sweetened with maple syrup.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think I must teach you to cook, Esther. I am sure you would soon
+learn,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess I wouldn&#8217;t be strong enough,&#8221; responded Esther in a listless
+tone, going back to the rocking-chair, without even a glance at
+Faith&#8217;s present.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come, Esther, let&#8217;s go down to the mill. I&#8217;ll show you the big wheel,
+and how father raises the water-gate,&#8221; suggested Faith, who was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>beginning to think that a visitor was not such a delightful thing,
+after all.</p>
+
+<p>Esther left her chair with a regretful sigh, and followed Faith
+out-of-doors.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Listen!&#8221; said Faith. &#8220;That rippling, singing noise is the brook.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Esther laughed. &#8220;You&#8217;re funny,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Why should I listen to a
+noisy old mill-stream?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I thought perhaps you&#8217;d like to hear it. I do. Sometimes, just as I
+go to sleep, I hear it singing about the stars, and about little foxes
+who come down to drink, and about birds....&#8221; Faith stopped suddenly,
+for Esther was laughing; and as Faith turned to look at her she
+realized that Esther cared nothing about the music of the stream.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I do believe you are silly,&#8221; Esther responded. &#8220;Do you think your
+mother will bake the cakes and pies while we are away?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; replied Faith dully. Only that morning she had said to herself
+how nice it would be to have a girl friend to talk with, but if Esther
+thought she was &#8220;silly&#8221;&mdash;why, of course, she must not talk. &#8220;I&#8217;ll let
+her talk,&#8221; resolved Faith.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p><p>For a few moments the two little girls walked on in silence, then
+Esther said suddenly: &#8220;Does your mother ever let you boil down maple
+molasses for candy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sometimes,&#8221; replied Faith.</p>
+
+<p>Esther slipped her little brown hand under Faith&#8217;s arm. &#8220;Ask her to
+let us make candy this afternoon. Do. Tell her it will keep me from
+being lonesome. For my father will be going to Ticonderoga as soon as
+dinner is over; he will be gone for days. Will you ask her, Faith?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, I&#8217;ll ask her,&#8221; Faith answered.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know I&#8217;m going to have a fine visit,&#8221; declared Esther, with more
+interest than she had shown since her arrival. &#8220;Does your mother ever
+bake little pies, in saucers, for you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Faith, still resolved to say no more than was necessary.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! Doesn&#8217;t she? That&#8217;s too bad. I wish I had asked her to. Then we
+could play keep-house in the afternoon, and have the pies to eat. Will
+your mother make pies again to-morrow?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>Esther did not care much about the mill. She hardly glanced at the big
+water-wheel, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>was eager to get back to the house. Several times
+she reminded Faith of her promise about the maple candy. Faith had
+expected that she and Esther would be the best of friends, but the
+time before dinner seemed very long to both the children.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after dinner Mr. Eldridge went on his way. He left his horse in
+Mr. Carew&#8217;s care, as he was to walk to the shore of Lake Champlain and
+trust to good fortune to find a canoe or boat in which he could cross
+the narrow strait to Ticonderoga. He would not return for a week, and
+he seemed greatly pleased that his little daughter was so contented to
+be left with her new friends.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She is an only child, like your own little maid,&#8221; he said to Mrs.
+Carew, &#8220;and I am glad they are to be friends.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They all walked down the slope with him, and watched him striding off
+along the rough path.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s going to fetch me some rock-candy,&#8221; said Esther as they turned
+back to the house.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew stopped at the mill, and the two little girls went back to
+the house.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>&#8220;We&#8217;ll make the maple candy now, shan&#8217;t we?&#8221; said Esther, as they
+reached the kitchen door. &#8220;See, the kettle is all clean, and I know
+where the molasses jug is,&#8221; and before Faith could remind her that she
+had not yet asked permission, Esther was dragging the heavy jug from
+the pantry.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, look out, Esther. You&#8217;ll spill it,&#8221; cautioned Faith, running to
+help her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, I won&#8217;t. Here, help me turn it into the kettle and get it over
+the fire before your mother comes back,&#8221; urged Esther, and the two
+girls lifted the jug and turned the maple syrup into the kettle.
+&#8220;There, that will make a lot of candy,&#8221; said Esther. &#8220;You stir up the
+fire and put on more wood.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith obeyed. She hardly knew what else she could do, although she was
+sure that her mother would not want them to use all the syrup for
+candy. As she piled on the wood, she heard a scrambling noise at the
+door, and a sudden scream from Esther: &#8220;Faith! Faith! A bear! A bear!&#8221;
+and looking over her shoulder she saw a big brown bear coming in
+through the kitchen door.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>FAITH MAKES A PROMISE</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">For</span> a second Faith was too frightened to move. Then pulling one of the
+newly kindled sticks from the fire she hurled it at the big creature
+and ran for the stairs, up which Esther was already hurrying.</p>
+
+<p>The flaming brand halted the bear for a second only, but the little
+girls had reached the upper floor before he was well into the kitchen,
+and, sniffing the molasses, he turned toward the empty jug and the
+full kettle.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What shall we do? What shall we do?&#8221; sobbed Esther. &#8220;He will come up
+here and eat us. I know he will.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We must get out of the window and run to the mill,&#8221; whispered Faith.
+&#8220;We mustn&#8217;t wait a minute, for mother dear may be on her way to the
+house. Come,&#8221; and she pushed Esther before her toward the window.
+&#8220;Here, just take hold and swing yourself down,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t, oh, I can&#8217;t,&#8221; sobbed Esther.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>&#8220;You must. I&#8217;ll go first, then;&#8221; and in a moment Faith was swinging
+from the windowsill, had dropped to the ground, and was speeding down
+the path to the mill, while Esther, frightened and helpless, leaned
+out screaming at the top of her voice.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew was just leaving the mill when she saw Faith racing toward
+her. &#8220;A bear! A bear in our kitchen,&#8221; she called.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hugh!&#8221; called Mrs. Carew, and Mr. Carew came running from the mill to
+hear the story.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s lucky I keep a musket at the mill,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Here, you take
+Faith into the mill and fasten the door on the inside. I&#8217;ll attend to
+the bear,&#8221; and he was off, racing toward the house, while Mrs. Carew
+hurried Faith into the mill and shut the heavy door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I do hope Esther will stay in the chamber until your father gets
+there,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew anxiously. &#8220;I do not believe the bear will
+venture up the stairs.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He was after the syrup,&#8221; said Faith, &#8220;and if he tried the stairs
+Esther could drop out of the window.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was not long before they heard the loud report of the musket.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>&#8220;Mayn&#8217;t we open the door now, mother dear?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not yet, Faithie. We&#8217;ll wait a little,&#8221; and Faith realized that her
+mother&#8217;s arm trembled as she drew the girl to her side.</p>
+
+<p>There was silence for what seemed a very long time to Mrs. Carew and
+Faith, and then they heard Mr. Carew calling; &#8220;All right, open the
+door. Here is Esther safe and sound.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Esther, sobbing and trembling, clung to Mrs. Carew, and Faith held
+tight to her father&#8217;s hand while he told the story. The bear, with his
+nose in the kettle of syrup, had not even heard Mr. Carew&#8217;s approach,
+and had been an easy mark.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll find your kitchen in a sad state, Lucy,&#8221; said Mr. Carew, as he
+finished. &#8220;I have dragged the bear outside, and he will furnish us
+some fine steaks, and a good skin for a rug; but your kettle of syrup
+is all over the floor.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Kettle of syrup?&#8221; questioned Mrs. Carew. &#8220;Why, there was no kettle of
+syrup.&#8221; Neither of the little girls offered any explanation. Mr. Carew
+looked about the clearing to see if any <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>other bear was in the
+neighborhood, but it was evident that the creature had come alone.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis not often they are so bold,&#8221; said Mr. Carew, as they neared the
+cabin, &#8220;although last year an old bear and two cubs came down by the
+mill, but they were off before I could get a shot at them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew looked about her kitchen with a little feeling of dismay.
+The kettle had been overturned, and what syrup the bear had not eaten
+was smeared over the hearth and floor. The little rocking-chair was
+tipped over and broken, and everything was in disorder.</p>
+
+<p>Esther looked into the kitchen, but Mrs. Carew cautioned her not to
+enter. &#8220;You and Faith go to the front door and go into the
+sitting-room,&#8221; she said. &#8220;There is nothing that either of you can do
+to help;&#8221; so Faith led the way and pushed open the heavy door which
+led directly into a big comfortable room. The lower floor of the cabin
+was divided into two rooms, the sitting-room and kitchen, and over
+these were two comfortable chambers. The stairs led up from the
+kitchen.</p>
+
+<p>Faith thought the sitting-room a very fine place. There was a big
+fireplace on one side of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>the room, and the walls were ceiled, or
+paneled, with pine boards. On one side of the fireplace was a broad
+wooden settle, covered with a number of fur robes, and several big
+cushions. Between the two front windows stood a table of dark wood,
+and on the table were two tall brass candlesticks. A small narrow
+gilt-framed mirror hung over the table.</p>
+
+<p>There were several strongly-made comfortable wooden chairs with
+cushions. The floor was of pine, like the ceiled walls, and was now a
+golden brown in color. There were several bearskin rugs on the floor,
+for Mr. Carew, like all the men of the &#8220;Wilderness,&#8221; was a hunter; and
+when not busy in his mill or garden was off in the woods after deer,
+or wild partridge, or larger game, as these fine skins proved.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What a funny room,&#8221; exclaimed Esther, with a little giggle. &#8220;Our
+sitting-room has beautiful paper on the walls, and we have pictures,
+and a fine carpet on the floor. What are you going to tell your mother
+about that maple syrup?&#8221; she concluded sharply.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; responded Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, don&#8217;t tell her anything,&#8221; suggested Esther.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>&#8220;I guess that I shall have to tell her,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You mean about me? That I teased you to make candy? Well, if you do
+that I&#8217;ll get my father to take me home with him instead of staying
+until he comes next month,&#8221; declared Esther.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shan&#8217;t tell anything about you,&#8221; answered Faith.</p>
+
+<p>Esther looked at her a little doubtfully.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course I shan&#8217;t,&#8221; repeated Faith. &#8220;You are my company. No matter
+what you did I wouldn&#8217;t talk about it. Why, even the Indians treat
+visitors politely, and give them the best they have, and that&#8217;s what I
+shall do,&#8221; and Faith stood very straight and looked at Esther very
+seriously.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Truly? Truly? What is the &#8216;best&#8217; you have? And when will you give it
+to me?&#8221; demanded Esther, coming close to her and clasping her arm. &#8220;Is
+it beads? Oh! I do hope it is beads! And you can&#8217;t back out after what
+you have said,&#8221; and Esther jumped up and down in delight at the
+thought of a possible string of fine beads.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment it seemed as if Faith would <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>burst into tears. She had
+meant to tell Esther that she would do her best to be kind and polite
+to her because Esther was a guest, and now Esther was demanding that
+Faith should do exactly as she had promised and give her &#8220;the best she
+had.&#8221; And it happened that Faith&#8217;s dearest possession was a string of
+fine beads. Aunt Priscilla Scott, who lived in Ticonderoga, had
+brought them as a gift on her last visit. They were beautiful blue
+beads,&mdash;like the sky on a June day,&mdash;and Faith wore them only on
+Sundays. They were in a pretty little wooden box in the sitting-room
+closet.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly Esther let go of Faith&#8217;s arm. &#8220;I knew you didn&#8217;t mean it,&#8221;
+she said scornfully.</p>
+
+<p>Faith made no reply. She walked across the room and pushed a brass
+knob set in one of the panels. The panel opened, and there was a
+closet. The little wooden box that held the beads was on the middle
+shelf. Faith took it up, closed the door, and turned toward Esther.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here! This is the best thing I have in all the world, the prettiest
+and the dearest. And it is beads. Take them,&#8221; and she thrust the box
+into Esther&#8217;s eager hands and ran out of the room. She forgot the dead
+bear, the wasted <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span>syrup, the danger and fright of so short a time ago;
+all she could think of was to get away from Esther Eldridge.</p>
+
+<p>She ran across the clearing and along a narrow path that circled
+behind the mill into the woods. She ran on and on until she could no
+longer hear the sound of the brook, and the path began to grow rocky
+and difficult. Then, tired and almost breathless, Faith sat down on a
+big rock and looked about her. For a few moments she could think of
+nothing but her lost beads, and of the disagreeable visitor. Then
+gradually she realized that she had never before been so far along
+this rough path. All about her rose huge, towering pines. Looking
+ahead the path seemed to end in a dense thicket. She heard the rustle
+of some little forest animal as it moved through the vines behind her,
+and the call of birds near at hand. Faith began to recall the
+happenings of the morning: the excitement of Esther&#8217;s arrival, the
+sudden appearance of the bear in the kitchen doorway, her terror lest
+her mother should come before she could be warned; and then, again,
+Esther and the loss of her beads. She began to cry. She felt very
+tired and unhappy. She felt Esther <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>was to blame for everything, even
+for the appearance of the bear. Never before had a bear dared come to
+the house. Faith leaned back against a friendly tree with a tired
+little sigh. She would rest, and then go home, she thought, and closed
+her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>When she awoke, she thought she must still be dreaming; for, standing
+a little way down the path, was a tall man leaning on a musket. He
+wore a flannel blouse, and his homespun trousers were tucked into high
+leathern gaiters.</p>
+
+<p>The man smiled and nodded. &#8220;Do not be frightened, little maid,&#8221; he
+said in a friendly voice. &#8220;I did not want to leave you here in the
+woods until I was sure that you could make your way home. Are you
+Miller Carew&#8217;s little girl?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, sir,&#8221; answered Faith, wondering who this tall, dark-eyed man,
+who knew her father, could be, and then adding, &#8220;My name is Faith.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The tall man smiled again, and took off his leather cap.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My name is Ethan Allen,&#8221; he responded; &#8220;it may be that you have heard
+your father speak of me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span>&#8220;Yes, sir! You are a Green Mountain Boy; and you help the settlers to
+keep their &#8216;Grants,&#8217;&#8221; Faith replied quickly; for she had often heard
+her father and mother speak of the trouble the settlers were having to
+prove their titles to land taken under the &#8220;New Hampshire Grants,&#8221; and
+she remembered hearing her father say that Ethan Allen would help any
+man defend his rights. She wished that she could tell him all about
+Esther Eldridge and the blue beads, but she remembered her promise. &#8220;I
+guess there are times when people don&#8217;t have any rights,&#8221; she decided,
+and was quite unconscious that she had spoken aloud until she heard
+her companion say very clearly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There can never be such a time as that. People would be slaves indeed
+not to uphold their just and rightful claims. But why is a small maid
+like yourself troubling about &#8216;rights&#8217;?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have company at my house&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; began Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see, I see!&#8221; interrupted Colonel Allen. &#8220;Of course you have to let
+the guest do whatever she pleases,&#8221; and he smiled and nodded, as if he
+understood all about it.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> &#8220;And now we had best start toward your
+father&#8217;s mill, for it is well toward sunset.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sunset? Have I slept all the afternoon!&#8221; exclaimed Faith, jumping up.</p>
+
+<p>As they walked down the path Ethan Allen asked Faith many questions
+about the people who came along the trail from the settlements on
+their way to Lake Champlain.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached the clearing where the mill stood Faith&#8217;s father and
+mother came running to meet them. They welcomed Mr. Allen, and said
+that they had been sadly worried about Faith. &#8220;But where is Esther?&#8221;
+asked Mrs. Carew. &#8220;Is she not with you, Faith?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I left her in the sitting-room, hours ago!&#8221; answered the little girl.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>MORE MISCHIEF</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8216;<span class="smcap">Hours</span> ago,&#8217;&#8221; repeated Mrs. Carew. &#8220;Why, dear child, it is only an
+hour since Esther came up from the mill with the dishes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith looked so bewildered that her mother exclaimed: &#8220;Why, child!
+Have you forgotten that you and Esther had your dinner at the mill?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I did not have any dinner,&#8221; declared Faith. &#8220;It was not dinner
+time when I ran off and left Esther in the sitting-room. I&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; and
+then Faith stopped suddenly. She resolved that she would not tell her
+mother that she had given Esther the blue beads,&mdash;not until Esther was
+found.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>&#8220;Well, I declare. Esther came into the kitchen just as I was preparing
+dinner, and asked if you girls could not have a picnic dinner at the
+mill, and I was well pleased to let you. I put some cold meat and
+bread, a good half of pumpkin pie and some of the pumpkin cakes in a
+basket, and gave her a pitcher of milk, and off she went. An hour ago
+she came in to ask for a lunch and I gave her a good piece of molasses
+cake. Your father was busy skinning the bear, and we gave but little
+thought to you children. But when I called your name, and found
+neither of you at the mill, I became alarmed. But where can Esther be
+now?&#8221; concluded Mrs. Carew, looking anxiously about the clearing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Go back to the house with Faith and give the child something to eat.
+Colonel Allen and I will search the mill again,&#8221; said Mr. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m tired,&#8221; said Faith, as they reached the house, &#8220;and I don&#8217;t like
+Esther.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hush, Faithie. She is your guest. And if she has wandered into any
+harm or danger I do not know what we can say to Mr. Eldridge,&#8221;
+responded her mother; &#8220;but I do not understand about the food,&#8221; she
+added, half to herself, wondering if Esther could really have eaten it
+all.</p>
+
+<p>Faith looked about the kitchen. &#8220;It looks just the same. Just as if
+the bear had not come in,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span>Mrs. Carew brought her a bowl of milk and a plate of corn bread, and
+another plate with two of the pumpkin cakes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll run back to the mill while you eat your supper, Faithie, and see
+if Esther has been found. When I come back you must tell me what you
+were turning syrup into the kettle for.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith was hungry, but as she ate her bread and milk she felt very
+unhappy. She remembered her promise to Esther not to tell Mrs. Carew
+about the syrup.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what I shall do,&#8221; she said aloud. &#8220;I guess I&#8217;ll go and
+rest on the settle until mother dear comes,&#8221; so she opened the door
+and entered the sitting-room. As she lay back among the cushions of
+the settle she heard a faint noise from the further side of the room.
+&#8220;I guess it&#8217;s &#8216;Bounce,&#8217;&#8221; she thought.</p>
+
+<p>Then the noise came again: &#8220;Gr-r-r! Gr-rrr!&#8221; Faith sat up quickly. She
+wondered if another bear had made its way into the house. The big
+black bearskin rug in front of the table was moving; it was standing
+up, and coming toward the settle.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s you, Esther Eldridge! You can&#8217;t frighten me,&#8221; said Faith, and
+Esther dropped <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>the rug from her shoulders and came running toward the
+settle. Her black eyes were dancing, and she was laughing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! I&#8217;ve had the greatest fun! I ate all your dinner, and I hid under
+that bearskin and your mother and father hunted everywhere for me.
+Where have you been?&#8221; concluded Esther, looking down at Faith. The
+little girls did not notice that, just as Esther began speaking, Mrs.
+Carew had opened the sitting-room door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been way off in the woods, and my mother has asked me to tell
+her about the maple syrup,&#8221; replied Faith accusingly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, Esther!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Both the girls gave an exclamation of surprise at the sound of Mrs.
+Carew&#8217;s voice. &#8220;You may go to the mill and tell Mr. Carew that you are
+safe, and then come directly back,&#8221; she said a little sternly, and
+stood by the door until Esther was on her way. Then she crossed over
+to the settle and sat down beside Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will not ask you about the syrup, Faithie dear,&#8221; she said,
+smoothing Faith&#8217;s ruffled hair.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> &#8220;And you had best go up-stairs to bed.
+I will have a talk with Esther, and then she will go to bed. It has
+been a difficult day, has it not, child? But to-morrow I trust
+everything will go pleasantly, without bears or trouble of any sort.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But Esther will be here,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Never mind; I think Esther has made mischief enough to-day to last
+all her visit,&#8221; responded Mrs. Carew; and Faith, very tired, and
+greatly comforted, went up to her pleasant chamber which Esther was to
+share. She wondered to herself just what her mother would say to
+Esther. But she did not stay long awake, and when Esther came
+up-stairs shortly after, very quietly, and feeling rather ashamed of
+herself after listening to Mrs. Carew, Faith was fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>But Esther did not go to sleep. She wondered to herself what her
+father would say if Mrs. Carew told him of her mischief, and began to
+wish that she had not deceived Mrs. Carew about the dinner. She could
+feel her face flush in the darkness when she remembered what Mrs.
+Carew had said to her about truthfulness. Esther&#8217;s head ached, and she
+felt as if she was going to be ill. Down-stairs she could hear the
+murmur of voices. Ethan Allen would sleep on the settle, and be off at
+an early hour the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span>next morning. It seemed a long time before the
+voices ceased, and she heard Mr. and Mrs. Carew come up the stairs.
+Esther began to wish that she had not eaten the fine pumpkin pie and
+all the cakes. It was nearly morning before she fell asleep, and she
+was awake when Faith first opened her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s time to get up. It always is the minute I wake up,&#8221; said Faith
+sleepily.</p>
+
+<p>Esther answered with a sudden moan: &#8220;I can&#8217;t get up. I&#8217;m sick,&#8221; she
+whispered.</p>
+
+<p>Faith sat up in bed and looked at Esther a little doubtfully. But
+Esther&#8217;s flushed face and the dark shadows under her eyes proved that
+she spoke the truth.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell mother. Don&#8217;t cry, Esther. Mother will make you well before
+you know it,&#8221; said Faith, quickly slipping out of bed and running into
+the little passage at the head of the stairs.</p>
+
+<p>In a few moments Mrs. Carew was standing beside the bed. She said to
+herself that she did not wonder that Esther was ill. But while Faith
+dressed and got ready for breakfast Mrs. Carew smoothed out the
+tumbled bed, freshened the pillows and comforted their little visitor.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>&#8220;Run down and eat your porridge, Faithie, and then come back and sit
+with Esther,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>When Faith returned Mrs. Carew went down and brewed some bitter herbs
+and brought the tea for Esther to drink. The little girl swallowed the
+unpleasant drink, and shortly after was sound asleep. She had not
+awakened at dinner time, and Mrs. Carew was sure that she would sleep
+off her illness.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The child must be taught not to crave sweet foods,&#8221; she said, as she
+told Faith to run down to the mill and amuse herself as she pleased.
+&#8220;Only don&#8217;t go out of sight of the mill, Faithie,&#8221; she cautioned, and
+Faith promised and ran happily off down the path. She was eager to ask
+her father about Mr. Ethan Allen.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Carew was busy grinding wheat. There were few mills in the
+Wilderness, and nearly every day until midwinter settlers were coming
+and going from the mill, bringing bags of wheat or corn on horseback
+over the rough trail and carrying back flour or meal. When Mr. Carew
+had tied up the bag of meal and his customer had ridden away, he came
+to where Faith was sitting close by the open door and sat down beside
+her.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>&#8220;Why do you call Mr. Allen a &#8216;Green Mountain Boy&#8217;?&#8221; asked the little
+girl, after she had answered his questions about Esther; &#8220;he is a big
+man.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Carew smiled down at Faith&#8217;s eager face, and then pointed to the
+green wooded hills beyond the clearing. &#8220;It&#8217;s because he, and other
+men of these parts, are like those green hills,&mdash;strong, and
+sufficient to themselves,&#8221; he answered. &#8220;Every settler in the
+Wilderness knows that Ethan Allen will help them protect their homes;
+and no man knows this part of the country better than Colonel Allen.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why do you call him &#8216;Colonel&#8217;?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Because the Bennington people have given him that title, and put him
+in command of the men of the town that they may be of service to
+defend it in case King George&#8217;s men come over from New York,&#8221; replied
+her father; &#8220;but I do not know but the bears are as dangerous as the
+&#8216;Yorkers.&#8217; Do you think Esther will be quite well to-morrow?&#8221;
+concluded Mr. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>Faith was quite sure that Esther would soon be as well as ever. She
+did not want to talk about Esther. She wanted to hear more about <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>her
+friend Colonel Allen. &#8220;I heard him tell mother that he slept in a cave
+one night on his way here,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, yes; he can sleep anywhere. But you must talk of him no more
+to-day, Faithie,&#8221; answered Mr. Carew; &#8220;and here is &#8216;Bounce&#8217; looking
+for you,&#8221; he added, as the little gray kitten jumped into Faith&#8217;s lap.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>A NEW PLAN</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Esther</span> was much better the next morning, but she was not well enough
+to come down-stairs for several days, and when her father appeared he
+agreed with Mrs. Carew that the little girl was not fit to undertake
+the journey on horseback along the rough trail to Brandon.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew was able to assure him, however, that he need not be
+anxious about his little daughter, and he decided to go directly home,
+leaving Esther to regain health and strength in Mrs. Carew&#8217;s charge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will come for you the first Monday in October, three weeks from
+to-day,&#8221; he told Esther, &#8220;and you must mind Mrs. Carew in everything
+she bids you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Esther promised tearfully. She did not want to stay, but she resolved
+to herself, as she watched her father ride away, that she would do
+everything possible to please Mrs. Carew and make <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>friends with Faith.
+She could hardly bear to think of the first day of her visit.</p>
+
+<p>As she lay on the settle comfortably bolstered up with the soft
+pillows, and a little fire crackling on the hearth, Esther looked
+about the sitting-room and began to think it a very pleasant place.
+Faith brought all her treasures to entertain her little visitor. Chief
+of these was a fine book called &#8220;Pilgrim&#8217;s Progress,&#8221; with many
+pictures. There was a doll,&mdash;one that Faith&#8217;s Aunt Priscilla had
+brought her from New York. This doll was a very wonderful creature.
+She wore a blue flounced satin dress, and the dress had real buttons,
+buttons of gilt; and the doll wore a beautiful bonnet.</p>
+
+<p>Faith watched Esther a little anxiously as she allowed her to take
+Lady Amy, as the doll was named. But Esther was as careful as Faith
+herself, and declared that she did not believe any little girl that
+side of Bennington had such a beautiful doll.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think your Aunt Priscilla is the best aunt that ever was. She gave
+you this lovely doll, and your blue beads&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; Esther stopped
+suddenly. She had lost the beads, and she did not want to tell Faith.
+She had resolved to hunt <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span>for them as soon as possible, and give them
+back. She was sure she could find them when she could run about again.</p>
+
+<p>Faith did not look at Esther. She wished Esther had not reminded her
+of the beads. But Esther had been so grateful for everything that Mrs.
+Carew and Faith did for her that they had almost forgotten her
+mischief, and were beginning to like their little visitor.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, my Aunt Prissy is lovely,&#8221; said Faith. &#8220;She is a young aunt. Her
+hair is yellow and her eyes are blue; she can run as fast as I can,&#8221;
+and Faith smiled, remembering the good times she always had when Aunt
+Prissy came for a visit to the log cabin. &#8220;When I go to visit her I
+shall see the fort where the English soldiers are,&#8221; she added.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Colonel Ethan Allen could take the fort away from them if he wanted
+to; my father said so,&#8221; boasted Esther; and Faith was quite ready to
+agree to this, for it seemed to her that the tall, dark-eyed colonel
+could accomplish almost anything.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How would you and Faithie like to have your supper here by the fire?&#8221;
+asked Mrs Carew, coming in from the kitchen.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> &#8220;Faith can bring in the
+light stand and use her own set of dishes. And I will make you a fine
+dish of cream toast.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Both the little girls were delighted at the plan. And Faith ran to the
+kitchen and, with her mother&#8217;s help, brought in the stand and put it
+down in front of the settle. She spread a white cloth over it, and
+then turned to the closet, from which she had taken the blue beads,
+and brought out her treasured tea-set. There was a round-bodied,
+squatty teapot with a high handle, a small pitcher, a round
+sugar-bowl, two cups and saucers, and two plates. The dishes were of
+delicate cream-tinted china covered with crimson roses and delicate
+buds and faint green leaves.</p>
+
+<p>One by one Faith brought these treasures to the little table, smiling
+with delight at Esther&#8217;s exclamations of admiration.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My grandmother who lives in Connecticut sent me these for my last
+birthday present,&#8221; said Faith. &#8220;My Grandmother Carew, whom I have
+never seen. And they came from across the big salt ocean, from
+England.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;To think that a little girl in a log cabin should have such lovely
+things!&#8221; exclaimed <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>Esther. &#8220;I have a silver mug with my name on it,&#8221;
+she added.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew brought them in the fine dish of cream toast, and filled
+the china teapot with milk so they could play that it was a real
+tea-party. There were baked apples to eat with the toast, and although
+Esther longed for cake she did not speak of it, and, bolstered up with
+cushions, and Faith sitting in a high-backed chair facing her, she
+began really to enjoy herself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My father made this little table,&#8221; said Faith, helping Esther to a
+second cup of &#8220;tea,&#8221; &#8220;and he made these chairs and the settle. He came
+up here with Mr. Stanley years ago, and cut down trees and built this
+house and the barn and the mill; then he went way back where my
+grandmother lives and brought my mother here. Some day I am to go to
+Connecticut and go to school.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why don&#8217;t you come to Brandon and go to school?&#8221; suggested Esther.
+&#8220;Oh, do! Faith, ask your mother to let you go home with me and go to
+school this winter. That would be splendid!&#8221; And Esther sat up so
+quickly that she nearly tipped over her cup and saucer.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess I couldn&#8217;t,&#8221; replied Faith. &#8220;My mother would be lonesome.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>But Esther thought it would be a fine idea; and while Faith carried
+the dishes to the kitchen, washed them with the greatest care, and
+replaced them on the closet shelf, Esther talked of all the
+attractions of living in a village and going to school with other
+little girls.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I feel as well as ever,&#8221; declared Esther as the two little girls went
+to bed that night; &#8220;but I do wish your mother thought sweet things
+would be good for me. At home I have all I want.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mother says that is the reason you are not well,&#8221; answered Faith.
+&#8220;Hear the brook, Esther! Doesn&#8217;t it sound as if it was saying, &#8216;Hurry
+to bed! Hurry to bed!&#8217; And in the morning it is &#8216;Time to get up! Time
+to get up!&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are the queerest girl I ever knew. The idea that a brook could
+say anything,&#8221; replied Esther; but her tone was friendly. &#8220;I suppose
+it&#8217;s because you live way off here in the woods. Now if you lived in a
+village&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to live in a village if it will stop my hearing what the
+brook says. And I can tell you what the robins say to the young
+robins; and what little foxes tell their mothers; and I know how the
+beavers build their homes <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span>under water,&#8221; declared Faith, with a little
+laugh at Esther&#8217;s puzzled expression.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tell me about the beavers,&#8221; said Esther, as they snuggled down in the
+big feather-bed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Every house a beaver builds has two doors,&#8221; began Faith, &#8220;and it has
+an up-stairs and down-stairs. One of the doors to the beaver&#8217;s house
+opens on the land side, so that they can get out and get their
+dinners; and the other opens under the water&mdash;way down deep, below
+where ice freezes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How do you know?&#8221; questioned Esther, a little doubtfully.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father told me. And I have seen their houses over in the mill meadow,
+where the brook is as wide as this whole clearing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Before Faith had finished her story of how beavers could cut down
+trees with their sharp teeth, and of the dams they built across
+streams, Esther was fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Faith lay awake thinking over all that Esther had said about school;
+about seeing little girls and boys of her own age, and of games and
+parties. Then with a little sigh of content she whispered to herself:
+&#8220;I guess I&#8217;d be lonesome without father and mother and the brook.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>Mrs. Carew had heard Esther&#8217;s suggestion about Faith going to Brandon
+to go to school, and after the little girls had gone to bed she spoke
+of it to Faith&#8217;s father, as they sat together before the fire.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps we ought to send Faithie where she could go to school and be
+with other children,&#8221; said Mr. Carew, &#8220;but I hardly know how we could
+spare her.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>There was a little silence, for the father and mother knew that their
+pleasant home on the slope of the hillside would be a very different
+place without their little maid.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But of course we would not think of Brandon,&#8221; continued Faith&#8217;s
+father. &#8220;If we must let her go, why, her Aunt Priscilla will give her
+a warm welcome and take good care of the child; and the school at
+Ticonderoga is doubtless a good one.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Esther seems sorry for her mischief, but I should not wish Faith to
+be with her so far from home. Perhaps we had best send some word to
+Priscilla by the next traveler who goes that way, and ask her if Faith
+may go to her for the winter months,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>So, while Faith described the beaver&#8217;s home to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span>the sleepy Esther, it
+was settled that as soon as it could be arranged she should go to stay
+with her Aunt Priscilla in the village of Ticonderoga, across Lake
+Champlain, and go to school.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If &#8217;twere not that some stray Indians might happen along and make a
+bonfire of our house and mill we might plan for a month&#8217;s visit
+ourselves,&#8221; said Mr. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We must not think of it,&#8221; responded his wife. For the log cabin home
+was very dear to her, and at that time the Indians, often incited by
+the British in command of the forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point,
+burned the homes of settlers who held their land through grants given
+by the New Hampshire government.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;More settlers are coming into this region every year. We shall soon
+have neighbors near at hand, and can have a school and church,&#8221; said
+Mr. Carew hopefully. &#8220;Colonel Allen is not journeying through the
+wilderness for pleasure. He has some plan in mind to make this region
+more secure for all of us. Well, tell Faithie, if she has aught to say
+of going to Brandon, that she is soon to visit Aunt Priscilla. I doubt
+not &#8217;twill be best for the child.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>KASHAQUA</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Esther</span> did not find the blue beads; and when her father came for her
+she had not said a word to Faith about them.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Eldridge found his little daughter fully recovered from her
+illness, and in better health than when she came to the Wilderness.
+When she said good-bye Faith was really sorry to have her go, but she
+wondered a little that Esther made no mention of the beads, for Esther
+had been a model visitor since her illness. She had told Mrs. Carew
+the full story of the attempt to make maple candy, which the bear had
+interrupted, and she had claimed the pumpkin-shell work-box with
+evident delight. All these things had made Faith confident that Esther
+would return the beads before starting for home, and she was sadly
+disappointed to have Esther depart without a word about them.</p>
+
+<p>Esther had asked Mrs. Carew if Faith might not go to Brandon, and so
+Mrs. Carew had told <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>the little girls of the plan for Faith to go to
+her Aunt Priscilla in Ticonderoga for the winter and attend school
+there.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh! But that&#8217;s New York. Why, the &#8216;Yorkers&#8217; want to take all the
+Wilderness. I shouldn&#8217;t want to go to school with &#8216;Yorkers,&#8217;&#8221; Esther
+had responded, a little scornfully.</p>
+
+<p>For she had often heard her father and his friends talk of the
+attempts made by the English officials of New York to drive the
+settlers on the New Hampshire Grants from their homes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis not the people of New York who would do us harm,&#8221; Mrs. Carew had
+answered. &#8220;And Faith will make friends, I hope, with many of her
+schoolmates.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was a beautiful October morning when Esther, seated in front of her
+father on the big gray horse, with the pumpkin-shell work-box wrapped
+in a safe bundle swinging from the front of the saddle, started for
+Brandon. Their way for most of the journey led over a rough trail.
+They would pass near the homes of many settlers, then over the lower
+slopes of Mooselamoo Mountain, and skirt Lake Dunmore, and would then
+find themselves on a smoother road for the remainder of their journey.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>Faith walked beside the travelers to the edge of the wood and then the
+two little girls said good-bye.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll come again in the spring,&#8221; Esther called back.</p>
+
+<p>Faith stood watching them until the branches of the trees hid them
+from sight. The maples seemed to be waving banners of scarlet leaves,
+and the slopes of the Green Mountains were beautiful in the glory of
+autumn foliage. The sun shone brightly, the sky was as blue as summer,
+and as Faith turned to run swiftly along the path to the mill she
+almost wished that she too was starting for a day&#8217;s journey through
+the woods. The path ran along beside the mill-stream.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Faith that the brook was traveling beside her like a gay
+companion, singing as it went. The little girl had had so few
+companions, none except an occasional visitor, that she had made
+friends with the birds and small woodland animals, and found
+companionship in the rippling music of the stream. There was a fine
+family of yellow-hammers just below the mill that Faith often visited,
+and she was sure that they knew her quite well. She had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>watched them
+build their nest in the early spring; had seen them bring food to the
+young birds, and had sat close by the nest while the young birds made
+their first efforts to fly. She knew where a fine silver-coated fox
+made its home on the rocky hillside beyond the garden-slope, and had
+told her father that &#8220;Silver-nose,&#8221; as she had named the fox, knew
+that she was his friend, and would lie quite still at the entrance to
+its hole, while she would sit on a big rock not far distant.</p>
+
+<p>But Faith was not thinking of these woodland friends as she ran along
+toward the mill; she was thinking of what she had heard her father say
+to Mr. Eldridge that morning. &#8220;Tell Colonel Allen the men of the
+Wilderness will be ready whenever he gives the word,&#8221; Mr. Carew had
+said; and Mr. Eldridge had answered that it would not be long. Faith
+wondered what her father had meant, and if Colonel Allen would again
+visit the mill. She hoped he would, for he had seemed to know all
+about the woodland creatures, and had told Faith a wonderful story
+about the different months of the year. She thought of it now as she
+felt the warmth of the October sunshine.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>&#8220;October is stirring the fire now,&#8221; she called to her father, who was
+watching her from the door of the mill.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What do you mean by that, child?&#8221; asked her father, smiling down at
+Faith&#8217;s tanned face and bright eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis what Colonel Allen told me about the months. All twelve, every
+one of the year, sit about the fire. And now and then one of them
+stirs the fire, and that makes all the world warmer. July and August,
+when it is their turn, make it blaze; but the other months do not care
+so much about it. But once in a while each month takes its turn,&#8221;
+answered Faith. &#8220;That&#8217;s what Colonel Allen told me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis a good story,&#8221; said Mr. Carew. &#8220;Did your mother tell you that I
+have sent word to your Aunt Priscilla about your going to her house as
+soon as some trustworthy traveler going to Ticonderoga passes this
+way?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, father. But I am learning a good deal at home. Mother says I
+read as well as she did when she was my age. And I can figure in
+fractions, and write neatly. I do not care much about school,&#8221;
+answered Faith; for to be away <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>from her mother and father all winter
+began to seem too great an undertaking.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, indeed; your mother tells me you learn quickly. But &#8217;tis best
+for you to become acquainted with children of your own age. And you
+have never seen your cousins. Three boy cousins. Think of that. Why,
+your Aunt Prissy says that Donald is nearly as tall as you are; and he
+is but eight years old. And Hugh is six, and Philip four. Then there
+are neighbor children close at hand. You will play games, and have
+parties, and enjoy every day; besides going to school,&#8221; responded her
+father encouragingly.</p>
+
+<p>Then he told her of his own pleasant school days in the far-off
+Connecticut village where Grandmother Carew lived; and when Mrs. Carew
+called them to dinner Faith had begun to think that it would really be
+a fine thing to live with Aunt Priscilla and become acquainted with
+her little cousins, and all the pleasant, well-behaved children that
+her father described, with whom she would go to school and play games.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is nearly time for Kashaqua&#8217;s yearly visit,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> &#8220;I
+have knit a scarf for her of crimson yarn. She generally comes before
+cold weather. Don&#8217;t let her see your blue beads, Faith.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith did not make any answer. Kashaqua was an Indian woman who had
+appeared at the cabin every fall and spring ever since the Carews had
+settled there. When Faith was a tiny baby she had come, bringing a
+fine beaver skin as a gift for the little girl. She always came alone,
+and the family looked upon her as a friend, and always made a little
+feast for her, and sent her on her way laden with gifts. Not all the
+Indians of the Wilderness were friendly to settlers; and the Carews
+were glad to feel that Kashaqua was well disposed toward them. She
+often brought gifts of baskets, or of bright feathers or fine
+moccasins for Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hope she will come before I go to Aunt Prissy&#8217;s,&#8221; said Faith. &#8220;I
+like Kashaqua.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Kashaqua likes little girl.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Even Mr. Carew jumped at these words and the sudden appearance of the
+Indian woman standing just inside the kitchen door. She seemed pleased
+by their warm welcome, and sat down before the fire, while Faith
+hastened to bring her a good share of their simple dinner. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>Faith sat
+down on the floor beside her, greatly to Kashaqua&#8217;s satisfaction, and
+told her about Esther Eldridge&#8217;s visit, about the bear coming into the
+kitchen, and of how she had jumped from the window and run to the mill
+to tell her father. Kashaqua grunted her approval now and then.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And what do you think, Kashaqua! I am to go to my Aunt Priscilla
+Scott, to Ticonderoga, and stay all winter,&#8221; she concluded.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ticonderoga? When?&#8221; questioned Kashaqua, dipping a piece of corn
+bread in the dish of maple syrup.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am to go just as soon as some one goes over the trail who will take
+me,&#8221; answered Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I take you. I go to Ticonderoga to-morrow. I take you,&#8221; said
+Kashaqua.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE JOURNEY</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">Mother</span> dear, mother dear! Did you hear what Kashaqua says: that she
+will take me to Aunt Prissy&#8217;s to-morrow?&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>The Indian woman had turned quickly, and her sharp little eyes were
+fixed on Mrs. Carew&#8217;s face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You &#8217;fraid let leettle girl go with Kashaqua?&#8221; she said, a little
+accusing note in her voice.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, indeed. Kashaqua would take good care of Faith. I know that. But
+to-morrow&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; Mrs. Carew spoke bravely, but both Faith&#8217;s father and
+mother were sadly troubled. To offend the Indian woman would mean to
+make enemies of the tribe to which she belonged; and then neither
+their lives nor their property would be safe; and she would never
+forgive them if they doubted her by refusing to let Faith make the
+journey to Ticonderoga in her care.</p>
+
+<p>It was Faith who came to the rescue by declaring:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> &#8220;Oh, I&#8217;d rather go
+with Kashaqua than anybody. Mother dear, you said Aunt Prissy would
+see about my shoes and dresses. I don&#8217;t have to wait to get ready,&#8221;
+and Faith ran to her mother eager for her consent, thinking it would
+be a fine thing to go on a day&#8217;s journey through the woods with the
+Indian woman, and quite forgetting for the moment that it meant a long
+absence from home.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing could have pleased Kashaqua more than Faith&#8217;s pleading. The
+half-angry expression faded from her face, and she nodded and smiled,
+grunting her satisfaction, and taking from one of her baskets a pair
+of fine doeskin moccasins, which she gave to Faith. &#8220;Present,&#8221; she
+said briefly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are the prettiest pair I ever had!&#8221; said Faith, looking
+admiringly at their fringed tops, and the pattern of a vine that ran
+from the toes to insteps, stitched in with thread-like crimson and
+blue thongs.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is a fine chance for Faith to go to her Aunt Priscilla,&#8221; said Mr.
+Carew. &#8220;Do you know where Philip Scott lives, across Champlain?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Me know. Not great ways from Fort,&#8221; responded Kashaqua. &#8220;Me take
+leettle girl safe to Scott&#8217;s wigwam.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s right, Kashaqua,&#8221; said Mr. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then me come back to mill and get meal an&#8217; get pie,&#8221; said Kashaqua.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course. I will make you the finest pie you ever tasted,&#8221; said Mrs.
+Carew, with a little sigh of relief. For she had wondered how long it
+would be before they could get news that Kashaqua had kept her
+promise, and that Faith had reached her aunt&#8217;s house in safety.</p>
+
+<p>In the surprise and excitement of this new decision neither Faith nor
+her parents had much time to think about their separation. Although
+Aunt Priscilla was to see that Faith was well provided with suitable
+dresses, shoes, hat, and all that a little girl would need to wear to
+school and to church, there was, nevertheless, a good deal to do to
+prepare and put in order such things as she would take with her.
+Beside that Mrs. Carew meant to give the squaw a well-filled luncheon
+basket; so the remainder of the day went very quickly. Faith helped
+her mother, and talked gaily with Kashaqua of the good time they would
+have on the journey; while Kashaqua smoked and nodded, evidently quite
+satisfied and happy.</p>
+
+<p>When night came the Indian woman made <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>her preparations to sleep
+before the kitchen fire, and the Carews went up-stairs to bed. The
+mother and father lay long awake that night. While they assured each
+other that Faith would be perfectly safe, and that the Indian woman
+would defend the little girl from all danger, they could not but feel
+an uncertainty. &#8220;We can trust the strength and love that has protected
+us always to go with our little maid,&#8221; said Mr. Carew; &#8220;perhaps
+Kashaqua is the safest person we could find.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We must hope so; but I shall not draw a good breath until she is here
+again, and tells me Faithie is safe with Priscilla,&#8221; responded Mrs.
+Carew.</p>
+
+<p>The little household was awake at an early hour the next morning.
+Faith was to wear the new moccasins. She wore her usual dress of brown
+homespun linen. Faith had never had a hat, or a pair of leather shoes,
+and only the simplest of linen and wool dresses. She had never before
+been away from home, except for a day&#8217;s visit at the house of some
+neighboring settler. She knew that when she got to Aunt Prissy&#8217;s she
+would have a hat, probably like the one Esther Eldridge had worn,
+ribbons to tie <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>back her yellow curls, shining leather shoes, and many
+things that she had never before seen. She had thought a good deal
+about these things when planning for the journey, but now that the
+time was so near when she must say good-bye to her mother and father
+she forgot all about the good times in store, and wished with all her
+heart that she were not going.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t let Kashaqua see you cry, child,&#8221; her father whispered, seeing
+Faith&#8217;s sad face; so she resolutely kept back her tears.</p>
+
+<p>Breakfast was soon over. Kashaqua had stowed Faith&#8217;s bundle of
+clothing in one of her baskets and swung it over her shoulder. The
+basket of luncheon also was secured by stout thongs and hung across
+her back, and they were ready to start.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Be a good child, Faithie, dear,&#8221; whispered Mrs. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll fetch you home when it is April&#8217;s turn to stir the fire,&#8221; said
+her father smilingly, and Faith managed to smile back, and to say
+good-bye bravely, as she trudged down the path holding tight to
+Kashaqua&#8217;s brown hand.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I be back to-morrow night,&#8221; Kashaqua called back, knowing that would
+be a word of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>comfort to the white woman who was letting her only
+child go from home.</p>
+
+<p>Neither Faith nor Kashaqua spoke for some little time. At last Faith
+stopped suddenly and stood still, evidently listening. &#8220;I can&#8217;t hear
+the brook,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>Kashaqua nodded, and the two walked on through the autumn woods. But
+now Kashaqua began to talk. She told Faith stories of the wild animals
+of the woods; of the traps she set along the streams to catch the
+martens and otters; and of a bear cub that the children of her village
+had tamed. But it had disappeared during the summer.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The papooses catch birds and feed them,&#8221; she continued, &#8220;tame birds
+so they know their name, and come right to wigwam.&#8221; Faith listened
+eagerly, and began to think that an Indian village must be a very
+pleasant place to live.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where is your village, Kashaqua?&#8221; she asked.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You not know my village? Way back &#8217;cross Mooselamoo,&#8221; answered
+Kashaqua.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps I can go there some time,&#8221; suggested Faith. But Kashaqua
+shook her head.</p>
+
+<p>For several hours they walked steadily on <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>through the autumn woods.
+They climbed several rocky ridges, crossed brooks, and carefully made
+their way over a swampy stretch of ground. Faith was very tired when
+Kashaqua finally swung the baskets and bundles from her shoulders and
+declared that it was time to eat.</p>
+
+<p>The trail had led them up a hill, and as Faith, with a little tired
+sigh, seated herself on a moss-covered rock, she looked about with a
+little exclamation of wonder. Close beside the trail was a rough
+shelter made of the boughs of spruce and fir trees, and near at hand
+was piled a quantity of wood ready for a fire. There was a clearing,
+and the rough shelter was shaded by two fine oak trees.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Does somebody live here?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Traveler&#8217;s wigwam,&#8221; explained Kashaqua, who was unpacking the lunch
+basket with many grunts of satisfaction. &#8220;White men going down the
+trail to big road to Shoreham sleep here,&#8221; she added, holding up a
+fine round molasses cake in one hand and a roasted chicken in the
+other.</p>
+
+<p>Faith was hungry as well as tired, and the two friends ate with good
+appetite. Kashaqua repacked the basket with what remained of the food,
+and with a pleasant nod to Faith declared <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>she would &#8220;sleep a little,&#8221;
+and curled herself up near the shelter.</p>
+
+<p>Faith looked about the rough camp, and peered down the trail. She
+decided she too would sleep a little, and stretched herself out close
+beside Kashaqua, thinking that it was a wonderful thing to be so far
+from home,&mdash;nearly in sight of Lake Champlain, Kashaqua had told her,
+with an Indian woman for her guide and protector; and then her eyes
+closed and she was sound asleep.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Faith that she had not slept a minute before she awakened
+suddenly, and found that Kashaqua had disappeared. But she heard a
+queer scrambling sound behind her and sat up and looked around. For a
+moment she was too frightened to speak, for a brown bear was clawing
+the remainder of their luncheon from the basket, grunting and
+sniffing, as if well pleased with what he found.</p>
+
+<p>As Faith looked at him she was sure that this creature had dragged
+Kashaqua off into the woods, and that he might turn and seize her as
+soon as he had finished with the basket.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Kashaqua! Kashaqua!&#8221; she called hopelessly. &#8220;What shall I do? What
+shall I do?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span>There was a rustle of leaves close behind her and the Indian woman
+darted into the clearing. Without a word to Faith she ran straight to
+where the bear was crouched over the basket. Faith could hardly
+believe what she saw, for Kashaqua had seized the basket and pushed it
+out of the bear&#8217;s reach, and was now belaboring him with a stout piece
+of wood that she had seized from the pile by the shelter. As she hit
+the bear she called out strange words in the Indian tongue, whose
+meaning Faith could not imagine, but which the bear seemed to
+understand. The creature accepted the blows with a queer little
+whimper which made Faith laugh in spite of her fear. And when Kashaqua
+had quite finished with him he crept along beside her, looking up as
+if pleading for forgiveness.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Kashaqua! Is it the bear that your papooses tamed?&#8221; exclaimed
+Faith, remembering the story told her on the way.</p>
+
+<p>Kashaqua nodded, at the same time muttering words of reproach to the
+bear.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He like bad Indian, steal from friends,&#8221; she explained to Faith. &#8220;His
+name Nooski,&#8221; she added.</p>
+
+<p>Nooski was quite ready to make friends with <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span>Faith, but she was not
+yet sure of his good-nature. It seemed to the little girl that the
+bear understood every word Kashaqua uttered; and when they went on
+their way down the trail Nooski followed, or kept close beside them.</p>
+
+<p>It was still early in the afternoon when they reached level ground and
+Faith had her first glimpse of the blue waters of Lake Champlain and
+saw the heights of Ticonderoga on the opposite shore. For a moment she
+forgot Nooski and Kashaqua, and stood looking at the sparkling waters
+and listening to the same sound of &#8220;Chiming Waters&#8221; that had made the
+early French settlers call the place &#8220;Carillon.&#8221; She wondered if she
+should ever see the inside of the fort of which she had heard so much,
+and then heard Kashaqua calling her name.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Canoe all ready, Faith.&#8221; The Indian woman had drawn the birch-bark
+canoe from its hiding-place in the underbrush, and the light craft now
+rested on the waters of the lake. The baskets and bundles were in the
+canoe, and Kashaqua, paddle in hand, stood waiting for her little
+companion.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where&#8217;s Nooski?&#8221; asked Faith, looking about for the young bear.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>Kashaqua pointed toward the distant range of mountains which they had
+left behind them. &#8220;He gone home,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>Kashaqua told her how to step into the canoe, and how to sit, and
+cautioned her not to move. Faith felt as if the day had been a
+wonderful dream. As Kashaqua with swift strokes of her paddle sent the
+canoe over the water Faith sat silent, with eyes fixed on the looming
+battlements of the fort, on the high mountain behind it, and thought
+to herself that no other little girl had ever taken such a journey.</p>
+
+<p>Kashaqua landed some distance below the fort; the canoe was again
+safely hidden, and after a short walk across a field they reached a
+broad, well-traveled road. &#8220;&#8217;Most to Philip Scott&#8217;s house,&#8221; grunted
+Kashaqua. &#8220;You be glad?&#8221; and she looked down at the little girl with a
+friendly smile.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>NEW FRIENDS</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">An</span> Indian woman and a little girl with yellow hair are coming across
+the road, mother,&#8221; declared Donald Scott, rushing into the
+sitting-room, where his mother was busy with her sewing.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Scott hastened to the front door. &#8220;Oh, Aunt Prissy,&#8221; called
+Faith, running as fast as her tired feet could carry her, and hardly
+seeing the brown-haired little cousin standing by his mother&#8217;s side.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy welcomed her little niece, whom she had not expected to
+see for weeks to come, and then turned to thank Kashaqua. But the
+Indian woman had disappeared. The bundle containing Faith&#8217;s clothing
+lay on the door-step, but there was no trace of her companion. Long
+afterward they discovered that Kashaqua had started directly back over
+the trail, and had reached the Carews&#8217; cabin, with her message of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>Faith&#8217;s safe arrival at her aunt&#8217;s house, early the next morning.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come in, dear child. You are indeed welcome. Your father&#8217;s letter
+reached me but yesterday,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy, putting her arm about
+Faith and leading her into the house. &#8220;I know you are tired, and you
+shall lie down on the settle for a little, and then have your supper
+and go straight to bed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith was quite ready to agree. As she curled up on the broad sofa her
+three little cousins came into the room. They came on tiptoe, very
+quietly, Donald leading the two younger boys. Their mother had told
+them that Cousin Faith was tired after her long journey, and that they
+must just kiss her and run away.</p>
+
+<p>Faith smiled up at the friendly little faces as they bent over to
+welcome her. &#8220;I know I shan&#8217;t be lonesome with such dear cousins,&#8221; she
+said, and the boys ran away to their play, quite sure that it was a
+fine thing to have a girl cousin come from the Wilderness to visit
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Faith slept late the next morning, and awoke to hear the sound of rain
+against the windows. It was a lonesome sound to a little girl so far
+from her mother and father, and Faith was already <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>thinking to herself
+that this big house, with its shining yellow floors, its white window
+curtains, and its nearness to a well-traveled road, was a very dreary
+place compared to her cabin home, when her chamber door opened and in
+came her Aunt Prissy, smiling and happy as if a rainy day was just
+what she had been hoping for.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We shall have a fine time to-day, Faithie dear,&#8221; she declared, as she
+filled the big blue wash-basin with warm water. &#8220;There is nothing like
+a rainy day for a real good time. Your Uncle Philip and the boys are
+waiting to eat breakfast with you, and I have a great deal to talk
+over with you; so make haste and come down,&#8221; and Aunt Prissy, with a
+gay little nod, was gone, leaving Faith greatly cheered and wondering
+what the &#8220;good time&#8221; would be.</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Philip Scott was waiting at the foot of the stairs. &#8220;So here is
+our little maid from the Wilderness! Well, it is a fine thing to have
+a girl in the house,&#8221; he declared, leading Faith into the dining-room
+and giving her a seat at the table beside his own. &#8220;Did you have any
+adventures coming over the trail?&#8221; he asked, after Faith had greeted
+her little cousins.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>Faith told them of &#8220;Nooski&#8217;s&#8221; appearance, greatly to the delight of
+her boy cousins, who asked if the Indian woman had told Faith the best
+way to catch bear cubs and tame them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come out to the shop, boys,&#8221; said Mr. Scott as they finished
+breakfast, &#8220;and help me repair the cart, and fix &#8216;Ginger&#8217;s&#8217; harness.
+Perhaps Cousin Faith will come, too, later on in the morning.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll see. Faithie and I have a good deal to do,&#8221; responded Mrs.
+Scott.</p>
+
+<p>The boys ran off with their father, chattering gaily, but at the door
+Donald turned and called back: &#8220;You&#8217;ll come out to the shop, won&#8217;t
+you, Cousin Faith?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If Aunt Prissy says I may,&#8221; answered Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes; she will come,&#8221; added Aunt Prissy, with her ready smile.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Faith that Aunt Prissy was always smiling. &#8220;I don&#8217;t
+believe she could be cross,&#8221; thought the little girl.</p>
+
+<p>She helped her aunt clear the table and wash the dishes, just as she
+had helped her mother at home; and as they went back and forth in the
+pleasant kitchen, with the dancing flames from the fireplace
+brightening the walls and making <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>the tins shine like silver, Faith
+quite forgot that the rain was pouring down and that she was far from
+home.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am going to begin a dress for you this very day. It is some
+material I have in the house; a fine blue thibet, and I shall put
+ruffles on the skirt. That will be your Sunday dress,&#8221; said Aunt
+Priscilla, &#8220;and your father wrote me you were to have the best shoes
+that the shoemaker can make for you. We&#8217;ll see about the shoes
+to-morrow. Did you bring your blue beads, Faithie? But of course you
+did. They will be nice to wear with your blue frock. And I mean you to
+have a warm hood of quilted silk for Sunday wear.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith drew a long breath as her aunt finished. She wondered what Aunt
+Prissy would say if she told her about giving the blue beads to Esther
+Eldridge. But in the exciting prospect of so many new and beautiful
+things she almost forgot the lost beads. She had brought &#8220;Lady Amy,&#8221;
+carefully packed in the stout bundle, and Aunt Prissy declared that
+the doll should have a dress and hood of the fine blue thibet.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;When shall I go to school, Aunt Prissy?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>&#8220;I think the school begins next week, and you shall be all ready. I
+mean to make you a good dress of gray and scarlet homespun for school
+wear,&#8221; replied her aunt. &#8220;The schoolhouse is but a half-mile walk from
+here; a fine new cabin, and you and Donald may go together. I declare,
+the rain has stopped. &#8216;Rain before seven, clear before eleven&#8217; is a
+true saying.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith ran to the window and looked out. &#8220;Yes, indeed. The sky is blue
+again,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;d best run out to the shop a while now, Faithie. I&#8217;ll call you
+when &#8217;tis time,&#8221; said her aunt.</p>
+
+<p>Faith opened the kitchen door to step out, but closed it quickly, and
+looked around at her aunt with a startled face. &#8220;There&#8217;s a little bear
+right on the door-step,&#8221; she whispered.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A bear! Oh, I forgot. You have not seen &#8216;Scotchie,&#8217; our dog,&#8221; said
+Aunt Prissy. &#8220;No wonder you thought he was a bear. But he is a fine
+fellow, and a good friend. I often wish your dear father had just such
+a dog,&#8221; and she opened the door and called &#8220;Scotchie! Scotchie!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The big black Newfoundland dog came slowly into the room.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>&#8220;Put your hand on his head, Faith,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy, &#8220;and I&#8217;ll tell
+him who you are, and that he is to take care of you. He went to school
+with Donald all last spring, and we knew he would take care of him.
+Here, &#8216;Scotchie,&#8217; go to the shop with Faith,&#8221; she concluded.</p>
+
+<p>Faith started for the square building on the further side of the yard,
+and the big dog marched along beside her. Donald and little Philip
+came running to meet her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to make you a bow and some arrows, Cousin Faith,&#8221; said
+Donald, pushing open the shop door. &#8220;I have a fine piece of ash, just
+right for a bow, and some deerskin thongs to string it with. I made
+bows for Hugh and Philip.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The workshop seemed a very wonderful place to Faith, and she looked at
+the forge, with its glowing coals, over which her Uncle Philip was
+holding a bar of iron, at the long work-bench with its tools, and at
+the small bench, evidently made for the use of her little cousins.</p>
+
+<p>The boys were eager to show her all their treasures. They had a box
+full of bright feathers, with which to tip their arrows.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span>&#8220;We&#8217;ll show you how to make an arrow, Cousin Faith,&#8221; said Donald.
+&#8220;First of all, you must be sure the piece of wood is straight, and has
+no knots,&#8221; and Donald selected a narrow strip of wood and held it on a
+level with his eyes, squinting at its length, just as he had seen his
+father do. &#8220;This is a good straight piece. Here, you use my knife, and
+whittle it down until it&#8217;s about as big as your finger. And then I&#8217;ll
+show you how to finish it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But before Faith had whittled the wood to the required size, they
+heard the sound of a gaily whistled tune, and Donald ran toward the
+door and called out: &#8220;Hallo, Nathan,&#8221; and a tall, pleasant-faced boy
+of about fifteen years appeared in the doorway. He took off his
+coonskin cap as he entered.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good-morning, Mr. Scott,&#8221; he said, and then turned smilingly to speak
+to the boys.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Faith, this is Nathan Beaman,&#8221; said Donald, and the tall boy bowed
+again, and Faith smiled and nodded.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been up to the fort to sell a basket of eggs,&#8221; explained Nathan,
+turning again to Mr. Scott.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are a great friend of the English soldiers, are you not, Nathan?&#8221;
+responded Mr. Scott.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span>&#8220;No, sir!&#8221; the boy answered quickly. &#8220;I go to the fort when my errands
+take me. But I know well enough what those English soldiers are there
+for; all the Shoreham folk know that. I wish the Green Mountain Boys
+held Ticonderoga,&#8221; he concluded.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Scott rested a friendly hand on the boy&#8217;s shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Best not say that aloud, my boy; but I am glad the redcoats have not
+made you forget that American settlers have a right to defend their
+homes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hear there&#8217;s a reward offered for the capture of Ethan Allen,&#8221; said
+the boy.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Scott laughed. &#8220;Yes, but he&#8217;s in small danger. Colonel Allen may
+capture the fort instead of being taken a prisoner,&#8221; he answered.</p>
+
+<p>Nathan now turned toward the children, and Donald showed him the bow
+he was making for his cousin. &#8220;I&#8217;ll string it for you,&#8221; offered
+Nathan; and Donald was delighted to have the older boy finish his
+work, for he was quite sure that anything Nathan Beaman did was a
+little better than the work of any other boy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who wants to capture Colonel Allen?&#8221; Faith asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>&#8220;The &#8216;Yorkers.&#8217; The English,&#8221; responded the boy carelessly; &#8220;but it
+can&#8217;t be done,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Why, every man who holds a New Hampshire
+Grant would defend him. And Colonel Allen isn&#8217;t afraid of the whole
+English army.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know him. He was at my father&#8217;s house just a few weeks ago,&#8221; said
+Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t tell anybody,&#8221; said Nathan. &#8220;Some of the people at the fort may
+question you, but you mustn&#8217;t let them know that you have ever seen
+Colonel Allen.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Donald had been busy sorting out feathers for the new arrows, and now
+showed Nathan a number of bright yellow tips, which the elder boy
+declared would be just what were needed.</p>
+
+<p>Nathan asked Faith many questions about her father&#8217;s mill, and about
+Ethan Allen&#8217;s visit. And Faith told him of the big bear that had
+entered their kitchen and eaten the syrup. When Mrs. Scott called them
+to dinner she felt that she was well acquainted with the good-natured
+boy, whom Mrs. Scott welcomed warmly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I believe Nathan knows as much about Fort Ticonderoga as the men who
+built it,&#8221; she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span>said laughingly, &#8220;for the soldiers have let him play
+about there since he was a little boy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And Nathan made his own boat, too. The boat he comes over from
+Shoreham in,&#8221; said Donald. For Nathan Beaman lived on the further side
+of the strip of water which separated Ticonderoga from the New
+Hampshire Grants.</p>
+
+<p>That afternoon Faith and her aunt worked on the fine new blue dress.
+The next day Mrs. Scott took her little niece to the shoemaker, who
+measured her feet and promised to have the shoes ready at the end of a
+week.</p>
+
+<p>As they started for the shoemaker&#8217;s Mrs. Scott said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The man who will make your shoes is a great friend of the English
+soldiers. Your uncle thinks that he gathers up information about the
+American settlers and tells the English officers. Do not let him
+question you as to what your father thinks of American or English
+rule. For I must leave you there a little while to do an errand at the
+next house.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith began to think that it was rather a serious thing to live near
+an English fort.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SHOEMAKER&#8217;S DAUGHTER</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> shoemaker was the smallest man Faith had ever seen. She thought to
+herself that she was glad he was not an American. When he stood up to
+speak to Mrs. Scott Faith remembered a picture in one of her mother&#8217;s
+books of an orang-outang. For the shoemaker&#8217;s hair was coarse and
+black, and seemed to stand up all over his small head, and his face
+was nearly covered by a stubbly black beard. His arms were long, and
+he did not stand erect. His eyes were small and did not seem to see
+the person to whom he was speaking.</p>
+
+<p>But he greeted his customers pleasantly, and as Faith sat on a little
+stool near his bench waiting for her aunt&#8217;s return, he told her that
+he had a little daughter about her own age, but that she was not very
+well.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps your aunt will let you come and see her some day?&#8221; he said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll ask her,&#8221; replied Faith, and before they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span>had time for any
+further conversation the door opened and a tall man in a scarlet coat,
+deerskin trousers and high boots entered the shop.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Any news?&#8221; he asked sharply.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, captain. Nothing at all,&#8221; replied the shoemaker.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re not worth your salt, Andy,&#8221; declared the officer. &#8220;I&#8217;ll wager
+this small maid here would have quicker ears for news.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith wished that she could run away, but did not dare to move.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, another summer we&#8217;ll put the old fort in order and have a
+garrison that will be worth while. Now, what about my riding boots?&#8221;
+he added, and after a little talk the officer departed.</p>
+
+<p>It was not long before Mrs. Scott called for her little niece and the
+two started for home.</p>
+
+<p>Faith told her aunt what the shoemaker had said about his little girl,
+and noticed that Aunt Prissy&#8217;s face was rather grave and troubled.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do I have to go, Aunt Prissy?&#8221; she asked.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll see, my dear. But now we must hurry home, and sew on the new
+dresses,&#8221; replied Aunt Prissy, and for a few moments they walked on in
+silence.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p><p>Faith could hear the musical sound of the falls, and was reminded of
+the dancing mill-stream, of the silver fox and of her own dear
+&#8220;Bounce.&#8221; Every hour since her arrival at Aunt Prissy&#8217;s had been so
+filled with new and strange happenings that the little girl had not
+had time to be lonely.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What is the name of the shoemaker&#8217;s little girl, Aunt Prissy?&#8221; she
+asked, as they came in sight of home, with Donald and Philip, closely
+followed by &#8220;Scotchie,&#8221; coming to meet them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Her name is Louise Trent, and she is lame. She is older than you,
+several years older,&#8221; answered Aunt Prissy, &#8220;and I fear she is a
+mischievous child. But the poor girl has not had a mother to care for
+her for several years. She and her father live alone.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Does she look like her father?&#8221; questioned Faith, resolving that if
+such were the case she would not want Louise for a playmate.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, no. Louise would be pretty if she were a neat and well-behaved
+child. She has soft black hair, black eyes, and is slenderly built.
+Too slender, I fear, for health,&#8221; replied Mrs. Scott, who often
+thought of the shoemaker&#8217;s <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>motherless little girl, whose father
+seemed to resent any effort to befriend her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, that sounds just the way Esther Eldridge looks. Only Esther
+isn&#8217;t lame,&#8221; responded Faith; and, in answer to her aunt&#8217;s questions,
+Faith described Esther&#8217;s visit to the cabin, omitting, however, the
+fact that she had given Esther the blue beads.</p>
+
+<p>Faith did not think to speak of the red-coated soldier until the
+family were gathered about the supper-table that night. Then she
+suddenly remembered what he had said, and repeated it to her uncle,
+who was asking her about her visit to Mr. Trent&#8217;s shop.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So that&#8217;s their plan. More soldiers to come another summer! &#8217;Twas a
+careless thing for an officer to repeat. But they are so sure that
+none of us dare lift a hand to protect ourselves that they care not
+who knows their plans. I&#8217;ll see to it that Ethan Allen and the men at
+Bennington get word of this,&#8221; said Mr. Scott, and then asked Faith to
+repeat again exactly what the officer had said.</p>
+
+<p>In a few days both of Faith&#8217;s new dresses were finished; and, greatly
+to her delight, Aunt Prissy had made her a pretty cap of blue velvet, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>with a partridge&#8217;s wing on one side. She was trying on the cap before
+the mirror in the sitting-room one afternoon when she heard a queer
+noise on the porch and then in the front entry. Aunt Prissy was
+up-stairs, and the boys were playing outdoors.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder what it is?&#8221; thought Faith, running toward the door. As she
+opened it she nearly exclaimed in surprise, for there, leaning on a
+crutch, was the queerest little figure she had ever imagined. A little
+girl whose black hair straggled over her forehead, and whose big dark
+eyes had a half-frightened expression, stood staring in at the
+pleasant room. An old ragged shawl was pinned about her shoulders, and
+beneath it Faith could see the frayed worn skirt of gray homespun. But
+on her feet were a pair of fine leather shoes, well fitting and highly
+polished.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I brought your shoes,&#8221; said this untidy visitor, swinging herself a
+step forward nearer to Faith, and holding out a bundle. &#8220;Father
+doesn&#8217;t know I&#8217;ve come,&#8221; she added, with a little smile of
+satisfaction. &#8220;But I wanted to see you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Won&#8217;t you sit down?&#8221; said Faith politely, pulling forward a big
+cushioned chair.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>Louise Trent sat down as if hardly knowing if she dared trust the
+chair or not.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your aunt didn&#8217;t let you come to see me, did she? I knew she
+wouldn&#8217;t,&#8221; continued Louise. &#8220;What you got?&#8221; she questioned, looking
+at the pretty cap with admiring eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s new. And I never had one before,&#8221; answered Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I&#8217;ve never had one, and I never shall have. You wouldn&#8217;t let me
+try that one on, would you?&#8221; said Louise, looking at Faith with such a
+longing expression in her dark eyes that Faith did not hesitate for a
+moment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course I will,&#8221; she answered quickly, and taking off the cap
+placed it carefully on Louise&#8217;s untidy black hair.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If your hair was brushed back it would look nice on you,&#8221; declared
+Faith. &#8220;You wait, and I&#8217;ll get my brush and fix your hair,&#8221; and before
+Louise could reply Faith was running up the stairs. She was back in a
+moment with brush and comb, and Louise submitted to having her hair
+put in order, and tied back with one of the new hair ribbons that Aunt
+Prissy had given Faith. While Faith was thus occupied <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span>Louise looked
+about the sitting-room, and asked questions.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There,&#8221; said Faith. &#8220;Now it looks nice on you. But what makes you
+wear that old shawl?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise&#8217;s face clouded, and she raised her crutch as if to strike
+Faith. &#8220;Don&#8217;t you make fun of me. I have to wear it. I don&#8217;t have
+nothing like other girls,&#8221; she exclaimed, and dropping the crutch, she
+turned her face against the arm of the chair and began to sob
+bitterly.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment Faith looked at her in amazement, and then she knelt down
+beside the big chair and began patting the shoulder under the ragged
+shawl.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t cry, Louise. Don&#8217;t cry. Listen, I&#8217;ll ask my aunt to make you a
+cap just like mine. I know she will.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No. She wouldn&#8217;t want me to have a cap like yours,&#8221; declared Louise.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Isn&#8217;t your father good to you?&#8221; questioned Faith. And this question
+made Louise sit up straight and wipe her eyes on the corner of the old
+shawl.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good to me! Of course he is. Didn&#8217;t he make me these fine shoes?&#8221; she
+answered, pointing <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>to her feet. &#8220;But how could he make me a pretty
+cap or a dress? And he doesn&#8217;t want to ask anybody. But you needn&#8217;t
+think he ain&#8217;t good to me!&#8221; she concluded, reaching after the crutch.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t go yet, Louise. See, that&#8217;s my doll over on the sofa. Her name
+is &#8216;Lady Amy,&#8217;&#8221; and Faith ran to the sofa and brought back her beloved
+doll and set it down in Louise&#8217;s lap.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I never touched a doll before,&#8221; said Louise, almost in a whisper.
+&#8220;You&#8217;re real good to let me hold her. Are you going to live here?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to school,&#8221; replied Faith. &#8220;I&#8217;ve never been to school.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Neither have I,&#8221; said Louise. &#8220;I s&#8217;pose you know your letters, don&#8217;t
+you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, yes. Of course I do. I can read and write, and do fractions,&#8221;
+answered Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t read,&#8221; declared Louise.</p>
+
+<p>Just then Mrs. Scott entered the room. If she was surprised to see the
+shoemaker&#8217;s daughter seated in her easy chair, wearing Faith&#8217;s new cap
+and holding &#8220;Lady Amy,&#8221; she did not let the little girls know it, but
+greeted Louise cordially, took Faith&#8217;s new shoes from their wrapping
+and said they were indeed a fine pair of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>shoes. Then she turned to
+Louise, with the pleasant little smile that Faith so admired, and
+said: &#8220;You are the first little girl who has come to see my little
+niece, so I think it would be pleasant if you two girls had a taste of
+my fruit cake that I make just for company,&#8221; and she started toward
+the dining-room and soon returned with a tray.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just bring the little table from the corner, Faithie, and set it in
+front of Louise and &#8216;Lady Amy,&#8217;&#8221; she said, and Faith hastened to obey.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy set the tray on the table. &#8220;I&#8217;ll come back in a little
+while,&#8221; she said, and left the girls to themselves.</p>
+
+<p>The tray was very well filled. There was a plate of the rich dark
+cake, and beside it two dainty china plates and two fringed napkins.
+There was a plate of thin slices of bread and butter, a plate of
+cookies, and two glasses filled with creamy milk.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Isn&#8217;t this lovely?&#8221; exclaimed Faith, drawing a chair near the table.
+&#8220;It&#8217;s just like a party, isn&#8217;t it? I&#8217;m just as glad as I can be that
+you brought my shoes home, Louise. We&#8217;ll be real friends now, shan&#8217;t
+we?&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>LOUISE</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">I must</span> go home,&#8221; said Louise, with a little sigh at having to end the
+most pleasant visit she ever remembered. The two little girls had
+finished the lunch, and had played happily with &#8220;Lady Amy.&#8221; Mrs. Scott
+had left them quite by themselves, and not even the small cousins had
+come near the sitting-room.</p>
+
+<p>As Louise spoke she took off the blue velvet cap, which she had worn
+all the afternoon, and began to untie the hair ribbon.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Louise! Don&#8217;t take off that hair ribbon. I gave it to you. It&#8217;s a
+present,&#8221; exclaimed Faith.</p>
+
+<p>Louise shook her head. &#8220;Father won&#8217;t let me keep it,&#8221; she answered.
+&#8220;He wouldn&#8217;t like it if he knew that I had eaten anything in this
+house. He is always telling me that if people offer to give me
+anything I must never, never take it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p><p>Before Faith could speak Aunt Prissy came into the room.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tell your father I will come in and pay him for Faith&#8217;s shoes
+to-morrow, Louise,&#8221; she said pleasantly, &#8220;and you must come and see
+Faith again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes&#8217;m. Thank you,&#8221; responded Louise shyly, and nodding to Faith with
+a look of smiling understanding, the crippled child made her way
+quickly from the room.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Aunt Prissy, I like Louise Trent. I don&#8217;t believe she is a
+mischievous girl. Just think, she never had a doll in her life! And
+her father won&#8217;t let her take presents!&#8221; Faith had so much to say that
+she talked very rapidly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I see,&#8221; responded her aunt, taking up the rumpled hair ribbon which
+Louise had refused. &#8220;I am glad you were so kind to the poor child,&#8221;
+she added, smiling down at her little niece. &#8220;Tell me all you can
+about Louise. Perhaps there will be some way to make her life
+happier.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So Faith told her aunt that Louise could not read. That she had never
+before tasted fruit cake, and that she had no playmates, and had never
+had a present.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> &#8220;Why do you suppose she came to see me, Aunt Prissy?&#8221;
+she concluded.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I cannot imagine. Unless it was because you are a stranger,&#8221; replied
+Aunt Prissy. &#8220;I have an idea that I can arrange with Mr. Trent so that
+he will be willing for me to make Louise a dress, and get for her the
+things she ought to have. For the shoemaker is no poorer than most of
+his neighbors. How would you like to teach Louise to read?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to! Oh, Aunt Prissy, tell me your plan!&#8221; responded Faith
+eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wait until I am sure it is a good plan, Faithie dear,&#8221; her aunt
+replied. &#8220;I&#8217;ll go down and see Mr. Trent to-morrow. I blame myself
+that I have not tried to be of use to that child.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;May I go with you?&#8221; urged Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, yes. You can visit Louise while I talk with her father, since he
+asked you to come.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Has the Witch gone?&#8221; called Donald, running into the room. &#8220;Didn&#8217;t
+you know that all the children call the Trent girl a witch?&#8221; he asked
+his mother.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>&#8220;No, Donald. But if they do they ought to be ashamed. She is a little
+girl without any mother to care for her. And now she is your cousin&#8217;s
+friend, and we hope to see her here often. And you must always be
+polite and kind to her,&#8221; replied Mrs. Scott.</p>
+
+<p>Donald looked a little doubtful and puzzled.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You ought to be more kind to her than to any other child, because she
+is lame,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All right. But what is a &#8216;witch,&#8217; anyway?&#8221; responded Donald.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is a wicked word,&#8221; answered his mother briefly. &#8220;See that you do
+not use it again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith&#8217;s thoughts were now so filled with Louise that she nearly lost
+her interest in the new dresses and shoes, and was eager for the next
+day to come so that she could again see her new friend.</p>
+
+<p>Faith had been taught to sew neatly, and she wondered if she could not
+help make Louise a dress. &#8220;And perhaps Aunt Prissy will teach her how
+to make cake,&#8221; she thought; for never to taste of cake seemed to Faith
+to be a real misfortune. For the first night since her arrival at her
+aunt&#8217;s home Faith went to sleep without a homesick longing for the
+cabin in the Wilderness, and awoke the next morning thinking about all
+that could be done for the friendless little girl who could not accept
+a present.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>&#8220;We will go to Mr. Trent&#8217;s as soon as our morning work is finished,&#8221;
+said Aunt Prissy, &#8220;and you shall wear your new shoes and cap. And I
+have a blue cape which I made for you before you came. The morning is
+chilly. You had best wear that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t look like Faith Carew, I am so fine,&#8221; laughed the little
+girl, looking down at her shoes, and touching the soft cloth of the
+pretty blue cape.</p>
+
+<p>As they walked along Faith told Aunt Prissy of her plans to teach
+Louise to sew, as well as to read. &#8220;And perhaps you&#8217;ll show her how to
+make cake! Will you, Aunt Prissy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course I will, if I can get the chance,&#8221; replied her aunt.</p>
+
+<p>The shoemaker greeted them pleasantly. Before Mrs. Scott could say
+anything of her errand he began to apologize for his daughter&#8217;s visit.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She slipped off without my knowing it. It shan&#8217;t happen again,&#8221; he
+said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But Faith will be very sorry if it doesn&#8217;t happen again,&#8221; replied
+Aunt Prissy. &#8220;Can she not run in and see Louise while I settle with
+you for the shoes?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The shoemaker looked at her sharply for a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>moment, and then motioned
+Faith to follow him, leading the way across the shop toward a door on
+the further side of the room. The shop occupied the front room of the
+shoemaker&#8217;s house. The two back rooms, with the chambers above, was
+where Louise and her father made their home.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Trent opened the door and said: &#8220;You&#8217;ll find her in there,&#8221; and
+Faith stepped into the queerest room that she had ever seen, and the
+door closed behind her. Louise was standing, half-hidden by a clumsy
+wooden chair. The shawl was still pinned about her shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This ain&#8217;t much like your aunt&#8217;s house, is it? I guess you won&#8217;t ever
+want to come again. And my father says I can&#8217;t ever go to see you
+again. He says I don&#8217;t look fit,&#8221; said Louise.</p>
+
+<p>But Faith&#8217;s eyes had brightened, and she was looking at the further
+side of the room and smiling with delight. &#8220;Oh, Louise! Why didn&#8217;t you
+tell me that you had a gray kitten? And it looks just like &#8216;Bounce,&#8217;&#8221;
+and in a moment she had picked up the pretty kitten, and was sitting
+beside Louise on a roughly made wooden seat, telling her of her own
+kitten, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>while Louise eagerly described the cleverness of her own pet.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s its name?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Just &#8216;kitten,&#8217;&#8221; answered Louise, as if surprised at the question.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But it must have a real name,&#8221; insisted Faith, and it was finally
+decided that it should be named &#8220;Jump,&#8221; the nearest approach to the
+name of Faith&#8217;s kitten that they could imagine.</p>
+
+<p>The floor of the room was rough and uneven, and not very clean. There
+was a table, the big chair and the wooden seat. Although the morning
+was chilly there was no fire in the fireplace, although there was a
+pile of wood in one corner. There was but one window, which looked
+toward the lake.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come out in the kitchen, where it&#8217;s warm,&#8221; suggested Louise, after a
+few moments, and Faith was glad to follow her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you want to try on my new cape?&#8221; asked Faith, as they reached
+the kitchen, a much pleasanter room than the one they had left.</p>
+
+<p>Louise shook her head. &#8220;I daresn&#8217;t,&#8221; she replied. &#8220;Father may come in.
+And he&#8217;d take my head off.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p><p>&#8220;You are coming to see me, Louise. Aunt Prissy is talking to your
+father about it now,&#8221; said Faith; but Louise was not to be convinced.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He won&#8217;t let me. You&#8217;ll see,&#8221; she answered mournfully. &#8220;<i>I</i> know.
+He&#8217;ll think your aunt is &#8216;Charity.&#8217; Why, he won&#8217;t make shoes any more
+for the minister because his wife brought me a dress; and I didn&#8217;t
+wear the dress, either.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But there was a surprise in store for Louise, for when Mrs. Scott and
+Mr. Trent entered the kitchen the shoemaker was smiling; and it seemed
+to Faith that he stood more erect, and did not look so much like the
+picture of the orang-outang.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Louise, Mrs. Scott and I have been making a bargain,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I am
+going to make shoes for her boys, and she is going to make dresses for
+my girl. Exchange work; I believe that&#8217;s right, isn&#8217;t it, ma&#8217;am?&#8221; and
+he turned to Mrs. Scott with a little bow.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, it is quite right. And I&#8217;ll send you the bill for materials,&#8221;
+said Aunt Prissy.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>&#8220;Of course. Well, Louise, I warrant you&#8217;re old enough to have proper
+dresses. And Mrs. Scott will take you home to stay with her until you
+are all fixed up as fine as this little maid,&#8221; and the shoemaker
+nodded to Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do you mean I&#8217;m to stay up there?&#8221; asked Louise, pointing in the
+direction of the Scotts&#8217; house. &#8220;I can&#8217;t. Who&#8217;d take care of you,
+father?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Trent seemed to stand very straight indeed as Louise spoke, and
+Faith was ashamed that she had ever thought he resembled the ugly
+picture in her mother&#8217;s book.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s a good child,&#8221; he said as if whispering to himself; but he
+easily convinced Louise that, for a few days, he could manage to take
+care of himself; and at last Louise, happy and excited over this
+change in her fortunes, hobbled off beside Mrs. Scott and Faith, while
+her father stood in the shop doorway looking after them.</p>
+
+<p>It was a very differently dressed little daughter who returned to him
+at the end of the following week. She wore a neat brown wool dress,
+with a collar and cuffs of scarlet cloth, a cape of brown, and a cap
+of brown with a scarlet wing on one side. These, with her well-made,
+well-fitting shoes, made Louise a very trim little figure in spite of
+her lameness. Her hair, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>well brushed and neatly braided, was tied
+back with a scarlet ribbon. A bundle containing underwear, aprons,
+handkerchiefs, and hair ribbons of various colors, as well as a stout
+cotton dress for Louise to wear indoors, arrived at the shoemaker&#8217;s
+house with the little girl.</p>
+
+<p>Her father looked at her in amazement. &#8220;Why, Flibbertigibbet, you are
+a pretty girl,&#8221; he declared, and was even more amazed at the gay laugh
+with which Louise answered him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve learned a lot of things, father! I can make a cake, truly I can.
+And I&#8217;m learning to read. I&#8217;m so glad Faith Carew is going to live in
+Ticonderoga. Aren&#8217;t you, father?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Trent looked at his daughter again, and answered slowly: &#8220;Why,
+yes, Flibbertigibbet, I believe I am.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MAJOR&#8217;S DAUGHTERS</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> day that school began Faith returned home to find that a letter
+from her mother and father had arrived. It was a long letter, telling
+the little girl of all the happenings since her departure at the
+pleasant cabin in the Wilderness. Her father had shot a deer, which
+meant a good supply of fresh meat. Kashaqua had brought the good news
+of Faith&#8217;s arrival at her aunt&#8217;s house; and, best of all, her father
+wrote that before the heavy snows and severe winter cold began he
+should make the trip to Ticonderoga to be sure that his little
+daughter was well and happy.</p>
+
+<p>But there was one sentence in her mother&#8217;s letter that puzzled Faith.
+&#8220;Your father will bring your blue beads,&#8221; her mother had written, and
+Faith could not understand it, for she was sure Esther had the beads.
+She had looked in the box in the sitting-room closet after Esther&#8217;s <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span>departure, hoping that Esther might have put them back before
+starting for home, but the box had been empty.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who brought my letter, Uncle Phil?&#8221; she questioned, but her uncle did
+not seem to hear.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father got it from a man in a canoe when we were down at the shore.
+The man hid&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Never mind, Hugh. You must not repeat what you see, even at home,&#8221;
+said Mr. Scott.</p>
+
+<p>So Faith asked no more questions. She knew that the Green Mountain
+Boys sent messengers through the Wilderness; and that Americans all
+through the Colonies were kept notified of what the English soldiers
+stationed in those northern posts were doing or planning. She was sure
+that some such messenger had brought her letter; and, while she
+wondered if it might have been her friend Ethan Allen, she had learned
+since her stay in her uncle&#8217;s house that he did not like to be
+questioned in regard to his visitors from across the lake.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll begin a letter to mother dear this very night, so it will be all
+ready when father comes,&#8221; she said, thinking of all she longed to tell
+her mother about Louise, the school and her pretty new dresses.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>&#8220;So you did not bring your beads,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy, as she read Mrs.
+Carew&#8217;s letter. &#8220;Did you forget them?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith could feel her face flush as she replied: &#8220;No, Aunt Prissy.&#8221; She
+wished that she could tell her aunt just why she had felt obliged to
+give them to Esther Eldridge, and how puzzled she was at her mother&#8217;s
+reference to the beads. Faith was already discovering that a secret
+may be a very unpleasant possession.</p>
+
+<p>As she thought of Esther, she recalled that her aunt had spoken of
+Louise as &#8220;mischievous,&#8221; and Faith was quite sure that Louise would
+never have accepted the beads or have done any of the troublesome
+things that had made the first days of Esther&#8217;s visit so difficult.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Louise isn&#8217;t mischievous,&#8221; she declared suddenly. &#8220;What made you
+think she was, Aunt Prissy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy was evidently surprised at this sudden change of subject,
+but she replied pleasantly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I ought not to have said such a thing; but Louise has improved every
+day since you became her friend. How does she get on in her learning
+to read?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span>For Faith stopped at the shoemaker&#8217;s house every day on her way home
+from school to teach Louise; and &#8220;Flibbertigibbet,&#8221; as her father
+generally called her, was making good progress.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She learns so quickly,&#8221; replied Faith, &#8220;and she is learning to write.
+I do wish she would go to school, Aunt Prissy,&#8221; for Louise had become
+almost sullen at the suggestion.</p>
+
+<p>Faith did not know that Louise had appeared at the schoolhouse several
+years before, and had been so laughed at by some of the rough children
+of the village that she had turned on them violently and they had not
+dared come near her since. They had vented their spite, however, in
+calling, &#8220;Witch! Witch! Fly home on your broomstick,&#8221; as Louise
+hobbled off toward home, vowing that never again would she go near a
+school, and sobbing herself to sleep that night.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy had heard something of the unfortunate affair, and was
+glad that Louise, when next she appeared at school, would have some
+little knowledge to start with and a friend to help her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps she will go next term, now that she has a girl friend to go
+with her,&#8221; responded Mrs. Scott.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>Faith was making friends with two girls whose seats in the schoolroom
+were next her own. Their names were Caroline and Catherine Young.
+Faith was quite sure that they were two of the prettiest girls in the
+world, and wondered how it was possible for any one to make such
+beautiful dresses and such dainty white ruffled aprons as these two
+little girls wore to school. The sisters were very nearly of an age,
+and with their soft black curls and bright brown eyes, their flounced
+and embroidered dresses with dainty collars of lace, they looked very
+different from the more suitably dressed village children.</p>
+
+<p>Caroline was eleven, and Catherine nine years old. But they were far
+in advance of the other children of the school.</p>
+
+<p>They lost no time in telling Faith that their father was an English
+officer, stationed at Fort Ticonderoga; and this made Faith look at
+them with even more interest. Both the sisters were rather scornful in
+their manner toward the other school children. As Faith was a
+newcomer, and a stranger, they were more cordial to her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You must come to the fort with us some day,&#8221; Caroline suggested, when
+the little girls had known each other for several weeks; and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span>Faith
+accepted the invitation with such eagerness that the sisters looked at
+her approvingly. Their invitations to some of the other children had
+been rudely refused, and the whispered &#8220;Tories&#8221; had not failed to
+reach their ears.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We like you,&#8221; Caroline had continued in rather a condescending
+manner, &#8220;and we have told our mother about you. Could you go to the
+fort with us to-morrow? It&#8217;s Saturday.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, yes; I&#8217;m sure I may. I have wanted to go to the fort ever since I
+came. You are real good to ask me,&#8221; Faith had responded gratefully, to
+the evident satisfaction of the English girls who felt that this new
+little girl knew the proper way to receive an invitation.</p>
+
+<p>It was settled that they would call for Faith early on Saturday
+afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I may go, mayn&#8217;t I, Aunt Prissy?&#8221; Faith asked, as she told her aunt
+of the invitation, and was rather puzzled to find that Aunt Prissy
+seemed a little doubtful as to the wisdom of permitting Faith visiting
+the fort with her new friends.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is a mile distant, and while that is not too long a walk, I do not
+like you to go so far from home with strangers,&#8221; she said; but on <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span>Faith&#8217;s declaring that the sisters were the best behaved girls in
+school, and that she had promised to go, Mrs. Scott gave her consent;
+and Faith was ready and waiting when Caroline and Catherine arrived,
+soon after dinner on Saturday.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Is your father an officer?&#8221; asked Caroline, as the little girls
+started off.</p>
+
+<p>Faith walked between her new friends, and looked from one to the other
+with admiring eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, my father is a miller. And he owns a fine lot of land, too,&#8221; she
+answered smilingly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Our father is a major. He will go back to Albany in the spring, and
+that is a much better place to live than this old frontier town,&#8221; said
+Catherine. &#8220;We shan&#8217;t have to play with common children there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith did not quite know what Catherine meant, so she made no
+response, but began telling them of her own journey through the
+wilderness and across the lake. But her companions did not seem much
+interested.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your uncle is just a farmer, isn&#8217;t he?&#8221; said Caroline.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, he is a farmer,&#8221; Faith replied. She knew it was a fine thing to
+be a good farmer, so she answered smilingly. But before the fort <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>was
+reached she began to feel that she did not like the sisters as well as
+when they set out together. They kept asking her questions. Did her
+mother have a silver service? and why did her aunt not have servants?
+As they neared the fort Catherine ran to her sister&#8217;s side and
+whispered in her ear. After that they kept close together, walking a
+little way ahead of Faith. At the entrance to the fort Faith was
+somewhat alarmed to find a tall soldier, musket in hand. But he
+saluted the little girls, and Faith followed her companions along the
+narrow passageway. She wondered to herself what she had done to offend
+them, for they responded very stiffly to whatever she had to say. The
+narrow passage led into a large open square, surrounded by high walls.
+Faith looked about with wondering eyes. There were big cannons, stacks
+of musketry, and many strange things whose name or use she could not
+imagine. There were little groups of soldiers in red coats strolling
+about.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where is your father, Catherine?&#8221; she asked, and then looked about
+half fearfully; for both her companions had vanished.</p>
+
+<p>None of the soldiers seemed to notice Faith <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span>For a moment she looked
+about with anxious eyes, and then decided that her friends must have
+turned back to the entrance for some reason.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And they probably think that I am right behind them,&#8221; she thought,
+running toward an arched passageway which she believed was the one by
+which she had entered the fort. But it seemed much longer than when
+she came in a moment before. She began running, expecting to see the
+sisters at every step. Suddenly she found that she was facing a heavy
+door at the end of the passage, and realized that she had mistaken her
+way. But Faith was not frightened. &#8220;All I have to do is to run back,&#8221;
+she thought, and turned to retrace her steps. But there were two
+passageways opening behind her at right angles. For an instant she
+hesitated, and then ran along the one to the right.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sure this is the way I came,&#8221; she said aloud. But as she went on
+the passageway seemed to curve and twist, and to go on and on in an
+unfamiliar way. It grew more shadowy too. Faith found that she could
+not see very far ahead of her, and looking back it seemed even darker.
+She began to feel very tired.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>&#8220;I&#8217;m sure Caroline and Catherine will come and find me,&#8221; she thought,
+leaning against the damp wall of the passage. &#8220;I&#8217;ll just rest a
+minute, and then I&#8217;ll call so they will know which way to turn to find
+me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<h3>A DAY OF ADVENTURE</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">Caroline!</span> Caroline!&#8221; called Faith, and the call echoed back to her
+astonished ears from the shadowy passage. &#8220;I&#8217;d better go back! I&#8217;m
+sure the other was the right way,&#8221; she finally decided; and very
+slowly she retraced her steps, stopping now and then to call the names
+of the girls who had deserted her.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed a long time to Faith before she was back to where the big
+solid door had blocked the first passage. She was sure now that the
+other way would lead her back to the square where she had last seen
+her companions. But as she stood looking at the door she could see
+that it was not closed. It swung a little, and Faith wondered to
+herself if this door, after all, might not open near the entrance so
+that she could find her way to the road, and so back to Aunt Prissy.</p>
+
+<p>She could just reach a big iron ring that swung from the center of the
+door; and she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span>seized this and pulled with all her might. As the door
+slowly opened, letting in the clear October sunlight, Faith heard
+steps coming down the passage. The half-opened door nearly hid her
+from sight, and she looked back expecting to see either Caroline or
+Catherine, and, in the comfort of the hope of seeing them, quite ready
+to accept any excuse they might offer. But before she could call out
+she heard a voice, which was vaguely familiar, say: &#8220;I did leave that
+door open. Lucky I came back,&#8221; and Nathan Beaman, the Shoreham boy,
+was close beside her.</p>
+
+<p>When he saw a little girl still grasping the iron ring, he seemed too
+surprised to speak.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m lost!&#8221; Faith whispered. &#8220;I&#8217;m so glad you came. Major Young&#8217;s
+little girls asked me to come to the fort, and then ran away and left
+me,&#8221; and Faith told of her endeavors to find her companions.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lucky I came back,&#8221; said Nathan again, but this time his voice had an
+angry tone. &#8220;It was a mean trick. Those girls&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; Then Nathan stopped
+suddenly. &#8220;Well, they&#8217;re Tories,&#8221; he concluded.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I was afraid it was night,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span>&#8220;No, but you might have wandered about in these passageways until you
+were tired out. Or you might have fallen from that door. Look out, but
+hold close to the door,&#8221; said Nathan.</p>
+
+<p>Faith came to the doorway and found herself looking straight down the
+face of a high cliff to the blue waters of the lake. Lifting her eyes
+she could look across and see the distant wooded hills of the Green
+Mountains, and could hear the &#8220;Chiming Waters&#8221; of the falls.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s lovely. But what do they have a door here for?&#8221; Faith asked.</p>
+
+<p>And then Nathan explained what forts were for. That a door like that
+gave the soldiers who held the fort a chance to look up and down the
+lake in order to see the approach of an enemy by water. &#8220;And gives
+them a chance to scramble down the cliff and get away if the enemy
+captures the fort from the other side.&#8221; Then he showed Faith the two
+big cannon that commanded the lake and any approach by the cliff.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But come on. I must take you home,&#8221; he declared, moving as if to
+close the door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Could we get out any other way than by going back through that
+passage?&#8221; asked Faith, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>who thought that she never wanted to see the
+two sisters again, and now feared they might be waiting for her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Certainly we could. That is, if you are a good climber,&#8221; replied
+Nathan. &#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you something, that is, if you&#8217;ll never tell,&#8221; he
+added.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I won&#8217;t,&#8221; Faith declared earnestly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I can go down that cliff and up, too, just as easily as I can
+walk along that passage. And the soldiers don&#8217;t pay much attention to
+this part of the fort. There&#8217;s a sentry at the other end of the
+passage, but he doesn&#8217;t mind how I get in and out. If you&#8217;ll do just
+as I say I&#8217;ll take you down the cliff. My boat is hidden down by
+Willow Point, and I&#8217;ll paddle you alongshore. &#8217;Twill be easier than
+walking. That is, if you&#8217;re not afraid,&#8221; concluded Nathan.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, I&#8217;m not afraid,&#8221; said Faith, thinking to herself that here was
+another secret, and almost wishing that she had not agreed to listen
+to it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come on, then,&#8221; said Nathan, stepping outside the door, and holding
+tightly to the door-frame with one hand and reaching the other toward
+Faith. &#8220;Hold tight to my hand and don&#8217;t look down,&#8221; he said.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> &#8220;Look to
+the right as you step out, and you&#8217;ll see a chance for your feet.
+I&#8217;ve got a tight hold. You can&#8217;t fall.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith clutched his hand and stepped out. There was room toward the
+right for her to stand. She heard the big door clang behind her. &#8220;I
+had to shut it,&#8221; Nathan said, as he cautiously made his way a step
+down the face of the cliff. Faith followed cautiously. She noticed
+just how Nathan clung to the outstanding rocks, how slowly and
+carefully he made each movement. She knew if she slipped that she
+would push him as well as herself off into the lake.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I mustn&#8217;t slip! I mustn&#8217;t,&#8221; she said over and over to herself.</p>
+
+<p>Nathan did not speak, except to tell her where to step. At last they
+were safely down, standing on a narrow rocky ledge which hardly gave
+them a foothold. Along this they crept to a thick growth of alder
+bushes where a clumsy wooden punt was fastened.</p>
+
+<p>Faith followed Nathan into the punt, and as he pushed the boat off
+from the bushes she gave a long sigh of relief.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That was great!&#8221; declared Nathan triumphantly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> &#8220;Say, you&#8217;re the
+bravest girl I know. I&#8217;ve always wondered if I could bring anybody
+down that cliff, and now I know I can. But you mustn&#8217;t tell any one
+how we got out of the fort. You won&#8217;t, will you?&#8221; And Faith renewed
+her promise not to tell.</p>
+
+<p>Nathan paddled the boat out around the promontory on which the fort
+was built. He kept close to the shore.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Does Major Young stay at the fort?&#8221; questioned Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not very long at a time. He comes and goes, like all spies,&#8221; replied
+Nathan scornfully. &#8220;I wish the Green Mountain Boys would take this
+fort and send the English back where they belong. They keep stirring
+the Indians up against the settlers, so that people don&#8217;t know when
+they are safe.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was the last day of October, and the morning had been bright and
+sunny. The sun still shone, but an east wind was ruffling the waters
+of the lake, and Faith began to feel chilly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll warrant you don&#8217;t know when this lake was discovered?&#8221; said
+Nathan; and Faith was delighted to tell him that Samuel De Champlain
+discovered and gave the lake his name in 1609.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The Indians used to call it &#8216;Pe-ton-boque,&#8217;&#8221; she added.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p><p>But when Nathan asked when the fort was built she could not answer,
+and the boy told her of the brave Frenchmen who built Ticonderoga in
+1756, bringing troops and supplies from Canada.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The old fort has all sorts of provisions, and guns and powder that
+the English have stored there. I wish the American troops had them. If
+I were Ethan Allen or Seth Warner I&#8217;d make a try, anyway, for this
+fort and for Crown Point, too,&#8221; said Nathan.</p>
+
+<p>The rising wind made it rather difficult for the boy to manage his
+boat, and he finally landed some distance above the point where
+Kashaqua had reached shore. Faith was sure that she could go over the
+fields and find her way safely home, and Nathan was anxious to cross
+the lake to Shoreham before the wind became any stronger. Faith felt
+very grateful to him for bringing her from the fort.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll be as brave as Colonel Allen when you grow up,&#8221; she said, as
+she stood on the shore and watched him paddle off against the wind.</p>
+
+<p>He nodded laughingly. &#8220;So will you. Remember your promise,&#8221; he called
+back.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p><p>The wind seemed to blow the little girl before it as she hurried
+across the rough field. She held tight to her velvet cap, and, for the
+first time, wondered if she had torn or soiled the pretty new dress in
+her scramble down the cliff. Her mind was so full of the happenings of
+the afternoon that she did not look ahead to see where she was going,
+and suddenly her foot slipped and she fell headlong into a mass of
+thorn bushes, which seemed to seize her dress in a dozen places. By
+the time Faith had fought her way clear her hands were scratched and
+bleeding and her dress torn in ragged ugly tears that Faith was sure
+could never be mended.</p>
+
+<p>She began to cry bitterly. &#8220;It&#8217;s all the fault of those hateful
+girls,&#8221; she sobbed aloud. &#8220;If they had not run off and left me I
+should be safe at home. What will Aunt Prissy say?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith reached the road without further mishap, and was soon walking up
+the path. There was no one in sight; not even Scotchie was about. A
+sudden resolve entered her mind. She would slip up-stairs, change her
+dress, and not tell her aunt about the torn dress. &#8220;Perhaps I can mend
+it, after all,&#8221; she thought.</p>
+
+<p>As she changed her dress hurriedly, she wondered <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>where all the family
+could be, for the house was very quiet. But she bathed her hands and
+face, smoothed her ruffled hair, and then looked for a place to hide
+the blue dress until she could find a chance to mend it. She peered
+into the closet. A small hair-covered trunk stood in the far corner
+and Faith lifted the top and thrust her dress in. At that moment she
+heard Donald&#8217;s voice, and then her aunt&#8217;s, and she started to go
+down-stairs to meet them.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<h3>SECRETS</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">Did</span> you see all the fort, and the guns, and the soldiers?&#8221; asked
+Donald eagerly, running to meet his cousin as she came slowly into the
+sitting-room. &#8220;Why, your hand is all scratched!&#8221; he added in a
+surprised tone.</p>
+
+<p>Faith tried to cover the scratched hand with a fold of her skirt. Aunt
+Prissy noticed that the little girl wore her every-day dress.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Didn&#8217;t you wear your blue dress, Faithie?&#8221; and without waiting for an
+answer said: &#8220;Well, perhaps this one was just as well, for you might
+have hurt your blue dress.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith sat down on the big sofa thinking to herself that she could
+never be happy again. First, and worst of all, was the ruined dress.
+Then the remembrance of the way she had been treated by Caroline and
+Catherine; and, last of all, her <i>secrets</i>!&mdash;every one a little more
+important and dreadful than the other. First the blue beads; then
+Nathan&#8217;s knowledge of a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>hidden entrance to Fort Ticonderoga; and then
+the dress. She was so taken up with her unhappy thoughts that she did
+not realize she had not answered Donald, or spoken to her aunt, until
+Donald, who was standing directly in front of her, demanded: &#8220;What&#8217;s
+the matter, Cousin Faith? Does your tooth ache?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith shook her head. &#8220;I&#8217;m tired. I didn&#8217;t have a good time at all. I
+don&#8217;t like those girls,&#8221; and, greatly to Donald&#8217;s alarm, she put her
+head on the arm of the sofa and began to cry.</p>
+
+<p>In an instant she felt Aunt Prissy&#8217;s arm about her, and heard the kind
+voice say: &#8220;Never mind, dear child. Don&#8217;t think about them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>After a little Aunt Prissy persuaded Faith to lie down and rest until
+supper time.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll sit here with my sewing and keep you company,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy.
+&#8220;It&#8217;s an hour to candle-light.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Donald tiptoed out of the room, but was back in a moment standing in
+the doorway and beckoning his mother; and Mrs. Scott went quietly
+toward him, closing the door softly behind her.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>&#8220;It&#8217;s those girls. The ones Faith went with to the fort,&#8221; Donald
+explained in a whisper. &#8220;They&#8217;re on the door-step.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Caroline and Catherine were standing, very neat and demure, at the
+front door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Has your little girl got home?&#8221; inquired Catherine in her most polite
+manner; &#8220;she ran off and left us,&#8221; added Caroline.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Faith is safe at home,&#8221; responded Mrs. Scott in a pleasant voice.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why didn&#8217;t you ask them to supper, mother? You said you were going
+to,&#8221; demanded Donald, as he watched the sisters walk down the path.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your cousin is too tired for company,&#8221; said his mother, who had
+planned a little festivity for Faith and her friends on their return,
+but had quickly decided that her little niece would be better pleased
+not to see the sisters again that day.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All the more cake for us then,&#8221; said Donald cheerfully, for he had
+seen a fine cake on the dining-room table; &#8220;there comes the
+shoemaker&#8217;s girl,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Shall you ask her to stay, mother?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, indeed,&#8221; and Mrs. Scott turned to give Louise a cordial welcome.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>&#8220;Faith is resting on the sofa, but you may go right in, Louise. I know
+she will be glad to see you,&#8221; she said, smiling down at the dark-eyed
+little girl. &#8220;When are you coming to make us another visit?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father said I might stay all night if you asked me,&#8221; responded
+Louise, who now felt sure that Mrs. Scott was her friend.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We shall be glad indeed to have you, my dear. Let me take your cap
+and cape. And go in and cheer up Faithie, for I fear she has had an
+unhappy time,&#8221; said Mrs. Scott.</p>
+
+<p>Louise&#8217;s smile faded. She had never had a friend until Faith Carew
+came to Ticonderoga, and the thought that any one had made Faith
+unhappy made her ready to inflict instant punishment on the offenders.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Louise! I&#8217;m so glad it&#8217;s you!&#8221; exclaimed Faith, as she heard the
+sound of Louise&#8217;s crutch stubbing across the floor.</p>
+
+<p>Louise sat down beside the crumpled little figure on the sofa.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What did they do, Faith?&#8221; she demanded.</p>
+
+<p>Faith told the story of the walk to the fort; of the disagreeable
+manner of both Caroline and Catherine toward her, and of their
+disappearance <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span>as soon as they were inside the fort. But she did not
+tell of her efforts to find them, nor of Nathan Beaman&#8217;s appearance.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are hateful things!&#8221; Louise declared, &#8220;but it won&#8217;t be long
+before they&#8217;ll go to Albany with their father. Oh!&#8221; she ended a little
+fearfully. &#8220;I ought not to have told that. It&#8217;s a secret,&#8221; she added
+quickly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, it isn&#8217;t. They told me,&#8221; answered Faith, &#8220;and if it were a secret
+I shouldn&#8217;t want to know it. I hate and despise secrets.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise looked at her friend with a little nod of comprehension.
+&#8220;That&#8217;s because you have a secret,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How did you know, Louise?&#8221; and Faith wondered if it were possible
+Louise could know about the blue dress.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know,&#8221; said Louise. &#8220;It&#8217;s dreadful to know secrets. I can stay all
+night. My father has gone to the fort. Oh!&#8221; and again she put her hand
+over her mouth. &#8220;I ought not to have told that. He doesn&#8217;t want any
+one to know.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith leaned back against the sofa with a little sigh of
+discouragement. It seemed to her there was nothing but secrets. She
+wished she was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>with her mother and father in her pleasant cabin home,
+where everybody knew about everything.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where&#8217;s &#8216;Lady Amy&#8217;?&#8221; asked Louise, quite sure that such a beautiful
+doll would comfort any trouble. And her question made Faith remember
+that Louise was a guest.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll get her,&#8221; she said, and in a few moments &#8220;Lady Amy&#8221; was sitting
+on the sofa between the two little friends, and Faith was displaying
+the new dresses that Aunt Prissy had helped her make for the doll.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father says he will buy me a doll,&#8221; Louise announced, &#8220;and he&#8217;s going
+to get me a fine string of beads, too, when he goes away again;&#8221; for
+the shoemaker went away frequently on mysterious business. Many of the
+settlers were quite sure that he carried messages for the British
+officers to other forts; but he came and went so stealthily that as
+yet no proof was held against him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have some blue beads. My father is going to bring them when he
+comes to see me,&#8221; said Faith. &#8220;I hope yours will be just like them.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise shook her head a little doubtfully.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> &#8220;I may never get them,
+after all. Father forgets things,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>Before supper time Faith was in a much happier state of mind. She had
+helped Louise with her reading lesson; they had played that the sofa
+was a throne and Lady Amy a queen, and that they were Lady Amy&#8217;s
+daughters; and the unpleasantness of the early afternoon had quite
+vanished when the candles were lighted, and supper on the table.</p>
+
+<p>The supper seemed a feast to the shoemaker&#8217;s daughter. Every time she
+came to visit Faith Louise tasted some new dish, so daintily prepared
+that she was at once eager to learn to make it. Faith was hungry, too,
+and, as no reference was made to her trip to the fort, she enjoyed her
+supper; and not until it was finished was she reminded of her
+troubles.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;To-morrow Louise may go to church with us, and you may wear your blue
+dress that you are so careful of,&#8221; Aunt Prissy said.</p>
+
+<p>Faith made no response. She did not know what to do or say. She was so
+quiet that her aunt was sure her little niece was overtired, and soon
+after supper sent the little girls off to bed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What is the matter, Faith?&#8221; questioned <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span>Louise, when they were safely
+in the big chamber, with its high white bed, curtained windows, and
+comfortable chairs, and which to Louise seemed the finest bedroom in
+all the world.</p>
+
+<p>Faith threw herself face down on the bed. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what to do! I
+don&#8217;t know what to do! I&#8217;ve spoiled my blue dress!&#8221; she sobbed. There!
+That was one secret the less, she thought. And Louise would never
+tell. &#8220;I can&#8217;t go to church. I don&#8217;t dare tell Aunt Prissy about the
+dress. It was to be my best dress all winter,&#8221; she added. &#8220;What shall
+I do, Louise?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise shook her head. That Faith Carew, who seemed to her to be the
+most fortunate girl in all the world, should be in trouble was a far
+more dreadful thing to Louise than any trouble of her own.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let me see the dress,&#8221; she said; &#8220;perhaps it isn&#8217;t very bad.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith opened the trunk and pulled out the blue dress, which only that
+morning had been so fresh and dainty. Now it was rumpled, soiled and
+torn. Faith&#8217;s tears flowed afresh as she held it out for Louise to
+see.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>&#8220;I guess you&#8217;d better tell your aunt,&#8221; Louise said soberly. &#8220;Tell her
+now, this minute,&#8221; she added quickly; &#8220;the sooner the better.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith looked at her in surprise. She wondered at herself that she had
+hidden the dress, or even thought of not telling Aunt Prissy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll go now,&#8221; she said, and, still holding the dress, walked out of
+the room. She no longer felt afraid. As she went down the stairs she
+thought over all Aunt Prissy&#8217;s goodness toward her. &#8220;I&#8217;ll tell her
+that I can wear my other dress for best,&#8221; she decided.</p>
+
+<p>The boys were already in bed; Mr. Scott was attending to the evening
+chores, and Aunt Prissy was alone in the sitting-room when Faith
+appeared in the doorway.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Aunt Prissy, look! I tore my dress coming home to-day, and I was
+afraid to tell you! Oh, Aunt Prissy!&#8221; for her aunt had taken Faith and
+the blue dress into her arms, and held the little girl closely as she
+said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, dear child! How could you ever be afraid of me? About a dress,
+indeed! A torn dress is nothing. Nothing at all.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Louise, you are my very best friend,&#8221; Faith declared happily, as she
+came running into the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>room a few minutes later. &#8220;I am so glad you
+made me tell.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise looked at Faith with shining eyes. She wished there was some
+wonderful thing that she could do for Faith as a return for all the
+happiness her friendship had brought into her life.</p>
+
+<p>The clouds had lifted. Faith had disposed of one secret, and felt the
+others would not matter very much. The two little friends snuggled
+down in the big feather bed and were soon fast asleep.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>LOUISE MAKES A PRESENT</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> week following Faith&#8217;s visit to the fort proved rather a difficult
+one for her at school. Caroline and Catherine seemed to think they had
+played a fine joke, and accused her of running home when they were
+waiting for her. Faith had resolved not to quarrel with them, but
+apparently the sisters meant to force her into trouble, if sneering
+words and ridicule could do it.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re an American, so you don&#8217;t dare talk back,&#8221; sneered Catherine
+one day when Faith made no reply to the assertion that Faith had meant
+to run home from the fort alone.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Americans are not afraid,&#8221; replied Faith quickly.</p>
+
+<p>Catherine jumped up and down with delight at having made Faith angry.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>&#8220;Oh, yes they are. My father says so. Another summer the English
+soldiers are going to take all the farms, and all you rebels will be
+our servants,&#8221; declared Catherine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Another summer the Green Mountain Boys will send the English soldiers
+where they will behave themselves,&#8221; declared Faith. &#8220;Ethan Allen is
+braver than all the men in that fort.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t care what you say. We&#8217;re not going to play with you any more,
+are we, Caroline?&#8221; said Catherine. &#8220;You play with that horrid little
+lame girl.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She isn&#8217;t horrid. She is much better than you are. She wouldn&#8217;t say
+or do the things you do!&#8221; responded Faith, now too angry to care what
+she said, &#8220;and she is my very best friend. I wouldn&#8217;t play with you
+anyway. You&#8217;re only Tory children,&#8221; and Faith walked off with her head
+lifted very proudly, feeling she had won the battle; as indeed she
+had, for the sisters looked after her in silent horror.</p>
+
+<p>To be called &#8220;only&#8221; Tory children was a new point of view, and for
+several days they let Faith wholly alone. Then one morning they
+appeared at school with the news that it would be their last
+appearance there.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>&#8220;We&#8217;re going to Albany, and never coming back to this rough common
+place,&#8221; Catherine said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am glad of it,&#8221; Faith replied sharply; &#8220;perhaps you will learn to
+be polite in Albany.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Some of the other children overheard these remarks, and a little
+titter of amusement and satisfaction followed Faith&#8217;s words. For the
+sisters had made no effort to be friendly with their schoolmates, and
+not one was sorry to see the last of them.</p>
+
+<p>Faith awoke each morning hoping that her father would come that day,
+but it was toward the last of November before he appeared. There had
+been several light falls of snow; the ground was frozen and ice formed
+along the shores of the lake. The days were growing shorter, and Mrs.
+Scott had decided that it was best for Faith to come straight home
+from school at night, instead of stopping in to help Louise with her
+lessons. But both the little girls were pleased with the new plan that
+Mrs. Scott suggested, for Louise to come home with Faith on Tuesdays
+and Fridays and stay all night. Louise was learning a good deal more
+than to read and write. Mrs. Scott was teaching her to sew neatly, and
+Faith had taught her to knit. She <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span>was always warmly welcomed by
+Donald and the two younger boys, and these visits were the bright days
+of the week for Louise.</p>
+
+<p>At last, when Faith had begun to think her father might not come after
+all, she returned from school one night to find him waiting for her.
+It was difficult to tell which of the two, father or daughter, was the
+happier in the joy of seeing each other. Mr. Carew had arrived in the
+early afternoon, and Aunt Prissy was now busy preparing the evening
+meal and Faith and her father had the sitting-room to themselves.
+There was so much to say that Faith hardly knew where to begin, after
+she had listened to all her father had to tell her of her mother.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I would have come before, but I have been waiting for Kashaqua to
+come and stay with your mother,&#8221; said Mr. Carew. &#8220;She appeared last
+night, and will stay until I return. And your mother could have no
+better protector. Kashaqua is proud enough since we proved our
+confidence in her by sending you here in her charge.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith told him about Louise, and was surprised to see her father&#8217;s
+face grave and troubled. For Mr. Carew had heard of the shoemaker, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>was sure that he was an English spy, and feared that his daughter&#8217;s
+friendship with Faith might get the Scotts into some trouble.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She is my dearest friend. I tell her everything,&#8221; went on Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid her father is not a friend to the settlers about here,&#8221;
+replied Mr. Carew. &#8220;Be careful, dear child, that you do not mention
+any of the visitors who come to your uncle&#8217;s house. Your friend would
+mean no harm, but if she told her father great harm might come of it,&#8221;
+for Mr. Scott was doing his best to help the Americans. Messengers
+from Connecticut and Massachusetts with news for the settlers came to
+his house, and Mr. Scott found ways to forward their important
+communications to the men on the other side of Lake Champlain.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Aunt Prissy likes Louise; we all do,&#8221; pleaded Faith; so her father
+said no more, thinking that perhaps he had been overanxious.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your mother sent your blue beads. I expect you would have been
+scolded a little for being a careless child if you had been at home,
+for she found them under the settle cushion the very day you left
+home,&#8221; said Mr. Carew, handing <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>Faith two small packages. &#8220;The larger
+package is one that came from Esther Eldridge a few weeks ago,&#8221; he
+added, in answer to Faith&#8217;s questioning look.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder what it can be,&#8221; said Faith; but before she opened Esther&#8217;s
+package she had taken the blue beads from the pretty box and put them
+around her neck, touching them with loving fingers, and looking down
+at them with delight. Then she unfastened the wrapping of the second
+package.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here is a letter!&#8221; she exclaimed, and began reading it. As she read
+her face brightened, and at last she laughed with delight. &#8220;Oh,
+father! Read it! Esther says to let you and mother read it. And she
+has sent me another string of beads!&#8221; And now Faith opened the other
+box, a very pretty little box of shining yellow wood with &#8220;Faith&#8221; cut
+on the top, and took out another string of blue beads, so nearly like
+her own that it was difficult to tell them apart.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Carew read Esther&#8217;s letter. She wrote that she had lost Faith&#8217;s
+beads, and had been afraid to tell her.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> &#8220;Now I am sending you another
+string that my father got on purpose. I think you were fine not to say
+a word to any one about how horrid I was to ask for your beads.
+Please let your mother and father read this letter, so they will know
+how polite you were to company.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So it was Esther who lost the beads! Well, now what are you going to
+do with two strings of beads?&#8221; said her father smilingly.</p>
+
+<p>When Aunt Prissy came into the room Faith ran to show her Esther&#8217;s
+present and the letter, and told her of what had happened when she had
+so rashly promised to give Esther anything she might ask for. &#8220;I am so
+glad to have my own beads back again. And most of all I am glad not to
+have the secret,&#8221; she said, thinking to herself that life was much
+happier when father and mother and Aunt Prissy could know everything
+that she knew. Then, suddenly, Faith recalled the fort, and the
+difficult climb down the cliff. &#8220;But that&#8217;s not my secret. It&#8217;s
+something outside. Something that I ought not to tell,&#8221; she thought,
+with a little sense of satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But which string of beads did Esther send you? I can&#8217;t tell them
+apart,&#8221; she heard Aunt Prissy say laughingly.</p>
+
+<p>When the time came for Mr. Carew to start <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span>for home Faith was sure
+that she wanted to go home with him. And it was only when her father
+had promised to come after her early in March, &#8220;or as soon as March
+stirs the fire, and gives a good warm day,&#8221; he said, that Faith could
+be reconciled and persuaded to let him go without her. She was glad
+indeed that it was a Tuesday, and that Louise would come to stay all
+night. Faith was eager to tell Louise the story of the blue beads, and
+to show her those Esther had sent, and those that Aunt Prissy had
+given her. Faith was sure that she herself could tell the beads apart,
+and equally sure that no one else could do so.</p>
+
+<p>Louise was waiting at the gate when Faith came from school. At the
+first sight of her Faith was hardly sure that it was Louise; for the
+little girl at the gate had on a beautiful fur coat. It was made of
+otter skins, brown and soft. On her head was a cap of the same fur;
+and, as Faith came close, she saw that Louise wore fur mittens.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Louise! Your coat is splendid,&#8221; she exclaimed. &#8220;And you look so
+pretty in it; and the cap and mittens.&#8221; And Faith looked at Louise,
+smiling with delighted admiration.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>Louise nodded happily. &#8220;My father sent to Albany for them. A man
+brought them last night,&#8221; she said. &#8220;You do truly like them?&#8221; she
+questioned, a little anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course! Any girl would think they were beautiful. Aunt Prissy will
+be just as glad as I am,&#8221; declared Faith. &#8220;What&#8217;s in that big bundle?&#8221;
+she added, as Louise lifted a big bundle from beside the gate.</p>
+
+<p>But if Louise heard she made no reply, and when Faith offered to carry
+the package she shook her head laughingly. Faith thought it might be
+something that Louise wanted to work on that evening, and was so
+intent on telling of her father&#8217;s visit, the blue beads, and the
+promised visit to her own dear home in March, that she did not really
+give much thought to the package.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy was at the window watching for the girls, with the three
+little boys about her. They all came to the door, and Aunt Prissy
+exclaimed, just as Faith had done, over the beauty of Louise&#8217;s new
+possessions. &#8220;But what is in that big bundle, Louise?&#8221; she asked, when
+the little lame girl had taken off coat, cap and mittens, and stood
+smiling up at her good friend.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>&#8220;Once you said to me that a present was something that any one ought
+to be very happy to receive,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, I remember. And I know you are happy over your father&#8217;s gift,&#8221;
+replied Mrs. Scott.</p>
+
+<p>Louise nodded, and began unwrapping the bundle.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is my present to Faith,&#8221; she said, struggling to untie the heavy
+string.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let me, Louise; let me,&#8221; and Donald was down on his knees and in a
+moment the bundle was opened, and Donald exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My! It&#8217;s a coat exactly like Louise&#8217;s.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a cap too, and mittens,&#8221; said Louise eagerly. &#8220;Do try it on.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Donald stood holding the coat; and Faith, as excited and happy as
+Louise, slipped on the coat, put the cap on her head and held out her
+hands for the mittens.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Louise! They are lovely. I may keep them, mayn&#8217;t I, Aunt Prissy?&#8221;
+she asked, turning about for her aunt to see how nicely the coat
+fitted.</p>
+
+<p>Neither of the little girls noticed that Mrs. Scott looked grave and a
+little troubled, for she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>was thinking that this was almost too fine a
+present for her little niece to accept from the shoemaker&#8217;s daughter.
+But she knew that to refuse to let Faith accept it would not only make
+both the girls very unhappy, but that Mr. Trent would forbid Louise
+coming to the house, and so stop all her friendly efforts to help
+Louise; so she added her thanks to those of Faith, and the two little
+friends were as happy as it is possible to be over giving and
+receiving a beautiful gift. Faith even forgot her blue beads in the
+pleasure of possessing the pretty coat and cap.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>A BIRTHDAY</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">Can</span> you skate, Cousin Faith?&#8221; asked Donald, on their way to school
+one morning in late December. There had been a week of very cold
+weather, and the ice of the lake glittered temptingly in the morning
+sun.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, I never had any skates, and there wasn&#8217;t a very good chance for
+skating at home,&#8221; answered Faith regretfully; for many of the school
+children were eager for the sport, and told her of their good times on
+the ice.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mother has a pair of skates for you; I heard her say so; and father
+is going to teach you to skate,&#8221; responded Donald. &#8220;I can skate,&#8221; he
+added, &#8220;and after you learn we&#8217;ll have a fine time. Nat Beaman comes
+across the lake on the ice in no time.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was rather difficult for Faith to pay attention to her studies that
+day. She wondered when Aunt Prissy would give her the skates, and
+Uncle Phil teach her how to use them. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span>And when the schoolmaster
+announced that there would be no school for the remainder of the week
+Faith felt that everything was planned just right for her. Now, she
+thought, she could begin the very next day, if only the cold, clear
+weather would continue.</p>
+
+<p>The sun set clear and red that night, and the stars shone brightly.
+Faith was sure the next day would be pleasant. Donald found a chance
+to tell Faith that the skates were a &#8220;secret.&#8221; &#8220;But I didn&#8217;t know it
+until just a few minutes ago,&#8221; he explained, adding briefly: &#8220;I hate
+secrets.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith agreed heartily. If the skates were a secret who could tell when
+Aunt Prissy would give them to her? She went to bed a little
+despondent, thinking to herself that as soon as she was clear of one
+secret another seemed ready to interfere with her happiness. But she
+was soon asleep, and woke up to find the sun shining in at her
+windows, and Aunt Prissy starting the fire with a shovelful of coals
+from the kitchen hearth. And what were those shining silver-like
+objects swinging from the bed-post?</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Skates! My skates!&#8221; she exclaimed, sitting <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span>up in bed. &#8220;Oh, Aunt
+Prissy! I did want them so to-day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are your birthday present from your father and mother,&#8221; said
+Aunt Prissy, coming to the side of the bed, and leaning over to kiss
+her little niece. &#8220;Eleven years old to-day! And you had forgotten all
+about it!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, so I am! Why, so I did!&#8221; said Faith. &#8220;Well, I like secrets that
+end this way. May I go skating right away, Aunt Prissy?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Breakfast first!&#8221; laughed Aunt Prissy, and was out of the room before
+Faith had noticed that lying across the foot of her bed was a dress of
+pretty plaided blue and brown wool. A slip of paper was pinned to it:
+&#8220;For Faith to wear skating,&#8221; she read.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lovely! Lovely!&#8221; exclaimed Faith, as she hastened to dress in front
+of the blazing fire.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, here are new stockings, too,&#8221; she said, as she discovered a pair
+of warm knit brown and blue stockings.</p>
+
+<p>She came running into the dining-room, skates in hand, to be met by
+her uncle and little cousins with birthday greetings. Donald had at
+last finished the bow and arrows that he had promised her weeks
+before, and now gave <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span>them to her; Hugh had made a &#8220;quiver,&#8221; a little
+case to hold the arrows, such as the Indians use, of birch bark, and
+little Philip had a dish filled with molasses candy, which he had
+helped to make.</p>
+
+<p>It was a beautiful morning for Faith, and the broiled chicken and hot
+corn cake gave the breakfast an added sense of festivity.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after breakfast Mr. Scott, Donald and Faith were ready to start
+for the lake. Donald took his sled along. &#8220;So we can draw Cousin Faith
+home, if she gets tired,&#8221; he explained, with quite an air of being
+older and stronger than his cousin.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy watched them start off, thinking to herself that Faith had
+never looked so pretty as she did in the fur coat and cap, with her
+skates swinging from her arm, the bright steel catching the rays of
+sunlight.</p>
+
+<p>They crossed the road, and went down the field to the shore. The hard
+crust gave Faith and Donald a fine coast down the slope, and both the
+children exclaimed with delight when Mr. Scott, running and sliding,
+reached the shore almost as soon as they did.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Scott fastened on Faith&#8217;s skates, and held <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span>up by her uncle on one
+side and Donald on the other, Faith ventured out on the dark, shining
+ice. After a few lurches and tumbles, she found that she could stand
+alone, and in a short time could skate a little.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father, are those Indians?&#8221; asked Donald, pointing to a number of
+dark figures coming swiftly down the lake from the direction of the
+fort.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Scott looked, and answered quickly: &#8220;Yes. They have seen us; so we
+will skate toward them. They will probably be friendly.&#8221; But he told
+Faith to sit down on the sled, and took fast hold of Donald&#8217;s hand. In
+a few moments the flying figures of the Indians were close at hand.
+There were six of them, young braves, and evidently racing either for
+sport, or bound on some errand of importance, for they sped straight
+past the little group, with a friendly call of salutation.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wonder what that means,&#8221; said Mr. Scott, turning to watch them. &#8220;It
+may be they are on their way to Albany as messengers from the fort,&#8221;
+he added, as if speaking to himself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What kind of a message, Uncle Philip?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>&#8220;Heaven knows, child. Perhaps for troops enough to crush the American
+settlers, and drive them from their homes,&#8221; replied Mr. Scott. For
+news of the trouble in Boston, the blockade of the port, and the lack
+of supplies, had reached the men of the Wilderness; and Mr. Scott knew
+that the English were planning to send a larger body of troops to Fort
+Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and the sight of these speeding Indians
+made him wonder if they might not be English messengers.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Couldn&#8217;t we stop them, uncle?&#8221; asked Faith, so earnestly that her
+uncle looked down at her in smiling surprise.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Couldn&#8217;t we? It will be dreadful to leave our homes,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Scott swung the little girl gently around. &#8220;Look!&#8221; he said,
+pointing down the lake. Already the Indians were but dark specks in
+the distance. &#8220;If trouble comes there are brave Americans ready,&#8221; he
+said; &#8220;and now we had best be going toward home, or you will be too
+tired to come out this afternoon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith and Donald were surprised to find that it was dinner time. They
+had a great deal to tell Aunt Prissy of their morning&#8217;s adventures.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>&#8220;Could a little girl do anything to help, Aunt Prissy, if the English
+do try to drive us away?&#8221; Faith asked, as she helped her aunt clear
+the dining-room table.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who knows?&#8221; responded Mrs. Scott, cheerfully. &#8220;A brave girl might be
+of great service. But I do not believe the Tories will dare go much
+farther. At all events, we will be ready for them. Run to the door,
+Faithie; there comes Louise.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise was as pleased over Faith&#8217;s presents as Faith herself, and
+delighted at the prospect of going to the lake with Faith and Donald
+that afternoon. Faith and Donald promised to draw her on the sled, and
+Aunt Prissy was to be their companion.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mother can skate like a bird,&#8221; Donald declared admiringly.</p>
+
+<p>Louise was no longer the sullen, sad-faced child whom Faith had first
+seen. She knew that she had friends; she was included in all the
+pleasant happenings with Faith; her father seemed to take pride in her
+appearance; and best of all, she thought, she was to begin school when
+the spring term opened. To-day as they started off for the lake she
+was as full of happiness as any child could be.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span>There were a number of children and young people on the ice, skating
+and sliding. A number of boys had built a bonfire on the shore, where
+they could warm their chilled toes and fingers.</p>
+
+<p>Nathan Beaman was there, circling about in skilful curves, or darting
+off with long swift strokes, greatly to the admiration of the other
+children. He was quite ready to take the sled rope and give Louise a
+fine ride up the lake toward the fort, and back to the fire, and to
+guide Faith in her clumsy efforts to skate.</p>
+
+<p>Faith and Louise were warming their fingers at the fire when they
+heard loud voices and a commotion on the ice.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What is it? Indians?&#8221; exclaimed Faith, looking around, for the
+settlers never knew at what moment the Indians might become
+mischievous.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No! Soldiers. Soldiers from the fort,&#8221; replied Aunt Prissy, drawing
+the little girls away from the fire. &#8220;Perhaps they are only coming to
+warm their fingers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Two red-coated soldiers came swinging close to the shore. They were
+talking loudly, and as they neared the fire they called out:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> &#8220;Clear
+away from that fire. We&#8217;ll have no fires built on this shore. &#8217;Tis
+too good a way to send messages across the lake.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With a couple of stout sticks they beat out the flame, kicking snow
+over the coals, and extinguishing the last bit of fire.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Scott had helped Louise toward the ice, but Faith had lingered a
+moment. As one of the soldiers turned from the fire he found himself
+facing a little fur-clad figure with flushed cheeks and angry eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That was our fire. You had no business to put it out,&#8221; Faith
+declared.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, ho! What&#8217;s this?&#8221; laughed the soldier. &#8220;Do you own this lake? Or
+perhaps you are our new captain?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is a mean thing to spoil our fire,&#8221; continued Faith; &#8220;we wouldn&#8217;t
+do you any harm.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not so sure about that,&#8221; replied the soldier. &#8220;You have a pretty
+fierce expression,&#8221; and with another kick at the fire, and a
+&#8220;good-bye, little rebel,&#8221; to Faith, the two soldiers started back to
+the fort. The skaters now, troubled and angry by the unfriendly
+interference, were taking off their skates and starting for home.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span>&#8220;I wish American soldiers were in that fort,&#8221; said Nat Beaman.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why don&#8217;t you ask Colonel Allen to come and take it?&#8221; asked Faith
+earnestly; she was quite sure that Ethan Allen could do anything he
+attempted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ask him yourself,&#8221; responded Nathan laughingly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess I will,&#8221; Faith thought to herself, as she followed Aunt
+Prissy up the field toward home. &#8220;Perhaps that would be doing
+something to help Americans.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The more Faith thought about this the stronger became her resolve to
+ask Colonel Allen to take possession of Fort Ticonderoga. She was so
+silent all the way home that her companions were sure she was
+overtired. Louise had to return to her own home, and soon after supper
+Faith was ready to go to bed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve got a real secret now; even if I don&#8217;t like secrets,&#8221; she
+thought to herself. For she realized that she could not tell any one
+of her determination to find some way to ask Ethan Allen to capture
+Ticonderoga and send the troublesome English soldiers back to their
+own homes.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>NEW ADVENTURES</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">It</span> will be a good day to put a quilt in the frame,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy,
+the morning after Faith&#8217;s birthday. &#8220;You and Donald can help me with
+it right after breakfast; then while you children are off to the lake
+I will mark the pattern.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Can&#8217;t I help mark the pattern?&#8221; asked Faith, who had sometimes helped
+her mother, and thought it the most interesting part of the quilting.</p>
+
+<p>The quilting-frame, four long strips of wood, was brought into the
+sitting-room and rested on the backs of four stout wooden chairs,
+forming a square. The frame was held firmly together at the corners by
+clamps and screws, so that it could be changed and adjusted to fit the
+quilt.</p>
+
+<p>This quilt was a very pretty one, Faith thought, as she watched Aunt
+Prissy fasten it to the frame with stout linen thread. It was made <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>of
+bits of bright woolen cloth. There were pieces of Faith&#8217;s new dresses,
+and of the dresses made for Louise, and they were neatly stitched
+together in a diamond-shaped pattern. Faith had made a good many of
+these, and so had Louise in the evenings as they sat with Aunt Prissy
+before the open fire.</p>
+
+<p>First of all Aunt Prissy had fastened the lining for the quilt to the
+frame. Over this she spread an even layer of soft wool, and then over
+this the bright patchwork was spread and fastened. And now it was
+ready to mark the quilting pattern.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy took a ball of firm twine and rubbed it well with white
+chalk. The cord was fastened tightly across the surface of the quilt.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy, and Faith took the tight cord up and &#8220;snap&#8221;
+it went when her fingers released their hold, leaving a straight white
+mark across the quilt. Back and forth they stretched the cord and
+&#8220;snapped&#8221; the line, until the quilt was marked in a checkerboard
+pattern of white lines, which the quilters would follow with their
+neat stitches.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I believe I&#8217;ll have a quilting bee to-morrow,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> &#8220;When you and Donald start out you can go down and ask the minister&#8217;s
+wife, and be sure and say that we shall expect Mr. Fairbanks to tea.
+Then ask Neighbor Willis and her husband, and Mrs. Tuttle. I think
+that will be a pleasant number.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;May I help quilt?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course you may. Tell Mrs. Tuttle to bring her daughter. And now,
+my dear, in what manner will you ask our friends to the quilting party
+and to tea?&#8221; asked Aunt Prissy, looking down at her little niece with
+her pretty smile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shall rap at the minister&#8217;s door first, of course; and when Mrs.
+Fairbanks opens the door I shall make my best curtsy, like this:&#8221; and
+Faith took a bit of her skirt in each hand, and bent in a very pretty
+curtsy indeed; &#8220;and I shall say: &#8216;Good-morning, Mrs. Fairbanks. My
+Aunt Prissy will be very happy if you and the minister will come to
+her quilting bee to-morrow afternoon and stay to tea.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy nodded approvingly. &#8220;I think that will do very nicely
+indeed. Now put on your things and run along. Donald is waiting.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Donald and &#8220;Scotchie&#8221; were at the door when Faith was ready to start.
+The big dog barked <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span>his delight at being allowed to go with the
+children.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to harness him to the sled; he could draw us both,&#8221;
+suggested Donald, but Faith was sure that &#8220;Scotchie&#8221; would upset the
+sled; so her cousin gave up the project.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We can go on the lake just below Mrs. Tuttle&#8217;s house, and skate along
+the shore home; can&#8217;t we, Cousin Faith?&#8221; asked Donald, after they had
+stopped at Mrs. Willis&#8217; house and that of the clergyman.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s call and get Louise,&#8221; suggested Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, there won&#8217;t be time. Look, there goes an English soldier into the
+shoemaker&#8217;s now. The boys all say that the shoemaker is an English
+spy,&#8221; answered Donald.</p>
+
+<p>They were nearly in front of Mr. Trent&#8217;s shop now, and Faith noticed
+that the soldier was the one who had been on the lake the previous
+day, and who had called her &#8220;a little rebel.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come to the back door, Donald. Just a moment, while I speak to
+Louise. And make &#8216;Scotchie&#8217; keep still,&#8221; said Faith, turning into the
+path leading to the back door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Scotchie&#8221; was barking fiercely as if he resented the sight of the
+redcoat.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p><p>The soldier turned quickly. &#8220;Stop that dog before I put a bullet into
+him,&#8221; he called.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s afraid,&#8221; Donald whispered to Faith, with a word to &#8220;Scotchie,&#8221;
+and Faith ran up the path and entered the house.</p>
+
+<p>Donald and &#8220;Scotchie&#8221; stood waiting, the dog growling now and then,
+whenever the soldier moved about on the door-step. It was evident that
+the shoemaker was not at home, for no answer came to the raps. In a
+moment Louise appeared at the door and told the man that her father
+was not at home.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Send that boy with the dog about his business,&#8221; said the soldier.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis the public road, sir; and &#8217;tis not likely he&#8217;d mind what I might
+say,&#8221; responded Louise smilingly, as she closed the door.</p>
+
+<p>Donald rested his mittened hand on &#8220;Scotchie&#8217;s&#8221; head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You needn&#8217;t be afraid. I won&#8217;t let him hurt you,&#8221; Donald called.</p>
+
+<p>The soldier came down the path scowling.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve a great mind to kick the beast,&#8221; he said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;d better not,&#8221; said Donald.</p>
+
+<p>Evidently the man agreed, for he went past as quickly as possible.
+Donald watched him <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span>with a little scornful smile. The boy was not old
+enough to realize, as Faith did, the difference between these hired
+soldiers of England, and the brave Americans who were ready to
+undertake any sacrifice to secure the freedom of their country, but he
+was a brave boy, and thought poorly of this soldier&#8217;s courage.</p>
+
+<p>Louise listened to Faith&#8217;s hurried account of the proposed quilting
+party.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And you must come too, Louise,&#8221; she concluded, &#8220;and come early.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise promised. She had never been to a quilting party, and was sure
+that it would be a great experience. She could not go to the lake, for
+she must not leave the house until her father returned.</p>
+
+<p>When Faith rejoined Donald he told her of the soldier&#8217;s evident fear
+of the dog. &#8220;I don&#8217;t see what made &#8216;Scotchie&#8217; growl so,&#8221; added Donald.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad he did,&#8221; responded Faith. &#8220;Come on; let&#8217;s hurry, or we won&#8217;t
+have much time on the ice,&#8221; so off they went across the field.</p>
+
+<p>But as they reached the shore they looked at each other questioningly.
+The lake seemed to be in the possession of the redcoats. At least <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span>half the garrison of the fort were on the ice; skating, racing, and
+evidently enjoying themselves.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We had better go home,&#8221; said Faith, and Donald made no objections.
+The two children, disappointed of their morning&#8217;s sport, went slowly
+back toward home.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the way they take everything,&#8221; declared Faith, renewing her
+promise to herself to try in some way to let Ethan Allen know how easy
+it would be to drive the English from Ticonderoga.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am glad you did not venture on the ice,&#8221; Aunt Prissy said when
+Donald and Faith told their story. &#8220;The English become less friendly
+every day. Well, we will not think of them when there is so much to do
+as we have before us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I asked Louise to come to the quilting,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s right; and I am going to send Donald to ask a number of your
+schoolmates to come in the evening. The moon will be full to light
+them home, and you children can have the kitchen to yourselves after
+supper, and make molasses candy,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p><p>This seemed a very delightful idea to both Faith and Donald. The
+thought of making candy reminded Faith of Esther Eldridge, and of the
+bear&#8217;s sudden appearance at the kitchen door. Mr. Carew had promised
+Faith to ask Esther&#8217;s father to bring her to visit Faith on her return
+home, and Faith often thought of how much she and Esther would have to
+tell each other.</p>
+
+<p>That afternoon Faith helped her Aunt Prissy in preparing for the
+quilting. Aunt Prissy was cooking a ham, and the brick oven held some
+of the spiced cakes that the children liked so well. Donald cracked a
+big dish full of hickory-nuts, while Faith rubbed the pewter plates
+and pitchers until they shone like silver. The two younger boys ran in
+and out of the kitchen, thinking a quilting party must be a great
+affair.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Scott had been cutting wood at the edge of the forest, and did not
+return until nearly dusk; and when he arrived there was a man with
+him&mdash;evidently a traveler, for there was a pack on his back, and he
+was tired. Faith heard her Aunt Prissy call the stranger by name, and
+welcome him.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span>&#8220;Why, it is Esther&#8217;s father. Of course it is!&#8221; she exclaimed suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Eldridge told her all about Esther, and promised that his little
+daughter should again visit the Wilderness cabin. Faith wondered what
+business it was that took Mr. Eldridge through the Wilderness and up
+and down the lakes. Long afterward she discovered that he was one of
+the trusted messengers of the American leaders, and through him the
+American settlers along the lake shores and through the New Hampshire
+Grants were kept informed of what the English were doing. She did not
+know that he underwent constant danger.</p>
+
+<p>The little boys went early to bed that night, but Faith was not
+sleepy. The firelight in the sitting-room made dancing pictures on the
+wall, as she sat in a small chair at the end of the sofa. The sound of
+Aunt Prissy&#8217;s knitting needles made her think of the silvery tinkle of
+the mill-stream under the winter ice in her Wilderness home. Mr.
+Eldridge and her uncle were talking quietly. She heard her uncle say
+that: &#8220;Ticonderoga was the lock to the gate of the country,&#8221; and Mr.
+Eldridge respond that until Crown Point and Ticonderoga were taken <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span>by
+the Americans that none of the colonies could be safe.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If there were any way to get into Fort Ticonderoga,&#8221; said Mr.
+Eldridge. &#8220;They say there&#8217;s a secret passageway.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith was all attention at this. She quite forgot that she was
+listening to conversation not intended for her ears, as she heard her
+uncle answer:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There is such a door, but no way for an American to find it. If some
+one could get entrance to the fort in that way, discover just the plan
+of the place, and escape, it would be of the greatest service to the
+Americans when the right time came to take the fort.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Time for bed, Faithie,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy, and, very reluctantly, the
+little girl went up-stairs. She was thinking of all that her uncle and
+Mr. Eldridge had said, and of the unguarded door opening on the cliff
+at the fort. She wondered if she could make her way up that steep
+cliff as easily as Nathan had declared he had so often done.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps Nathan will help capture the fort,&#8221; she thought.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> &#8220;Anyway he
+could show the Green Mountain Boys the way. If I were at home I would
+put a note in that cave near Lake Dunmore and tell Ethan Allen about
+Nathan.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Only Ethan Allen and a few of his friends knew of this mountain cave,
+and it was there messages were left for him by the men of the
+Wilderness.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>LOUISE DISAPPEARS</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> guests for the quilting party arrived at an early hour in the
+afternoon. All that morning Faith and Aunt Prissy were busy. Dishes
+filled with red apples were brought up from the cellar; cakes were
+made ready, and the house in order before dinner time.</p>
+
+<p>Only one little girl, Jane Tuttle, had been asked to come in the early
+afternoon. Jane was about Faith&#8217;s age, and at school they were in the
+same classes. She was not very tall, and was very fat. Jane was one of
+the children whom Caroline and Catherine Young had taken especial
+delight in teasing.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<span class="i20">&#8220;Jane, Jane! Fat and plain;</span>
+<span class="i20">With a button nose and turned-in toes,&#8221;</span></div>
+
+<p>they would call after her, until the little girl dreaded the very
+sight of them. When Faith <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span>had proved that she was not afraid of the
+sisters Jane Tuttle became her steadfast admirer, and was greatly
+pleased to come in the afternoon with her mother. But she was
+surprised to find Louise Trent there before her, and evidently very
+much at home. However, she was too kind-hearted a child not to be
+pleasant and polite to the lame girl, and Louise was now as ready to
+make friends as, before knowing Faith, she had been sullen and
+unfriendly.</p>
+
+<p>Each of the girls was encouraged to set a few neat stitches in the
+quilt. Then, on the arrival of Mrs. Fairbanks and Mrs. Lewis, Aunt
+Prissy told Faith that if she wanted to take the little girls to her
+own room she might do so.</p>
+
+<p>There was a glowing fire on the hearth, and Faith was pleased for Jane
+to see her pleasant chamber, and to introduce &#8220;Lady Amy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wish I had brought my doll,&#8221; said Jane, as the little girls
+gathered in front of the fire. &#8220;Mine is one my mother made for me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There, Louise! We could make you a doll!&#8221; exclaimed Faith, knowing
+how much her friend had always wished for a doll of her own.</p>
+
+<p>But Louise shook her head.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> &#8220;I guess I am too old for dolls; I&#8217;m
+twelve,&#8221; she said slowly, &#8220;and I don&#8217;t have time to make dresses for
+dolls now that I&#8217;m learning to read and write. You see,&#8221; and she
+turned to Jane, &#8220;I keep house for my father.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Jane looked at Louise, wondering to herself why she had ever imagined
+that Louise Trent was a girl that she could not have for a friend.
+Why, Louise was really pretty! thought fat little Jane, looking
+admiringly at the smooth black hair, and the neat and pretty dress.
+And so nearly grown-up, too. Twelve years old! Jane resolved to go and
+see Louise, and to ask her to come for a visit.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shall always play with dolls,&#8221; she heard Faith declare. &#8220;I&#8217;d like
+to have a regiment of dolls, and play games with them. Wouldn&#8217;t it be
+fun to have dolls that we could make up names for, and then have them
+do all sorts of things?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise and Jane agreed that would be a fine game.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We could dress up the pillows on your bed for dolls,&#8221; suggested
+Louise.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, and put my dresses on them,&#8221; responded Faith eagerly, running to
+the closet <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>and bringing out the blue dress, a skirt and a small
+shawl. It was not long before two &#8220;cushiony&#8221; figures, as large as
+Jane, were seated on the bed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s put our coats and caps on them, Faith; and when the other girls
+come this evening we&#8217;ll make them think the pillows are company,&#8221;
+suggested Louise.</p>
+
+<p>Jane jumped about the room with delight as Faith and Louise adjusted
+the caps and fur coats.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll introduce them as Annie Snow and Mary White,&#8221; said Faith. &#8220;It
+will be fun to see what the girls will say.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Four little girls were expected, and several boy friends of Donald&#8217;s.
+Aunt Prissy wondered a little at Faith&#8217;s eagerness to take the girls
+directly up-stairs on their arrival, but she was greatly pleased to
+see that Louise, Jane and Faith were evidently having a delightful
+time.</p>
+
+<p>It was nearly dusk when the little visitors arrived, and Faith&#8217;s room
+was rather dim and shadowy. The little girls coming in were rather
+surprised to find that there were strangers, evidently just arrived,
+sitting on Faith&#8217;s bed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Girls, these are two of my best friends, Annie Snow and Mary White,&#8221;
+said Faith, trying <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span>hard not to laugh, as her schoolmates bowed
+politely and greeted the stout figures on the bed, who, apparently,
+did not hear the introductions.</p>
+
+<p>Jane, giggling with delight, circled around the newcomers; while
+Louise seated herself on the bed and began talking to Annie Snow.
+Faith endeavored to make the newcomers at ease, and it was not long
+before she had to run down-stairs to help her aunt with the supper,
+leaving Louise and Jane to carry on the game.</p>
+
+<p>The children were to have their supper in the kitchen. The tables for
+young and old had been spread before the arrival of any of the guests,
+so there was but little for Aunt Prissy and Faith to do before calling
+the guests to supper.</p>
+
+<p>Louise was the last one to enter the kitchen, her face radiant with
+fun and delight at the success of &#8220;Annie Snow&#8221; and &#8220;Mary White.&#8221; She
+found a chance to tell Faith that &#8220;Annie&#8221; and &#8220;Mary&#8221; had managed to
+say that they didn&#8217;t feel like eating supper, and that the girls had
+not yet discovered the joke.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll bring them down after supper,&#8221; Faith whispered.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>&#8220;Are your friends from the Wilderness?&#8221; asked Peggy Tibbetts, the
+oldest girl of the party, as Faith sat down beside her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; Faith answered slowly. &#8220;They are both coming down after supper,
+and I know you will be surprised when I tell you that they live right
+in this house.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Peggy Tibbetts was surprised. She looked almost frightened, and lost
+no time in whispering this information to the other girls; so that
+when Faith announced that she would run up-stairs and ask &#8220;Annie&#8221; and
+&#8220;Mary&#8221; to come down there was an anxious silence.</p>
+
+<p>Faith asked Jane to go with her, and in a few moments they returned
+with the two clumsy &#8220;girls.&#8221; In the brightly-lit kitchen the
+dressed-up figures could no longer be mistaken, and the children were
+greatly pleased and amused by &#8220;Annie&#8221; and &#8220;Mary,&#8221; who were established
+in straight-backed chairs, and urged to share in the supper.</p>
+
+<p>There was so much laughter and merriment in the kitchen that Aunt
+Prissy looked in for a moment. &#8220;Faithie dear, who are the little girls
+in the corner?&#8221; she asked. To Louise and Jane this seemed a triumph
+indeed, and when Aunt Prissy, entering into the spirit of the affair,
+insisted <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span>upon being introduced to &#8220;Annie&#8221; and &#8220;Mary,&#8221; and said she
+was very glad to see them, the children danced about, greatly pleased
+with this unexpected fun.</p>
+
+<p>When the clock struck nine the grown people and children were all
+ready to start for home. Louise was to stay all night with Faith. As
+the children said their good-byes and stepped out into the
+snow-trodden path they called back messages to &#8220;Annie&#8221; and &#8220;Mary.&#8221; The
+full moon shone down so brightly that the path could be plainly seen,
+and in the distance the dark line of the forest, and the heights of
+Ticonderoga.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the best time I ever had in all my life,&#8221; declared Jane, as she
+trotted off holding fast to her mother&#8217;s hand.</p>
+
+<p>And Faith said the same as she bade Aunt Prissy good-night. &#8220;It&#8217;s fun
+to have parties, isn&#8217;t it, Aunt Prissy,&#8221; she said, &#8220;and all the girls
+are so pleasant.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That is what makes the good time, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221; responded her aunt.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hope it won&#8217;t storm to-morrow,&#8221; Louise said, as the two girls
+prepared for bed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What makes you think of a storm?&#8221; questioned Faith.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>&#8220;There was a ring around the moon,&#8221; said Louise; &#8220;that&#8217;s one sign, and
+the air felt like snow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Faith was too happy over the evening to think about weather signs.
+She had, for that night, quite forgotten about the English soldiers
+and her resolve to send a message to Ethan Allen.</p>
+
+<p>Louise&#8217;s predictions proved right; for when the morning came snow was
+falling steadily, and great drifts were heaped up against the walls
+and fences. A chill east wind came sweeping across the ice-bound lake,
+and it was plain that there would be no more skating for many days.</p>
+
+<p>For nearly a week trails and roads were impassable. Mr. Trent, knowing
+that Louise was safe and happy with her friends, made no effort to
+reach her; and the Scotts were glad to keep indoors, safe from the
+fierce cold and wind.</p>
+
+<p>Donald and Hugh dug a tunnel to the shop, and Mr. Scott kept a path
+open to the barn, while indoors Aunt Prissy kept the two girls busy
+and happy. She declared that she had been hoping for a day to dye some
+recently woven blankets, and asked Faith what color she thought would
+be best.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span>&#8220;But how can you make any color you like, Aunt Prissy?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps not &#8216;any color I like,&#8217; but I have a good lot of colors to
+choose from,&#8221; replied Aunt Prissy. &#8220;People who live in the wilderness
+need only to step outdoors to find almost anywhere some plant that
+furnishes dye, and I gather my dye-plants and roots every summer, as I
+am sure your own mother does.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know mother always gathers the dogwood roots to make a scarlet dye.
+Kashaqua told her about that,&#8221; answered Faith. &#8220;The Indians use it for
+their feathers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And I am sure your mother dyed your brown dress with the shells of
+the hickory-nut,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy, &#8220;and the yellow root is what I
+used to color the covers on the chair cushions in your room.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This was all new to Louise, and she listened eagerly, thinking to
+herself that she would color the faded quilts on her own bed; and that
+another summer she would gather a good supply of the roots and plants
+of which Mrs. Scott spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The pokeweed berries will color a good red,&#8221; continued Mrs. Scott;
+&#8220;but for scarlet we must use the dogwood roots.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p><p>Then Mrs. Scott showed the little girls her bundles of dyestuffs, each
+plant and root tied up and marked carefully with its name and use. A
+large number of the dogwood roots were put into a huge iron kettle,
+the kettle filled with water, and hung over the fire. When it had
+boiled for several hours there would be a good scarlet dye in which
+the new blankets would be dipped. Then they would be hung to dry in
+the shed.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the sun came out and shone brightly down on a white and
+glistening world, and that afternoon Mr. Trent came to take Louise
+home. He would not come in, but waited at the door until she was ready
+to go. But he thanked Mrs. Scott for all her kindness to his little
+daughter.</p>
+
+<p>Faith was quite sure that Mr. Trent must be sorry to be a Tory instead
+of a loyal American. &#8220;But I suppose he can&#8217;t help it,&#8221; she decided,
+and always thought of her friend&#8217;s father as unfortunate.</p>
+
+<p>Faith and Louise always had so many things to talk about that they
+seldom spoke of the redcoats; and when they did Louise seemed to
+dislike them more than Faith herself.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p><p>Faith and Donald both had snow-shoes, and on their way to school, a
+few days later, Faith stopped at the shoemaker&#8217;s door. But there was
+no response to her knock, and when she tried the door it would not
+open. She wondered where Louise and her father could be, but not until
+the next day did she hear that the shoemaker and Louise had left their
+home, apparently not to return. They had gone with a number of English
+families, on sledges, down the river, without a good-bye to the kind
+friends who had grown to love the little lame girl.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know Louise couldn&#8217;t help it,&#8221; Faith declared, when Aunt Prissy
+told her the news. &#8220;She will write to me, I know she will,&#8221; but it was
+a long time before any word came to her from her little friend. And
+now Faith became more and more eager for March to come, that she might
+once more see her father and mother, and make some attempt to send a
+message to Ethan Allen.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<h3>FAITH AGAIN VISITS THE FORT</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> night after hearing that Louise had gone Faith felt more nearly
+homesick than at any time since her arrival at her aunt&#8217;s house.
+Everything seemed to remind her of her friend. Even &#8220;Lady Amy&#8221; made
+her remember that Louise had never owned a doll of her own.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And I had meant to give Louise one of my strings of blue beads just
+as soon as I had asked Aunt Prissy,&#8221; she thought, regretfully, holding
+up the pretty beads, and recalling how much Louise had admired them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Aunt Prissy,&#8221; she called, running down the stairs and into the
+sitting-room, &#8220;may I not give Louise one of my bead necklaces?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy looked up in amazement.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But how can you, Faithie, dear? We do not know where she is,&#8221; she
+answered.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We shall know some time. Of course we shall. And when we do, may I? I
+meant to ask you the day of the quilting,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>&#8220;Of course you may, child. I was sure that you would want to when
+Esther sent the beads. I only hope you may have a chance to give them
+to Louise at an early day,&#8221; responded Aunt Prissy.</p>
+
+<p>This decision proved a comfort to Faith. As the weeks went by, and no
+news of the shoemaker and his little daughter was received, she would
+often look at the string of blue beads which she meant to give her
+friend. &#8220;I wish I had given them to her on my birthday,&#8221; she thought
+regretfully, &#8220;but she shall have them some time,&#8221; for Faith was quite
+sure that it could not be very long before Louise would find a way to
+let them know where she was.</p>
+
+<p>March came, &#8220;stirring the fire&#8221; vigorously from the day of its
+arrival. The ice in the lake broke up rapidly, the snow melted, and by
+the middle of the month Faith began to expect her father. Nathan
+Beaman, in his clumsy boat, had crossed from Shoreham a number of
+times. He often teasingly reminded Faith of her plan to ask Ethan
+Allen to come and take possession of Fort Ticonderoga.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span>&#8220;You&#8217;d better hurry. The British will be sending men down from Canada
+by early summer, and then &#8217;twill be of no use for the Green Mountain
+Boys to try to capture the fort,&#8221; he said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How do you always know so much about what the English are going to
+do?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p>The children were all in the shop. Nathan was helping Donald in the
+construction of a small boat, and Faith and the two younger boys had
+been filling a basket with chips and shavings to carry into the house.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Can&#8217;t help knowing,&#8221; answered Nathan. &#8220;I hear the men at the fort
+talking about all their fine plans to own all this country every time
+I go there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nathan,&#8221; and Faith lowered her voice so that the other children would
+not hear, &#8220;you know I promised not to tell about the door at the
+fort?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Nathan nodded; he was looking at her sharply, and half feared that she
+was about to tell him that she had broken the promise.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, of course I shan&#8217;t tell. But if my telling some American would
+help send the soldiers away, mayn&#8217;t I tell then?&#8221; and Faith&#8217;s face was
+very serious as she waited for his response.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>&#8220;Yes. I meant you weren&#8217;t to tell Louise Trent, or those Young girls,&#8221;
+said Nathan. &#8220;And don&#8217;t tell any one unless you are sure it will be of
+some use. You see I may tell, if it comes to that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith drew a long breath. &#8220;Thank you, Nathan,&#8221; she said, in so serious
+a tone that the boy laughed aloud.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are as grave about that old fort as my father and the Shoreham
+men are. You ought to hear my father tell about the big fight here in
+1758. He was a young man then, and the French held the fort, and the
+English were after it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Donald had stopped his work, and he and Hugh were listening eagerly.
+&#8220;Tell us, tell us about it,&#8221; said Donald.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Father says there&#8217;ll never be anything like it again. All the
+Colonies sent men, and Lord Howe brought thousands of English
+soldiers. England was our friend then,&#8221; said Nathan.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> &#8220;They had
+thousands of boats, and rafts to carry their big guns. They had big
+flags, and music; and they didn&#8217;t lurk or skulk about. Their boats
+came right down the lake in fine shape; they landed, and marched
+toward the fort. But the French were ready for them, and beat them
+back. However, the next year the English and Americans drove the
+French out.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess the English are brave,&#8221; Donald ventured, returning to his
+work.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course they are. Why, we&#8217;re all English ourselves,&#8221; declared
+Nathan, &#8220;and that&#8217;s why we won&#8217;t stand being treated so unfairly. We
+can&#8217;t stand it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not English. I&#8217;m an American,&#8221; said Faith; &#8220;and when the
+Americans take Ticonderoga that will be American too.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the way to talk, little maid,&#8221; said a gruff voice, and the
+children turned quickly toward the door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t mean to listen,&#8221; and a tall man, dressed in deerskin jacket
+and trousers, with moccasins, and wearing a fur cap, stepped into the
+shop, resting his musket against the wall near the door. &#8220;Shouldn&#8217;t
+have dared come in if I had not heard I was in good company,&#8221; he said
+laughingly, his sharp eyes looking carefully about the shop.</p>
+
+<p>Nathan, with a half-muttered word of good-bye to the children, had
+started toward the door; but the newcomer&#8217;s hand grasped his arm.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span>&#8220;Wait a minute!&#8221; he said, swinging the boy about. &#8220;I&#8217;m not so sure
+about letting you start off so smart. You may head straight for the
+fort, for all I know. What&#8217;s your name?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Nathan stood silent. His face flushed, but he looked the newcomer
+steadily in the face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Let go of Nathan!&#8221; said Donald sturdily, clutching at the man&#8217;s arm,
+and kicking at his legs. &#8220;This isn&#8217;t your shop. You let go of him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I guess I&#8217;d better,&#8221; laughed the man, taking a firm hold of Donald
+and looking at both his captives in evident amusement. &#8220;Well, Philip
+Scott, what sort of a hornet&#8217;s nest have you here?&#8221; he called out, and
+Faith turned around to see her Uncle Philip standing in the doorway.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ll not let go these men until you promise to defend me,&#8221; continued
+the stranger.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You are safe, Phelps,&#8221; responded Mr. Scott, coming forward and, as
+Nathan and Donald were released, giving the stranger a cordial
+welcome. Nathan vanished without a word, but on Mr. Scott&#8217;s saying
+that he was the son of Mr. Beaman of Shoreham, the stranger was
+reassured. It was evident he did not wish his arrival to become known
+at the fort.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>Faith heard the stranger say that he had come from Hartford, and that
+he would cross to the New Hampshire Grants as soon as he could safely
+do so.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to look in at Fort Ticonderoga if I could without the
+soldiers knowing it,&#8221; she heard him say, and her uncle replied that it
+would be impossible.</p>
+
+<p>Faith was sure that this stranger was on some errand to the Green
+Mountain Boys, for he spoke of Remember Baker, and Seth Warner.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to take Colonel Allen a plan of the fort,&#8221; she heard him
+say, as she helped Aunt Prissy prepare an early dinner for their
+visitor.</p>
+
+<p>Faith wished that she was grown up. Then, she was sure, she would dare
+to tell this stranger of the way up the cliff to the unguarded
+entrance. &#8220;He could go up this evening, and then he could tell Colonel
+Allen all about it,&#8221; she thought, and before dinner was over she had
+resolved to find a way to tell him. But after a talk with Mr. Scott
+the visitor had declared he must get a few hours sleep. He said that
+he had been on the trail since very early that morning, and must be
+off again soon after sunset.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span>&#8220;Run in the sitting-room, Faithie, and fix a cushion for Mr. Phelps,&#8221;
+said Aunt Prissy, and the little girl started obediently.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell him now,&#8221; she resolved, and as the tall man followed her
+she said quickly: &#8220;I know how you can get into the fort and no one see
+you. It&#8217;s a secret. I&#8217;ll show you. But Uncle Phil won&#8217;t let me if you
+tell him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll not tell him. You are a brave child. Tell me quickly,&#8221; responded
+the tall stranger.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a canoe under the big willow at the bottom of the field&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;
+began Faith, but he interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes! Yes! I know. I am to cross the lake in it. But how can I get
+into the fort?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I could show you. I can&#8217;t tell you,&#8221; answered Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then &#8217;tis of small use. Harm might come to you, child,&#8221; he answered,
+stretching himself out on the long settle with a tired sigh.</p>
+
+<p>Faith went slowly back to the kitchen. Here was the very chance she
+had so long hoped for, and this stranger would not let her attempt it.</p>
+
+<p>All that afternoon Faith was very quiet. She walked across the fields
+to the shore and looked at the big willow tree where the canoe was
+concealed. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>She looked off toward Mount Defiance, and Mount Hope,
+rising clearly against the sky, as if standing sentinels for Fort
+Ticonderoga.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll try, anyway,&#8221; she said to herself, as she turned toward home.</p>
+
+<p>After supper she went early up-stairs. But she did not undress. She
+knew that her uncle would not go to the lake shore with his visitor,
+for that might attract the attention of some hunter or fisherman. It
+would not be long before Mr. Phelps would start. There was no time to
+lose. She put on her fur cap, and a knit jacket, and then peered out
+of the window. The sky was clear, and the moon made it almost as light
+as day. The sound of the falls came clearly through the quiet air.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He could find his way up the cliff as plainly as if it were
+daylight,&#8221; thought Faith, as she turned from the window.</p>
+
+<p>She opened her door and closed it silently behind her. Her cousins
+were in bed, her uncle and aunt in the sitting-room with their
+visitor. Faith would have to pass the sitting-room door and go through
+the kitchen; the slightest noise would betray her. She had put on her
+moccasins, the ones Kashaqua had given her, and she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span>stepped
+cautiously, without a sound. In a few moments she was safely
+out-of-doors and running across the field. She crouched down in the
+canoe and waited.</p>
+
+<p>Faith did not hear or see the stranger as he came toward the
+shore&mdash;not until he grasped the canoe to push it into the water.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;King of Britain!&#8221; he whispered under his breath, when Faith spoke his
+name. &#8220;What are you doing here?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to show you the way into the fort. Yes! &#8217;Twill take not
+more than an hour or two. Then you can leave me here. &#8217;Twill do me no
+harm, and you will tell Colonel Allen about the fort,&#8221; said Faith, in
+a whisper.</p>
+
+<p>The man slid the canoe into the water. &#8220;You are well-named, Faith,&#8221; he
+responded. &#8220;Well, &#8217;tis a chance, and no man will harm a little maid,&#8221;
+and with a stroke of his paddle he sent the canoe clear of the willows
+and headed toward the fort.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Keep close to the shore,&#8221; whispered Faith, peering anxiously ahead.</p>
+
+<p>Several hours later Faith stepped from the canoe, and said a whispered
+good-bye to the stranger, and watched the canoe dart off straight <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span>toward Shoreham. He had scaled the cliff, while Faith kept the canoe
+close under the alder bushes, entered the door of the fort, and
+skilfully made his way about the fortifications, determining the right
+place for an attack and assuring himself that the fortress contained
+valuable stores.</p>
+
+<p>As Faith stepped from the canoe the man tried to thank her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Some day your Uncle Scott will hear of this, and be proud indeed of
+so brave a child,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and I shall tell Colonel Allen your name,
+and of your courage. Be sure of that. You have helped the American
+cause more than a regiment of soldiers.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith said over his words as she made her way across the fields. She
+recalled her first visit to the fort. &#8220;I&#8217;m glad those girls ran off
+that day,&#8221; she thought, as she gently tried the back door. It was
+securely fastened. A low warning growl from &#8220;Scotchie&#8221; made her fear
+to lift a window. He would arouse the household. She stood on the
+steps, shivering a little in the sharp March wind. &#8220;I must get in
+without making a noise,&#8221; she thought. But she could think of no way to
+accomplish it.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span>In spite of her silence &#8220;Scotchie&#8221; realized that some one was outside.
+He barked, growled, and once or twice threw himself against the door.
+Then suddenly his growls stopped, and, before Faith had time to move,
+the kitchen door opened slightly and she heard her uncle say, &#8220;Who&#8217;s
+there?&#8221; and knew that, musket in hand, he was awaiting her answer.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>HOME AGAIN</h3>
+
+<p>&#8220;<span class="smcap">Scotchie&#8217;s</span>&#8221; warning growl turned to a joyful greeting as Faith spoke
+his name.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Great C&aelig;sar! Faith!&#8221; exclaimed her uncle, drawing her into the
+kitchen. &#8220;What on earth are you doing out-of-doors at this time of
+night?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You locked the door,&#8221; whimpered Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But why did you not call out? We thought you went straight to bed,&#8221;
+said her uncle.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I went down to the shore&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; began Faith, and then stopped suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, go straight to bed, and tell your aunt about it in the morning.
+She is fast asleep now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith was glad to obey. She was too tired and sleepy to be greatly
+troubled by what would happen in the morning. She had resolved that if
+Aunt Prissy questioned her she would tell the truth. But she hoped
+earnestly that in some <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>way the secret could be kept even from her
+aunt and uncle, until Mr. Phelps should tell them.</p>
+
+<p>When she came down to breakfast it appeared that her uncle had only
+told Aunt Prissy that Faith had run out after supper, and, instead of
+calling and knocking until some one opened the door, had waited until
+&#8220;Scotchie&#8217;s&#8221; bark had brought him to the door.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy was more surprised and alarmed at this news than Faith had
+expected. She cautioned Faith never to go out without telling some one
+of the family.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, some wolf or wildcat might have been about; or a party of
+Indians might have happened along and taken you off,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And
+we should never have known what had become of you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith promised never again to leave the house without her aunt&#8217;s
+permission, and was glad indeed that she had escaped without telling
+of her journey to the fort.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Aunt Prissy! Do you know what day this is?&#8221; she asked, so soberly
+that her aunt looked at her a little anxiously. &#8220;It is the very last
+day of March; it has been a warm and pleasant month, and my father has
+not come for me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span>&#8220;And are you so anxious to say good-bye to us, Faithie? You know that
+instead of your making a visit home your father has decided it is best
+for you to stay; not come back unless for a visit, until another
+autumn,&#8221; responded Aunt Prissy.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, I know. But why does he not come?&#8221; persisted Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps to-day will bring him,&#8221; Aunt Prissy answered hopefully.</p>
+
+<p>Faith came and stood close beside Aunt Prissy&#8217;s chair. She wanted to
+say that she loved her cousins and uncle and Aunt Prissy very dearly;
+to tell her that she had been happy; and that it had been a beautiful
+visit; but that now she wanted to see her own dear mother more than
+anything else. But how could she say all this so that Aunt Prissy
+would understand?</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Prissy put down her knitting and drew the little girl into her
+lap.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There! Now tell me all about it, dear,&#8221; she said, resting her face
+against Faith&#8217;s yellow curls.</p>
+
+<p>And Faith told her all that she had been thinking; all that she had
+thought would be so difficult. And Aunt Prissy listened, saying,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> &#8220;Of
+course,&#8221; and &#8220;Yes, indeed,&#8221; from time to time, and understanding even
+more than Faith found words to tell.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, Aunt Prissy, it&#8217;s almost like having two homes,&#8221; concluded
+Faith.</p>
+
+<p>Before Aunt Prissy could answer there was the sound of voices in the
+kitchen, and Donald, closely followed by Mr. Carew, came into the
+room.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the very last day of March!&#8221; Faith reminded him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And I came near not getting here to-day,&#8221; her father replied, as
+Faith drew him to the big chair near the window, and climbed to a seat
+on his knees. &#8220;I was held up on the trail by a tall fellow, from
+Connecticut, as it proved. He was bound to make me own up that I was
+an English spy. I told him my name, and my errand, and when I spoke
+Faith&#8217;s name, why, he was at once my best friend, told me of his visit
+at this house, and could not say enough in praise of my little
+daughter,&#8221; responded Mr. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The Americans seem to be gaining courage,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy. &#8220;The men
+of the Wilderness do not mean to let the other Colonies do all the
+fighting, I&#8217;m sure.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span>&#8220;Indeed we&#8217;ll do our part, Priscilla,&#8221; her brother assured her.</p>
+
+<p>Faith told her father of the disappearance of Mr. Trent and Louise; of
+the quilting party, and of all the happenings since his November
+visit. But she did not tell him of guiding the Connecticut man to the
+pathway up the cliff to Fort Ticonderoga.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident that Mr. Phelps had kept the secret for some purpose of
+his own; so, much as she wanted her father to know, Faith resolved
+that she would not tell him. This secret did not worry and trouble her
+as the others had done. &#8220;I guess it&#8217;s because this secret means
+helping somebody, and the others were just&mdash;well, just mean secrets,&#8221;
+Faith decided, as she thought it over.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning Faith and her father were ready to start at an early
+hour. Uncle Phil, Aunt Prissy, the boys and &#8220;Scotchie&#8221; walked with
+them to the shore.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You will come back when summer comes, won&#8217;t you, Cousin Faith?&#8221; said
+Donald. &#8220;You&#8217;ll come for a visit even if you don&#8217;t stay and go to
+school.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will if I can,&#8221; Faith promised,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> &#8220;and when Louise comes back give
+her the blue beads, Aunt Prissy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, indeed, dear child,&#8221; responded her aunt, wondering to herself if
+Louise and her father would ever again be seen in that vicinity. Then
+there were messages for Faith&#8217;s mother, and not until she was in the
+canoe were the good-byes really said.</p>
+
+<p>The little group stood on the shore watching the canoe for some
+minutes, and then turned back toward the house. They were all very
+quiet, but as they reached the road Donald called out: &#8220;There&#8217;s
+somebody on our door-step! Why, it is Louise! Yes, it is,&#8221; and with a
+gay call he was off, running swiftly toward the house while the others
+hurried after him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where is Faith?&#8221; Louise asked eagerly, when Mrs. Scott had welcomed
+her, and they were in the big kitchen.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s gone home,&#8221; said Donald, before his mother could answer. But
+Mrs. Scott told the little girl of how much Faith had missed her, and
+of the string of blue beads that she had left to be given to Louise.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident that Louise was greatly disappointed to find that her
+friend had gone. But <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>she fastened the beads about her neck, and
+touched them with loving fingers.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Faith was my very first friend,&#8221; she said. &#8220;My father says that we
+have come back to stay,&#8221; she added, &#8220;and perhaps Faith will come in
+the summer?&#8221; There was such a pleading, questioning look in the girl&#8217;s
+dark eyes that Mrs. Scott felt a new tenderness and sympathy for her,
+and put her arm about Louise as she answered:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps she will. But you must come often and see me; for we shall
+both miss her very much.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, may I, Mrs. Scott? I was afraid you wouldn&#8217;t want me to come,&#8221;
+and Louise&#8217;s face brightened.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, I am to help you with your studies, and Donald is to call for
+you when you begin school. Faith arranged all that,&#8221; responded Mrs.
+Scott smilingly.</p>
+
+<p>Faith was silent as the canoe went swiftly across the lake, and they
+had nearly reached the shore before she began asking questions about
+&#8220;Bounce,&#8221; whom her father declared to be now a &#8220;grown-up cat,&#8221; and
+about all the familiar things about the house and mill.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span>&#8220;Listen, father!&#8221; she said, as they landed, and he drew the canoe to
+its hiding-place in the alder bushes. &#8220;Hear the falls!&#8221; and for a
+moment the two stood quietly hearkening to the &#8220;Chiming Waters.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Carew adjusted the pack, containing Faith&#8217;s belongings,
+picked up his musket, without which no woodsman dared travel in those
+days, and they started up the trail.</p>
+
+<p>Everywhere were evidences that spring was near at hand. Many trees and
+shrubs were showing the delicate gray green of coming buds; and now
+and then the fragrance of the wild arbutus was in the air. Birds were
+busy; wood-thrushes and pewees were calling; now and then a
+golden-throated warbler sounded his clear note. The air was soft and
+warm for the season, and Faith was so happy in the thought of being
+really on her way home that she forgot for a time that Mr. Phelps had
+said that no American settler&#8217;s home in the Wilderness could be safe
+until Fort Ticonderoga was held by American soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s lovely to be going home, isn&#8217;t it, father?&#8221; she said; and Mr.
+Carew smiled <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span>down at his little daughter, and agreed with her that
+nothing better could be desired.</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<span class="i20">&#8220;We shall see with glad surprise</span>
+<span class="i20;">Lilies spring, and verdure rise;</span>
+<span class="i20">And soon, amidst the wilds, we&#8217;ll hear</span>
+<span class="i20">Murmuring waters falling clear,&#8221;&mdash;</span></div>
+
+<p>sang Mr. Carew softly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, that is mother&#8217;s song,&#8221; exclaimed Faith. &#8220;It just means home,
+doesn&#8217;t it?&#8221; And again her father was quite ready to agree.</p>
+
+<p>They walked slowly up the rocky trail and when they reached the top of
+the first ridge they stopped to rest and eat the excellent lunch that
+Aunt Prissy had prepared for them. But Faith declared that she was not
+tired. It seemed to her that she could run all the way if her father
+would only permit. And when in the early afternoon she first heard the
+sound of the mill-stream she did run, until, out of breath, she had to
+rest on a moss-grown stump for her father to catch up with her.</p>
+
+<p>And then, in a short time, they were standing on the edge of the
+clearing. The brook was dancing and singing as if eager to welcome
+Faith; the sun shone warmly down on mill <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span>and cabin and running down
+the path came Mrs. Carew; while standing near the cabin was Kashaqua,
+in her gayest feathers, grunting and smiling.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mother dear! Mother dear!&#8221; called Faith, as she ran forward and was
+held close in her mother&#8217;s arms.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<h3>FAITH WRITES A LETTER</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Kashaqua</span> was evidently delighted to see Faith safely at home once
+more. She had brought a present for her little friend; and after Faith
+had talked to her mother, and yet, as she declared, had &#8220;not begun to
+tell her&#8221; all she had to tell, Kashaqua unrolled a soft bundle and
+spread out the skin of a black bear cub. It was hardly larger than the
+skin of a good-sized puppy; but the fur was so soft and glossy that
+Faith and her mother exclaimed admiringly over its beauty, and Faith
+said that she would take the greatest care of it. She questioned
+Kashaqua about &#8220;Nooski,&#8221; the tame bear which had followed them on
+their journey to Ticonderoga.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Gone!&#8221; replied Kashaqua, and had no more to tell of the wild creature
+that she had tamed, and, suddenly, Kashaqua disappeared in her usual
+silent fashion without a sign or word of farewell.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>Faith was tired, and quite satisfied to rest on the big settle and
+talk to her mother, while &#8220;Bounce,&#8221; steady and well-behaved, curled up
+on the hearth rug. Faith told her mother about Louise; about Caroline
+and Catherine and their mischief, and of the quilting party. She told
+her about Nathan Beaman, and of the skating on the lake, and how the
+English soldiers had extinguished the fire and spoiled their fun. But
+she did not tell her of the evening when she had guided Mr. Phelps up
+the moonlit lake to the foot of the cliff, and told him how to make
+his way into the fort. Some time, she resolved, her mother should know
+all about it; but she still felt that she must keep it a secret.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew asked many questions about the fort.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There is more travel over the trails than ever before,&#8221; she told the
+little girl, &#8220;and we hardly know who are our friends. The English are
+sending their spies everywhere. Be very cautious, Faithie, and say
+nothing to any stranger that you have ever been near Fort Ticonderoga.
+This part of the country will not be safe until American soldiers take
+the place of the English in the fort.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span>&#8220;Oh, mother dear, I hope they will soon. I wish that I could help take
+the fort.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who knows but you may help in some way, when the right time comes,&#8221;
+her mother responded, smiling at her little daughter&#8217;s eagerness.
+&#8220;Now, I am going out to get something for you. Something that you will
+like very much,&#8221; she added, and left Faith alone.</p>
+
+<p>Faith closed her eyes, wondering happily what it was that her mother
+would bring. She thought of the caraway cookies, of the little round
+pies made of the dried pumpkin, and then a noise at the door made her
+open her eyes. For an instant she believed that she must be asleep and
+dreaming, for Esther Eldridge was standing in the door&mdash;Esther grown
+taller and stronger, with red cheeks and shining eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, it&#8217;s really Esther,&#8221; Mrs. Carew called over the little girl&#8217;s
+shoulder, and Esther ran toward the settle as Faith started forward to
+meet her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Isn&#8217;t this a fine surprise?&#8221; Esther exclaimed. &#8220;I was so afraid you
+would hear about our living here before you got home.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Living here?&#8221; questioned Faith, looking so puzzled that both Mrs.
+Carew and Esther laughed aloud.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span>&#8220;Yes! yes, indeed! My father and mother and I,&#8221; answered Esther
+delightedly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But where? I have been up-stairs, and all over the house and I didn&#8217;t
+see anybody, or anything,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, we live in our own house&mdash;a house just like this; or it will be
+just like this when it is all finished,&#8221; and Esther told of her
+father&#8217;s decision to bring his family to the Wilderness to live. He
+had purchased a grant of land adjoining that held by Mr. Carew soon
+after Esther&#8217;s visit in September. The timber for the cabin had been
+cut early in the winter, and the cabin begun, and now it was nearly
+finished. &#8220;We moved last week,&#8221; said Esther, &#8220;and you can see our
+house from your back door.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith forgot all about being tired and ran to the back door to look.
+Yes, there it was; the big new cabin, near the path down which Ethan
+Allen had led her home, when, angry at Esther, she had run off to the
+woods.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Isn&#8217;t it splendid! Oh, Esther, it is the very best thing that ever
+happened,&#8221; Faith declared; &#8220;isn&#8217;t it, mother dear?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew was quite ready to agree with her little daughter.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> &#8220;Good
+neighbors was the only thing we really lacked,&#8221; she agreed, &#8220;and
+perhaps others will come when there is better protection for their
+safety.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The two little friends had much to tell each other, and when Esther
+started for home Faith walked with her as far as the mill. From the
+mill the new cabin could be clearly seen.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do you remember asking me if I listened to the brook?&#8221; Esther asked
+laughingly, as they stood looking at the dancing waters of the stream.
+&#8220;Well, I know now just what you meant. It&#8217;s company, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then Faith told her of the &#8220;Chiming Waters&#8221; of Ticonderoga, and of
+some of the old tales of the lake that her aunt and Nathan had
+related.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Did you see the English soldiers?&#8221; questioned Esther.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, yes.&#8221; And Faith described the skating party on the lake that the
+redcoats had interfered with. &#8220;I wish I could see Ethan Allen, as I
+did that day in September, and tell him all about the fort and the
+soldiers, and ask him to drive the English away. My father says that
+Colonel Allen could drive them away,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course he could! My father says so, too,&#8221; agreed Esther.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> &#8220;Would it
+not be a fine thing for us to send him a letter, Faith, and ask him?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Esther! That&#8217;s just what I thought of. But we ought to do it
+right away, for more soldiers are coming to the fort, Nathan Beaman
+says, and then it won&#8217;t be so easy,&#8221; responded Faith.</p>
+
+<p>The two little girls talked earnestly. They both knew of the cave on
+the rocky slope near Lake Dunmore, and that messages were sometimes
+left there for the settlers. But Lake Dunmore was a long distance
+away.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It would take all day to go and get back,&#8221; said Esther, &#8220;and our
+mothers would never let us go; you know they wouldn&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One of us ought to go to-morrow,&#8221; answered Faith, &#8220;but how can we
+plan it?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I know! I know!&#8221; declared Esther. &#8220;I&#8217;ll ask your mother if you may
+come for a visit, and then you&#8217;ll go home at night. Some time you can
+tell her all about it,&#8221; concluded Esther as she noticed Faith&#8217;s
+serious and doubtful expression.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And what will you do? Don&#8217;t you mean to go with me?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>&#8220;Oh, yes! I&#8217;ll tell my mother I am going to spend the day with you.
+Then we&#8217;ll start off in good season, and we&#8217;ll get home before our
+mothers miss us,&#8221; said Esther.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Faith! Faith!&#8221; and Mrs. Carew&#8217;s voice sounded through the clear air.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I must run back now. I&#8217;ll write the letter to-night and be over near
+your house as early as I can in the morning,&#8221; said Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hide behind the big pine,&#8221; said Esther, and the two friends, greatly
+excited over their project, separated and ran toward their respective
+homes.</p>
+
+<p>It was not easy for Faith to write the letter, for she would have to
+ask her mother for the quill pen, and the bottle of ink, made from the
+juice of the pokeberry. But in the early evening, while her mother was
+busy, Faith secured the quill and ink and a sheet of the treasured
+paper and wrote her letter:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>&#8220;Dear Mr. Colonel Ethan Allen,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Will you please send
+the English soldiers away from Fort Ticonderoga? Nathan Beaman,
+who lives at Shoreham, will show you how to get in. Please send
+them soon, or more will come.</p>
+
+<p class="right">
+&#8220;Respectfully your friend,</p>
+
+<p class="right2">&#8220;<span class="smcap">Faith Carew</span>.&#8221;</p></div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>She had time to fold and seal the letter with the big stick of red
+wax, softening the wax before the sitting-room fire. A moment later
+and her mother came in, saying she had best go to bed and get a good
+night&#8217;s rest.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;May I spend to-morrow, all day, with Esther?&#8221; asked Faith, as her
+mother went up-stairs with her, and feeling her face flush with the
+consciousness of not telling her mother all the truth.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your very first day at home, dear child! Why, I should be running
+over to Mrs. Eldridge&#8217;s every hour to make sure that you were really
+within reach,&#8221; responded her mother.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, mother, you wouldn&#8217;t!&#8221; said Faith, so earnestly that Mrs. Carew
+smiled reassuringly and said:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, perhaps not every hour. But if you want to spend the day with
+Esther you may. &#8217;Tis not as if you were going back to Aunt Prissy in a
+week.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And you won&#8217;t come to Mrs. Eldridge&#8217;s at all, will you, mother dear?&#8221;
+pleaded Faith. &#8220;I&#8217;ll be safe, and I&#8217;ll come home early.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You shall do as you like, dear child. I know you will do nothing but
+what will please <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>me,&#8221; and Mrs. Carew leaned over to kiss Faith
+good-night.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, dear,&#8221; Faith whispered to herself guiltily, as her mother went
+down the stairs. &#8220;Here is another secret, the biggest of all. But I
+can&#8217;t tell mother.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The song of the brook seemed louder than ever before to the little
+girl that night, as she lay watching the April stars shine through her
+window. She remembered that her mother had said that perhaps a little
+girl could help. &#8220;Mother dear is sure to be glad when she knows that
+Colonel Allen had to be told about Nathan,&#8221; thought Faith; and then
+the brook&#8217;s song grew softer and softer and she was fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Faith was down-stairs the next morning almost as soon as her father
+and mother. She had on her brown dress and her moccasins, and the
+letter was safely hidden in her pocket. She could hardly keep still
+long enough to eat her breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Esther wanted me to come early, mother dear, and I promised,&#8221; she
+urged; so her mother bade her be off, and stood in the door and
+watched the little girl run down the slope, feeling <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span>a little
+disappointed that Faith should be so eager to be with Esther instead
+of remaining at home.</p>
+
+<p>But early as it was Faith found Esther waiting for her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Did you bring anything to eat?&#8221; asked Esther.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I never thought of it!&#8221; replied Faith, &#8220;and I don&#8217;t believe I could,
+anyway.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I thought of it. I have a fine square of corn cake, a piece of
+cold venison, and a square of molasses cake,&#8221; said Esther, holding up
+a small basket. &#8220;Now, creep along on the edge of the trail until we
+are well up the ridge. Then we can walk as we please.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith obeyed. She thought to herself how fortunate it was that Esther
+had come to live in the Wilderness, and that she was ready to help
+carry the message.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Isn&#8217;t it lovely in the woods!&#8221; said Esther, as they reached the
+summit of the ridge, and turned to look back down the winding trail.
+&#8220;Father said this morning that the spring was early, and &#8217;tis surely
+warm as summer.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As they rested for a little while on a bank of firm green moss Faith
+told Esther of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> &#8220;Nooski&#8217;s&#8221; sudden appearance when she and Kashaqua
+were on their journey to the lake.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Goodness!&#8221; exclaimed Esther, peering anxiously into the underbrush.
+&#8220;I hope we shan&#8217;t see any bears to-day, not even a tame one.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The sun was high in the April skies when the two little girls came in
+sight of Lake Dunmore. The trail led near the lake; and Esther was
+very sure that she knew just where to look for the cave.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s near a big pine tree, and you can only see rocks. Father showed
+me when we came from Brandon,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>The little girls were very tired and hungry, and Faith suggested that
+they should eat their luncheon and rest before searching for the cave.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I wish I had brought more corn bread,&#8221; said Esther, when they had
+finished the last morsel of the food.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s lucky you brought as much as you did,&#8221; responded Faith. &#8220;We&#8217;d
+better begin looking for the cave now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>It was hard work climbing up the rocky hillside, and it did not seem
+such an easy matter to locate the cave as Esther had expected. They <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span>peered under rocks, and climbed over ledges, and were nearly
+discouraged when a sudden noise made Faith grasp Esther&#8217;s arm with a
+whispered &#8220;Hush&#8221;; for almost in front of them, apparently coming
+directly out of the hillside, appeared the head and shoulders of a
+man. But they were too near to conceal themselves or to try and run
+away.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Great C&aelig;sar&#8217;s Ghost!&#8221; exclaimed the man, crawling out from the cave.
+&#8220;Two little maids! Where did you come from?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith&#8217;s hold on Esther&#8217;s arm tightened. &#8220;Don&#8217;t tell. Don&#8217;t answer his
+questions,&#8221; she whispered, remembering her mother&#8217;s caution about
+strangers, and thinking perhaps this might be an English spy who had
+discovered the cave.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where are the others?&#8221; asked the man.</p>
+
+<p>Esther looked questioningly at Faith, but neither of them spoke.</p>
+
+<p>The man&#8217;s stern face softened as he looked at the two little figures.
+He realized they must be the children of some settler in the
+Wilderness&mdash;perhaps children who had wandered too far from home and
+lost their way.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You need not be afraid to speak,&#8221; he said <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>smilingly. &#8220;Perhaps I know
+your fathers. Tell me your names.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith was quite sure that this was a question which could be safely
+answered, so both the little girls spoke their names, and instantly
+the man responded by saying:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then you,&#8221; and he nodded to Faith, &#8220;are Miller Carew&#8217;s daughter. I
+know your father well. Tell him Seth Warner has been in Salisbury and
+is now starting back to Bennington. But how come you this distance
+from home?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Both Faith and Esther knew that Seth Warner was a friend of the
+settlers, and before he had finished speaking Faith was quite ready to
+tell him their errand and to give the note for Colonel Allen into his
+hands.</p>
+
+<p>He listened in evident amazement to the story of their morning&#8217;s
+journey, for he well knew the dangers of the wilderness trail.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will go with you to within sight of your homes,&#8221; insisted their new
+friend, &#8220;and I shall not forget to tell Colonel Allen of your
+courage.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Will he come soon and take the fort?&#8221; asked Faith.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span>&#8220;More quickly for your help than without it, little maid. But go not
+so far from home again,&#8221; Mr. Warner answered, with a kindly smile.</p>
+
+<p>It was sunset, and Mr. Carew was starting to bring Faith home from her
+visit to Esther, when he saw his little daughter coming down the path.
+She walked so slowly that her father hastened to meet her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m so tired, father,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Couldn&#8217;t you carry me home?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course I can,&#8221; and he lifted her in his arms and, anxious and
+worried by her pale face and evident fatigue, hurried toward the
+house.</p>
+
+<hr class="large" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span></p>
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CAPTURE OF THE FORT</h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">It</span> was noon the next day when Faith awoke; and although she was quite
+ready to dress and go down-stairs, her mother thought it best for her
+to stay in bed.</p>
+
+<p>Faith wondered to herself if Esther&#8217;s feet ached as hers did; and,
+more than this, she was anxious to know if their parents had any idea
+of where she and Esther had spent the previous day.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There will be so much for me to tell mother,&#8221; she thought, a little
+uneasily, hoping that soon she would again have no secrets to conceal.</p>
+
+<p>When Faith came down-stairs she found Esther waiting to see her; and,
+in response to Faith&#8217;s questioning look, she nodded and smiled
+reassuringly. Esther had brought over her English grammar, for it had
+been decided that the two little girls were to study together two
+hours each day; one day at Faith&#8217;s house, and the next at Esther&#8217;s.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span>&#8220;It&#8217;s all right; our mothers don&#8217;t know. But what made you so tired?&#8221;
+said Esther, as soon as the girls were alone.</p>
+
+<p>Faith shook her head. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know. I do hope we can tell all about
+it soon. I&#8217;ve a great mind to tell mother now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You mustn&#8217;t. Don&#8217;t you remember? Mr. Warner said that soon he would
+tell our fathers, and they would be proud of us. But if we tell them
+now they won&#8217;t be proud; they will be vexed, and maybe punish us. Wait
+until Colonel Allen tells them that you helped him. Then &#8217;twill be all
+right,&#8221; advised Esther, and Faith agreed, a little doubtfully.</p>
+
+<p>It was difficult for the two little girls to fix their minds on their
+lessons that day, and for many days to come. They both watched the
+trail, each day expecting to see some messenger who would bring news
+that Colonel Allen was in possession of Fort Ticonderoga; but April
+passed, and Esther declared that she did not believe the Americans
+wanted the fort.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am going to tell my mother everything. All about our going to Lake
+Dunmore, and my letter, and something else,&#8221; declared Faith.</p>
+
+<p>It was one day early in May, and she and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>Esther were coming up from
+Beaver meadow, where they had been watching the little creatures, who
+were very active and did not seem to fear the two little figures at
+the edge of the woods. The beavers were building a dam; they had
+dragged trees to the side of the stream, and it seemed a very
+wonderful thing to Esther when she saw the beavers sink one end of
+these stakes, while others raised and fastened the other end, twisting
+in the small branches of the trees, and plastering mud over all with
+their feet and tails. She was thinking to herself that there were more
+strange things to see in the Wilderness in one day than in a whole
+year in a village, when she felt Faith seize her arm and say
+laughingly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You haven&#8217;t heard a word. Now, listen! I am going to tell my mother.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The little girls were now in sight of the clearing, and, before Esther
+could answer, Faith stopped suddenly and exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Look, Esther! There&#8217;s a man just leaving the mill, and running up the
+trail as fast as he can go. A stranger.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Quite forgetting beavers and secrets the two little girls ran toward
+the house. &#8220;There&#8217;s my father,&#8221; said Esther as they reached the door.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span>Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge were both in the kitchen of the Carew house, and
+none of the elder people appeared to notice the two girls.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Carew was loading his musket, and Faith&#8217;s mother was packing a
+knapsack with provisions.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here are the children,&#8221; said Mrs. Eldridge, as she turned toward the
+door; and then Esther saw that her father was waiting for Mr. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Faithie dear, your father is going to Castleton,&#8221; said Mrs. Carew,
+fastening the knapsack, and in a moment Faith was held close in her
+father&#8217;s arms, and then the two men were off, striding down the trail.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Are they going to take Ticonderoga?&#8221; Faith questioned eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>The two women looked at her in surprise, but Mrs. Carew answered
+quickly:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course they are. Americans are guarding the trail, so we are safe
+enough at present. But neither of you girls must go beyond the
+clearing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;When shall we know about the fort, mother? When will we know?&#8221; asked
+Faith.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Soon, I hope, child. But talk not of it now,&#8221; responded her mother.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span>But after a little Mrs. Eldridge told them that a messenger had come
+from Bennington, summoning the settlers to Castleton to meet Colonel
+Allen. Faith and Esther listened to the story of the far-off battle of
+Lexington, in Massachusetts, the news of which had determined the
+Green Mountain Boys to make an immediate attack on the fort. These men
+were the settlers of the New Hampshire Grants, living long distances
+apart, and obliged to travel over rough trails, through deep forests,
+across rivers and mountains.</p>
+
+<p>There were no smooth roads or fleet horses to help them on their way;
+there was little time for preparation when Allen&#8217;s summons came; they
+had no uniforms, no strains of music; but no truer soldiers ever faced
+danger than the Green Mountain Boys.</p>
+
+<p>That night Faith told her mother the story of her adventure in the
+fort, when Nathan had rescued her and taken her down the cliff. She
+told of the evening in March when she had guided Mr. Phelps along the
+moonlit shore of the lake and told him of the entrance to the fort;
+and last of all she described her journey with Esther over the trail
+to Lake Dunmore, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span>and the letter to Ethan Allen which she had given to
+Seth Warner.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Carew listened in amazement; but she had no word of blame for
+Faith. She realized the dangers the child had so unknowingly faced
+with a sense that her little girl had been guarded by a protection
+greater than any by which she could have surrounded her; and she
+wondered, too, if it were not possible that Faith might not really
+have helped in the great undertaking for which her father was ready to
+give all that he had to give.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mother dear, I despise secrets,&#8221; Faith whispered, as she finished the
+story, &#8220;and I mean never to have another one.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Three days later Mr. Carew came swinging across the clearing. He waved
+his cap in the air as Faith came running to meet him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ticonderoga is ours,&#8221; he called, &#8220;and the English prisoners are on
+their way to Hartford. And so it was you, little maid, who helped
+Phelps to a plan of the fort, and told Ethan Allen of young Beaman!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Did it help, father? Did it help?&#8221; Faith asked eagerly.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>&#8220;Help? Indeed it did. Young Beaman led the way to the fort, and we
+were in without firing a shot. And Colonel Allen and his men hold the
+fort,&#8221; replied Mr. Carew.</p>
+
+<p>He could stay for but a few hours, as he was carrying the news to the
+settlements. It was several days before he was at home again, and told
+them more fully of Allen&#8217;s triumph, and of the capture of Crown Point
+by Seth Warner and his followers.</p>
+
+<p>Toward the last of May Aunt Prissy, accompanied by Nathan Beaman,
+arrived at the log cabin, and Faith heard the story of Louise&#8217;s
+arrival at Ticonderoga.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Her father has been taken a prisoner to Hartford, and Louise will
+stay with me,&#8221; Aunt Prissy said. &#8220;I will adopt her for my own daughter
+if her father consents.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I do hope he will,&#8221; said Faith, glad indeed to know that her friend
+was safe.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And so my little Faith did help take the fort after all, thanks to
+Nathan,&#8221; said Aunt Prissy, smiling down at her little niece.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Twas Faith who really helped, for she told Colonel Allen about me,&#8221;
+Nathan added handsomely.</p>
+
+<p>All this made Faith a very happy little <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span>girl; but when, a few weeks
+later, a messenger brought her a letter from Ethan Allen himself, she
+felt that no other little girl in all the American Colonies could be
+as proud as Faith Carew. She confessed to her mother that, after all,
+some secrets were worth keeping. Colonel Allen invited her to make a
+visit to the fort, and it was arranged that her father should take her
+to Ticonderoga and that she should stay for a few days with Aunt
+Prissy.</p>
+
+<p>So once again she went over the trail and crossed the lake, and on a
+pleasant June morning with her father and Aunt Prissy, she stood again
+at the entrance to Fort Ticonderoga. This time she was not left alone,
+as on her first visit, a frightened deserted child. For it was Colonel
+Allen himself, tall and handsome, who met the little party at the
+entrance and escorted them about the fortifications.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8216;Faith,&#8217;&#8221; he said kindly, as he bade them good-bye, &#8220;&#8217;tis indeed the
+best of names for a little American girl; a name that I shall ever
+remember.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Faith was very quiet as they walked toward home. She was thinking to
+herself of all the happy experiences of the past weeks; and not <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span>until
+she saw Louise waiting for her at Aunt Prissy&#8217;s gate did her face lose
+its serious expression. She ran ahead of the others and called out:
+&#8220;Louise! Louise! You will be Aunt Prissy&#8217;s little girl, won&#8217;t you?
+Because then you&#8217;ll really be an American.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Louise nodded happily.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes; and father is going to be an American, too. Didn&#8217;t Aunt Prissy
+tell you?&#8221; she responded; &#8220;and it&#8217;s all because you were my friend,
+Faith,&#8221; she added more soberly, as the two girls entered the house,
+and stood hand in hand at the door where, but a few months ago, Louise
+had entered a ragged, unhappy child.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll always be friends, shan&#8217;t we!&#8221; said Faith, and Louise earnestly
+responded:</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Always.&#8221;</p>
+
+<hr class="large" />
+<h2><a name="The_stories_in_this_series_are" id="The_stories_in_this_series_are"></a>The stories in this series are:</h2>
+
+<div class="centerbox bbox">
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF PROVINCE TOWN</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF MASSACHUSETTS COLONY</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF NARRAGANSETT BAY</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF BUNKER HILL</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF TICONDEROGA</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF OLD CONNECTICUT</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF OLD MAINE</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF OLD NEW YORK</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF OLD PHILADELPHIA</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF VIRGINIA</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF MARYLAND</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF MOHAWK VALLEY</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF MONMOUTH</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF NANTUCKET</p>
+<p>A LITTLE MAID OF VERMONT</p>
+</div>
+
+<h3><span class="smcap">Transcriber&#8217;s Note:</span></h3>
+
+<p>Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors; otherwise, every effort has been made to remain true to the author's words and intent.</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Little Maid of Ticonderoga, by 
+Alice Turner Curtis
+
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+</body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg's A Little Maid of Ticonderoga, by Alice Turner Curtis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+Author: Alice Turner Curtis
+
+Illustrator: Wuanita Smith
+
+Release Date: September 29, 2008 [EBook #26723]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LITTLE MAID OF TICONDEROGA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by D Alexander, Juliet Sutherland and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+BY
+
+ALICE TURNER CURTIS
+
+AUTHOR OF
+
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF PROVINCE TOWN"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF MASSACHUSETTS COLONY"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF NARRAGANSETT BAY"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF BUNKER HILL"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF OLD CONNECTICUT"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF OLD PHILADELPHIA"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF OLD MAINE"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF OLD NEW YORK"
+ "A LITTLE MAID OF VIRGINIA"
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY WUANITA SMITH
+
+THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY PHILADELPHIA
+
+1929
+
+
+
+
+COPYRIGHT 1917 BY THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY
+
+A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "MY NAME IS ETHAN ALLEN"]
+
+
+
+
+Introduction
+
+
+This is the story of a little girl whose home was among the Green
+Mountains of Vermont, then known as "The Wilderness," at the beginning
+of the American Revolution; and at the time when Ethan Allen and his
+brave soldiers were on guard to defend their rights. Ethan Allen was
+the friend of Faith, the heroine of the story, whose earnest wish to
+be of help is fulfilled. She journeys from her Wilderness home across
+Lake Champlain to Ticonderoga, and spends a winter with her aunt and
+cousin near Fort Ticonderoga. Here she learns a secret about the fort
+that is of importance later to Ethan Allen's "Green Mountain Boys."
+
+There are two very interesting bears in this story. Like the earlier
+volumes of this series, "A Little Maid of Province Town," "A Little
+Maid of Massachusetts Colony," "A Little Maid of Narragansett Bay,"
+and "A Little Maid of Bunker Hill"--the present volume introduces the
+heroes of American history and tells of famous deeds and places of
+which all American children should know.
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+     I.      ESTHER AND BRUIN                               9
+    II.      FAITH MAKES A PROMISE                         22
+   III.      MORE MISCHIEF                                 33
+    IV.      A NEW PLAN                                    42
+     V.      KASHAQUA                                      51
+    VI.      THE JOURNEY                                   59
+   VII.      NEW FRIENDS                                   70
+  VIII.      THE SHOEMAKER'S DAUGHTER                      81
+    IX.      LOUISE                                        90
+     X.      THE MAJOR'S DAUGHTERS                        100
+    XI.      A DAY OF ADVENTURE                           110
+   XII.      SECRETS                                      119
+  XIII.      LOUISE MAKES A PRESENT                       129
+   XIV.      A BIRTHDAY                                   140
+    XV.      NEW ADVENTURES                               150
+   XVI.      LOUISE DISAPPEARS                            161
+  XVII.      FAITH AGAIN VISITS THE FORT                  172
+ XVIII.      HOME AGAIN                                   184
+   XIX.      FAITH WRITES A LETTER                        194
+    XX.      THE CAPTURE OF THE FORT                      208
+
+
+
+
+A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+ESTHER AND BRUIN
+
+
+Faith Carew was ten years old when Esther Eldridge came to visit her.
+Faith lived in a big comfortable log cabin on one of the sloping
+hillsides of the Green Mountains. Below the cabin was her father's
+mill; and to Faith it always seemed as if the mill-stream had a gay
+little song of its own. She always listened for it when she awoke each
+morning.
+
+"I wonder if Esther will hear what the brook sings?" thought Faith as
+she drew on her moccasin slippers and dressed as quickly as she could,
+for her mother had already called her twice, and Faith had just
+reached the top of the stairs when the third call of, "Faith! Faith! I
+shall not keep your porridge hot another instant," sounded from the
+kitchen.
+
+"I'm coming, mother dear," the little girl called back, and hurried
+down the stairs, wondering to herself why grown people who could
+always do exactly as they pleased should think it best to rise before
+the sun was really up.
+
+"Your father was off to the mill an hour ago," said Mrs. Carew,
+setting a bowl of steaming porridge on the end of the table beside a
+narrow window, "so you will have to eat your porridge alone."
+
+Faith sat down at the table, looking out through the open window
+toward the mill.
+
+"I do hope Esther Eldridge and her father will come to-day," she said.
+"Do you think they will, mother dear?"
+
+"Yes, child; they will probably arrive before sunset. Your father
+expected them yesterday. It will be a fine thing for you to have a
+little girl for a companion. But she is a village child, and may not
+be happy in the Wilderness," responded Mrs. Carew.
+
+"Why, of course she will like being here! Just think, she has never
+seen wheat ground into flour! And she can see that in our mill; and
+she has always walked on real roads, and here she will not even see a
+road; and I know many pleasant paths where we can walk, and I can
+tell her the names of different trees and flowers. I'm sure she will
+think the Wilderness a fine place," said Faith, nodding her head so
+that her yellow curls seemed to dance about her face.
+
+"I hope they make the journey from Brandon safely. Your father has
+been told that the Indians have been troublesome to the settlers near
+Lake Dunmore; and besides that, there are many bears coming out into
+the clearings these fine autumn days. But Mr. Eldridge is a good shot,
+and I am seeking trouble in naming Indians or bears. Finish your
+breakfast, Faithie, and run to the garden and bring me in the ripest
+of the pumpkins; for I must make some cakes for our company."
+
+The Carews lived in a log house on a slope of cleared ground running
+down to the mill-stream. There were no roads, only rough trails, and
+they had no near neighbors. Faith's father had a large grant of land,
+a "New Hampshire Grant," it was called, which ran toward the eastern
+shore of Lake Champlain. Faith had no playmates, and when Mr.
+Eldridge, of the town of Brandon, had sent word that he was coming to
+see Mr. Carew on business and would bring his small daughter with
+him, Faith had been overjoyed and had made many plans of what she
+would do to entertain her visitor.
+
+Faith finished her breakfast, and helped her mother clear the table
+and wash the dishes, and then went up the slope to where a number of
+fine pumpkins and squashes, growing among the corn, were ripening in
+the early September sunshine. She looked about carefully, and selected
+a yellow pumpkin. "This is about as large as my head," she said aloud,
+"and I guess it is about the same color," and she ran back to the
+house carrying the pumpkin, which Mrs. Carew set to bake in the brick
+oven beside the fireplace.
+
+"When it is baked may I fix the shell for a work-basket for Esther?"
+asked Faith.
+
+"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Carew smilingly. "Your Aunt Prissy was
+greatly pleased with the one you gave her when she visited here last
+autumn."
+
+"I wish I could go to Ticonderoga and visit Aunt Prissy," said Faith.
+
+"Why, so you shall some day. But 'tis a troublesome journey, since one
+must be set across the strait," replied her mother. "But look, child!
+Can it be that Mr. Eldridge has arrived at this early hour?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. I see his little girl! Look, mother! Father has lifted
+her down from the horse; and Mr. Eldridge is walking, too! Oh, mother!
+See the fine hat she has on!" and Faith ran to the open door to get a
+better look at the little girl who was walking so slowly up the path
+to the log house.
+
+In a moment the little girl looked up toward the open door and Faith
+waved her hand.
+
+"She didn't wave back, mother dear," exclaimed Faith, and then the
+travelers were close at hand, and Mrs. Carew was greeting the tall,
+grave-faced man and welcoming Esther.
+
+"My little girl was so tired that we stopped for the night at your
+neighbor Stanley's house, five miles east," said Mr. Eldridge; "and
+that is why we are in good season this morning."
+
+While Mr. Eldridge was speaking Esther held fast to her father's
+hand, her large black eyes fixed on Mrs. Carew. Faith looked at her
+admiringly, wishing that her own eyes were black, and that her feet
+were small like Esther's, and that she had a hat with a wide scarlet
+ribbon.
+
+"Esther, this is Faith," she heard her mother say, "and she will try
+and make you so happy here that you will wish to stay all winter."
+
+The two little girls smiled shyly, and Esther let go her clasp on her
+father's hand and followed Mrs. Carew into the pleasant kitchen. Faith
+watched her eagerly; she wondered why Esther looked about the big room
+with such a curious expression. "Almost as if she did not like it,"
+thought Faith.
+
+The little gray kitten came bouncing out from behind the big wood-box
+and Esther gave a startled exclamation.
+
+"It's just 'Bounce,'" said Faith, picking up the kitten and smoothing
+its pretty head. "I named it 'Bounce' because it never seems to walk.
+It just bounces along."
+
+Esther smiled again, but she did not speak. Faith noticed that she was
+very thin, and that her hands looked almost like little brown shadows.
+
+"Are you tired?" she asked, suddenly remembering that she had heard
+her father say that "Mr. Eldridge's little maid was not well, and he
+thought the change would do her good."
+
+Esther nodded. "Yes, I'm always tired," she answered, sitting down in
+the low wooden rocker beside the light stand.
+
+"For pity's sake, child, we must see to it that you are soon as strong
+and well as Faith," said Mrs. Carew, untying the broad scarlet ribbon
+and taking off Esther's hat. She smoothed back the dark hair with a
+tender hand, remembering that Esther's own mother was not well, and
+resolving to do her best for this delicate child.
+
+"I think the pumpkin is cooked by this time, Faithie. I'll set it in
+the window to cool and then you can take out the pulp and I'll make
+the cakes," said Mrs. Carew.
+
+Bounce jumped up in Esther's lap, and Faith sat down on the braided
+rug beside her.
+
+"I'm going to make the pumpkin shell into a work-basket for you," said
+Faith. "Did you ever see a pumpkin-shell work-basket?"
+
+Esther shook her head. She did not seem much interested. But she asked
+eagerly: "Are the pumpkin cakes sweet?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. You shall have one as soon as they are baked; may she
+not, mother dear?"
+
+"Why, yes; only if Esther is not well it may not be wise for her to
+eat between meals," responded Mrs. Carew.
+
+"Oh! But I eat cakes whenever I want them," declared Esther, "and I
+love sweets. I had a fine cake when I left home and I ate it all
+before we got to Lake Dunmore."
+
+Mrs. Carew thought to herself that she did not wonder Esther was
+always tired and not strong. Esther did not say that the "fine cake"
+had been sent as a gift to Faith. But her face flushed a little, and
+she added, "I meant to bring the cake as a present; but I was hungry."
+
+"Of course you were," agreed Faith quickly. "Is not the pumpkin cool
+enough to cut, mother dear?" asked Faith.
+
+"Yes," replied her mother, setting the yellow pumpkin on the table.
+
+"Come and see me do it, Esther," said Faith, and Esther, with a little
+sigh, left the comfortable chair and came and leaned against the
+table.
+
+With a sharp knife Faith cut a circle about the stem of the pumpkin
+and took it off, a little round, with the stem in the center. "That
+will be the work-box cover," she explained, laying it carefully on a
+wooden plate. Then she removed the seeds and the pulp, putting the
+pulp in a big yellow bowl, and scraping the inside of the pumpkin
+shell. "There! Now when it dries a bit 'twill be a fine work-box, and
+it is for you, Esther," she said; but Esther was watching Mrs. Carew,
+who was beating up eggs with the pumpkin pulp.
+
+"Do you put spices in the cakes?" she questioned eagerly. "How long
+before they will be baked?"
+
+Faith stood holding the yellow pumpkin shell, and looking at her
+visitor wonderingly.
+
+"All she cares about is something to eat," thought Faith, a little
+scornfully, setting the fine pumpkin shell on the table.
+
+Esther's face brightened as she listened to Mrs. Carew's description
+of pumpkin cakes, and of pumpkin pies sweetened with maple syrup.
+
+"I think I must teach you to cook, Esther. I am sure you would soon
+learn," said Mrs. Carew.
+
+"I guess I wouldn't be strong enough," responded Esther in a listless
+tone, going back to the rocking-chair, without even a glance at
+Faith's present.
+
+"Come, Esther, let's go down to the mill. I'll show you the big wheel,
+and how father raises the water-gate," suggested Faith, who was
+beginning to think that a visitor was not such a delightful thing,
+after all.
+
+Esther left her chair with a regretful sigh, and followed Faith
+out-of-doors.
+
+"Listen!" said Faith. "That rippling, singing noise is the brook."
+
+Esther laughed. "You're funny," she said. "Why should I listen to a
+noisy old mill-stream?"
+
+"I thought perhaps you'd like to hear it. I do. Sometimes, just as I
+go to sleep, I hear it singing about the stars, and about little foxes
+who come down to drink, and about birds...." Faith stopped suddenly,
+for Esther was laughing; and as Faith turned to look at her she
+realized that Esther cared nothing about the music of the stream.
+
+"I do believe you are silly," Esther responded. "Do you think your
+mother will bake the cakes and pies while we are away?"
+
+"Yes," replied Faith dully. Only that morning she had said to herself
+how nice it would be to have a girl friend to talk with, but if Esther
+thought she was "silly"--why, of course, she must not talk. "I'll let
+her talk," resolved Faith.
+
+For a few moments the two little girls walked on in silence, then
+Esther said suddenly: "Does your mother ever let you boil down maple
+molasses for candy?"
+
+"Sometimes," replied Faith.
+
+Esther slipped her little brown hand under Faith's arm. "Ask her to
+let us make candy this afternoon. Do. Tell her it will keep me from
+being lonesome. For my father will be going to Ticonderoga as soon as
+dinner is over; he will be gone for days. Will you ask her, Faith?"
+
+"Yes, I'll ask her," Faith answered.
+
+"I know I'm going to have a fine visit," declared Esther, with more
+interest than she had shown since her arrival. "Does your mother ever
+bake little pies, in saucers, for you?"
+
+"No," said Faith, still resolved to say no more than was necessary.
+
+"Oh! Doesn't she? That's too bad. I wish I had asked her to. Then we
+could play keep-house in the afternoon, and have the pies to eat. Will
+your mother make pies again to-morrow?"
+
+"I don't know," said Faith.
+
+Esther did not care much about the mill. She hardly glanced at the big
+water-wheel, and was eager to get back to the house. Several times
+she reminded Faith of her promise about the maple candy. Faith had
+expected that she and Esther would be the best of friends, but the
+time before dinner seemed very long to both the children.
+
+Soon after dinner Mr. Eldridge went on his way. He left his horse in
+Mr. Carew's care, as he was to walk to the shore of Lake Champlain and
+trust to good fortune to find a canoe or boat in which he could cross
+the narrow strait to Ticonderoga. He would not return for a week, and
+he seemed greatly pleased that his little daughter was so contented to
+be left with her new friends.
+
+"She is an only child, like your own little maid," he said to Mrs.
+Carew, "and I am glad they are to be friends."
+
+They all walked down the slope with him, and watched him striding off
+along the rough path.
+
+"He's going to fetch me some rock-candy," said Esther as they turned
+back to the house.
+
+Mrs. Carew stopped at the mill, and the two little girls went back to
+the house.
+
+"We'll make the maple candy now, shan't we?" said Esther, as they
+reached the kitchen door. "See, the kettle is all clean, and I know
+where the molasses jug is," and before Faith could remind her that she
+had not yet asked permission, Esther was dragging the heavy jug from
+the pantry.
+
+"Oh, look out, Esther. You'll spill it," cautioned Faith, running to
+help her.
+
+"No, I won't. Here, help me turn it into the kettle and get it over
+the fire before your mother comes back," urged Esther, and the two
+girls lifted the jug and turned the maple syrup into the kettle.
+"There, that will make a lot of candy," said Esther. "You stir up the
+fire and put on more wood."
+
+Faith obeyed. She hardly knew what else she could do, although she was
+sure that her mother would not want them to use all the syrup for
+candy. As she piled on the wood, she heard a scrambling noise at the
+door, and a sudden scream from Esther: "Faith! Faith! A bear! A bear!"
+and looking over her shoulder she saw a big brown bear coming in
+through the kitchen door.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+FAITH MAKES A PROMISE
+
+
+For a second Faith was too frightened to move. Then pulling one of the
+newly kindled sticks from the fire she hurled it at the big creature
+and ran for the stairs, up which Esther was already hurrying.
+
+The flaming brand halted the bear for a second only, but the little
+girls had reached the upper floor before he was well into the kitchen,
+and, sniffing the molasses, he turned toward the empty jug and the
+full kettle.
+
+"What shall we do? What shall we do?" sobbed Esther. "He will come up
+here and eat us. I know he will."
+
+"We must get out of the window and run to the mill," whispered Faith.
+"We mustn't wait a minute, for mother dear may be on her way to the
+house. Come," and she pushed Esther before her toward the window.
+"Here, just take hold and swing yourself down," she said.
+
+"I can't, oh, I can't," sobbed Esther.
+
+"You must. I'll go first, then;" and in a moment Faith was swinging
+from the windowsill, had dropped to the ground, and was speeding down
+the path to the mill, while Esther, frightened and helpless, leaned
+out screaming at the top of her voice.
+
+Mrs. Carew was just leaving the mill when she saw Faith racing toward
+her. "A bear! A bear in our kitchen," she called.
+
+"Hugh!" called Mrs. Carew, and Mr. Carew came running from the mill to
+hear the story.
+
+"It's lucky I keep a musket at the mill," he said. "Here, you take
+Faith into the mill and fasten the door on the inside. I'll attend to
+the bear," and he was off, racing toward the house, while Mrs. Carew
+hurried Faith into the mill and shut the heavy door.
+
+"I do hope Esther will stay in the chamber until your father gets
+there," said Mrs. Carew anxiously. "I do not believe the bear will
+venture up the stairs."
+
+"He was after the syrup," said Faith, "and if he tried the stairs
+Esther could drop out of the window."
+
+It was not long before they heard the loud report of the musket.
+
+"Mayn't we open the door now, mother dear?" asked Faith.
+
+"Not yet, Faithie. We'll wait a little," and Faith realized that her
+mother's arm trembled as she drew the girl to her side.
+
+There was silence for what seemed a very long time to Mrs. Carew and
+Faith, and then they heard Mr. Carew calling; "All right, open the
+door. Here is Esther safe and sound."
+
+Esther, sobbing and trembling, clung to Mrs. Carew, and Faith held
+tight to her father's hand while he told the story. The bear, with his
+nose in the kettle of syrup, had not even heard Mr. Carew's approach,
+and had been an easy mark.
+
+"You'll find your kitchen in a sad state, Lucy," said Mr. Carew, as he
+finished. "I have dragged the bear outside, and he will furnish us
+some fine steaks, and a good skin for a rug; but your kettle of syrup
+is all over the floor."
+
+"Kettle of syrup?" questioned Mrs. Carew. "Why, there was no kettle of
+syrup." Neither of the little girls offered any explanation. Mr. Carew
+looked about the clearing to see if any other bear was in the
+neighborhood, but it was evident that the creature had come alone.
+
+"'Tis not often they are so bold," said Mr. Carew, as they neared the
+cabin, "although last year an old bear and two cubs came down by the
+mill, but they were off before I could get a shot at them."
+
+Mrs. Carew looked about her kitchen with a little feeling of dismay.
+The kettle had been overturned, and what syrup the bear had not eaten
+was smeared over the hearth and floor. The little rocking-chair was
+tipped over and broken, and everything was in disorder.
+
+Esther looked into the kitchen, but Mrs. Carew cautioned her not
+to enter. "You and Faith go to the front door and go into the
+sitting-room," she said. "There is nothing that either of you can do
+to help;" so Faith led the way and pushed open the heavy door which
+led directly into a big comfortable room. The lower floor of the cabin
+was divided into two rooms, the sitting-room and kitchen, and over
+these were two comfortable chambers. The stairs led up from the
+kitchen.
+
+Faith thought the sitting-room a very fine place. There was a big
+fireplace on one side of the room, and the walls were ceiled, or
+paneled, with pine boards. On one side of the fireplace was a broad
+wooden settle, covered with a number of fur robes, and several big
+cushions. Between the two front windows stood a table of dark wood,
+and on the table were two tall brass candlesticks. A small narrow
+gilt-framed mirror hung over the table.
+
+There were several strongly-made comfortable wooden chairs with
+cushions. The floor was of pine, like the ceiled walls, and was now a
+golden brown in color. There were several bearskin rugs on the floor,
+for Mr. Carew, like all the men of the "Wilderness," was a hunter; and
+when not busy in his mill or garden was off in the woods after deer,
+or wild partridge, or larger game, as these fine skins proved.
+
+"What a funny room," exclaimed Esther, with a little giggle. "Our
+sitting-room has beautiful paper on the walls, and we have pictures,
+and a fine carpet on the floor. What are you going to tell your mother
+about that maple syrup?" she concluded sharply.
+
+"I don't know," responded Faith.
+
+"Well, don't tell her anything," suggested Esther.
+
+"I guess that I shall have to tell her," said Faith.
+
+"You mean about me? That I teased you to make candy? Well, if you do
+that I'll get my father to take me home with him instead of staying
+until he comes next month," declared Esther.
+
+"I shan't tell anything about you," answered Faith.
+
+Esther looked at her a little doubtfully.
+
+"Of course I shan't," repeated Faith. "You are my company. No matter
+what you did I wouldn't talk about it. Why, even the Indians treat
+visitors politely, and give them the best they have, and that's what I
+shall do," and Faith stood very straight and looked at Esther very
+seriously.
+
+"Truly? Truly? What is the 'best' you have? And when will you give it
+to me?" demanded Esther, coming close to her and clasping her arm. "Is
+it beads? Oh! I do hope it is beads! And you can't back out after what
+you have said," and Esther jumped up and down in delight at the
+thought of a possible string of fine beads.
+
+For a moment it seemed as if Faith would burst into tears. She had
+meant to tell Esther that she would do her best to be kind and polite
+to her because Esther was a guest, and now Esther was demanding that
+Faith should do exactly as she had promised and give her "the best she
+had." And it happened that Faith's dearest possession was a string of
+fine beads. Aunt Priscilla Scott, who lived in Ticonderoga, had
+brought them as a gift on her last visit. They were beautiful blue
+beads,--like the sky on a June day,--and Faith wore them only on
+Sundays. They were in a pretty little wooden box in the sitting-room
+closet.
+
+Suddenly Esther let go of Faith's arm. "I knew you didn't mean it,"
+she said scornfully.
+
+Faith made no reply. She walked across the room and pushed a brass
+knob set in one of the panels. The panel opened, and there was a
+closet. The little wooden box that held the beads was on the middle
+shelf. Faith took it up, closed the door, and turned toward Esther.
+
+"Here! This is the best thing I have in all the world, the prettiest
+and the dearest. And it is beads. Take them," and she thrust the box
+into Esther's eager hands and ran out of the room. She forgot the dead
+bear, the wasted syrup, the danger and fright of so short a time ago;
+all she could think of was to get away from Esther Eldridge.
+
+She ran across the clearing and along a narrow path that circled
+behind the mill into the woods. She ran on and on until she could no
+longer hear the sound of the brook, and the path began to grow rocky
+and difficult. Then, tired and almost breathless, Faith sat down on a
+big rock and looked about her. For a few moments she could think of
+nothing but her lost beads, and of the disagreeable visitor. Then
+gradually she realized that she had never before been so far along
+this rough path. All about her rose huge, towering pines. Looking
+ahead the path seemed to end in a dense thicket. She heard the rustle
+of some little forest animal as it moved through the vines behind
+her, and the call of birds near at hand. Faith began to recall the
+happenings of the morning: the excitement of Esther's arrival, the
+sudden appearance of the bear in the kitchen doorway, her terror lest
+her mother should come before she could be warned; and then, again,
+Esther and the loss of her beads. She began to cry. She felt very
+tired and unhappy. She felt Esther was to blame for everything, even
+for the appearance of the bear. Never before had a bear dared come to
+the house. Faith leaned back against a friendly tree with a tired
+little sigh. She would rest, and then go home, she thought, and closed
+her eyes.
+
+When she awoke, she thought she must still be dreaming; for, standing
+a little way down the path, was a tall man leaning on a musket. He
+wore a flannel blouse, and his homespun trousers were tucked into high
+leathern gaiters.
+
+The man smiled and nodded. "Do not be frightened, little maid," he
+said in a friendly voice. "I did not want to leave you here in the
+woods until I was sure that you could make your way home. Are you
+Miller Carew's little girl?"
+
+"Yes, sir," answered Faith, wondering who this tall, dark-eyed man,
+who knew her father, could be, and then adding, "My name is Faith."
+
+The tall man smiled again, and took off his leather cap.
+
+"My name is Ethan Allen," he responded; "it may be that you have heard
+your father speak of me."
+
+"Yes, sir! You are a Green Mountain Boy; and you help the settlers to
+keep their 'Grants,'" Faith replied quickly; for she had often heard
+her father and mother speak of the trouble the settlers were having to
+prove their titles to land taken under the "New Hampshire Grants," and
+she remembered hearing her father say that Ethan Allen would help any
+man defend his rights. She wished that she could tell him all about
+Esther Eldridge and the blue beads, but she remembered her promise. "I
+guess there are times when people don't have any rights," she decided,
+and was quite unconscious that she had spoken aloud until she heard
+her companion say very clearly:
+
+"There can never be such a time as that. People would be slaves indeed
+not to uphold their just and rightful claims. But why is a small maid
+like yourself troubling about 'rights'?"
+
+"I have company at my house----" began Faith.
+
+"I see, I see!" interrupted Colonel Allen. "Of course you have to let
+the guest do whatever she pleases," and he smiled and nodded, as if he
+understood all about it. "And now we had best start toward your
+father's mill, for it is well toward sunset."
+
+"Sunset? Have I slept all the afternoon!" exclaimed Faith, jumping up.
+
+As they walked down the path Ethan Allen asked Faith many questions
+about the people who came along the trail from the settlements on
+their way to Lake Champlain.
+
+When they reached the clearing where the mill stood Faith's father and
+mother came running to meet them. They welcomed Mr. Allen, and said
+that they had been sadly worried about Faith. "But where is Esther?"
+asked Mrs. Carew. "Is she not with you, Faith?"
+
+"I left her in the sitting-room, hours ago!" answered the little girl.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MORE MISCHIEF
+
+
+"'Hours ago,'" repeated Mrs. Carew. "Why, dear child, it is only an
+hour since Esther came up from the mill with the dishes."
+
+Faith looked so bewildered that her mother exclaimed: "Why, child!
+Have you forgotten that you and Esther had your dinner at the mill?"
+
+"But I did not have any dinner," declared Faith. "It was not dinner
+time when I ran off and left Esther in the sitting-room. I----" and
+then Faith stopped suddenly. She resolved that she would not tell her
+mother that she had given Esther the blue beads,--not until Esther was
+found.
+
+"Well, I declare. Esther came into the kitchen just as I was preparing
+dinner, and asked if you girls could not have a picnic dinner at the
+mill, and I was well pleased to let you. I put some cold meat and
+bread, a good half of pumpkin pie and some of the pumpkin cakes in a
+basket, and gave her a pitcher of milk, and off she went. An hour ago
+she came in to ask for a lunch and I gave her a good piece of molasses
+cake. Your father was busy skinning the bear, and we gave but little
+thought to you children. But when I called your name, and found
+neither of you at the mill, I became alarmed. But where can Esther be
+now?" concluded Mrs. Carew, looking anxiously about the clearing.
+
+"Go back to the house with Faith and give the child something to eat.
+Colonel Allen and I will search the mill again," said Mr. Carew.
+
+"I'm tired," said Faith, as they reached the house, "and I don't like
+Esther."
+
+"Hush, Faithie. She is your guest. And if she has wandered into any
+harm or danger I do not know what we can say to Mr. Eldridge,"
+responded her mother; "but I do not understand about the food," she
+added, half to herself, wondering if Esther could really have eaten it
+all.
+
+Faith looked about the kitchen. "It looks just the same. Just as if
+the bear had not come in," she said.
+
+Mrs. Carew brought her a bowl of milk and a plate of corn bread, and
+another plate with two of the pumpkin cakes.
+
+"I'll run back to the mill while you eat your supper, Faithie, and see
+if Esther has been found. When I come back you must tell me what you
+were turning syrup into the kettle for."
+
+Faith was hungry, but as she ate her bread and milk she felt very
+unhappy. She remembered her promise to Esther not to tell Mrs. Carew
+about the syrup.
+
+"I don't know what I shall do," she said aloud. "I guess I'll go and
+rest on the settle until mother dear comes," so she opened the door
+and entered the sitting-room. As she lay back among the cushions of
+the settle she heard a faint noise from the further side of the room.
+"I guess it's 'Bounce,'" she thought.
+
+Then the noise came again: "Gr-r-r! Gr-rrr!" Faith sat up quickly. She
+wondered if another bear had made its way into the house. The big
+black bearskin rug in front of the table was moving; it was standing
+up, and coming toward the settle.
+
+"It's you, Esther Eldridge! You can't frighten me," said Faith, and
+Esther dropped the rug from her shoulders and came running toward the
+settle. Her black eyes were dancing, and she was laughing.
+
+"Oh! I've had the greatest fun! I ate all your dinner, and I hid under
+that bearskin and your mother and father hunted everywhere for me.
+Where have you been?" concluded Esther, looking down at Faith. The
+little girls did not notice that, just as Esther began speaking, Mrs.
+Carew had opened the sitting-room door.
+
+"I've been way off in the woods, and my mother has asked me to tell
+her about the maple syrup," replied Faith accusingly.
+
+"Well, Esther!"
+
+Both the girls gave an exclamation of surprise at the sound of Mrs.
+Carew's voice. "You may go to the mill and tell Mr. Carew that you are
+safe, and then come directly back," she said a little sternly, and
+stood by the door until Esther was on her way. Then she crossed over
+to the settle and sat down beside Faith.
+
+"I will not ask you about the syrup, Faithie dear," she said,
+smoothing Faith's ruffled hair. "And you had best go up-stairs to bed.
+I will have a talk with Esther, and then she will go to bed. It has
+been a difficult day, has it not, child? But to-morrow I trust
+everything will go pleasantly, without bears or trouble of any sort."
+
+"But Esther will be here," said Faith.
+
+"Never mind; I think Esther has made mischief enough to-day to last
+all her visit," responded Mrs. Carew; and Faith, very tired, and
+greatly comforted, went up to her pleasant chamber which Esther was to
+share. She wondered to herself just what her mother would say to
+Esther. But she did not stay long awake, and when Esther came
+up-stairs shortly after, very quietly, and feeling rather ashamed of
+herself after listening to Mrs. Carew, Faith was fast asleep.
+
+But Esther did not go to sleep. She wondered to herself what her
+father would say if Mrs. Carew told him of her mischief, and began to
+wish that she had not deceived Mrs. Carew about the dinner. She could
+feel her face flush in the darkness when she remembered what Mrs.
+Carew had said to her about truthfulness. Esther's head ached, and she
+felt as if she was going to be ill. Down-stairs she could hear the
+murmur of voices. Ethan Allen would sleep on the settle, and be off at
+an early hour the next morning. It seemed a long time before the
+voices ceased, and she heard Mr. and Mrs. Carew come up the stairs.
+Esther began to wish that she had not eaten the fine pumpkin pie and
+all the cakes. It was nearly morning before she fell asleep, and she
+was awake when Faith first opened her eyes.
+
+"It's time to get up. It always is the minute I wake up," said Faith
+sleepily.
+
+Esther answered with a sudden moan: "I can't get up. I'm sick," she
+whispered.
+
+Faith sat up in bed and looked at Esther a little doubtfully. But
+Esther's flushed face and the dark shadows under her eyes proved that
+she spoke the truth.
+
+"I'll tell mother. Don't cry, Esther. Mother will make you well before
+you know it," said Faith, quickly slipping out of bed and running into
+the little passage at the head of the stairs.
+
+In a few moments Mrs. Carew was standing beside the bed. She said to
+herself that she did not wonder that Esther was ill. But while Faith
+dressed and got ready for breakfast Mrs. Carew smoothed out the
+tumbled bed, freshened the pillows and comforted their little visitor.
+
+"Run down and eat your porridge, Faithie, and then come back and sit
+with Esther," said Mrs. Carew.
+
+When Faith returned Mrs. Carew went down and brewed some bitter herbs
+and brought the tea for Esther to drink. The little girl swallowed the
+unpleasant drink, and shortly after was sound asleep. She had not
+awakened at dinner time, and Mrs. Carew was sure that she would sleep
+off her illness.
+
+"The child must be taught not to crave sweet foods," she said, as she
+told Faith to run down to the mill and amuse herself as she pleased.
+"Only don't go out of sight of the mill, Faithie," she cautioned, and
+Faith promised and ran happily off down the path. She was eager to ask
+her father about Mr. Ethan Allen.
+
+Mr. Carew was busy grinding wheat. There were few mills in the
+Wilderness, and nearly every day until midwinter settlers were coming
+and going from the mill, bringing bags of wheat or corn on horseback
+over the rough trail and carrying back flour or meal. When Mr. Carew
+had tied up the bag of meal and his customer had ridden away, he came
+to where Faith was sitting close by the open door and sat down beside
+her.
+
+"Why do you call Mr. Allen a 'Green Mountain Boy'?" asked the little
+girl, after she had answered his questions about Esther; "he is a big
+man."
+
+Mr. Carew smiled down at Faith's eager face, and then pointed to the
+green wooded hills beyond the clearing. "It's because he, and other
+men of these parts, are like those green hills,--strong, and
+sufficient to themselves," he answered. "Every settler in the
+Wilderness knows that Ethan Allen will help them protect their homes;
+and no man knows this part of the country better than Colonel Allen."
+
+"Why do you call him 'Colonel'?" asked Faith.
+
+"Because the Bennington people have given him that title, and put him
+in command of the men of the town that they may be of service to
+defend it in case King George's men come over from New York," replied
+her father; "but I do not know but the bears are as dangerous as the
+'Yorkers.' Do you think Esther will be quite well to-morrow?"
+concluded Mr. Carew.
+
+Faith was quite sure that Esther would soon be as well as ever. She
+did not want to talk about Esther. She wanted to hear more about her
+friend Colonel Allen. "I heard him tell mother that he slept in a cave
+one night on his way here," she said.
+
+"Oh, yes; he can sleep anywhere. But you must talk of him no more
+to-day, Faithie," answered Mr. Carew; "and here is 'Bounce' looking
+for you," he added, as the little gray kitten jumped into Faith's lap.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+A NEW PLAN
+
+
+Esther was much better the next morning, but she was not well enough
+to come down-stairs for several days, and when her father appeared he
+agreed with Mrs. Carew that the little girl was not fit to undertake
+the journey on horseback along the rough trail to Brandon.
+
+Mrs. Carew was able to assure him, however, that he need not be
+anxious about his little daughter, and he decided to go directly home,
+leaving Esther to regain health and strength in Mrs. Carew's charge.
+
+"I will come for you the first Monday in October, three weeks from
+to-day," he told Esther, "and you must mind Mrs. Carew in everything
+she bids you."
+
+Esther promised tearfully. She did not want to stay, but she resolved
+to herself, as she watched her father ride away, that she would do
+everything possible to please Mrs. Carew and make friends with Faith.
+She could hardly bear to think of the first day of her visit.
+
+As she lay on the settle comfortably bolstered up with the soft
+pillows, and a little fire crackling on the hearth, Esther looked
+about the sitting-room and began to think it a very pleasant place.
+Faith brought all her treasures to entertain her little visitor. Chief
+of these was a fine book called "Pilgrim's Progress," with many
+pictures. There was a doll,--one that Faith's Aunt Priscilla had
+brought her from New York. This doll was a very wonderful creature.
+She wore a blue flounced satin dress, and the dress had real buttons,
+buttons of gilt; and the doll wore a beautiful bonnet.
+
+Faith watched Esther a little anxiously as she allowed her to take
+Lady Amy, as the doll was named. But Esther was as careful as Faith
+herself, and declared that she did not believe any little girl that
+side of Bennington had such a beautiful doll.
+
+"I think your Aunt Priscilla is the best aunt that ever was. She gave
+you this lovely doll, and your blue beads----" Esther stopped
+suddenly. She had lost the beads, and she did not want to tell Faith.
+She had resolved to hunt for them as soon as possible, and give them
+back. She was sure she could find them when she could run about again.
+
+Faith did not look at Esther. She wished Esther had not reminded her
+of the beads. But Esther had been so grateful for everything that Mrs.
+Carew and Faith did for her that they had almost forgotten her
+mischief, and were beginning to like their little visitor.
+
+"Yes, my Aunt Prissy is lovely," said Faith. "She is a young aunt. Her
+hair is yellow and her eyes are blue; she can run as fast as I can,"
+and Faith smiled, remembering the good times she always had when Aunt
+Prissy came for a visit to the log cabin. "When I go to visit her I
+shall see the fort where the English soldiers are," she added.
+
+"Colonel Ethan Allen could take the fort away from them if he wanted
+to; my father said so," boasted Esther; and Faith was quite ready to
+agree to this, for it seemed to her that the tall, dark-eyed colonel
+could accomplish almost anything.
+
+"How would you and Faithie like to have your supper here by the fire?"
+asked Mrs Carew, coming in from the kitchen. "Faith can bring in the
+light stand and use her own set of dishes. And I will make you a fine
+dish of cream toast."
+
+Both the little girls were delighted at the plan. And Faith ran to
+the kitchen and, with her mother's help, brought in the stand and
+put it down in front of the settle. She spread a white cloth over
+it, and then turned to the closet, from which she had taken the
+blue beads, and brought out her treasured tea-set. There was a
+round-bodied, squatty teapot with a high handle, a small pitcher,
+a round sugar-bowl, two cups and saucers, and two plates. The dishes
+were of delicate cream-tinted china covered with crimson roses and
+delicate buds and faint green leaves.
+
+One by one Faith brought these treasures to the little table, smiling
+with delight at Esther's exclamations of admiration.
+
+"My grandmother who lives in Connecticut sent me these for my last
+birthday present," said Faith. "My Grandmother Carew, whom I have
+never seen. And they came from across the big salt ocean, from
+England."
+
+"To think that a little girl in a log cabin should have such lovely
+things!" exclaimed Esther. "I have a silver mug with my name on it,"
+she added.
+
+Mrs. Carew brought them in the fine dish of cream toast, and filled
+the china teapot with milk so they could play that it was a real
+tea-party. There were baked apples to eat with the toast, and although
+Esther longed for cake she did not speak of it, and, bolstered up with
+cushions, and Faith sitting in a high-backed chair facing her, she
+began really to enjoy herself.
+
+"My father made this little table," said Faith, helping Esther to a
+second cup of "tea," "and he made these chairs and the settle. He came
+up here with Mr. Stanley years ago, and cut down trees and built this
+house and the barn and the mill; then he went way back where my
+grandmother lives and brought my mother here. Some day I am to go to
+Connecticut and go to school."
+
+"Why don't you come to Brandon and go to school?" suggested Esther.
+"Oh, do! Faith, ask your mother to let you go home with me and go to
+school this winter. That would be splendid!" And Esther sat up so
+quickly that she nearly tipped over her cup and saucer.
+
+"I guess I couldn't," replied Faith. "My mother would be lonesome."
+
+But Esther thought it would be a fine idea; and while Faith carried
+the dishes to the kitchen, washed them with the greatest care,
+and replaced them on the closet shelf, Esther talked of all the
+attractions of living in a village and going to school with other
+little girls.
+
+"I feel as well as ever," declared Esther as the two little girls went
+to bed that night; "but I do wish your mother thought sweet things
+would be good for me. At home I have all I want."
+
+"Mother says that is the reason you are not well," answered Faith.
+"Hear the brook, Esther! Doesn't it sound as if it was saying, 'Hurry
+to bed! Hurry to bed!' And in the morning it is 'Time to get up! Time
+to get up!'"
+
+"You are the queerest girl I ever knew. The idea that a brook could
+say anything," replied Esther; but her tone was friendly. "I suppose
+it's because you live way off here in the woods. Now if you lived in a
+village----"
+
+"I don't want to live in a village if it will stop my hearing what the
+brook says. And I can tell you what the robins say to the young
+robins; and what little foxes tell their mothers; and I know how the
+beavers build their homes under water," declared Faith, with a little
+laugh at Esther's puzzled expression.
+
+"Tell me about the beavers," said Esther, as they snuggled down in the
+big feather-bed.
+
+"Every house a beaver builds has two doors," began Faith, "and it has
+an up-stairs and down-stairs. One of the doors to the beaver's house
+opens on the land side, so that they can get out and get their
+dinners; and the other opens under the water--way down deep, below
+where ice freezes."
+
+"How do you know?" questioned Esther, a little doubtfully.
+
+"Father told me. And I have seen their houses over in the mill meadow,
+where the brook is as wide as this whole clearing."
+
+Before Faith had finished her story of how beavers could cut down
+trees with their sharp teeth, and of the dams they built across
+streams, Esther was fast asleep.
+
+Faith lay awake thinking over all that Esther had said about school;
+about seeing little girls and boys of her own age, and of games and
+parties. Then with a little sigh of content she whispered to herself:
+"I guess I'd be lonesome without father and mother and the brook."
+
+Mrs. Carew had heard Esther's suggestion about Faith going to Brandon
+to go to school, and after the little girls had gone to bed she spoke
+of it to Faith's father, as they sat together before the fire.
+
+"Perhaps we ought to send Faithie where she could go to school and be
+with other children," said Mr. Carew, "but I hardly know how we could
+spare her."
+
+There was a little silence, for the father and mother knew that their
+pleasant home on the slope of the hillside would be a very different
+place without their little maid.
+
+"But of course we would not think of Brandon," continued Faith's
+father. "If we must let her go, why, her Aunt Priscilla will give her
+a warm welcome and take good care of the child; and the school at
+Ticonderoga is doubtless a good one."
+
+"Esther seems sorry for her mischief, but I should not wish Faith to
+be with her so far from home. Perhaps we had best send some word to
+Priscilla by the next traveler who goes that way, and ask her if Faith
+may go to her for the winter months," said Mrs. Carew.
+
+So, while Faith described the beaver's home to the sleepy Esther, it
+was settled that as soon as it could be arranged she should go to stay
+with her Aunt Priscilla in the village of Ticonderoga, across Lake
+Champlain, and go to school.
+
+"If 'twere not that some stray Indians might happen along and make a
+bonfire of our house and mill we might plan for a month's visit
+ourselves," said Mr. Carew.
+
+"We must not think of it," responded his wife. For the log cabin home
+was very dear to her, and at that time the Indians, often incited by
+the British in command of the forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point,
+burned the homes of settlers who held their land through grants given
+by the New Hampshire government.
+
+"More settlers are coming into this region every year. We shall soon
+have neighbors near at hand, and can have a school and church," said
+Mr. Carew hopefully. "Colonel Allen is not journeying through the
+wilderness for pleasure. He has some plan in mind to make this region
+more secure for all of us. Well, tell Faithie, if she has aught to say
+of going to Brandon, that she is soon to visit Aunt Priscilla. I doubt
+not 'twill be best for the child."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+KASHAQUA
+
+
+Esther did not find the blue beads; and when her father came for her
+she had not said a word to Faith about them.
+
+Mr. Eldridge found his little daughter fully recovered from her
+illness, and in better health than when she came to the Wilderness.
+When she said good-bye Faith was really sorry to have her go, but she
+wondered a little that Esther made no mention of the beads, for Esther
+had been a model visitor since her illness. She had told Mrs. Carew
+the full story of the attempt to make maple candy, which the bear had
+interrupted, and she had claimed the pumpkin-shell work-box with
+evident delight. All these things had made Faith confident that Esther
+would return the beads before starting for home, and she was sadly
+disappointed to have Esther depart without a word about them.
+
+Esther had asked Mrs. Carew if Faith might not go to Brandon, and so
+Mrs. Carew had told the little girls of the plan for Faith to go to
+her Aunt Priscilla in Ticonderoga for the winter and attend school
+there.
+
+"Oh! But that's New York. Why, the 'Yorkers' want to take all the
+Wilderness. I shouldn't want to go to school with 'Yorkers,'" Esther
+had responded, a little scornfully.
+
+For she had often heard her father and his friends talk of the
+attempts made by the English officials of New York to drive the
+settlers on the New Hampshire Grants from their homes.
+
+"'Tis not the people of New York who would do us harm," Mrs. Carew had
+answered. "And Faith will make friends, I hope, with many of her
+schoolmates."
+
+It was a beautiful October morning when Esther, seated in front of her
+father on the big gray horse, with the pumpkin-shell work-box wrapped
+in a safe bundle swinging from the front of the saddle, started for
+Brandon. Their way for most of the journey led over a rough trail.
+They would pass near the homes of many settlers, then over the lower
+slopes of Mooselamoo Mountain, and skirt Lake Dunmore, and would then
+find themselves on a smoother road for the remainder of their journey.
+
+Faith walked beside the travelers to the edge of the wood and then the
+two little girls said good-bye.
+
+"I'll come again in the spring," Esther called back.
+
+Faith stood watching them until the branches of the trees hid them
+from sight. The maples seemed to be waving banners of scarlet leaves,
+and the slopes of the Green Mountains were beautiful in the glory of
+autumn foliage. The sun shone brightly, the sky was as blue as summer,
+and as Faith turned to run swiftly along the path to the mill she
+almost wished that she too was starting for a day's journey through
+the woods. The path ran along beside the mill-stream.
+
+It seemed to Faith that the brook was traveling beside her like a gay
+companion, singing as it went. The little girl had had so few
+companions, none except an occasional visitor, that she had made
+friends with the birds and small woodland animals, and found
+companionship in the rippling music of the stream. There was a fine
+family of yellow-hammers just below the mill that Faith often visited,
+and she was sure that they knew her quite well. She had watched them
+build their nest in the early spring; had seen them bring food to the
+young birds, and had sat close by the nest while the young birds made
+their first efforts to fly. She knew where a fine silver-coated fox
+made its home on the rocky hillside beyond the garden-slope, and had
+told her father that "Silver-nose," as she had named the fox, knew
+that she was his friend, and would lie quite still at the entrance to
+its hole, while she would sit on a big rock not far distant.
+
+But Faith was not thinking of these woodland friends as she ran along
+toward the mill; she was thinking of what she had heard her father say
+to Mr. Eldridge that morning. "Tell Colonel Allen the men of the
+Wilderness will be ready whenever he gives the word," Mr. Carew had
+said; and Mr. Eldridge had answered that it would not be long. Faith
+wondered what her father had meant, and if Colonel Allen would again
+visit the mill. She hoped he would, for he had seemed to know all
+about the woodland creatures, and had told Faith a wonderful story
+about the different months of the year. She thought of it now as she
+felt the warmth of the October sunshine.
+
+"October is stirring the fire now," she called to her father, who was
+watching her from the door of the mill.
+
+"What do you mean by that, child?" asked her father, smiling down at
+Faith's tanned face and bright eyes.
+
+"'Tis what Colonel Allen told me about the months. All twelve, every
+one of the year, sit about the fire. And now and then one of them
+stirs the fire, and that makes all the world warmer. July and August,
+when it is their turn, make it blaze; but the other months do not care
+so much about it. But once in a while each month takes its turn,"
+answered Faith. "That's what Colonel Allen told me."
+
+"'Tis a good story," said Mr. Carew. "Did your mother tell you that I
+have sent word to your Aunt Priscilla about your going to her house as
+soon as some trustworthy traveler going to Ticonderoga passes this
+way?"
+
+"Yes, father. But I am learning a good deal at home. Mother says I
+read as well as she did when she was my age. And I can figure in
+fractions, and write neatly. I do not care much about school,"
+answered Faith; for to be away from her mother and father all winter
+began to seem too great an undertaking.
+
+"Yes, indeed; your mother tells me you learn quickly. But 'tis best
+for you to become acquainted with children of your own age. And you
+have never seen your cousins. Three boy cousins. Think of that. Why,
+your Aunt Prissy says that Donald is nearly as tall as you are; and he
+is but eight years old. And Hugh is six, and Philip four. Then there
+are neighbor children close at hand. You will play games, and have
+parties, and enjoy every day; besides going to school," responded her
+father encouragingly.
+
+Then he told her of his own pleasant school days in the far-off
+Connecticut village where Grandmother Carew lived; and when Mrs. Carew
+called them to dinner Faith had begun to think that it would really be
+a fine thing to live with Aunt Priscilla and become acquainted with
+her little cousins, and all the pleasant, well-behaved children that
+her father described, with whom she would go to school and play games.
+
+"It is nearly time for Kashaqua's yearly visit," said Mrs. Carew. "I
+have knit a scarf for her of crimson yarn. She generally comes before
+cold weather. Don't let her see your blue beads, Faith."
+
+Faith did not make any answer. Kashaqua was an Indian woman who had
+appeared at the cabin every fall and spring ever since the Carews had
+settled there. When Faith was a tiny baby she had come, bringing a
+fine beaver skin as a gift for the little girl. She always came alone,
+and the family looked upon her as a friend, and always made a little
+feast for her, and sent her on her way laden with gifts. Not all the
+Indians of the Wilderness were friendly to settlers; and the Carews
+were glad to feel that Kashaqua was well disposed toward them. She
+often brought gifts of baskets, or of bright feathers or fine
+moccasins for Faith.
+
+"I hope she will come before I go to Aunt Prissy's," said Faith. "I
+like Kashaqua."
+
+"Kashaqua likes little girl."
+
+Even Mr. Carew jumped at these words and the sudden appearance of the
+Indian woman standing just inside the kitchen door. She seemed pleased
+by their warm welcome, and sat down before the fire, while Faith
+hastened to bring her a good share of their simple dinner. Faith sat
+down on the floor beside her, greatly to Kashaqua's satisfaction, and
+told her about Esther Eldridge's visit, about the bear coming into the
+kitchen, and of how she had jumped from the window and run to the mill
+to tell her father. Kashaqua grunted her approval now and then.
+
+"And what do you think, Kashaqua! I am to go to my Aunt Priscilla
+Scott, to Ticonderoga, and stay all winter," she concluded.
+
+"Ticonderoga? When?" questioned Kashaqua, dipping a piece of corn
+bread in the dish of maple syrup.
+
+"I am to go just as soon as some one goes over the trail who will take
+me," answered Faith.
+
+"I take you. I go to Ticonderoga to-morrow. I take you," said
+Kashaqua.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE JOURNEY
+
+
+"Mother dear, mother dear! Did you hear what Kashaqua says: that she
+will take me to Aunt Prissy's to-morrow?" said Faith.
+
+The Indian woman had turned quickly, and her sharp little eyes were
+fixed on Mrs. Carew's face.
+
+"You 'fraid let little girl go with Kashaqua?" she said, a little
+accusing note in her voice.
+
+"No, indeed. Kashaqua would take good care of Faith. I know that. But
+to-morrow----" Mrs. Carew spoke bravely, but both Faith's father and
+mother were sadly troubled. To offend the Indian woman would mean to
+make enemies of the tribe to which she belonged; and then neither
+their lives nor their property would be safe; and she would never
+forgive them if they doubted her by refusing to let Faith make the
+journey to Ticonderoga in her care.
+
+It was Faith who came to the rescue by declaring: "Oh, I'd rather go
+with Kashaqua than anybody. Mother dear, you said Aunt Prissy would
+see about my shoes and dresses. I don't have to wait to get ready,"
+and Faith ran to her mother eager for her consent, thinking it would
+be a fine thing to go on a day's journey through the woods with the
+Indian woman, and quite forgetting for the moment that it meant a long
+absence from home.
+
+Nothing could have pleased Kashaqua more than Faith's pleading. The
+half-angry expression faded from her face, and she nodded and smiled,
+grunting her satisfaction, and taking from one of her baskets a pair
+of fine doeskin moccasins, which she gave to Faith. "Present," she
+said briefly.
+
+"They are the prettiest pair I ever had!" said Faith, looking
+admiringly at their fringed tops, and the pattern of a vine that ran
+from the toes to insteps, stitched in with thread-like crimson and
+blue thongs.
+
+"It is a fine chance for Faith to go to her Aunt Priscilla," said Mr.
+Carew. "Do you know where Philip Scott lives, across Champlain?"
+
+"Me know. Not great ways from Fort," responded Kashaqua. "Me take
+little girl safe to Scott's wigwam."
+
+"That's right, Kashaqua," said Mr. Carew.
+
+"Then me come back to mill and get meal an' get pie," said Kashaqua.
+
+"Of course. I will make you the finest pie you ever tasted," said Mrs.
+Carew, with a little sigh of relief. For she had wondered how long it
+would be before they could get news that Kashaqua had kept her
+promise, and that Faith had reached her aunt's house in safety.
+
+In the surprise and excitement of this new decision neither Faith nor
+her parents had much time to think about their separation. Although
+Aunt Priscilla was to see that Faith was well provided with suitable
+dresses, shoes, hat, and all that a little girl would need to wear to
+school and to church, there was, nevertheless, a good deal to do to
+prepare and put in order such things as she would take with her.
+Beside that Mrs. Carew meant to give the squaw a well-filled luncheon
+basket; so the remainder of the day went very quickly. Faith helped
+her mother, and talked gaily with Kashaqua of the good time they would
+have on the journey; while Kashaqua smoked and nodded, evidently quite
+satisfied and happy.
+
+When night came the Indian woman made her preparations to sleep
+before the kitchen fire, and the Carews went up-stairs to bed. The
+mother and father lay long awake that night. While they assured each
+other that Faith would be perfectly safe, and that the Indian woman
+would defend the little girl from all danger, they could not but feel
+an uncertainty. "We can trust the strength and love that has protected
+us always to go with our little maid," said Mr. Carew; "perhaps
+Kashaqua is the safest person we could find."
+
+"We must hope so; but I shall not draw a good breath until she is here
+again, and tells me Faithie is safe with Priscilla," responded Mrs.
+Carew.
+
+The little household was awake at an early hour the next morning.
+Faith was to wear the new moccasins. She wore her usual dress of brown
+homespun linen. Faith had never had a hat, or a pair of leather shoes,
+and only the simplest of linen and wool dresses. She had never before
+been away from home, except for a day's visit at the house of some
+neighboring settler. She knew that when she got to Aunt Prissy's she
+would have a hat, probably like the one Esther Eldridge had worn,
+ribbons to tie back her yellow curls, shining leather shoes, and many
+things that she had never before seen. She had thought a good deal
+about these things when planning for the journey, but now that the
+time was so near when she must say good-bye to her mother and father
+she forgot all about the good times in store, and wished with all her
+heart that she were not going.
+
+"Don't let Kashaqua see you cry, child," her father whispered, seeing
+Faith's sad face; so she resolutely kept back her tears.
+
+Breakfast was soon over. Kashaqua had stowed Faith's bundle of
+clothing in one of her baskets and swung it over her shoulder. The
+basket of luncheon also was secured by stout thongs and hung across
+her back, and they were ready to start.
+
+"Be a good child, Faithie, dear," whispered Mrs. Carew.
+
+"I'll fetch you home when it is April's turn to stir the fire," said
+her father smilingly, and Faith managed to smile back, and to say
+good-bye bravely, as she trudged down the path holding tight to
+Kashaqua's brown hand.
+
+"I be back to-morrow night," Kashaqua called back, knowing that would
+be a word of comfort to the white woman who was letting her only
+child go from home.
+
+Neither Faith nor Kashaqua spoke for some little time. At last Faith
+stopped suddenly and stood still, evidently listening. "I can't hear
+the brook," she said.
+
+Kashaqua nodded, and the two walked on through the autumn woods. But
+now Kashaqua began to talk. She told Faith stories of the wild animals
+of the woods; of the traps she set along the streams to catch the
+martens and otters; and of a bear cub that the children of her village
+had tamed. But it had disappeared during the summer.
+
+"The papooses catch birds and feed them," she continued, "tame birds
+so they know their name, and come right to wigwam." Faith listened
+eagerly, and began to think that an Indian village must be a very
+pleasant place to live.
+
+"Where is your village, Kashaqua?" she asked.
+
+"You not know my village? Way back 'cross Mooselamoo," answered
+Kashaqua.
+
+"Perhaps I can go there some time," suggested Faith. But Kashaqua
+shook her head.
+
+For several hours they walked steadily on through the autumn woods.
+They climbed several rocky ridges, crossed brooks, and carefully made
+their way over a swampy stretch of ground. Faith was very tired when
+Kashaqua finally swung the baskets and bundles from her shoulders and
+declared that it was time to eat.
+
+The trail had led them up a hill, and as Faith, with a little tired
+sigh, seated herself on a moss-covered rock, she looked about with a
+little exclamation of wonder. Close beside the trail was a rough
+shelter made of the boughs of spruce and fir trees, and near at hand
+was piled a quantity of wood ready for a fire. There was a clearing,
+and the rough shelter was shaded by two fine oak trees.
+
+"Does somebody live here?" asked Faith.
+
+"Traveler's wigwam," explained Kashaqua, who was unpacking the lunch
+basket with many grunts of satisfaction. "White men going down the
+trail to big road to Shoreham sleep here," she added, holding up a
+fine round molasses cake in one hand and a roasted chicken in the
+other.
+
+Faith was hungry as well as tired, and the two friends ate with good
+appetite. Kashaqua repacked the basket with what remained of the food,
+and with a pleasant nod to Faith declared she would "sleep a little,"
+and curled herself up near the shelter.
+
+Faith looked about the rough camp, and peered down the trail. She
+decided she too would sleep a little, and stretched herself out close
+beside Kashaqua, thinking that it was a wonderful thing to be so far
+from home,--nearly in sight of Lake Champlain, Kashaqua had told her,
+with an Indian woman for her guide and protector; and then her eyes
+closed and she was sound asleep.
+
+It seemed to Faith that she had not slept a minute before she awakened
+suddenly, and found that Kashaqua had disappeared. But she heard a
+queer scrambling sound behind her and sat up and looked around. For a
+moment she was too frightened to speak, for a brown bear was clawing
+the remainder of their luncheon from the basket, grunting and
+sniffing, as if well pleased with what he found.
+
+As Faith looked at him she was sure that this creature had dragged
+Kashaqua off into the woods, and that he might turn and seize her as
+soon as he had finished with the basket.
+
+"Kashaqua! Kashaqua!" she called hopelessly. "What shall I do? What
+shall I do?"
+
+There was a rustle of leaves close behind her and the Indian woman
+darted into the clearing. Without a word to Faith she ran straight to
+where the bear was crouched over the basket. Faith could hardly
+believe what she saw, for Kashaqua had seized the basket and pushed it
+out of the bear's reach, and was now belaboring him with a stout piece
+of wood that she had seized from the pile by the shelter. As she hit
+the bear she called out strange words in the Indian tongue, whose
+meaning Faith could not imagine, but which the bear seemed to
+understand. The creature accepted the blows with a queer little
+whimper which made Faith laugh in spite of her fear. And when Kashaqua
+had quite finished with him he crept along beside her, looking up as
+if pleading for forgiveness.
+
+"Oh, Kashaqua! Is it the bear that your papooses tamed?" exclaimed
+Faith, remembering the story told her on the way.
+
+Kashaqua nodded, at the same time muttering words of reproach to the
+bear.
+
+"He like bad Indian, steal from friends," she explained to Faith. "His
+name Nooski," she added.
+
+Nooski was quite ready to make friends with Faith, but she was not
+yet sure of his good-nature. It seemed to the little girl that the
+bear understood every word Kashaqua uttered; and when they went on
+their way down the trail Nooski followed, or kept close beside them.
+
+It was still early in the afternoon when they reached level ground and
+Faith had her first glimpse of the blue waters of Lake Champlain and
+saw the heights of Ticonderoga on the opposite shore. For a moment she
+forgot Nooski and Kashaqua, and stood looking at the sparkling waters
+and listening to the same sound of "Chiming Waters" that had made the
+early French settlers call the place "Carillon." She wondered if she
+should ever see the inside of the fort of which she had heard so much,
+and then heard Kashaqua calling her name.
+
+"Canoe all ready, Faith." The Indian woman had drawn the birch-bark
+canoe from its hiding-place in the underbrush, and the light craft now
+rested on the waters of the lake. The baskets and bundles were in the
+canoe, and Kashaqua, paddle in hand, stood waiting for her little
+companion.
+
+"Where's Nooski?" asked Faith, looking about for the young bear.
+
+Kashaqua pointed toward the distant range of mountains which they had
+left behind them. "He gone home," she said.
+
+Kashaqua told her how to step into the canoe, and how to sit, and
+cautioned her not to move. Faith felt as if the day had been a
+wonderful dream. As Kashaqua with swift strokes of her paddle sent the
+canoe over the water Faith sat silent, with eyes fixed on the looming
+battlements of the fort, on the high mountain behind it, and thought
+to herself that no other little girl had ever taken such a journey.
+
+Kashaqua landed some distance below the fort; the canoe was again
+safely hidden, and after a short walk across a field they reached a
+broad, well-traveled road. "'Most to Philip Scott's house," grunted
+Kashaqua. "You be glad?" and she looked down at the little girl with a
+friendly smile.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+NEW FRIENDS
+
+
+"An Indian woman and a little girl with yellow hair are coming across
+the road, mother," declared Donald Scott, rushing into the
+sitting-room, where his mother was busy with her sewing.
+
+Mrs. Scott hastened to the front door. "Oh, Aunt Prissy," called
+Faith, running as fast as her tired feet could carry her, and hardly
+seeing the brown-haired little cousin standing by his mother's side.
+
+Aunt Prissy welcomed her little niece, whom she had not expected to
+see for weeks to come, and then turned to thank Kashaqua. But the
+Indian woman had disappeared. The bundle containing Faith's clothing
+lay on the door-step, but there was no trace of her companion. Long
+afterward they discovered that Kashaqua had started directly back over
+the trail, and had reached the Carews' cabin, with her message of
+Faith's safe arrival at her aunt's house, early the next morning.
+
+"Come in, dear child. You are indeed welcome. Your father's letter
+reached me but yesterday," said Aunt Prissy, putting her arm about
+Faith and leading her into the house. "I know you are tired, and you
+shall lie down on the settle for a little, and then have your supper
+and go straight to bed."
+
+Faith was quite ready to agree. As she curled up on the broad sofa her
+three little cousins came into the room. They came on tiptoe, very
+quietly, Donald leading the two younger boys. Their mother had told
+them that Cousin Faith was tired after her long journey, and that they
+must just kiss her and run away.
+
+Faith smiled up at the friendly little faces as they bent over to
+welcome her. "I know I shan't be lonesome with such dear cousins," she
+said, and the boys ran away to their play, quite sure that it was a
+fine thing to have a girl cousin come from the Wilderness to visit
+them.
+
+Faith slept late the next morning, and awoke to hear the sound of rain
+against the windows. It was a lonesome sound to a little girl so far
+from her mother and father, and Faith was already thinking to herself
+that this big house, with its shining yellow floors, its white window
+curtains, and its nearness to a well-traveled road, was a very dreary
+place compared to her cabin home, when her chamber door opened and in
+came her Aunt Prissy, smiling and happy as if a rainy day was just
+what she had been hoping for.
+
+"We shall have a fine time to-day, Faithie dear," she declared, as she
+filled the big blue wash-basin with warm water. "There is nothing like
+a rainy day for a real good time. Your Uncle Philip and the boys are
+waiting to eat breakfast with you, and I have a great deal to talk
+over with you; so make haste and come down," and Aunt Prissy, with a
+gay little nod, was gone, leaving Faith greatly cheered and wondering
+what the "good time" would be.
+
+Uncle Philip Scott was waiting at the foot of the stairs. "So here is
+our little maid from the Wilderness! Well, it is a fine thing to have
+a girl in the house," he declared, leading Faith into the dining-room
+and giving her a seat at the table beside his own. "Did you have any
+adventures coming over the trail?" he asked, after Faith had greeted
+her little cousins.
+
+Faith told them of "Nooski's" appearance, greatly to the delight of
+her boy cousins, who asked if the Indian woman had told Faith the best
+way to catch bear cubs and tame them.
+
+"Come out to the shop, boys," said Mr. Scott as they finished
+breakfast, "and help me repair the cart, and fix 'Ginger's' harness.
+Perhaps Cousin Faith will come, too, later on in the morning."
+
+"We'll see. Faithie and I have a good deal to do," responded Mrs.
+Scott.
+
+The boys ran off with their father, chattering gaily, but at the door
+Donald turned and called back: "You'll come out to the shop, won't
+you, Cousin Faith?"
+
+"If Aunt Prissy says I may," answered Faith.
+
+"Yes; she will come," added Aunt Prissy, with her ready smile.
+
+It seemed to Faith that Aunt Prissy was always smiling. "I don't
+believe she could be cross," thought the little girl.
+
+She helped her aunt clear the table and wash the dishes, just as she
+had helped her mother at home; and as they went back and forth in the
+pleasant kitchen, with the dancing flames from the fireplace
+brightening the walls and making the tins shine like silver, Faith
+quite forgot that the rain was pouring down and that she was far from
+home.
+
+"I am going to begin a dress for you this very day. It is some
+material I have in the house; a fine blue thibet, and I shall put
+ruffles on the skirt. That will be your Sunday dress," said Aunt
+Priscilla, "and your father wrote me you were to have the best shoes
+that the shoemaker can make for you. We'll see about the shoes
+to-morrow. Did you bring your blue beads, Faithie? But of course you
+did. They will be nice to wear with your blue frock. And I mean you to
+have a warm hood of quilted silk for Sunday wear."
+
+Faith drew a long breath as her aunt finished. She wondered what Aunt
+Prissy would say if she told her about giving the blue beads to Esther
+Eldridge. But in the exciting prospect of so many new and beautiful
+things she almost forgot the lost beads. She had brought "Lady Amy,"
+carefully packed in the stout bundle, and Aunt Prissy declared that
+the doll should have a dress and hood of the fine blue thibet.
+
+"When shall I go to school, Aunt Prissy?" asked Faith.
+
+"I think the school begins next week, and you shall be all ready. I
+mean to make you a good dress of gray and scarlet homespun for school
+wear," replied her aunt. "The schoolhouse is but a half-mile walk from
+here; a fine new cabin, and you and Donald may go together. I declare,
+the rain has stopped. 'Rain before seven, clear before eleven' is a
+true saying."
+
+Faith ran to the window and looked out. "Yes, indeed. The sky is blue
+again," she said.
+
+"You'd best run out to the shop a while now, Faithie. I'll call you
+when 'tis time," said her aunt.
+
+Faith opened the kitchen door to step out, but closed it quickly, and
+looked around at her aunt with a startled face. "There's a little bear
+right on the door-step," she whispered.
+
+"A bear! Oh, I forgot. You have not seen 'Scotchie,' our dog," said
+Aunt Prissy. "No wonder you thought he was a bear. But he is a fine
+fellow, and a good friend. I often wish your dear father had just such
+a dog," and she opened the door and called "Scotchie! Scotchie!"
+
+The big black Newfoundland dog came slowly into the room.
+
+"Put your hand on his head, Faith," said Aunt Prissy, "and I'll tell
+him who you are, and that he is to take care of you. He went to school
+with Donald all last spring, and we knew he would take care of him.
+Here, 'Scotchie,' go to the shop with Faith," she concluded.
+
+Faith started for the square building on the further side of the yard,
+and the big dog marched along beside her. Donald and little Philip
+came running to meet her.
+
+"I'm going to make you a bow and some arrows, Cousin Faith," said
+Donald, pushing open the shop door. "I have a fine piece of ash, just
+right for a bow, and some deerskin thongs to string it with. I made
+bows for Hugh and Philip."
+
+The workshop seemed a very wonderful place to Faith, and she looked at
+the forge, with its glowing coals, over which her Uncle Philip was
+holding a bar of iron, at the long work-bench with its tools, and at
+the small bench, evidently made for the use of her little cousins.
+
+The boys were eager to show her all their treasures. They had a box
+full of bright feathers, with which to tip their arrows.
+
+"We'll show you how to make an arrow, Cousin Faith," said Donald.
+"First of all, you must be sure the piece of wood is straight, and has
+no knots," and Donald selected a narrow strip of wood and held it on a
+level with his eyes, squinting at its length, just as he had seen his
+father do. "This is a good straight piece. Here, you use my knife, and
+whittle it down until it's about as big as your finger. And then I'll
+show you how to finish it."
+
+But before Faith had whittled the wood to the required size, they
+heard the sound of a gaily whistled tune, and Donald ran toward the
+door and called out: "Hallo, Nathan," and a tall, pleasant-faced boy
+of about fifteen years appeared in the doorway. He took off his
+coonskin cap as he entered.
+
+"Good-morning, Mr. Scott," he said, and then turned smilingly to speak
+to the boys.
+
+"Faith, this is Nathan Beaman," said Donald, and the tall boy bowed
+again, and Faith smiled and nodded.
+
+"I've been up to the fort to sell a basket of eggs," explained Nathan,
+turning again to Mr. Scott.
+
+"You are a great friend of the English soldiers, are you not, Nathan?"
+responded Mr. Scott.
+
+"No, sir!" the boy answered quickly. "I go to the fort when my errands
+take me. But I know well enough what those English soldiers are there
+for; all the Shoreham folk know that. I wish the Green Mountain Boys
+held Ticonderoga," he concluded.
+
+Mr. Scott rested a friendly hand on the boy's shoulder.
+
+"Best not say that aloud, my boy; but I am glad the redcoats have not
+made you forget that American settlers have a right to defend their
+homes."
+
+"I hear there's a reward offered for the capture of Ethan Allen," said
+the boy.
+
+Mr. Scott laughed. "Yes, but he's in small danger. Colonel Allen may
+capture the fort instead of being taken a prisoner," he answered.
+
+Nathan now turned toward the children, and Donald showed him the bow
+he was making for his cousin. "I'll string it for you," offered
+Nathan; and Donald was delighted to have the older boy finish his
+work, for he was quite sure that anything Nathan Beaman did was a
+little better than the work of any other boy.
+
+"Who wants to capture Colonel Allen?" Faith asked.
+
+"The 'Yorkers.' The English," responded the boy carelessly; "but it
+can't be done," he added. "Why, every man who holds a New Hampshire
+Grant would defend him. And Colonel Allen isn't afraid of the whole
+English army."
+
+"I know him. He was at my father's house just a few weeks ago," said
+Faith.
+
+"Don't tell anybody," said Nathan. "Some of the people at the fort may
+question you, but you mustn't let them know that you have ever seen
+Colonel Allen."
+
+Donald had been busy sorting out feathers for the new arrows, and now
+showed Nathan a number of bright yellow tips, which the elder boy
+declared would be just what were needed.
+
+Nathan asked Faith many questions about her father's mill, and about
+Ethan Allen's visit. And Faith told him of the big bear that had
+entered their kitchen and eaten the syrup. When Mrs. Scott called them
+to dinner she felt that she was well acquainted with the good-natured
+boy, whom Mrs. Scott welcomed warmly.
+
+"I believe Nathan knows as much about Fort Ticonderoga as the men who
+built it," she said laughingly, "for the soldiers have let him play
+about there since he was a little boy."
+
+"And Nathan made his own boat, too. The boat he comes over from
+Shoreham in," said Donald. For Nathan Beaman lived on the further side
+of the strip of water which separated Ticonderoga from the New
+Hampshire Grants.
+
+That afternoon Faith and her aunt worked on the fine new blue dress.
+The next day Mrs. Scott took her little niece to the shoemaker, who
+measured her feet and promised to have the shoes ready at the end of a
+week.
+
+As they started for the shoemaker's Mrs. Scott said:
+
+"The man who will make your shoes is a great friend of the English
+soldiers. Your uncle thinks that he gathers up information about the
+American settlers and tells the English officers. Do not let him
+question you as to what your father thinks of American or English
+rule. For I must leave you there a little while to do an errand at the
+next house."
+
+Faith began to think that it was rather a serious thing to live near
+an English fort.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE SHOEMAKER'S DAUGHTER
+
+
+The shoemaker was the smallest man Faith had ever seen. She thought to
+herself that she was glad he was not an American. When he stood up to
+speak to Mrs. Scott Faith remembered a picture in one of her mother's
+books of an orang-outang. For the shoemaker's hair was coarse and
+black, and seemed to stand up all over his small head, and his face
+was nearly covered by a stubbly black beard. His arms were long, and
+he did not stand erect. His eyes were small and did not seem to see
+the person to whom he was speaking.
+
+But he greeted his customers pleasantly, and as Faith sat on a little
+stool near his bench waiting for her aunt's return, he told her that
+he had a little daughter about her own age, but that she was not very
+well.
+
+"Perhaps your aunt will let you come and see her some day?" he said.
+
+"I'll ask her," replied Faith, and before they had time for any
+further conversation the door opened and a tall man in a scarlet coat,
+deerskin trousers and high boots entered the shop.
+
+"Any news?" he asked sharply.
+
+"No, captain. Nothing at all," replied the shoemaker.
+
+"You're not worth your salt, Andy," declared the officer. "I'll wager
+this small maid here would have quicker ears for news."
+
+Faith wished that she could run away, but did not dare to move.
+
+"Well, another summer we'll put the old fort in order and have a
+garrison that will be worth while. Now, what about my riding boots?"
+he added, and after a little talk the officer departed.
+
+It was not long before Mrs. Scott called for her little niece and the
+two started for home.
+
+Faith told her aunt what the shoemaker had said about his little girl,
+and noticed that Aunt Prissy's face was rather grave and troubled.
+
+"Do I have to go, Aunt Prissy?" she asked.
+
+"We'll see, my dear. But now we must hurry home, and sew on the new
+dresses," replied Aunt Prissy, and for a few moments they walked on in
+silence.
+
+Faith could hear the musical sound of the falls, and was reminded of
+the dancing mill-stream, of the silver fox and of her own dear
+"Bounce." Every hour since her arrival at Aunt Prissy's had been so
+filled with new and strange happenings that the little girl had not
+had time to be lonely.
+
+"What is the name of the shoemaker's little girl, Aunt Prissy?" she
+asked, as they came in sight of home, with Donald and Philip, closely
+followed by "Scotchie," coming to meet them.
+
+"Her name is Louise Trent, and she is lame. She is older than you,
+several years older," answered Aunt Prissy, "and I fear she is a
+mischievous child. But the poor girl has not had a mother to care for
+her for several years. She and her father live alone."
+
+"Does she look like her father?" questioned Faith, resolving that if
+such were the case she would not want Louise for a playmate.
+
+"Oh, no. Louise would be pretty if she were a neat and well-behaved
+child. She has soft black hair, black eyes, and is slenderly built.
+Too slender, I fear, for health," replied Mrs. Scott, who often
+thought of the shoemaker's motherless little girl, whose father
+seemed to resent any effort to befriend her.
+
+"Why, that sounds just the way Esther Eldridge looks. Only Esther
+isn't lame," responded Faith; and, in answer to her aunt's questions,
+Faith described Esther's visit to the cabin, omitting, however, the
+fact that she had given Esther the blue beads.
+
+Faith did not think to speak of the red-coated soldier until the
+family were gathered about the supper-table that night. Then she
+suddenly remembered what he had said, and repeated it to her uncle,
+who was asking her about her visit to Mr. Trent's shop.
+
+"So that's their plan. More soldiers to come another summer! 'Twas a
+careless thing for an officer to repeat. But they are so sure that
+none of us dare lift a hand to protect ourselves that they care not
+who knows their plans. I'll see to it that Ethan Allen and the men at
+Bennington get word of this," said Mr. Scott, and then asked Faith to
+repeat again exactly what the officer had said.
+
+In a few days both of Faith's new dresses were finished; and, greatly
+to her delight, Aunt Prissy had made her a pretty cap of blue velvet,
+with a partridge's wing on one side. She was trying on the cap before
+the mirror in the sitting-room one afternoon when she heard a queer
+noise on the porch and then in the front entry. Aunt Prissy was
+up-stairs, and the boys were playing outdoors.
+
+"I wonder what it is?" thought Faith, running toward the door. As she
+opened it she nearly exclaimed in surprise, for there, leaning on a
+crutch, was the queerest little figure she had ever imagined. A little
+girl whose black hair straggled over her forehead, and whose big dark
+eyes had a half-frightened expression, stood staring in at the
+pleasant room. An old ragged shawl was pinned about her shoulders, and
+beneath it Faith could see the frayed worn skirt of gray homespun. But
+on her feet were a pair of fine leather shoes, well fitting and highly
+polished.
+
+"I brought your shoes," said this untidy visitor, swinging herself a
+step forward nearer to Faith, and holding out a bundle. "Father
+doesn't know I've come," she added, with a little smile of
+satisfaction. "But I wanted to see you."
+
+"Won't you sit down?" said Faith politely, pulling forward a big
+cushioned chair.
+
+Louise Trent sat down as if hardly knowing if she dared trust the
+chair or not.
+
+"Your aunt didn't let you come to see me, did she? I knew she
+wouldn't," continued Louise. "What you got?" she questioned, looking
+at the pretty cap with admiring eyes.
+
+"It's new. And I never had one before," answered Faith.
+
+"Well, I've never had one, and I never shall have. You wouldn't let me
+try that one on, would you?" said Louise, looking at Faith with such a
+longing expression in her dark eyes that Faith did not hesitate for a
+moment.
+
+"Of course I will," she answered quickly, and taking off the cap
+placed it carefully on Louise's untidy black hair.
+
+"If your hair was brushed back it would look nice on you," declared
+Faith. "You wait, and I'll get my brush and fix your hair," and before
+Louise could reply Faith was running up the stairs. She was back in a
+moment with brush and comb, and Louise submitted to having her hair
+put in order, and tied back with one of the new hair ribbons that Aunt
+Prissy had given Faith. While Faith was thus occupied Louise looked
+about the sitting-room, and asked questions.
+
+"There," said Faith. "Now it looks nice on you. But what makes you
+wear that old shawl?"
+
+Louise's face clouded, and she raised her crutch as if to strike
+Faith. "Don't you make fun of me. I have to wear it. I don't have
+nothing like other girls," she exclaimed, and dropping the crutch, she
+turned her face against the arm of the chair and began to sob
+bitterly.
+
+For a moment Faith looked at her in amazement, and then she knelt down
+beside the big chair and began patting the shoulder under the ragged
+shawl.
+
+"Don't cry, Louise. Don't cry. Listen, I'll ask my aunt to make you a
+cap just like mine. I know she will."
+
+"No. She wouldn't want me to have a cap like yours," declared Louise.
+
+"Isn't your father good to you?" questioned Faith. And this question
+made Louise sit up straight and wipe her eyes on the corner of the old
+shawl.
+
+"Good to me! Of course he is. Didn't he make me these fine shoes?" she
+answered, pointing to her feet. "But how could he make me a pretty
+cap or a dress? And he doesn't want to ask anybody. But you needn't
+think he ain't good to me!" she concluded, reaching after the crutch.
+
+"Don't go yet, Louise. See, that's my doll over on the sofa. Her name
+is 'Lady Amy,'" and Faith ran to the sofa and brought back her beloved
+doll and set it down in Louise's lap.
+
+"I never touched a doll before," said Louise, almost in a whisper.
+"You're real good to let me hold her. Are you going to live here?"
+
+"I'm going to school," replied Faith. "I've never been to school."
+
+"Neither have I," said Louise. "I s'pose you know your letters, don't
+you?"
+
+"Oh, yes. Of course I do. I can read and write, and do fractions,"
+answered Faith.
+
+"I can't read," declared Louise.
+
+Just then Mrs. Scott entered the room. If she was surprised to see the
+shoemaker's daughter seated in her easy chair, wearing Faith's new cap
+and holding "Lady Amy," she did not let the little girls know it, but
+greeted Louise cordially, took Faith's new shoes from their wrapping
+and said they were indeed a fine pair of shoes. Then she turned to
+Louise, with the pleasant little smile that Faith so admired, and
+said: "You are the first little girl who has come to see my little
+niece, so I think it would be pleasant if you two girls had a taste of
+my fruit cake that I make just for company," and she started toward
+the dining-room and soon returned with a tray.
+
+"Just bring the little table from the corner, Faithie, and set it in
+front of Louise and 'Lady Amy,'" she said, and Faith hastened to obey.
+
+Aunt Prissy set the tray on the table. "I'll come back in a little
+while," she said, and left the girls to themselves.
+
+The tray was very well filled. There was a plate of the rich dark
+cake, and beside it two dainty china plates and two fringed napkins.
+There was a plate of thin slices of bread and butter, a plate of
+cookies, and two glasses filled with creamy milk.
+
+"Isn't this lovely?" exclaimed Faith, drawing a chair near the table.
+"It's just like a party, isn't it? I'm just as glad as I can be that
+you brought my shoes home, Louise. We'll be real friends now, shan't
+we?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+LOUISE
+
+
+"I must go home," said Louise, with a little sigh at having to end the
+most pleasant visit she ever remembered. The two little girls had
+finished the lunch, and had played happily with "Lady Amy." Mrs. Scott
+had left them quite by themselves, and not even the small cousins had
+come near the sitting-room.
+
+As Louise spoke she took off the blue velvet cap, which she had worn
+all the afternoon, and began to untie the hair ribbon.
+
+"Oh, Louise! Don't take off that hair ribbon. I gave it to you. It's a
+present," exclaimed Faith.
+
+Louise shook her head. "Father won't let me keep it," she answered.
+"He wouldn't like it if he knew that I had eaten anything in this
+house. He is always telling me that if people offer to give me
+anything I must never, never take it."
+
+Before Faith could speak Aunt Prissy came into the room.
+
+"Tell your father I will come in and pay him for Faith's shoes
+to-morrow, Louise," she said pleasantly, "and you must come and see
+Faith again."
+
+"Yes'm. Thank you," responded Louise shyly, and nodding to Faith with
+a look of smiling understanding, the crippled child made her way
+quickly from the room.
+
+"Aunt Prissy, I like Louise Trent. I don't believe she is a
+mischievous girl. Just think, she never had a doll in her life! And
+her father won't let her take presents!" Faith had so much to say that
+she talked very rapidly.
+
+"I see," responded her aunt, taking up the rumpled hair ribbon which
+Louise had refused. "I am glad you were so kind to the poor child,"
+she added, smiling down at her little niece. "Tell me all you can
+about Louise. Perhaps there will be some way to make her life
+happier."
+
+So Faith told her aunt that Louise could not read. That she had never
+before tasted fruit cake, and that she had no playmates, and had never
+had a present. "Why do you suppose she came to see me, Aunt Prissy?"
+she concluded.
+
+"I cannot imagine. Unless it was because you are a stranger," replied
+Aunt Prissy. "I have an idea that I can arrange with Mr. Trent so that
+he will be willing for me to make Louise a dress, and get for her the
+things she ought to have. For the shoemaker is no poorer than most of
+his neighbors. How would you like to teach Louise to read?"
+
+"I'd like to! Oh, Aunt Prissy, tell me your plan!" responded Faith
+eagerly.
+
+"Wait until I am sure it is a good plan, Faithie dear," her aunt
+replied. "I'll go down and see Mr. Trent to-morrow. I blame myself
+that I have not tried to be of use to that child."
+
+"May I go with you?" urged Faith.
+
+"Why, yes. You can visit Louise while I talk with her father, since he
+asked you to come."
+
+"Has the Witch gone?" called Donald, running into the room. "Didn't
+you know that all the children call the Trent girl a witch?" he asked
+his mother.
+
+"No, Donald. But if they do they ought to be ashamed. She is a little
+girl without any mother to care for her. And now she is your cousin's
+friend, and we hope to see her here often. And you must always be
+polite and kind to her," replied Mrs. Scott.
+
+Donald looked a little doubtful and puzzled.
+
+"You ought to be more kind to her than to any other child, because she
+is lame," said Faith.
+
+"All right. But what is a 'witch,' anyway?" responded Donald.
+
+"It is a wicked word," answered his mother briefly. "See that you do
+not use it again."
+
+Faith's thoughts were now so filled with Louise that she nearly lost
+her interest in the new dresses and shoes, and was eager for the next
+day to come so that she could again see her new friend.
+
+Faith had been taught to sew neatly, and she wondered if she could not
+help make Louise a dress. "And perhaps Aunt Prissy will teach her how
+to make cake," she thought; for never to taste of cake seemed to Faith
+to be a real misfortune. For the first night since her arrival at her
+aunt's home Faith went to sleep without a homesick longing for the
+cabin in the Wilderness, and awoke the next morning thinking about all
+that could be done for the friendless little girl who could not accept
+a present.
+
+"We will go to Mr. Trent's as soon as our morning work is finished,"
+said Aunt Prissy, "and you shall wear your new shoes and cap. And I
+have a blue cape which I made for you before you came. The morning is
+chilly. You had best wear that."
+
+"I don't look like Faith Carew, I am so fine," laughed the little
+girl, looking down at her shoes, and touching the soft cloth of the
+pretty blue cape.
+
+As they walked along Faith told Aunt Prissy of her plans to teach
+Louise to sew, as well as to read. "And perhaps you'll show her how to
+make cake! Will you, Aunt Prissy?"
+
+"Of course I will, if I can get the chance," replied her aunt.
+
+The shoemaker greeted them pleasantly. Before Mrs. Scott could say
+anything of her errand he began to apologize for his daughter's visit.
+
+"She slipped off without my knowing it. It shan't happen again," he
+said.
+
+"But Faith will be very sorry if it doesn't happen again," replied
+Aunt Prissy. "Can she not run in and see Louise while I settle with
+you for the shoes?"
+
+The shoemaker looked at her sharply for a moment, and then motioned
+Faith to follow him, leading the way across the shop toward a door on
+the further side of the room. The shop occupied the front room of the
+shoemaker's house. The two back rooms, with the chambers above, was
+where Louise and her father made their home.
+
+Mr. Trent opened the door and said: "You'll find her in there," and
+Faith stepped into the queerest room that she had ever seen, and the
+door closed behind her. Louise was standing, half-hidden by a clumsy
+wooden chair. The shawl was still pinned about her shoulders.
+
+"This ain't much like your aunt's house, is it? I guess you won't ever
+want to come again. And my father says I can't ever go to see you
+again. He says I don't look fit," said Louise.
+
+But Faith's eyes had brightened, and she was looking at the further
+side of the room and smiling with delight. "Oh, Louise! Why didn't you
+tell me that you had a gray kitten? And it looks just like 'Bounce,'"
+and in a moment she had picked up the pretty kitten, and was sitting
+beside Louise on a roughly made wooden seat, telling her of her own
+kitten, while Louise eagerly described the cleverness of her own pet.
+
+"What's its name?" asked Faith.
+
+"Just 'kitten,'" answered Louise, as if surprised at the question.
+
+"But it must have a real name," insisted Faith, and it was finally
+decided that it should be named "Jump," the nearest approach to the
+name of Faith's kitten that they could imagine.
+
+The floor of the room was rough and uneven, and not very clean. There
+was a table, the big chair and the wooden seat. Although the morning
+was chilly there was no fire in the fireplace, although there was a
+pile of wood in one corner. There was but one window, which looked
+toward the lake.
+
+"Come out in the kitchen, where it's warm," suggested Louise, after a
+few moments, and Faith was glad to follow her.
+
+"Don't you want to try on my new cape?" asked Faith, as they reached
+the kitchen, a much pleasanter room than the one they had left.
+
+Louise shook her head. "I daresn't," she replied. "Father may come in.
+And he'd take my head off."
+
+"You are coming to see me, Louise. Aunt Prissy is talking to your
+father about it now," said Faith; but Louise was not to be convinced.
+
+"He won't let me. You'll see," she answered mournfully. "_I_ know.
+He'll think your aunt is 'Charity.' Why, he won't make shoes any more
+for the minister because his wife brought me a dress; and I didn't
+wear the dress, either."
+
+But there was a surprise in store for Louise, for when Mrs. Scott and
+Mr. Trent entered the kitchen the shoemaker was smiling; and it seemed
+to Faith that he stood more erect, and did not look so much like the
+picture of the orang-outang.
+
+"Louise, Mrs. Scott and I have been making a bargain," he said. "I am
+going to make shoes for her boys, and she is going to make dresses for
+my girl. Exchange work; I believe that's right, isn't it, ma'am?" and
+he turned to Mrs. Scott with a little bow.
+
+"Yes, it is quite right. And I'll send you the bill for materials,"
+said Aunt Prissy.
+
+"Of course. Well, Louise, I warrant you're old enough to have proper
+dresses. And Mrs. Scott will take you home to stay with her until you
+are all fixed up as fine as this little maid," and the shoemaker
+nodded to Faith.
+
+"Do you mean I'm to stay up there?" asked Louise, pointing in the
+direction of the Scotts' house. "I can't. Who'd take care of you,
+father?"
+
+Mr. Trent seemed to stand very straight indeed as Louise spoke, and
+Faith was ashamed that she had ever thought he resembled the ugly
+picture in her mother's book.
+
+"She's a good child," he said as if whispering to himself; but he
+easily convinced Louise that, for a few days, he could manage to take
+care of himself; and at last Louise, happy and excited over this
+change in her fortunes, hobbled off beside Mrs. Scott and Faith, while
+her father stood in the shop doorway looking after them.
+
+It was a very differently dressed little daughter who returned to him
+at the end of the following week. She wore a neat brown wool dress,
+with a collar and cuffs of scarlet cloth, a cape of brown, and a cap
+of brown with a scarlet wing on one side. These, with her well-made,
+well-fitting shoes, made Louise a very trim little figure in spite of
+her lameness. Her hair, well brushed and neatly braided, was tied
+back with a scarlet ribbon. A bundle containing underwear, aprons,
+handkerchiefs, and hair ribbons of various colors, as well as a stout
+cotton dress for Louise to wear indoors, arrived at the shoemaker's
+house with the little girl.
+
+Her father looked at her in amazement. "Why, Flibbertigibbet, you are
+a pretty girl," he declared, and was even more amazed at the gay laugh
+with which Louise answered him.
+
+"I've learned a lot of things, father! I can make a cake, truly I can.
+And I'm learning to read. I'm so glad Faith Carew is going to live in
+Ticonderoga. Aren't you, father?"
+
+Mr. Trent looked at his daughter again, and answered slowly: "Why,
+yes, Flibbertigibbet, I believe I am."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE MAJOR'S DAUGHTERS
+
+
+The day that school began Faith returned home to find that a letter
+from her mother and father had arrived. It was a long letter, telling
+the little girl of all the happenings since her departure at the
+pleasant cabin in the Wilderness. Her father had shot a deer, which
+meant a good supply of fresh meat. Kashaqua had brought the good news
+of Faith's arrival at her aunt's house; and, best of all, her father
+wrote that before the heavy snows and severe winter cold began he
+should make the trip to Ticonderoga to be sure that his little
+daughter was well and happy.
+
+But there was one sentence in her mother's letter that puzzled Faith.
+"Your father will bring your blue beads," her mother had written, and
+Faith could not understand it, for she was sure Esther had the beads.
+She had looked in the box in the sitting-room closet after Esther's
+departure, hoping that Esther might have put them back before
+starting for home, but the box had been empty.
+
+"Who brought my letter, Uncle Phil?" she questioned, but her uncle did
+not seem to hear.
+
+"Father got it from a man in a canoe when we were down at the shore.
+The man hid----"
+
+"Never mind, Hugh. You must not repeat what you see, even at home,"
+said Mr. Scott.
+
+So Faith asked no more questions. She knew that the Green Mountain
+Boys sent messengers through the Wilderness; and that Americans all
+through the Colonies were kept notified of what the English soldiers
+stationed in those northern posts were doing or planning. She was sure
+that some such messenger had brought her letter; and, while she
+wondered if it might have been her friend Ethan Allen, she had learned
+since her stay in her uncle's house that he did not like to be
+questioned in regard to his visitors from across the lake.
+
+"I'll begin a letter to mother dear this very night, so it will be all
+ready when father comes," she said, thinking of all she longed to tell
+her mother about Louise, the school and her pretty new dresses.
+
+"So you did not bring your beads," said Aunt Prissy, as she read Mrs.
+Carew's letter. "Did you forget them?"
+
+Faith could feel her face flush as she replied: "No, Aunt Prissy." She
+wished that she could tell her aunt just why she had felt obliged to
+give them to Esther Eldridge, and how puzzled she was at her mother's
+reference to the beads. Faith was already discovering that a secret
+may be a very unpleasant possession.
+
+As she thought of Esther, she recalled that her aunt had spoken of
+Louise as "mischievous," and Faith was quite sure that Louise would
+never have accepted the beads or have done any of the troublesome
+things that had made the first days of Esther's visit so difficult.
+
+"Louise isn't mischievous," she declared suddenly. "What made you
+think she was, Aunt Prissy?"
+
+Aunt Prissy was evidently surprised at this sudden change of subject,
+but she replied pleasantly:
+
+"I ought not to have said such a thing; but Louise has improved every
+day since you became her friend. How does she get on in her learning
+to read?"
+
+For Faith stopped at the shoemaker's house every day on her way home
+from school to teach Louise; and "Flibbertigibbet," as her father
+generally called her, was making good progress.
+
+"She learns so quickly," replied Faith, "and she is learning to write.
+I do wish she would go to school, Aunt Prissy," for Louise had become
+almost sullen at the suggestion.
+
+Faith did not know that Louise had appeared at the schoolhouse several
+years before, and had been so laughed at by some of the rough children
+of the village that she had turned on them violently and they had not
+dared come near her since. They had vented their spite, however, in
+calling, "Witch! Witch! Fly home on your broomstick," as Louise
+hobbled off toward home, vowing that never again would she go near a
+school, and sobbing herself to sleep that night.
+
+Aunt Prissy had heard something of the unfortunate affair, and was
+glad that Louise, when next she appeared at school, would have some
+little knowledge to start with and a friend to help her.
+
+"Perhaps she will go next term, now that she has a girl friend to go
+with her," responded Mrs. Scott.
+
+Faith was making friends with two girls whose seats in the schoolroom
+were next her own. Their names were Caroline and Catherine Young.
+Faith was quite sure that they were two of the prettiest girls in the
+world, and wondered how it was possible for any one to make such
+beautiful dresses and such dainty white ruffled aprons as these two
+little girls wore to school. The sisters were very nearly of an age,
+and with their soft black curls and bright brown eyes, their flounced
+and embroidered dresses with dainty collars of lace, they looked very
+different from the more suitably dressed village children.
+
+Caroline was eleven, and Catherine nine years old. But they were far
+in advance of the other children of the school.
+
+They lost no time in telling Faith that their father was an English
+officer, stationed at Fort Ticonderoga; and this made Faith look at
+them with even more interest. Both the sisters were rather scornful in
+their manner toward the other school children. As Faith was a
+newcomer, and a stranger, they were more cordial to her.
+
+"You must come to the fort with us some day," Caroline suggested, when
+the little girls had known each other for several weeks; and Faith
+accepted the invitation with such eagerness that the sisters looked at
+her approvingly. Their invitations to some of the other children had
+been rudely refused, and the whispered "Tories" had not failed to
+reach their ears.
+
+"We like you," Caroline had continued in rather a condescending
+manner, "and we have told our mother about you. Could you go to the
+fort with us to-morrow? It's Saturday."
+
+"Oh, yes; I'm sure I may. I have wanted to go to the fort ever since I
+came. You are real good to ask me," Faith had responded gratefully, to
+the evident satisfaction of the English girls who felt that this new
+little girl knew the proper way to receive an invitation.
+
+It was settled that they would call for Faith early on Saturday
+afternoon.
+
+"I may go, mayn't I, Aunt Prissy?" Faith asked, as she told her aunt
+of the invitation, and was rather puzzled to find that Aunt Prissy
+seemed a little doubtful as to the wisdom of permitting Faith visiting
+the fort with her new friends.
+
+"It is a mile distant, and while that is not too long a walk, I do not
+like you to go so far from home with strangers," she said; but on
+Faith's declaring that the sisters were the best behaved girls in
+school, and that she had promised to go, Mrs. Scott gave her consent;
+and Faith was ready and waiting when Caroline and Catherine arrived,
+soon after dinner on Saturday.
+
+"Is your father an officer?" asked Caroline, as the little girls
+started off.
+
+Faith walked between her new friends, and looked from one to the other
+with admiring eyes.
+
+"No, my father is a miller. And he owns a fine lot of land, too," she
+answered smilingly.
+
+"Our father is a major. He will go back to Albany in the spring, and
+that is a much better place to live than this old frontier town," said
+Catherine. "We shan't have to play with common children there."
+
+Faith did not quite know what Catherine meant, so she made no
+response, but began telling them of her own journey through the
+wilderness and across the lake. But her companions did not seem much
+interested.
+
+"Your uncle is just a farmer, isn't he?" said Caroline.
+
+"Yes, he is a farmer," Faith replied. She knew it was a fine thing to
+be a good farmer, so she answered smilingly. But before the fort was
+reached she began to feel that she did not like the sisters as well as
+when they set out together. They kept asking her questions. Did her
+mother have a silver service? and why did her aunt not have servants?
+As they neared the fort Catherine ran to her sister's side and
+whispered in her ear. After that they kept close together, walking a
+little way ahead of Faith. At the entrance to the fort Faith was
+somewhat alarmed to find a tall soldier, musket in hand. But he
+saluted the little girls, and Faith followed her companions along the
+narrow passageway. She wondered to herself what she had done to offend
+them, for they responded very stiffly to whatever she had to say. The
+narrow passage led into a large open square, surrounded by high walls.
+Faith looked about with wondering eyes. There were big cannons, stacks
+of musketry, and many strange things whose name or use she could not
+imagine. There were little groups of soldiers in red coats strolling
+about.
+
+"Where is your father, Catherine?" she asked, and then looked about
+half fearfully; for both her companions had vanished.
+
+None of the soldiers seemed to notice Faith For a moment she looked
+about with anxious eyes, and then decided that her friends must have
+turned back to the entrance for some reason.
+
+"And they probably think that I am right behind them," she thought,
+running toward an arched passageway which she believed was the one by
+which she had entered the fort. But it seemed much longer than when
+she came in a moment before. She began running, expecting to see the
+sisters at every step. Suddenly she found that she was facing a heavy
+door at the end of the passage, and realized that she had mistaken her
+way. But Faith was not frightened. "All I have to do is to run back,"
+she thought, and turned to retrace her steps. But there were two
+passageways opening behind her at right angles. For an instant she
+hesitated, and then ran along the one to the right.
+
+"I'm sure this is the way I came," she said aloud. But as she went on
+the passageway seemed to curve and twist, and to go on and on in an
+unfamiliar way. It grew more shadowy too. Faith found that she could
+not see very far ahead of her, and looking back it seemed even darker.
+She began to feel very tired.
+
+"I'm sure Caroline and Catherine will come and find me," she thought,
+leaning against the damp wall of the passage. "I'll just rest a
+minute, and then I'll call so they will know which way to turn to find
+me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+A DAY OF ADVENTURE
+
+
+"Caroline! Caroline!" called Faith, and the call echoed back to her
+astonished ears from the shadowy passage. "I'd better go back! I'm
+sure the other was the right way," she finally decided; and very
+slowly she retraced her steps, stopping now and then to call the names
+of the girls who had deserted her.
+
+It seemed a long time to Faith before she was back to where the big
+solid door had blocked the first passage. She was sure now that the
+other way would lead her back to the square where she had last seen
+her companions. But as she stood looking at the door she could see
+that it was not closed. It swung a little, and Faith wondered to
+herself if this door, after all, might not open near the entrance so
+that she could find her way to the road, and so back to Aunt Prissy.
+
+She could just reach a big iron ring that swung from the center of the
+door; and she seized this and pulled with all her might. As the door
+slowly opened, letting in the clear October sunlight, Faith heard
+steps coming down the passage. The half-opened door nearly hid her
+from sight, and she looked back expecting to see either Caroline or
+Catherine, and, in the comfort of the hope of seeing them, quite ready
+to accept any excuse they might offer. But before she could call out
+she heard a voice, which was vaguely familiar, say: "I did leave that
+door open. Lucky I came back," and Nathan Beaman, the Shoreham boy,
+was close beside her.
+
+When he saw a little girl still grasping the iron ring, he seemed too
+surprised to speak.
+
+"I'm lost!" Faith whispered. "I'm so glad you came. Major Young's
+little girls asked me to come to the fort, and then ran away and left
+me," and Faith told of her endeavors to find her companions.
+
+"Lucky I came back," said Nathan again, but this time his voice had an
+angry tone. "It was a mean trick. Those girls----" Then Nathan stopped
+suddenly. "Well, they're Tories," he concluded.
+
+"I was afraid it was night," said Faith.
+
+"No, but you might have wandered about in these passageways until you
+were tired out. Or you might have fallen from that door. Look out, but
+hold close to the door," said Nathan.
+
+Faith came to the doorway and found herself looking straight down the
+face of a high cliff to the blue waters of the lake. Lifting her eyes
+she could look across and see the distant wooded hills of the Green
+Mountains, and could hear the "Chiming Waters" of the falls.
+
+"It's lovely. But what do they have a door here for?" Faith asked.
+
+And then Nathan explained what forts were for. That a door like that
+gave the soldiers who held the fort a chance to look up and down the
+lake in order to see the approach of an enemy by water. "And gives
+them a chance to scramble down the cliff and get away if the enemy
+captures the fort from the other side." Then he showed Faith the two
+big cannon that commanded the lake and any approach by the cliff.
+
+"But come on. I must take you home," he declared, moving as if to
+close the door.
+
+"Could we get out any other way than by going back through that
+passage?" asked Faith, who thought that she never wanted to see the
+two sisters again, and now feared they might be waiting for her.
+
+"Certainly we could. That is, if you are a good climber," replied
+Nathan. "I'll tell you something, that is, if you'll never tell," he
+added.
+
+"I won't," Faith declared earnestly.
+
+"Well, I can go down that cliff and up, too, just as easily as I can
+walk along that passage. And the soldiers don't pay much attention to
+this part of the fort. There's a sentry at the other end of the
+passage, but he doesn't mind how I get in and out. If you'll do just
+as I say I'll take you down the cliff. My boat is hidden down by
+Willow Point, and I'll paddle you alongshore. 'Twill be easier than
+walking. That is, if you're not afraid," concluded Nathan.
+
+"No, I'm not afraid," said Faith, thinking to herself that here was
+another secret, and almost wishing that she had not agreed to listen
+to it.
+
+"Come on, then," said Nathan, stepping outside the door, and holding
+tightly to the door-frame with one hand and reaching the other toward
+Faith. "Hold tight to my hand and don't look down," he said. "Look to
+the right as you step out, and you'll see a chance for your feet.
+I've got a tight hold. You can't fall."
+
+Faith clutched his hand and stepped out. There was room toward the
+right for her to stand. She heard the big door clang behind her. "I
+had to shut it," Nathan said, as he cautiously made his way a step
+down the face of the cliff. Faith followed cautiously. She noticed
+just how Nathan clung to the outstanding rocks, how slowly and
+carefully he made each movement. She knew if she slipped that she
+would push him as well as herself off into the lake.
+
+"I mustn't slip! I mustn't," she said over and over to herself.
+
+Nathan did not speak, except to tell her where to step. At last they
+were safely down, standing on a narrow rocky ledge which hardly gave
+them a foothold. Along this they crept to a thick growth of alder
+bushes where a clumsy wooden punt was fastened.
+
+Faith followed Nathan into the punt, and as he pushed the boat off
+from the bushes she gave a long sigh of relief.
+
+"That was great!" declared Nathan triumphantly. "Say, you're the
+bravest girl I know. I've always wondered if I could bring anybody
+down that cliff, and now I know I can. But you mustn't tell any one
+how we got out of the fort. You won't, will you?" And Faith renewed
+her promise not to tell.
+
+Nathan paddled the boat out around the promontory on which the fort
+was built. He kept close to the shore.
+
+"Does Major Young stay at the fort?" questioned Faith.
+
+"Not very long at a time. He comes and goes, like all spies," replied
+Nathan scornfully. "I wish the Green Mountain Boys would take this
+fort and send the English back where they belong. They keep stirring
+the Indians up against the settlers, so that people don't know when
+they are safe."
+
+It was the last day of October, and the morning had been bright and
+sunny. The sun still shone, but an east wind was ruffling the waters
+of the lake, and Faith began to feel chilly.
+
+"I'll warrant you don't know when this lake was discovered?" said
+Nathan; and Faith was delighted to tell him that Samuel De Champlain
+discovered and gave the lake his name in 1609.
+
+"The Indians used to call it 'Pe-ton-boque,'" she added.
+
+But when Nathan asked when the fort was built she could not answer,
+and the boy told her of the brave Frenchmen who built Ticonderoga in
+1756, bringing troops and supplies from Canada.
+
+"The old fort has all sorts of provisions, and guns and powder that
+the English have stored there. I wish the American troops had them. If
+I were Ethan Allen or Seth Warner I'd make a try, anyway, for this
+fort and for Crown Point, too," said Nathan.
+
+The rising wind made it rather difficult for the boy to manage his
+boat, and he finally landed some distance above the point where
+Kashaqua had reached shore. Faith was sure that she could go over the
+fields and find her way safely home, and Nathan was anxious to cross
+the lake to Shoreham before the wind became any stronger. Faith felt
+very grateful to him for bringing her from the fort.
+
+"You'll be as brave as Colonel Allen when you grow up," she said, as
+she stood on the shore and watched him paddle off against the wind.
+
+He nodded laughingly. "So will you. Remember your promise," he called
+back.
+
+The wind seemed to blow the little girl before it as she hurried
+across the rough field. She held tight to her velvet cap, and, for the
+first time, wondered if she had torn or soiled the pretty new dress in
+her scramble down the cliff. Her mind was so full of the happenings of
+the afternoon that she did not look ahead to see where she was going,
+and suddenly her foot slipped and she fell headlong into a mass of
+thorn bushes, which seemed to seize her dress in a dozen places. By
+the time Faith had fought her way clear her hands were scratched and
+bleeding and her dress torn in ragged ugly tears that Faith was sure
+could never be mended.
+
+She began to cry bitterly. "It's all the fault of those hateful
+girls," she sobbed aloud. "If they had not run off and left me I
+should be safe at home. What will Aunt Prissy say?"
+
+Faith reached the road without further mishap, and was soon walking up
+the path. There was no one in sight; not even Scotchie was about. A
+sudden resolve entered her mind. She would slip up-stairs, change her
+dress, and not tell her aunt about the torn dress. "Perhaps I can mend
+it, after all," she thought.
+
+As she changed her dress hurriedly, she wondered where all the family
+could be, for the house was very quiet. But she bathed her hands and
+face, smoothed her ruffled hair, and then looked for a place to hide
+the blue dress until she could find a chance to mend it. She peered
+into the closet. A small hair-covered trunk stood in the far corner
+and Faith lifted the top and thrust her dress in. At that moment she
+heard Donald's voice, and then her aunt's, and she started to go
+down-stairs to meet them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+SECRETS
+
+
+"Did you see all the fort, and the guns, and the soldiers?" asked
+Donald eagerly, running to meet his cousin as she came slowly into the
+sitting-room. "Why, your hand is all scratched!" he added in a
+surprised tone.
+
+Faith tried to cover the scratched hand with a fold of her skirt. Aunt
+Prissy noticed that the little girl wore her every-day dress.
+
+"Didn't you wear your blue dress, Faithie?" and without waiting for an
+answer said: "Well, perhaps this one was just as well, for you might
+have hurt your blue dress."
+
+Faith sat down on the big sofa thinking to herself that she could
+never be happy again. First, and worst of all, was the ruined dress.
+Then the remembrance of the way she had been treated by Caroline and
+Catherine; and, last of all, her _secrets_!--every one a little more
+important and dreadful than the other. First the blue beads; then
+Nathan's knowledge of a hidden entrance to Fort Ticonderoga; and then
+the dress. She was so taken up with her unhappy thoughts that she did
+not realize she had not answered Donald, or spoken to her aunt, until
+Donald, who was standing directly in front of her, demanded: "What's
+the matter, Cousin Faith? Does your tooth ache?"
+
+Faith shook her head. "I'm tired. I didn't have a good time at all. I
+don't like those girls," and, greatly to Donald's alarm, she put her
+head on the arm of the sofa and began to cry.
+
+In an instant she felt Aunt Prissy's arm about her, and heard the kind
+voice say: "Never mind, dear child. Don't think about them."
+
+After a little Aunt Prissy persuaded Faith to lie down and rest until
+supper time.
+
+"I'll sit here with my sewing and keep you company," said Aunt Prissy.
+"It's an hour to candle-light."
+
+Donald tiptoed out of the room, but was back in a moment standing in
+the doorway and beckoning his mother; and Mrs. Scott went quietly
+toward him, closing the door softly behind her.
+
+"It's those girls. The ones Faith went with to the fort," Donald
+explained in a whisper. "They're on the door-step."
+
+Caroline and Catherine were standing, very neat and demure, at the
+front door.
+
+"Has your little girl got home?" inquired Catherine in her most polite
+manner; "she ran off and left us," added Caroline.
+
+"Faith is safe at home," responded Mrs. Scott in a pleasant voice.
+
+"Why didn't you ask them to supper, mother? You said you were going
+to," demanded Donald, as he watched the sisters walk down the path.
+
+"Your cousin is too tired for company," said his mother, who had
+planned a little festivity for Faith and her friends on their return,
+but had quickly decided that her little niece would be better pleased
+not to see the sisters again that day.
+
+"All the more cake for us then," said Donald cheerfully, for he
+had seen a fine cake on the dining-room table; "there comes the
+shoemaker's girl," he added. "Shall you ask her to stay, mother?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," and Mrs. Scott turned to give Louise a cordial welcome.
+
+"Faith is resting on the sofa, but you may go right in, Louise. I know
+she will be glad to see you," she said, smiling down at the dark-eyed
+little girl. "When are you coming to make us another visit?"
+
+"Father said I might stay all night if you asked me," responded
+Louise, who now felt sure that Mrs. Scott was her friend.
+
+"We shall be glad indeed to have you, my dear. Let me take your cap
+and cape. And go in and cheer up Faithie, for I fear she has had an
+unhappy time," said Mrs. Scott.
+
+Louise's smile faded. She had never had a friend until Faith Carew
+came to Ticonderoga, and the thought that any one had made Faith
+unhappy made her ready to inflict instant punishment on the offenders.
+
+"Oh, Louise! I'm so glad it's you!" exclaimed Faith, as she heard the
+sound of Louise's crutch stubbing across the floor.
+
+Louise sat down beside the crumpled little figure on the sofa.
+
+"What did they do, Faith?" she demanded.
+
+Faith told the story of the walk to the fort; of the disagreeable
+manner of both Caroline and Catherine toward her, and of their
+disappearance as soon as they were inside the fort. But she did not
+tell of her efforts to find them, nor of Nathan Beaman's appearance.
+
+"They are hateful things!" Louise declared, "but it won't be long
+before they'll go to Albany with their father. Oh!" she ended a little
+fearfully. "I ought not to have told that. It's a secret," she added
+quickly.
+
+"No, it isn't. They told me," answered Faith, "and if it were a secret
+I shouldn't want to know it. I hate and despise secrets."
+
+Louise looked at her friend with a little nod of comprehension.
+"That's because you have a secret," she said.
+
+"How did you know, Louise?" and Faith wondered if it were possible
+Louise could know about the blue dress.
+
+"I know," said Louise. "It's dreadful to know secrets. I can stay all
+night. My father has gone to the fort. Oh!" and again she put her hand
+over her mouth. "I ought not to have told that. He doesn't want any
+one to know."
+
+Faith leaned back against the sofa with a little sigh of
+discouragement. It seemed to her there was nothing but secrets. She
+wished she was with her mother and father in her pleasant cabin home,
+where everybody knew about everything.
+
+"Where's 'Lady Amy'?" asked Louise, quite sure that such a beautiful
+doll would comfort any trouble. And her question made Faith remember
+that Louise was a guest.
+
+"I'll get her," she said, and in a few moments "Lady Amy" was sitting
+on the sofa between the two little friends, and Faith was displaying
+the new dresses that Aunt Prissy had helped her make for the doll.
+
+"Father says he will buy me a doll," Louise announced, "and he's going
+to get me a fine string of beads, too, when he goes away again;" for
+the shoemaker went away frequently on mysterious business. Many of the
+settlers were quite sure that he carried messages for the British
+officers to other forts; but he came and went so stealthily that as
+yet no proof was held against him.
+
+"I have some blue beads. My father is going to bring them when he
+comes to see me," said Faith. "I hope yours will be just like them."
+
+Louise shook her head a little doubtfully. "I may never get them,
+after all. Father forgets things," she said.
+
+Before supper time Faith was in a much happier state of mind. She had
+helped Louise with her reading lesson; they had played that the sofa
+was a throne and Lady Amy a queen, and that they were Lady Amy's
+daughters; and the unpleasantness of the early afternoon had quite
+vanished when the candles were lighted, and supper on the table.
+
+The supper seemed a feast to the shoemaker's daughter. Every time she
+came to visit Faith Louise tasted some new dish, so daintily prepared
+that she was at once eager to learn to make it. Faith was hungry, too,
+and, as no reference was made to her trip to the fort, she enjoyed her
+supper; and not until it was finished was she reminded of her
+troubles.
+
+"To-morrow Louise may go to church with us, and you may wear your blue
+dress that you are so careful of," Aunt Prissy said.
+
+Faith made no response. She did not know what to do or say. She was so
+quiet that her aunt was sure her little niece was overtired, and soon
+after supper sent the little girls off to bed.
+
+"What is the matter, Faith?" questioned Louise, when they were safely
+in the big chamber, with its high white bed, curtained windows, and
+comfortable chairs, and which to Louise seemed the finest bedroom in
+all the world.
+
+Faith threw herself face down on the bed. "I don't know what to do! I
+don't know what to do! I've spoiled my blue dress!" she sobbed. There!
+That was one secret the less, she thought. And Louise would never
+tell. "I can't go to church. I don't dare tell Aunt Prissy about the
+dress. It was to be my best dress all winter," she added. "What shall
+I do, Louise?"
+
+Louise shook her head. That Faith Carew, who seemed to her to be the
+most fortunate girl in all the world, should be in trouble was a far
+more dreadful thing to Louise than any trouble of her own.
+
+"Let me see the dress," she said; "perhaps it isn't very bad."
+
+Faith opened the trunk and pulled out the blue dress, which only that
+morning had been so fresh and dainty. Now it was rumpled, soiled and
+torn. Faith's tears flowed afresh as she held it out for Louise to
+see.
+
+"I guess you'd better tell your aunt," Louise said soberly. "Tell her
+now, this minute," she added quickly; "the sooner the better."
+
+Faith looked at her in surprise. She wondered at herself that she had
+hidden the dress, or even thought of not telling Aunt Prissy.
+
+"I'll go now," she said, and, still holding the dress, walked out of
+the room. She no longer felt afraid. As she went down the stairs she
+thought over all Aunt Prissy's goodness toward her. "I'll tell her
+that I can wear my other dress for best," she decided.
+
+The boys were already in bed; Mr. Scott was attending to the evening
+chores, and Aunt Prissy was alone in the sitting-room when Faith
+appeared in the doorway.
+
+"Aunt Prissy, look! I tore my dress coming home to-day, and I was
+afraid to tell you! Oh, Aunt Prissy!" for her aunt had taken Faith and
+the blue dress into her arms, and held the little girl closely as she
+said:
+
+"Why, dear child! How could you ever be afraid of me? About a dress,
+indeed! A torn dress is nothing. Nothing at all."
+
+"Louise, you are my very best friend," Faith declared happily, as she
+came running into the room a few minutes later. "I am so glad you
+made me tell."
+
+Louise looked at Faith with shining eyes. She wished there was some
+wonderful thing that she could do for Faith as a return for all the
+happiness her friendship had brought into her life.
+
+The clouds had lifted. Faith had disposed of one secret, and felt the
+others would not matter very much. The two little friends snuggled
+down in the big feather bed and were soon fast asleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+LOUISE MAKES A PRESENT
+
+
+The week following Faith's visit to the fort proved rather a difficult
+one for her at school. Caroline and Catherine seemed to think they had
+played a fine joke, and accused her of running home when they were
+waiting for her. Faith had resolved not to quarrel with them, but
+apparently the sisters meant to force her into trouble, if sneering
+words and ridicule could do it.
+
+"You're an American, so you don't dare talk back," sneered Catherine
+one day when Faith made no reply to the assertion that Faith had meant
+to run home from the fort alone.
+
+"Americans are not afraid," replied Faith quickly.
+
+Catherine jumped up and down with delight at having made Faith angry.
+
+"Oh, yes they are. My father says so. Another summer the English
+soldiers are going to take all the farms, and all you rebels will be
+our servants," declared Catherine.
+
+"Another summer the Green Mountain Boys will send the English soldiers
+where they will behave themselves," declared Faith. "Ethan Allen is
+braver than all the men in that fort."
+
+"I don't care what you say. We're not going to play with you any more,
+are we, Caroline?" said Catherine. "You play with that horrid little
+lame girl."
+
+"She isn't horrid. She is much better than you are. She wouldn't say
+or do the things you do!" responded Faith, now too angry to care what
+she said, "and she is my very best friend. I wouldn't play with you
+anyway. You're only Tory children," and Faith walked off with her head
+lifted very proudly, feeling she had won the battle; as indeed she
+had, for the sisters looked after her in silent horror.
+
+To be called "only" Tory children was a new point of view, and for
+several days they let Faith wholly alone. Then one morning they
+appeared at school with the news that it would be their last
+appearance there.
+
+"We're going to Albany, and never coming back to this rough common
+place," Catherine said.
+
+"I am glad of it," Faith replied sharply; "perhaps you will learn to
+be polite in Albany."
+
+Some of the other children overheard these remarks, and a little
+titter of amusement and satisfaction followed Faith's words. For the
+sisters had made no effort to be friendly with their schoolmates, and
+not one was sorry to see the last of them.
+
+Faith awoke each morning hoping that her father would come that day,
+but it was toward the last of November before he appeared. There had
+been several light falls of snow; the ground was frozen and ice formed
+along the shores of the lake. The days were growing shorter, and Mrs.
+Scott had decided that it was best for Faith to come straight home
+from school at night, instead of stopping in to help Louise with her
+lessons. But both the little girls were pleased with the new plan that
+Mrs. Scott suggested, for Louise to come home with Faith on Tuesdays
+and Fridays and stay all night. Louise was learning a good deal more
+than to read and write. Mrs. Scott was teaching her to sew neatly, and
+Faith had taught her to knit. She was always warmly welcomed by
+Donald and the two younger boys, and these visits were the bright days
+of the week for Louise.
+
+At last, when Faith had begun to think her father might not come after
+all, she returned from school one night to find him waiting for her.
+It was difficult to tell which of the two, father or daughter, was the
+happier in the joy of seeing each other. Mr. Carew had arrived in the
+early afternoon, and Aunt Prissy was now busy preparing the evening
+meal and Faith and her father had the sitting-room to themselves.
+There was so much to say that Faith hardly knew where to begin, after
+she had listened to all her father had to tell her of her mother.
+
+"I would have come before, but I have been waiting for Kashaqua to
+come and stay with your mother," said Mr. Carew. "She appeared last
+night, and will stay until I return. And your mother could have no
+better protector. Kashaqua is proud enough since we proved our
+confidence in her by sending you here in her charge."
+
+Faith told him about Louise, and was surprised to see her father's
+face grave and troubled. For Mr. Carew had heard of the shoemaker, and
+was sure that he was an English spy, and feared that his daughter's
+friendship with Faith might get the Scotts into some trouble.
+
+"She is my dearest friend. I tell her everything," went on Faith.
+
+"I'm afraid her father is not a friend to the settlers about here,"
+replied Mr. Carew. "Be careful, dear child, that you do not mention
+any of the visitors who come to your uncle's house. Your friend would
+mean no harm, but if she told her father great harm might come of it,"
+for Mr. Scott was doing his best to help the Americans. Messengers
+from Connecticut and Massachusetts with news for the settlers came to
+his house, and Mr. Scott found ways to forward their important
+communications to the men on the other side of Lake Champlain.
+
+"Aunt Prissy likes Louise; we all do," pleaded Faith; so her father
+said no more, thinking that perhaps he had been overanxious.
+
+"Your mother sent your blue beads. I expect you would have been
+scolded a little for being a careless child if you had been at home,
+for she found them under the settle cushion the very day you left
+home," said Mr. Carew, handing Faith two small packages. "The larger
+package is one that came from Esther Eldridge a few weeks ago," he
+added, in answer to Faith's questioning look.
+
+"I wonder what it can be," said Faith; but before she opened Esther's
+package she had taken the blue beads from the pretty box and put them
+around her neck, touching them with loving fingers, and looking down
+at them with delight. Then she unfastened the wrapping of the second
+package.
+
+"Here is a letter!" she exclaimed, and began reading it. As she read
+her face brightened, and at last she laughed with delight. "Oh,
+father! Read it! Esther says to let you and mother read it. And she
+has sent me another string of beads!" And now Faith opened the other
+box, a very pretty little box of shining yellow wood with "Faith" cut
+on the top, and took out another string of blue beads, so nearly like
+her own that it was difficult to tell them apart.
+
+Mr. Carew read Esther's letter. She wrote that she had lost Faith's
+beads, and had been afraid to tell her. "Now I am sending you another
+string that my father got on purpose. I think you were fine not to say
+a word to any one about how horrid I was to ask for your beads.
+Please let your mother and father read this letter, so they will know
+how polite you were to company."
+
+"So it was Esther who lost the beads! Well, now what are you going to
+do with two strings of beads?" said her father smilingly.
+
+When Aunt Prissy came into the room Faith ran to show her Esther's
+present and the letter, and told her of what had happened when she had
+so rashly promised to give Esther anything she might ask for. "I am so
+glad to have my own beads back again. And most of all I am glad not to
+have the secret," she said, thinking to herself that life was much
+happier when father and mother and Aunt Prissy could know everything
+that she knew. Then, suddenly, Faith recalled the fort, and the
+difficult climb down the cliff. "But that's not my secret. It's
+something outside. Something that I ought not to tell," she thought,
+with a little sense of satisfaction.
+
+"But which string of beads did Esther send you? I can't tell them
+apart," she heard Aunt Prissy say laughingly.
+
+When the time came for Mr. Carew to start for home Faith was sure
+that she wanted to go home with him. And it was only when her father
+had promised to come after her early in March, "or as soon as March
+stirs the fire, and gives a good warm day," he said, that Faith could
+be reconciled and persuaded to let him go without her. She was glad
+indeed that it was a Tuesday, and that Louise would come to stay all
+night. Faith was eager to tell Louise the story of the blue beads, and
+to show her those Esther had sent, and those that Aunt Prissy had
+given her. Faith was sure that she herself could tell the beads apart,
+and equally sure that no one else could do so.
+
+Louise was waiting at the gate when Faith came from school. At the
+first sight of her Faith was hardly sure that it was Louise; for the
+little girl at the gate had on a beautiful fur coat. It was made of
+otter skins, brown and soft. On her head was a cap of the same fur;
+and, as Faith came close, she saw that Louise wore fur mittens.
+
+"Oh, Louise! Your coat is splendid," she exclaimed. "And you look so
+pretty in it; and the cap and mittens." And Faith looked at Louise,
+smiling with delighted admiration.
+
+Louise nodded happily. "My father sent to Albany for them. A man
+brought them last night," she said. "You do truly like them?" she
+questioned, a little anxiously.
+
+"Of course! Any girl would think they were beautiful. Aunt Prissy will
+be just as glad as I am," declared Faith. "What's in that big bundle?"
+she added, as Louise lifted a big bundle from beside the gate.
+
+But if Louise heard she made no reply, and when Faith offered to carry
+the package she shook her head laughingly. Faith thought it might be
+something that Louise wanted to work on that evening, and was so
+intent on telling of her father's visit, the blue beads, and the
+promised visit to her own dear home in March, that she did not really
+give much thought to the package.
+
+Aunt Prissy was at the window watching for the girls, with the three
+little boys about her. They all came to the door, and Aunt Prissy
+exclaimed, just as Faith had done, over the beauty of Louise's new
+possessions. "But what is in that big bundle, Louise?" she asked, when
+the little lame girl had taken off coat, cap and mittens, and stood
+smiling up at her good friend.
+
+"Once you said to me that a present was something that any one ought
+to be very happy to receive," she said.
+
+"Yes, I remember. And I know you are happy over your father's gift,"
+replied Mrs. Scott.
+
+Louise nodded, and began unwrapping the bundle.
+
+"This is my present to Faith," she said, struggling to untie the heavy
+string.
+
+"Let me, Louise; let me," and Donald was down on his knees and in a
+moment the bundle was opened, and Donald exclaimed:
+
+"My! It's a coat exactly like Louise's."
+
+"There's a cap too, and mittens," said Louise eagerly. "Do try it on."
+
+Donald stood holding the coat; and Faith, as excited and happy as
+Louise, slipped on the coat, put the cap on her head and held out her
+hands for the mittens.
+
+"Oh, Louise! They are lovely. I may keep them, mayn't I, Aunt Prissy?"
+she asked, turning about for her aunt to see how nicely the coat
+fitted.
+
+Neither of the little girls noticed that Mrs. Scott looked grave and a
+little troubled, for she was thinking that this was almost too fine a
+present for her little niece to accept from the shoemaker's daughter.
+But she knew that to refuse to let Faith accept it would not only make
+both the girls very unhappy, but that Mr. Trent would forbid Louise
+coming to the house, and so stop all her friendly efforts to help
+Louise; so she added her thanks to those of Faith, and the two little
+friends were as happy as it is possible to be over giving and
+receiving a beautiful gift. Faith even forgot her blue beads in the
+pleasure of possessing the pretty coat and cap.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+A BIRTHDAY
+
+
+"Can you skate, Cousin Faith?" asked Donald, on their way to school
+one morning in late December. There had been a week of very cold
+weather, and the ice of the lake glittered temptingly in the morning
+sun.
+
+"No, I never had any skates, and there wasn't a very good chance for
+skating at home," answered Faith regretfully; for many of the school
+children were eager for the sport, and told her of their good times on
+the ice.
+
+"Mother has a pair of skates for you; I heard her say so; and father
+is going to teach you to skate," responded Donald. "I can skate," he
+added, "and after you learn we'll have a fine time. Nat Beaman comes
+across the lake on the ice in no time."
+
+It was rather difficult for Faith to pay attention to her studies that
+day. She wondered when Aunt Prissy would give her the skates, and
+Uncle Phil teach her how to use them. And when the schoolmaster
+announced that there would be no school for the remainder of the week
+Faith felt that everything was planned just right for her. Now, she
+thought, she could begin the very next day, if only the cold, clear
+weather would continue.
+
+The sun set clear and red that night, and the stars shone brightly.
+Faith was sure the next day would be pleasant. Donald found a chance
+to tell Faith that the skates were a "secret." "But I didn't know it
+until just a few minutes ago," he explained, adding briefly: "I hate
+secrets."
+
+Faith agreed heartily. If the skates were a secret who could tell when
+Aunt Prissy would give them to her? She went to bed a little
+despondent, thinking to herself that as soon as she was clear of one
+secret another seemed ready to interfere with her happiness. But she
+was soon asleep, and woke up to find the sun shining in at her
+windows, and Aunt Prissy starting the fire with a shovelful of coals
+from the kitchen hearth. And what were those shining silver-like
+objects swinging from the bed-post?
+
+"Skates! My skates!" she exclaimed, sitting up in bed. "Oh, Aunt
+Prissy! I did want them so to-day."
+
+"They are your birthday present from your father and mother," said
+Aunt Prissy, coming to the side of the bed, and leaning over to kiss
+her little niece. "Eleven years old to-day! And you had forgotten all
+about it!"
+
+"Why, so I am! Why, so I did!" said Faith. "Well, I like secrets that
+end this way. May I go skating right away, Aunt Prissy?"
+
+"Breakfast first!" laughed Aunt Prissy, and was out of the room before
+Faith had noticed that lying across the foot of her bed was a dress of
+pretty plaided blue and brown wool. A slip of paper was pinned to it:
+"For Faith to wear skating," she read.
+
+"Lovely! Lovely!" exclaimed Faith, as she hastened to dress in front
+of the blazing fire.
+
+"Why, here are new stockings, too," she said, as she discovered a pair
+of warm knit brown and blue stockings.
+
+She came running into the dining-room, skates in hand, to be met by
+her uncle and little cousins with birthday greetings. Donald had at
+last finished the bow and arrows that he had promised her weeks
+before, and now gave them to her; Hugh had made a "quiver," a little
+case to hold the arrows, such as the Indians use, of birch bark, and
+little Philip had a dish filled with molasses candy, which he had
+helped to make.
+
+It was a beautiful morning for Faith, and the broiled chicken and hot
+corn cake gave the breakfast an added sense of festivity.
+
+Soon after breakfast Mr. Scott, Donald and Faith were ready to start
+for the lake. Donald took his sled along. "So we can draw Cousin Faith
+home, if she gets tired," he explained, with quite an air of being
+older and stronger than his cousin.
+
+Aunt Prissy watched them start off, thinking to herself that Faith had
+never looked so pretty as she did in the fur coat and cap, with her
+skates swinging from her arm, the bright steel catching the rays of
+sunlight.
+
+They crossed the road, and went down the field to the shore. The hard
+crust gave Faith and Donald a fine coast down the slope, and both the
+children exclaimed with delight when Mr. Scott, running and sliding,
+reached the shore almost as soon as they did.
+
+Mr. Scott fastened on Faith's skates, and held up by her uncle on one
+side and Donald on the other, Faith ventured out on the dark, shining
+ice. After a few lurches and tumbles, she found that she could stand
+alone, and in a short time could skate a little.
+
+"Father, are those Indians?" asked Donald, pointing to a number of
+dark figures coming swiftly down the lake from the direction of the
+fort.
+
+Mr. Scott looked, and answered quickly: "Yes. They have seen us; so we
+will skate toward them. They will probably be friendly." But he told
+Faith to sit down on the sled, and took fast hold of Donald's hand. In
+a few moments the flying figures of the Indians were close at hand.
+There were six of them, young braves, and evidently racing either for
+sport, or bound on some errand of importance, for they sped straight
+past the little group, with a friendly call of salutation.
+
+"I wonder what that means," said Mr. Scott, turning to watch them. "It
+may be they are on their way to Albany as messengers from the fort,"
+he added, as if speaking to himself.
+
+"What kind of a message, Uncle Philip?" asked Faith.
+
+"Heaven knows, child. Perhaps for troops enough to crush the American
+settlers, and drive them from their homes," replied Mr. Scott. For
+news of the trouble in Boston, the blockade of the port, and the lack
+of supplies, had reached the men of the Wilderness; and Mr. Scott knew
+that the English were planning to send a larger body of troops to Fort
+Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and the sight of these speeding Indians
+made him wonder if they might not be English messengers.
+
+"Couldn't we stop them, uncle?" asked Faith, so earnestly that her
+uncle looked down at her in smiling surprise.
+
+"Couldn't we? It will be dreadful to leave our homes," said Faith.
+
+Mr. Scott swung the little girl gently around. "Look!" he said,
+pointing down the lake. Already the Indians were but dark specks in
+the distance. "If trouble comes there are brave Americans ready," he
+said; "and now we had best be going toward home, or you will be too
+tired to come out this afternoon."
+
+Faith and Donald were surprised to find that it was dinner time. They
+had a great deal to tell Aunt Prissy of their morning's adventures.
+
+"Could a little girl do anything to help, Aunt Prissy, if the English
+do try to drive us away?" Faith asked, as she helped her aunt clear
+the dining-room table.
+
+"Who knows?" responded Mrs. Scott, cheerfully. "A brave girl might be
+of great service. But I do not believe the Tories will dare go much
+farther. At all events, we will be ready for them. Run to the door,
+Faithie; there comes Louise."
+
+Louise was as pleased over Faith's presents as Faith herself, and
+delighted at the prospect of going to the lake with Faith and Donald
+that afternoon. Faith and Donald promised to draw her on the sled, and
+Aunt Prissy was to be their companion.
+
+"Mother can skate like a bird," Donald declared admiringly.
+
+Louise was no longer the sullen, sad-faced child whom Faith had first
+seen. She knew that she had friends; she was included in all the
+pleasant happenings with Faith; her father seemed to take pride in her
+appearance; and best of all, she thought, she was to begin school when
+the spring term opened. To-day as they started off for the lake she
+was as full of happiness as any child could be.
+
+There were a number of children and young people on the ice, skating
+and sliding. A number of boys had built a bonfire on the shore, where
+they could warm their chilled toes and fingers.
+
+Nathan Beaman was there, circling about in skilful curves, or darting
+off with long swift strokes, greatly to the admiration of the other
+children. He was quite ready to take the sled rope and give Louise a
+fine ride up the lake toward the fort, and back to the fire, and to
+guide Faith in her clumsy efforts to skate.
+
+Faith and Louise were warming their fingers at the fire when they
+heard loud voices and a commotion on the ice.
+
+"What is it? Indians?" exclaimed Faith, looking around, for the
+settlers never knew at what moment the Indians might become
+mischievous.
+
+"No! Soldiers. Soldiers from the fort," replied Aunt Prissy, drawing
+the little girls away from the fire. "Perhaps they are only coming to
+warm their fingers."
+
+Two red-coated soldiers came swinging close to the shore. They were
+talking loudly, and as they neared the fire they called out: "Clear
+away from that fire. We'll have no fires built on this shore. 'Tis
+too good a way to send messages across the lake."
+
+With a couple of stout sticks they beat out the flame, kicking snow
+over the coals, and extinguishing the last bit of fire.
+
+Mrs. Scott had helped Louise toward the ice, but Faith had lingered a
+moment. As one of the soldiers turned from the fire he found himself
+facing a little fur-clad figure with flushed cheeks and angry eyes.
+
+"That was our fire. You had no business to put it out," Faith
+declared.
+
+"Oh, ho! What's this?" laughed the soldier. "Do you own this lake? Or
+perhaps you are our new captain?"
+
+"It is a mean thing to spoil our fire," continued Faith; "we wouldn't
+do you any harm."
+
+"I'm not so sure about that," replied the soldier. "You have a pretty
+fierce expression," and with another kick at the fire, and a
+"good-bye, little rebel," to Faith, the two soldiers started back to
+the fort. The skaters now, troubled and angry by the unfriendly
+interference, were taking off their skates and starting for home.
+
+"I wish American soldiers were in that fort," said Nat Beaman.
+
+"Why don't you ask Colonel Allen to come and take it?" asked Faith
+earnestly; she was quite sure that Ethan Allen could do anything he
+attempted.
+
+"Ask him yourself," responded Nathan laughingly.
+
+"I guess I will," Faith thought to herself, as she followed Aunt
+Prissy up the field toward home. "Perhaps that would be doing
+something to help Americans."
+
+The more Faith thought about this the stronger became her resolve to
+ask Colonel Allen to take possession of Fort Ticonderoga. She was so
+silent all the way home that her companions were sure she was
+overtired. Louise had to return to her own home, and soon after supper
+Faith was ready to go to bed.
+
+"I've got a real secret now; even if I don't like secrets," she
+thought to herself. For she realized that she could not tell any one
+of her determination to find some way to ask Ethan Allen to capture
+Ticonderoga and send the troublesome English soldiers back to their
+own homes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+NEW ADVENTURES
+
+
+"It will be a good day to put a quilt in the frame," said Aunt Prissy,
+the morning after Faith's birthday. "You and Donald can help me with
+it right after breakfast; then while you children are off to the lake
+I will mark the pattern."
+
+"Can't I help mark the pattern?" asked Faith, who had sometimes helped
+her mother, and thought it the most interesting part of the quilting.
+
+The quilting-frame, four long strips of wood, was brought into the
+sitting-room and rested on the backs of four stout wooden chairs,
+forming a square. The frame was held firmly together at the corners by
+clamps and screws, so that it could be changed and adjusted to fit the
+quilt.
+
+This quilt was a very pretty one, Faith thought, as she watched Aunt
+Prissy fasten it to the frame with stout linen thread. It was made of
+bits of bright woolen cloth. There were pieces of Faith's new dresses,
+and of the dresses made for Louise, and they were neatly stitched
+together in a diamond-shaped pattern. Faith had made a good many of
+these, and so had Louise in the evenings as they sat with Aunt Prissy
+before the open fire.
+
+First of all Aunt Prissy had fastened the lining for the quilt to the
+frame. Over this she spread an even layer of soft wool, and then over
+this the bright patchwork was spread and fastened. And now it was
+ready to mark the quilting pattern.
+
+Aunt Prissy took a ball of firm twine and rubbed it well with white
+chalk. The cord was fastened tightly across the surface of the quilt.
+
+"Now," said Aunt Prissy, and Faith took the tight cord up and "snap"
+it went when her fingers released their hold, leaving a straight white
+mark across the quilt. Back and forth they stretched the cord and
+"snapped" the line, until the quilt was marked in a checkerboard
+pattern of white lines, which the quilters would follow with their
+neat stitches.
+
+"I believe I'll have a quilting bee to-morrow," said Aunt Prissy.
+"When you and Donald start out you can go down and ask the minister's
+wife, and be sure and say that we shall expect Mr. Fairbanks to tea.
+Then ask Neighbor Willis and her husband, and Mrs. Tuttle. I think
+that will be a pleasant number."
+
+"May I help quilt?" asked Faith.
+
+"Of course you may. Tell Mrs. Tuttle to bring her daughter. And now,
+my dear, in what manner will you ask our friends to the quilting party
+and to tea?" asked Aunt Prissy, looking down at her little niece with
+her pretty smile.
+
+"I shall rap at the minister's door first, of course; and when Mrs.
+Fairbanks opens the door I shall make my best curtsy, like this:" and
+Faith took a bit of her skirt in each hand, and bent in a very pretty
+curtsy indeed; "and I shall say: 'Good-morning, Mrs. Fairbanks. My
+Aunt Prissy will be very happy if you and the minister will come to
+her quilting bee to-morrow afternoon and stay to tea.'"
+
+Aunt Prissy nodded approvingly. "I think that will do very nicely
+indeed. Now put on your things and run along. Donald is waiting."
+
+Donald and "Scotchie" were at the door when Faith was ready to start.
+The big dog barked his delight at being allowed to go with the
+children.
+
+"I'd like to harness him to the sled; he could draw us both,"
+suggested Donald, but Faith was sure that "Scotchie" would upset the
+sled; so her cousin gave up the project.
+
+"We can go on the lake just below Mrs. Tuttle's house, and skate along
+the shore home; can't we, Cousin Faith?" asked Donald, after they had
+stopped at Mrs. Willis' house and that of the clergyman.
+
+"Let's call and get Louise," suggested Faith.
+
+"Oh, there won't be time. Look, there goes an English soldier into the
+shoemaker's now. The boys all say that the shoemaker is an English
+spy," answered Donald.
+
+They were nearly in front of Mr. Trent's shop now, and Faith noticed
+that the soldier was the one who had been on the lake the previous
+day, and who had called her "a little rebel."
+
+"Come to the back door, Donald. Just a moment, while I speak to
+Louise. And make 'Scotchie' keep still," said Faith, turning into the
+path leading to the back door.
+
+"Scotchie" was barking fiercely as if he resented the sight of the
+redcoat.
+
+The soldier turned quickly. "Stop that dog before I put a bullet into
+him," he called.
+
+"He's afraid," Donald whispered to Faith, with a word to "Scotchie,"
+and Faith ran up the path and entered the house.
+
+Donald and "Scotchie" stood waiting, the dog growling now and then,
+whenever the soldier moved about on the door-step. It was evident that
+the shoemaker was not at home, for no answer came to the raps. In a
+moment Louise appeared at the door and told the man that her father
+was not at home.
+
+"Send that boy with the dog about his business," said the soldier.
+
+"'Tis the public road, sir; and 'tis not likely he'd mind what I might
+say," responded Louise smilingly, as she closed the door.
+
+Donald rested his mittened hand on "Scotchie's" head.
+
+"You needn't be afraid. I won't let him hurt you," Donald called.
+
+The soldier came down the path scowling.
+
+"I've a great mind to kick the beast," he said.
+
+"You'd better not," said Donald.
+
+Evidently the man agreed, for he went past as quickly as possible.
+Donald watched him with a little scornful smile. The boy was not old
+enough to realize, as Faith did, the difference between these hired
+soldiers of England, and the brave Americans who were ready to
+undertake any sacrifice to secure the freedom of their country, but he
+was a brave boy, and thought poorly of this soldier's courage.
+
+Louise listened to Faith's hurried account of the proposed quilting
+party.
+
+"And you must come too, Louise," she concluded, "and come early."
+
+Louise promised. She had never been to a quilting party, and was sure
+that it would be a great experience. She could not go to the lake, for
+she must not leave the house until her father returned.
+
+When Faith rejoined Donald he told her of the soldier's evident fear
+of the dog. "I don't see what made 'Scotchie' growl so," added Donald.
+
+"I'm glad he did," responded Faith. "Come on; let's hurry, or we won't
+have much time on the ice," so off they went across the field.
+
+But as they reached the shore they looked at each other questioningly.
+The lake seemed to be in the possession of the redcoats. At least
+half the garrison of the fort were on the ice; skating, racing, and
+evidently enjoying themselves.
+
+"We had better go home," said Faith, and Donald made no objections.
+The two children, disappointed of their morning's sport, went slowly
+back toward home.
+
+"That's the way they take everything," declared Faith, renewing her
+promise to herself to try in some way to let Ethan Allen know how easy
+it would be to drive the English from Ticonderoga.
+
+"I am glad you did not venture on the ice," Aunt Prissy said when
+Donald and Faith told their story. "The English become less friendly
+every day. Well, we will not think of them when there is so much to do
+as we have before us."
+
+"I asked Louise to come to the quilting," said Faith.
+
+"That's right; and I am going to send Donald to ask a number of your
+schoolmates to come in the evening. The moon will be full to light
+them home, and you children can have the kitchen to yourselves after
+supper, and make molasses candy," said Aunt Prissy.
+
+This seemed a very delightful idea to both Faith and Donald. The
+thought of making candy reminded Faith of Esther Eldridge, and of the
+bear's sudden appearance at the kitchen door. Mr. Carew had promised
+Faith to ask Esther's father to bring her to visit Faith on her return
+home, and Faith often thought of how much she and Esther would have to
+tell each other.
+
+That afternoon Faith helped her Aunt Prissy in preparing for the
+quilting. Aunt Prissy was cooking a ham, and the brick oven held some
+of the spiced cakes that the children liked so well. Donald cracked a
+big dish full of hickory-nuts, while Faith rubbed the pewter plates
+and pitchers until they shone like silver. The two younger boys ran in
+and out of the kitchen, thinking a quilting party must be a great
+affair.
+
+Mr. Scott had been cutting wood at the edge of the forest, and did not
+return until nearly dusk; and when he arrived there was a man with
+him--evidently a traveler, for there was a pack on his back, and he
+was tired. Faith heard her Aunt Prissy call the stranger by name, and
+welcome him.
+
+"Why, it is Esther's father. Of course it is!" she exclaimed suddenly.
+
+Mr. Eldridge told her all about Esther, and promised that his little
+daughter should again visit the Wilderness cabin. Faith wondered what
+business it was that took Mr. Eldridge through the Wilderness and up
+and down the lakes. Long afterward she discovered that he was one of
+the trusted messengers of the American leaders, and through him the
+American settlers along the lake shores and through the New Hampshire
+Grants were kept informed of what the English were doing. She did not
+know that he underwent constant danger.
+
+The little boys went early to bed that night, but Faith was not
+sleepy. The firelight in the sitting-room made dancing pictures on the
+wall, as she sat in a small chair at the end of the sofa. The sound of
+Aunt Prissy's knitting needles made her think of the silvery tinkle of
+the mill-stream under the winter ice in her Wilderness home. Mr.
+Eldridge and her uncle were talking quietly. She heard her uncle say
+that: "Ticonderoga was the lock to the gate of the country," and Mr.
+Eldridge respond that until Crown Point and Ticonderoga were taken by
+the Americans that none of the colonies could be safe.
+
+"If there were any way to get into Fort Ticonderoga," said Mr.
+Eldridge. "They say there's a secret passageway."
+
+Faith was all attention at this. She quite forgot that she was
+listening to conversation not intended for her ears, as she heard her
+uncle answer:
+
+"There is such a door, but no way for an American to find it. If some
+one could get entrance to the fort in that way, discover just the plan
+of the place, and escape, it would be of the greatest service to the
+Americans when the right time came to take the fort."
+
+"Time for bed, Faithie," said Aunt Prissy, and, very reluctantly, the
+little girl went up-stairs. She was thinking of all that her uncle and
+Mr. Eldridge had said, and of the unguarded door opening on the cliff
+at the fort. She wondered if she could make her way up that steep
+cliff as easily as Nathan had declared he had so often done.
+
+"Perhaps Nathan will help capture the fort," she thought. "Anyway he
+could show the Green Mountain Boys the way. If I were at home I would
+put a note in that cave near Lake Dunmore and tell Ethan Allen about
+Nathan."
+
+Only Ethan Allen and a few of his friends knew of this mountain cave,
+and it was there messages were left for him by the men of the
+Wilderness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+LOUISE DISAPPEARS
+
+
+The guests for the quilting party arrived at an early hour in the
+afternoon. All that morning Faith and Aunt Prissy were busy. Dishes
+filled with red apples were brought up from the cellar; cakes were
+made ready, and the house in order before dinner time.
+
+Only one little girl, Jane Tuttle, had been asked to come in the early
+afternoon. Jane was about Faith's age, and at school they were in the
+same classes. She was not very tall, and was very fat. Jane was one of
+the children whom Caroline and Catherine Young had taken especial
+delight in teasing.
+
+     "Jane, Jane! Fat and plain;
+     With a button nose and turned-in toes,"
+
+they would call after her, until the little girl dreaded the very
+sight of them. When Faith had proved that she was not afraid of the
+sisters Jane Tuttle became her steadfast admirer, and was greatly
+pleased to come in the afternoon with her mother. But she was
+surprised to find Louise Trent there before her, and evidently very
+much at home. However, she was too kind-hearted a child not to be
+pleasant and polite to the lame girl, and Louise was now as ready to
+make friends as, before knowing Faith, she had been sullen and
+unfriendly.
+
+Each of the girls was encouraged to set a few neat stitches in the
+quilt. Then, on the arrival of Mrs. Fairbanks and Mrs. Lewis, Aunt
+Prissy told Faith that if she wanted to take the little girls to her
+own room she might do so.
+
+There was a glowing fire on the hearth, and Faith was pleased for Jane
+to see her pleasant chamber, and to introduce "Lady Amy."
+
+"I wish I had brought my doll," said Jane, as the little girls
+gathered in front of the fire. "Mine is one my mother made for me."
+
+"There, Louise! We could make you a doll!" exclaimed Faith, knowing
+how much her friend had always wished for a doll of her own.
+
+But Louise shook her head. "I guess I am too old for dolls; I'm
+twelve," she said slowly, "and I don't have time to make dresses for
+dolls now that I'm learning to read and write. You see," and she
+turned to Jane, "I keep house for my father."
+
+Jane looked at Louise, wondering to herself why she had ever imagined
+that Louise Trent was a girl that she could not have for a friend.
+Why, Louise was really pretty! thought fat little Jane, looking
+admiringly at the smooth black hair, and the neat and pretty dress.
+And so nearly grown-up, too. Twelve years old! Jane resolved to go and
+see Louise, and to ask her to come for a visit.
+
+"I shall always play with dolls," she heard Faith declare. "I'd like
+to have a regiment of dolls, and play games with them. Wouldn't it be
+fun to have dolls that we could make up names for, and then have them
+do all sorts of things?"
+
+Louise and Jane agreed that would be a fine game.
+
+"We could dress up the pillows on your bed for dolls," suggested
+Louise.
+
+"Yes, and put my dresses on them," responded Faith eagerly, running to
+the closet and bringing out the blue dress, a skirt and a small
+shawl. It was not long before two "cushiony" figures, as large as
+Jane, were seated on the bed.
+
+"Let's put our coats and caps on them, Faith; and when the other girls
+come this evening we'll make them think the pillows are company,"
+suggested Louise.
+
+Jane jumped about the room with delight as Faith and Louise adjusted
+the caps and fur coats.
+
+"We'll introduce them as Annie Snow and Mary White," said Faith. "It
+will be fun to see what the girls will say."
+
+Four little girls were expected, and several boy friends of Donald's.
+Aunt Prissy wondered a little at Faith's eagerness to take the girls
+directly up-stairs on their arrival, but she was greatly pleased to
+see that Louise, Jane and Faith were evidently having a delightful
+time.
+
+It was nearly dusk when the little visitors arrived, and Faith's room
+was rather dim and shadowy. The little girls coming in were rather
+surprised to find that there were strangers, evidently just arrived,
+sitting on Faith's bed.
+
+"Girls, these are two of my best friends, Annie Snow and Mary White,"
+said Faith, trying hard not to laugh, as her schoolmates bowed
+politely and greeted the stout figures on the bed, who, apparently,
+did not hear the introductions.
+
+Jane, giggling with delight, circled around the newcomers; while
+Louise seated herself on the bed and began talking to Annie Snow.
+Faith endeavored to make the newcomers at ease, and it was not long
+before she had to run down-stairs to help her aunt with the supper,
+leaving Louise and Jane to carry on the game.
+
+The children were to have their supper in the kitchen. The tables for
+young and old had been spread before the arrival of any of the guests,
+so there was but little for Aunt Prissy and Faith to do before calling
+the guests to supper.
+
+Louise was the last one to enter the kitchen, her face radiant with
+fun and delight at the success of "Annie Snow" and "Mary White." She
+found a chance to tell Faith that "Annie" and "Mary" had managed to
+say that they didn't feel like eating supper, and that the girls had
+not yet discovered the joke.
+
+"We'll bring them down after supper," Faith whispered.
+
+"Are your friends from the Wilderness?" asked Peggy Tibbetts, the
+oldest girl of the party, as Faith sat down beside her.
+
+"No," Faith answered slowly. "They are both coming down after supper,
+and I know you will be surprised when I tell you that they live right
+in this house."
+
+Peggy Tibbetts was surprised. She looked almost frightened, and lost
+no time in whispering this information to the other girls; so that
+when Faith announced that she would run up-stairs and ask "Annie" and
+"Mary" to come down there was an anxious silence.
+
+Faith asked Jane to go with her, and in a few moments they returned
+with the two clumsy "girls." In the brightly-lit kitchen the
+dressed-up figures could no longer be mistaken, and the children were
+greatly pleased and amused by "Annie" and "Mary," who were established
+in straight-backed chairs, and urged to share in the supper.
+
+There was so much laughter and merriment in the kitchen that Aunt
+Prissy looked in for a moment. "Faithie dear, who are the little girls
+in the corner?" she asked. To Louise and Jane this seemed a triumph
+indeed, and when Aunt Prissy, entering into the spirit of the affair,
+insisted upon being introduced to "Annie" and "Mary," and said she
+was very glad to see them, the children danced about, greatly pleased
+with this unexpected fun.
+
+When the clock struck nine the grown people and children were all
+ready to start for home. Louise was to stay all night with Faith.
+As the children said their good-byes and stepped out into the
+snow-trodden path they called back messages to "Annie" and "Mary."
+The full moon shone down so brightly that the path could be plainly
+seen, and in the distance the dark line of the forest, and the heights
+of Ticonderoga.
+
+"It's the best time I ever had in all my life," declared Jane, as she
+trotted off holding fast to her mother's hand.
+
+And Faith said the same as she bade Aunt Prissy good-night. "It's fun
+to have parties, isn't it, Aunt Prissy," she said, "and all the girls
+are so pleasant."
+
+"That is what makes the good time, isn't it?" responded her aunt.
+
+"I hope it won't storm to-morrow," Louise said, as the two girls
+prepared for bed.
+
+"What makes you think of a storm?" questioned Faith.
+
+"There was a ring around the moon," said Louise; "that's one sign, and
+the air felt like snow."
+
+But Faith was too happy over the evening to think about weather signs.
+She had, for that night, quite forgotten about the English soldiers
+and her resolve to send a message to Ethan Allen.
+
+Louise's predictions proved right; for when the morning came snow was
+falling steadily, and great drifts were heaped up against the walls
+and fences. A chill east wind came sweeping across the ice-bound lake,
+and it was plain that there would be no more skating for many days.
+
+For nearly a week trails and roads were impassable. Mr. Trent, knowing
+that Louise was safe and happy with her friends, made no effort to
+reach her; and the Scotts were glad to keep indoors, safe from the
+fierce cold and wind.
+
+Donald and Hugh dug a tunnel to the shop, and Mr. Scott kept a path
+open to the barn, while indoors Aunt Prissy kept the two girls busy
+and happy. She declared that she had been hoping for a day to dye some
+recently woven blankets, and asked Faith what color she thought would
+be best.
+
+"But how can you make any color you like, Aunt Prissy?" asked Faith.
+
+"Perhaps not 'any color I like,' but I have a good lot of colors to
+choose from," replied Aunt Prissy. "People who live in the wilderness
+need only to step outdoors to find almost anywhere some plant that
+furnishes dye, and I gather my dye-plants and roots every summer, as I
+am sure your own mother does."
+
+"I know mother always gathers the dogwood roots to make a scarlet dye.
+Kashaqua told her about that," answered Faith. "The Indians use it for
+their feathers."
+
+"And I am sure your mother dyed your brown dress with the shells of
+the hickory-nut," said Aunt Prissy, "and the yellow root is what I
+used to color the covers on the chair cushions in your room."
+
+This was all new to Louise, and she listened eagerly, thinking to
+herself that she would color the faded quilts on her own bed; and that
+another summer she would gather a good supply of the roots and plants
+of which Mrs. Scott spoke.
+
+"The pokeweed berries will color a good red," continued Mrs. Scott;
+"but for scarlet we must use the dogwood roots."
+
+Then Mrs. Scott showed the little girls her bundles of dyestuffs, each
+plant and root tied up and marked carefully with its name and use. A
+large number of the dogwood roots were put into a huge iron kettle,
+the kettle filled with water, and hung over the fire. When it had
+boiled for several hours there would be a good scarlet dye in which
+the new blankets would be dipped. Then they would be hung to dry in
+the shed.
+
+The next day the sun came out and shone brightly down on a white and
+glistening world, and that afternoon Mr. Trent came to take Louise
+home. He would not come in, but waited at the door until she was ready
+to go. But he thanked Mrs. Scott for all her kindness to his little
+daughter.
+
+Faith was quite sure that Mr. Trent must be sorry to be a Tory instead
+of a loyal American. "But I suppose he can't help it," she decided,
+and always thought of her friend's father as unfortunate.
+
+Faith and Louise always had so many things to talk about that they
+seldom spoke of the redcoats; and when they did Louise seemed to
+dislike them more than Faith herself.
+
+Faith and Donald both had snow-shoes, and on their way to school, a
+few days later, Faith stopped at the shoemaker's door. But there was
+no response to her knock, and when she tried the door it would not
+open. She wondered where Louise and her father could be, but not until
+the next day did she hear that the shoemaker and Louise had left their
+home, apparently not to return. They had gone with a number of English
+families, on sledges, down the river, without a good-bye to the kind
+friends who had grown to love the little lame girl.
+
+"I know Louise couldn't help it," Faith declared, when Aunt Prissy
+told her the news. "She will write to me, I know she will," but it was
+a long time before any word came to her from her little friend. And
+now Faith became more and more eager for March to come, that she might
+once more see her father and mother, and make some attempt to send a
+message to Ethan Allen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+FAITH AGAIN VISITS THE FORT
+
+
+The night after hearing that Louise had gone Faith felt more nearly
+homesick than at any time since her arrival at her aunt's house.
+Everything seemed to remind her of her friend. Even "Lady Amy" made
+her remember that Louise had never owned a doll of her own.
+
+"And I had meant to give Louise one of my strings of blue beads just
+as soon as I had asked Aunt Prissy," she thought, regretfully, holding
+up the pretty beads, and recalling how much Louise had admired them.
+
+"Aunt Prissy," she called, running down the stairs and into the
+sitting-room, "may I not give Louise one of my bead necklaces?"
+
+Aunt Prissy looked up in amazement.
+
+"But how can you, Faithie, dear? We do not know where she is," she
+answered.
+
+"We shall know some time. Of course we shall. And when we do, may I? I
+meant to ask you the day of the quilting," said Faith.
+
+"Of course you may, child. I was sure that you would want to when
+Esther sent the beads. I only hope you may have a chance to give them
+to Louise at an early day," responded Aunt Prissy.
+
+This decision proved a comfort to Faith. As the weeks went by, and no
+news of the shoemaker and his little daughter was received, she would
+often look at the string of blue beads which she meant to give her
+friend. "I wish I had given them to her on my birthday," she thought
+regretfully, "but she shall have them some time," for Faith was quite
+sure that it could not be very long before Louise would find a way to
+let them know where she was.
+
+March came, "stirring the fire" vigorously from the day of its
+arrival. The ice in the lake broke up rapidly, the snow melted, and by
+the middle of the month Faith began to expect her father. Nathan
+Beaman, in his clumsy boat, had crossed from Shoreham a number of
+times. He often teasingly reminded Faith of her plan to ask Ethan
+Allen to come and take possession of Fort Ticonderoga.
+
+"You'd better hurry. The British will be sending men down from Canada
+by early summer, and then 'twill be of no use for the Green Mountain
+Boys to try to capture the fort," he said.
+
+"How do you always know so much about what the English are going to
+do?" asked Faith.
+
+The children were all in the shop. Nathan was helping Donald in the
+construction of a small boat, and Faith and the two younger boys had
+been filling a basket with chips and shavings to carry into the house.
+
+"Can't help knowing," answered Nathan. "I hear the men at the fort
+talking about all their fine plans to own all this country every time
+I go there."
+
+"Nathan," and Faith lowered her voice so that the other children would
+not hear, "you know I promised not to tell about the door at the
+fort?"
+
+Nathan nodded; he was looking at her sharply, and half feared that she
+was about to tell him that she had broken the promise.
+
+"Well, of course I shan't tell. But if my telling some American would
+help send the soldiers away, mayn't I tell then?" and Faith's face was
+very serious as she waited for his response.
+
+"Yes. I meant you weren't to tell Louise Trent, or those Young girls,"
+said Nathan. "And don't tell any one unless you are sure it will be of
+some use. You see I may tell, if it comes to that."
+
+Faith drew a long breath. "Thank you, Nathan," she said, in so serious
+a tone that the boy laughed aloud.
+
+"You are as grave about that old fort as my father and the Shoreham
+men are. You ought to hear my father tell about the big fight here in
+1758. He was a young man then, and the French held the fort, and the
+English were after it."
+
+Donald had stopped his work, and he and Hugh were listening eagerly.
+"Tell us, tell us about it," said Donald.
+
+"Father says there'll never be anything like it again. All the
+Colonies sent men, and Lord Howe brought thousands of English
+soldiers. England was our friend then," said Nathan. "They had
+thousands of boats, and rafts to carry their big guns. They had big
+flags, and music; and they didn't lurk or skulk about. Their boats
+came right down the lake in fine shape; they landed, and marched
+toward the fort. But the French were ready for them, and beat them
+back. However, the next year the English and Americans drove the
+French out."
+
+"I guess the English are brave," Donald ventured, returning to his
+work.
+
+"Of course they are. Why, we're all English ourselves," declared
+Nathan, "and that's why we won't stand being treated so unfairly. We
+can't stand it."
+
+"I'm not English. I'm an American," said Faith; "and when the
+Americans take Ticonderoga that will be American too."
+
+"That's the way to talk, little maid," said a gruff voice, and the
+children turned quickly toward the door.
+
+"I didn't mean to listen," and a tall man, dressed in deerskin jacket
+and trousers, with moccasins, and wearing a fur cap, stepped into the
+shop, resting his musket against the wall near the door. "Shouldn't
+have dared come in if I had not heard I was in good company," he said
+laughingly, his sharp eyes looking carefully about the shop.
+
+Nathan, with a half-muttered word of good-bye to the children, had
+started toward the door; but the newcomer's hand grasped his arm.
+
+"Wait a minute!" he said, swinging the boy about. "I'm not so sure
+about letting you start off so smart. You may head straight for the
+fort, for all I know. What's your name?"
+
+Nathan stood silent. His face flushed, but he looked the newcomer
+steadily in the face.
+
+"Let go of Nathan!" said Donald sturdily, clutching at the man's arm,
+and kicking at his legs. "This isn't your shop. You let go of him."
+
+"I guess I'd better," laughed the man, taking a firm hold of Donald
+and looking at both his captives in evident amusement. "Well, Philip
+Scott, what sort of a hornet's nest have you here?" he called out, and
+Faith turned around to see her Uncle Philip standing in the doorway.
+"I'll not let go these men until you promise to defend me," continued
+the stranger.
+
+"You are safe, Phelps," responded Mr. Scott, coming forward and, as
+Nathan and Donald were released, giving the stranger a cordial
+welcome. Nathan vanished without a word, but on Mr. Scott's saying
+that he was the son of Mr. Beaman of Shoreham, the stranger was
+reassured. It was evident he did not wish his arrival to become known
+at the fort.
+
+Faith heard the stranger say that he had come from Hartford, and that
+he would cross to the New Hampshire Grants as soon as he could safely
+do so.
+
+"I'd like to look in at Fort Ticonderoga if I could without the
+soldiers knowing it," she heard him say, and her uncle replied that it
+would be impossible.
+
+Faith was sure that this stranger was on some errand to the Green
+Mountain Boys, for he spoke of Remember Baker, and Seth Warner.
+
+"I'd like to take Colonel Allen a plan of the fort," she heard him
+say, as she helped Aunt Prissy prepare an early dinner for their
+visitor.
+
+Faith wished that she was grown up. Then, she was sure, she would dare
+to tell this stranger of the way up the cliff to the unguarded
+entrance. "He could go up this evening, and then he could tell Colonel
+Allen all about it," she thought, and before dinner was over she had
+resolved to find a way to tell him. But after a talk with Mr. Scott
+the visitor had declared he must get a few hours sleep. He said that
+he had been on the trail since very early that morning, and must be
+off again soon after sunset.
+
+"Run in the sitting-room, Faithie, and fix a cushion for Mr. Phelps,"
+said Aunt Prissy, and the little girl started obediently.
+
+"I'll tell him now," she resolved, and as the tall man followed her
+she said quickly: "I know how you can get into the fort and no one see
+you. It's a secret. I'll show you. But Uncle Phil won't let me if you
+tell him."
+
+"I'll not tell him. You are a brave child. Tell me quickly," responded
+the tall stranger.
+
+"There's a canoe under the big willow at the bottom of the field----"
+began Faith, but he interrupted.
+
+"Yes! Yes! I know. I am to cross the lake in it. But how can I get
+into the fort?"
+
+"I could show you. I can't tell you," answered Faith.
+
+"Then 'tis of small use. Harm might come to you, child," he answered,
+stretching himself out on the long settle with a tired sigh.
+
+Faith went slowly back to the kitchen. Here was the very chance she
+had so long hoped for, and this stranger would not let her attempt it.
+
+All that afternoon Faith was very quiet. She walked across the fields
+to the shore and looked at the big willow tree where the canoe was
+concealed. She looked off toward Mount Defiance, and Mount Hope,
+rising clearly against the sky, as if standing sentinels for Fort
+Ticonderoga.
+
+"I'll try, anyway," she said to herself, as she turned toward home.
+
+After supper she went early up-stairs. But she did not undress. She
+knew that her uncle would not go to the lake shore with his visitor,
+for that might attract the attention of some hunter or fisherman. It
+would not be long before Mr. Phelps would start. There was no time to
+lose. She put on her fur cap, and a knit jacket, and then peered out
+of the window. The sky was clear, and the moon made it almost as light
+as day. The sound of the falls came clearly through the quiet air.
+
+"He could find his way up the cliff as plainly as if it were
+daylight," thought Faith, as she turned from the window.
+
+She opened her door and closed it silently behind her. Her cousins
+were in bed, her uncle and aunt in the sitting-room with their
+visitor. Faith would have to pass the sitting-room door and go through
+the kitchen; the slightest noise would betray her. She had put on
+her moccasins, the ones Kashaqua had given her, and she stepped
+cautiously, without a sound. In a few moments she was safely
+out-of-doors and running across the field. She crouched down in the
+canoe and waited.
+
+Faith did not hear or see the stranger as he came toward the
+shore--not until he grasped the canoe to push it into the water.
+
+"King of Britain!" he whispered under his breath, when Faith spoke his
+name. "What are you doing here?"
+
+"I'm going to show you the way into the fort. Yes! 'Twill take not
+more than an hour or two. Then you can leave me here. 'Twill do me no
+harm, and you will tell Colonel Allen about the fort," said Faith, in
+a whisper.
+
+The man slid the canoe into the water. "You are well-named, Faith," he
+responded. "Well, 'tis a chance, and no man will harm a little maid,"
+and with a stroke of his paddle he sent the canoe clear of the willows
+and headed toward the fort.
+
+"Keep close to the shore," whispered Faith, peering anxiously ahead.
+
+Several hours later Faith stepped from the canoe, and said a whispered
+good-bye to the stranger, and watched the canoe dart off straight
+toward Shoreham. He had scaled the cliff, while Faith kept the canoe
+close under the alder bushes, entered the door of the fort, and
+skilfully made his way about the fortifications, determining the right
+place for an attack and assuring himself that the fortress contained
+valuable stores.
+
+As Faith stepped from the canoe the man tried to thank her.
+
+"Some day your Uncle Scott will hear of this, and be proud indeed of
+so brave a child," he said, "and I shall tell Colonel Allen your name,
+and of your courage. Be sure of that. You have helped the American
+cause more than a regiment of soldiers."
+
+Faith said over his words as she made her way across the fields. She
+recalled her first visit to the fort. "I'm glad those girls ran off
+that day," she thought, as she gently tried the back door. It was
+securely fastened. A low warning growl from "Scotchie" made her fear
+to lift a window. He would arouse the household. She stood on the
+steps, shivering a little in the sharp March wind. "I must get in
+without making a noise," she thought. But she could think of no way to
+accomplish it.
+
+In spite of her silence "Scotchie" realized that some one was outside.
+He barked, growled, and once or twice threw himself against the door.
+Then suddenly his growls stopped, and, before Faith had time to move,
+the kitchen door opened slightly and she heard her uncle say, "Who's
+there?" and knew that, musket in hand, he was awaiting her answer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+HOME AGAIN
+
+
+"Scotchie's" warning growl turned to a joyful greeting as Faith spoke
+his name.
+
+"Great Caesar! Faith!" exclaimed her uncle, drawing her into the
+kitchen. "What on earth are you doing out-of-doors at this time of
+night?"
+
+"You locked the door," whimpered Faith.
+
+"But why did you not call out? We thought you went straight to bed,"
+said her uncle.
+
+"I went down to the shore----" began Faith, and then stopped suddenly.
+
+"Well, go straight to bed, and tell your aunt about it in the morning.
+She is fast asleep now."
+
+Faith was glad to obey. She was too tired and sleepy to be greatly
+troubled by what would happen in the morning. She had resolved that if
+Aunt Prissy questioned her she would tell the truth. But she hoped
+earnestly that in some way the secret could be kept even from her
+aunt and uncle, until Mr. Phelps should tell them.
+
+When she came down to breakfast it appeared that her uncle had only
+told Aunt Prissy that Faith had run out after supper, and, instead of
+calling and knocking until some one opened the door, had waited until
+"Scotchie's" bark had brought him to the door.
+
+Aunt Prissy was more surprised and alarmed at this news than Faith had
+expected. She cautioned Faith never to go out without telling some one
+of the family.
+
+"Why, some wolf or wildcat might have been about; or a party of
+Indians might have happened along and taken you off," she said. "And
+we should never have known what had become of you."
+
+Faith promised never again to leave the house without her aunt's
+permission, and was glad indeed that she had escaped without telling
+of her journey to the fort.
+
+"Aunt Prissy! Do you know what day this is?" she asked, so soberly
+that her aunt looked at her a little anxiously. "It is the very last
+day of March; it has been a warm and pleasant month, and my father has
+not come for me."
+
+"And are you so anxious to say good-bye to us, Faithie? You know that
+instead of your making a visit home your father has decided it is best
+for you to stay; not come back unless for a visit, until another
+autumn," responded Aunt Prissy.
+
+"Yes, I know. But why does he not come?" persisted Faith.
+
+"Perhaps to-day will bring him," Aunt Prissy answered hopefully.
+
+Faith came and stood close beside Aunt Prissy's chair. She wanted to
+say that she loved her cousins and uncle and Aunt Prissy very dearly;
+to tell her that she had been happy; and that it had been a beautiful
+visit; but that now she wanted to see her own dear mother more than
+anything else. But how could she say all this so that Aunt Prissy
+would understand?
+
+Aunt Prissy put down her knitting and drew the little girl into her
+lap.
+
+"There! Now tell me all about it, dear," she said, resting her face
+against Faith's yellow curls.
+
+And Faith told her all that she had been thinking; all that she had
+thought would be so difficult. And Aunt Prissy listened, saying, "Of
+course," and "Yes, indeed," from time to time, and understanding even
+more than Faith found words to tell.
+
+"Why, Aunt Prissy, it's almost like having two homes," concluded
+Faith.
+
+Before Aunt Prissy could answer there was the sound of voices in the
+kitchen, and Donald, closely followed by Mr. Carew, came into the
+room.
+
+"It's the very last day of March!" Faith reminded him.
+
+"And I came near not getting here to-day," her father replied, as
+Faith drew him to the big chair near the window, and climbed to a seat
+on his knees. "I was held up on the trail by a tall fellow, from
+Connecticut, as it proved. He was bound to make me own up that I was
+an English spy. I told him my name, and my errand, and when I spoke
+Faith's name, why, he was at once my best friend, told me of his visit
+at this house, and could not say enough in praise of my little
+daughter," responded Mr. Carew.
+
+"The Americans seem to be gaining courage," said Aunt Prissy. "The men
+of the Wilderness do not mean to let the other Colonies do all the
+fighting, I'm sure."
+
+"Indeed we'll do our part, Priscilla," her brother assured her.
+
+Faith told her father of the disappearance of Mr. Trent and Louise; of
+the quilting party, and of all the happenings since his November
+visit. But she did not tell him of guiding the Connecticut man to the
+pathway up the cliff to Fort Ticonderoga.
+
+It was evident that Mr. Phelps had kept the secret for some purpose of
+his own; so, much as she wanted her father to know, Faith resolved
+that she would not tell him. This secret did not worry and trouble her
+as the others had done. "I guess it's because this secret means
+helping somebody, and the others were just--well, just mean secrets,"
+Faith decided, as she thought it over.
+
+The next morning Faith and her father were ready to start at an early
+hour. Uncle Phil, Aunt Prissy, the boys and "Scotchie" walked with
+them to the shore.
+
+"You will come back when summer comes, won't you, Cousin Faith?" said
+Donald. "You'll come for a visit even if you don't stay and go to
+school."
+
+"I will if I can," Faith promised, "and when Louise comes back give
+her the blue beads, Aunt Prissy."
+
+"Yes, indeed, dear child," responded her aunt, wondering to herself if
+Louise and her father would ever again be seen in that vicinity. Then
+there were messages for Faith's mother, and not until she was in the
+canoe were the good-byes really said.
+
+The little group stood on the shore watching the canoe for some
+minutes, and then turned back toward the house. They were all very
+quiet, but as they reached the road Donald called out: "There's
+somebody on our door-step! Why, it is Louise! Yes, it is," and with a
+gay call he was off, running swiftly toward the house while the others
+hurried after him.
+
+"Where is Faith?" Louise asked eagerly, when Mrs. Scott had welcomed
+her, and they were in the big kitchen.
+
+"She's gone home," said Donald, before his mother could answer. But
+Mrs. Scott told the little girl of how much Faith had missed her, and
+of the string of blue beads that she had left to be given to Louise.
+
+It was evident that Louise was greatly disappointed to find that her
+friend had gone. But she fastened the beads about her neck, and
+touched them with loving fingers.
+
+"Faith was my very first friend," she said. "My father says that we
+have come back to stay," she added, "and perhaps Faith will come in
+the summer?" There was such a pleading, questioning look in the girl's
+dark eyes that Mrs. Scott felt a new tenderness and sympathy for her,
+and put her arm about Louise as she answered:
+
+"Perhaps she will. But you must come often and see me; for we shall
+both miss her very much."
+
+"Oh, may I, Mrs. Scott? I was afraid you wouldn't want me to come,"
+and Louise's face brightened.
+
+"Why, I am to help you with your studies, and Donald is to call for
+you when you begin school. Faith arranged all that," responded Mrs.
+Scott smilingly.
+
+Faith was silent as the canoe went swiftly across the lake, and they
+had nearly reached the shore before she began asking questions about
+"Bounce," whom her father declared to be now a "grown-up cat," and
+about all the familiar things about the house and mill.
+
+"Listen, father!" she said, as they landed, and he drew the canoe to
+its hiding-place in the alder bushes. "Hear the falls!" and for a
+moment the two stood quietly hearkening to the "Chiming Waters."
+
+Then Mr. Carew adjusted the pack, containing Faith's belongings,
+picked up his musket, without which no woodsman dared travel in those
+days, and they started up the trail.
+
+Everywhere were evidences that spring was near at hand. Many trees
+and shrubs were showing the delicate gray green of coming buds; and
+now and then the fragrance of the wild arbutus was in the air. Birds
+were busy; wood-thrushes and pewees were calling; now and then a
+golden-throated warbler sounded his clear note. The air was soft and
+warm for the season, and Faith was so happy in the thought of being
+really on her way home that she forgot for a time that Mr. Phelps had
+said that no American settler's home in the Wilderness could be safe
+until Fort Ticonderoga was held by American soldiers.
+
+"It's lovely to be going home, isn't it, father?" she said; and Mr.
+Carew smiled down at his little daughter, and agreed with her that
+nothing better could be desired.
+
+     "We shall see with glad surprise
+     Lilies spring, and verdure rise;
+     And soon, amidst the wilds, we'll hear
+     Murmuring waters falling clear,"--
+
+sang Mr. Carew softly.
+
+"Oh, that is mother's song," exclaimed Faith. "It just means home,
+doesn't it?" And again her father was quite ready to agree.
+
+They walked slowly up the rocky trail and when they reached the top of
+the first ridge they stopped to rest and eat the excellent lunch that
+Aunt Prissy had prepared for them. But Faith declared that she was not
+tired. It seemed to her that she could run all the way if her father
+would only permit. And when in the early afternoon she first heard the
+sound of the mill-stream she did run, until, out of breath, she had to
+rest on a moss-grown stump for her father to catch up with her.
+
+And then, in a short time, they were standing on the edge of the
+clearing. The brook was dancing and singing as if eager to welcome
+Faith; the sun shone warmly down on mill and cabin and running down
+the path came Mrs. Carew; while standing near the cabin was Kashaqua,
+in her gayest feathers, grunting and smiling.
+
+"Mother dear! Mother dear!" called Faith, as she ran forward and was
+held close in her mother's arms.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+FAITH WRITES A LETTER
+
+
+Kashaqua was evidently delighted to see Faith safely at home once
+more. She had brought a present for her little friend; and after Faith
+had talked to her mother, and yet, as she declared, had "not begun to
+tell her" all she had to tell, Kashaqua unrolled a soft bundle and
+spread out the skin of a black bear cub. It was hardly larger than the
+skin of a good-sized puppy; but the fur was so soft and glossy that
+Faith and her mother exclaimed admiringly over its beauty, and Faith
+said that she would take the greatest care of it. She questioned
+Kashaqua about "Nooski," the tame bear which had followed them on
+their journey to Ticonderoga.
+
+"Gone!" replied Kashaqua, and had no more to tell of the wild creature
+that she had tamed, and, suddenly, Kashaqua disappeared in her usual
+silent fashion without a sign or word of farewell.
+
+Faith was tired, and quite satisfied to rest on the big settle and
+talk to her mother, while "Bounce," steady and well-behaved, curled up
+on the hearth rug. Faith told her mother about Louise; about Caroline
+and Catherine and their mischief, and of the quilting party. She told
+her about Nathan Beaman, and of the skating on the lake, and how the
+English soldiers had extinguished the fire and spoiled their fun. But
+she did not tell her of the evening when she had guided Mr. Phelps up
+the moonlit lake to the foot of the cliff, and told him how to make
+his way into the fort. Some time, she resolved, her mother should know
+all about it; but she still felt that she must keep it a secret.
+
+Mrs. Carew asked many questions about the fort.
+
+"There is more travel over the trails than ever before," she told the
+little girl, "and we hardly know who are our friends. The English are
+sending their spies everywhere. Be very cautious, Faithie, and say
+nothing to any stranger that you have ever been near Fort Ticonderoga.
+This part of the country will not be safe until American soldiers take
+the place of the English in the fort."
+
+"Oh, mother dear, I hope they will soon. I wish that I could help take
+the fort."
+
+"Who knows but you may help in some way, when the right time comes,"
+her mother responded, smiling at her little daughter's eagerness.
+"Now, I am going out to get something for you. Something that you will
+like very much," she added, and left Faith alone.
+
+Faith closed her eyes, wondering happily what it was that her mother
+would bring. She thought of the caraway cookies, of the little round
+pies made of the dried pumpkin, and then a noise at the door made her
+open her eyes. For an instant she believed that she must be asleep and
+dreaming, for Esther Eldridge was standing in the door--Esther grown
+taller and stronger, with red cheeks and shining eyes.
+
+"Yes, it's really Esther," Mrs. Carew called over the little girl's
+shoulder, and Esther ran toward the settle as Faith started forward to
+meet her.
+
+"Isn't this a fine surprise?" Esther exclaimed. "I was so afraid you
+would hear about our living here before you got home."
+
+"Living here?" questioned Faith, looking so puzzled that both Mrs.
+Carew and Esther laughed aloud.
+
+"Yes! yes, indeed! My father and mother and I," answered Esther
+delightedly.
+
+"But where? I have been up-stairs, and all over the house and I didn't
+see anybody, or anything," said Faith.
+
+"Oh, we live in our own house--a house just like this; or it will
+be just like this when it is all finished," and Esther told of her
+father's decision to bring his family to the Wilderness to live. He
+had purchased a grant of land adjoining that held by Mr. Carew soon
+after Esther's visit in September. The timber for the cabin had been
+cut early in the winter, and the cabin begun, and now it was nearly
+finished. "We moved last week," said Esther, "and you can see our
+house from your back door."
+
+Faith forgot all about being tired and ran to the back door to look.
+Yes, there it was; the big new cabin, near the path down which Ethan
+Allen had led her home, when, angry at Esther, she had run off to the
+woods.
+
+"Isn't it splendid! Oh, Esther, it is the very best thing that ever
+happened," Faith declared; "isn't it, mother dear?"
+
+Mrs. Carew was quite ready to agree with her little daughter. "Good
+neighbors was the only thing we really lacked," she agreed, "and
+perhaps others will come when there is better protection for their
+safety."
+
+The two little friends had much to tell each other, and when Esther
+started for home Faith walked with her as far as the mill. From the
+mill the new cabin could be clearly seen.
+
+"Do you remember asking me if I listened to the brook?" Esther asked
+laughingly, as they stood looking at the dancing waters of the stream.
+"Well, I know now just what you meant. It's company, isn't it?"
+
+Then Faith told her of the "Chiming Waters" of Ticonderoga, and of
+some of the old tales of the lake that her aunt and Nathan had
+related.
+
+"Did you see the English soldiers?" questioned Esther.
+
+"Oh, yes." And Faith described the skating party on the lake that the
+redcoats had interfered with. "I wish I could see Ethan Allen, as I
+did that day in September, and tell him all about the fort and the
+soldiers, and ask him to drive the English away. My father says that
+Colonel Allen could drive them away," said Faith.
+
+"Of course he could! My father says so, too," agreed Esther. "Would it
+not be a fine thing for us to send him a letter, Faith, and ask him?"
+
+"Oh, Esther! That's just what I thought of. But we ought to do it
+right away, for more soldiers are coming to the fort, Nathan Beaman
+says, and then it won't be so easy," responded Faith.
+
+The two little girls talked earnestly. They both knew of the cave on
+the rocky slope near Lake Dunmore, and that messages were sometimes
+left there for the settlers. But Lake Dunmore was a long distance
+away.
+
+"It would take all day to go and get back," said Esther, "and our
+mothers would never let us go; you know they wouldn't."
+
+"One of us ought to go to-morrow," answered Faith, "but how can we
+plan it?"
+
+"I know! I know!" declared Esther. "I'll ask your mother if you may
+come for a visit, and then you'll go home at night. Some time you
+can tell her all about it," concluded Esther as she noticed Faith's
+serious and doubtful expression.
+
+"And what will you do? Don't you mean to go with me?" asked Faith.
+
+"Oh, yes! I'll tell my mother I am going to spend the day with you.
+Then we'll start off in good season, and we'll get home before our
+mothers miss us," said Esther.
+
+"Faith! Faith!" and Mrs. Carew's voice sounded through the clear air.
+
+"I must run back now. I'll write the letter to-night and be over near
+your house as early as I can in the morning," said Faith.
+
+"Hide behind the big pine," said Esther, and the two friends, greatly
+excited over their project, separated and ran toward their respective
+homes.
+
+It was not easy for Faith to write the letter, for she would have to
+ask her mother for the quill pen, and the bottle of ink, made from the
+juice of the pokeberry. But in the early evening, while her mother was
+busy, Faith secured the quill and ink and a sheet of the treasured
+paper and wrote her letter:
+
+     "Dear Mr. Colonel Ethan Allen," she wrote. "Will you please send
+     the English soldiers away from Fort Ticonderoga? Nathan Beaman,
+     who lives at Shoreham, will show you how to get in. Please send
+     them soon, or more will come.
+
+          "Respectfully your friend,
+
+                "FAITH CAREW."
+
+She had time to fold and seal the letter with the big stick of red
+wax, softening the wax before the sitting-room fire. A moment later
+and her mother came in, saying she had best go to bed and get a good
+night's rest.
+
+"May I spend to-morrow, all day, with Esther?" asked Faith, as her
+mother went up-stairs with her, and feeling her face flush with the
+consciousness of not telling her mother all the truth.
+
+"Your very first day at home, dear child! Why, I should be running
+over to Mrs. Eldridge's every hour to make sure that you were really
+within reach," responded her mother.
+
+"Oh, mother, you wouldn't!" said Faith, so earnestly that Mrs. Carew
+smiled reassuringly and said:
+
+"Well, perhaps not every hour. But if you want to spend the day with
+Esther you may. 'Tis not as if you were going back to Aunt Prissy in a
+week."
+
+"And you won't come to Mrs. Eldridge's at all, will you, mother dear?"
+pleaded Faith. "I'll be safe, and I'll come home early."
+
+"You shall do as you like, dear child. I know you will do nothing but
+what will please me," and Mrs. Carew leaned over to kiss Faith
+good-night.
+
+"Oh, dear," Faith whispered to herself guiltily, as her mother went
+down the stairs. "Here is another secret, the biggest of all. But I
+can't tell mother."
+
+The song of the brook seemed louder than ever before to the little
+girl that night, as she lay watching the April stars shine through her
+window. She remembered that her mother had said that perhaps a little
+girl could help. "Mother dear is sure to be glad when she knows that
+Colonel Allen had to be told about Nathan," thought Faith; and then
+the brook's song grew softer and softer and she was fast asleep.
+
+Faith was down-stairs the next morning almost as soon as her father
+and mother. She had on her brown dress and her moccasins, and the
+letter was safely hidden in her pocket. She could hardly keep still
+long enough to eat her breakfast.
+
+"Esther wanted me to come early, mother dear, and I promised,"
+she urged; so her mother bade her be off, and stood in the door
+and watched the little girl run down the slope, feeling a little
+disappointed that Faith should be so eager to be with Esther instead
+of remaining at home.
+
+But early as it was Faith found Esther waiting for her.
+
+"Did you bring anything to eat?" asked Esther.
+
+"I never thought of it!" replied Faith, "and I don't believe I could,
+anyway."
+
+"Well, I thought of it. I have a fine square of corn cake, a piece of
+cold venison, and a square of molasses cake," said Esther, holding up
+a small basket. "Now, creep along on the edge of the trail until we
+are well up the ridge. Then we can walk as we please."
+
+Faith obeyed. She thought to herself how fortunate it was that Esther
+had come to live in the Wilderness, and that she was ready to help
+carry the message.
+
+"Isn't it lovely in the woods!" said Esther, as they reached the
+summit of the ridge, and turned to look back down the winding trail.
+"Father said this morning that the spring was early, and 'tis surely
+warm as summer."
+
+As they rested for a little while on a bank of firm green moss Faith
+told Esther of "Nooski's" sudden appearance when she and Kashaqua
+were on their journey to the lake.
+
+"Goodness!" exclaimed Esther, peering anxiously into the underbrush.
+"I hope we shan't see any bears to-day, not even a tame one."
+
+The sun was high in the April skies when the two little girls came in
+sight of Lake Dunmore. The trail led near the lake; and Esther was
+very sure that she knew just where to look for the cave.
+
+"It's near a big pine tree, and you can only see rocks. Father showed
+me when we came from Brandon," she said.
+
+The little girls were very tired and hungry, and Faith suggested that
+they should eat their luncheon and rest before searching for the cave.
+
+"I wish I had brought more corn bread," said Esther, when they had
+finished the last morsel of the food.
+
+"It's lucky you brought as much as you did," responded Faith. "We'd
+better begin looking for the cave now."
+
+It was hard work climbing up the rocky hillside, and it did not
+seem such an easy matter to locate the cave as Esther had expected.
+They peered under rocks, and climbed over ledges, and were nearly
+discouraged when a sudden noise made Faith grasp Esther's arm with a
+whispered "Hush"; for almost in front of them, apparently coming
+directly out of the hillside, appeared the head and shoulders of a
+man. But they were too near to conceal themselves or to try and run
+away.
+
+"Great Caesar's Ghost!" exclaimed the man, crawling out from the cave.
+"Two little maids! Where did you come from?"
+
+Faith's hold on Esther's arm tightened. "Don't tell. Don't answer his
+questions," she whispered, remembering her mother's caution about
+strangers, and thinking perhaps this might be an English spy who had
+discovered the cave.
+
+"Where are the others?" asked the man.
+
+Esther looked questioningly at Faith, but neither of them spoke.
+
+The man's stern face softened as he looked at the two little figures.
+He realized they must be the children of some settler in the
+Wilderness--perhaps children who had wandered too far from home and
+lost their way.
+
+"You need not be afraid to speak," he said smilingly. "Perhaps I know
+your fathers. Tell me your names."
+
+Faith was quite sure that this was a question which could be safely
+answered, so both the little girls spoke their names, and instantly
+the man responded by saying:
+
+"Then you," and he nodded to Faith, "are Miller Carew's daughter. I
+know your father well. Tell him Seth Warner has been in Salisbury and
+is now starting back to Bennington. But how come you this distance
+from home?"
+
+Both Faith and Esther knew that Seth Warner was a friend of the
+settlers, and before he had finished speaking Faith was quite ready
+to tell him their errand and to give the note for Colonel Allen into
+his hands.
+
+He listened in evident amazement to the story of their morning's
+journey, for he well knew the dangers of the wilderness trail.
+
+"I will go with you to within sight of your homes," insisted their
+new friend, "and I shall not forget to tell Colonel Allen of your
+courage."
+
+"Will he come soon and take the fort?" asked Faith.
+
+"More quickly for your help than without it, little maid. But go not
+so far from home again," Mr. Warner answered, with a kindly smile.
+
+It was sunset, and Mr. Carew was starting to bring Faith home from her
+visit to Esther, when he saw his little daughter coming down the path.
+She walked so slowly that her father hastened to meet her.
+
+"I'm so tired, father," she said. "Couldn't you carry me home?"
+
+"Of course I can," and he lifted her in his arms and, anxious and
+worried by her pale face and evident fatigue, hurried toward the
+house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE CAPTURE OF THE FORT
+
+
+It was noon the next day when Faith awoke; and although she was quite
+ready to dress and go down-stairs, her mother thought it best for her
+to stay in bed.
+
+Faith wondered to herself if Esther's feet ached as hers did; and,
+more than this, she was anxious to know if their parents had any idea
+of where she and Esther had spent the previous day.
+
+"There will be so much for me to tell mother," she thought, a little
+uneasily, hoping that soon she would again have no secrets to conceal.
+
+When Faith came down-stairs she found Esther waiting to see her;
+and, in response to Faith's questioning look, she nodded and smiled
+reassuringly. Esther had brought over her English grammar, for it had
+been decided that the two little girls were to study together two
+hours each day; one day at Faith's house, and the next at Esther's.
+
+"It's all right; our mothers don't know. But what made you so tired?"
+said Esther, as soon as the girls were alone.
+
+Faith shook her head. "I don't know. I do hope we can tell all about
+it soon. I've a great mind to tell mother now."
+
+"You mustn't. Don't you remember? Mr. Warner said that soon he would
+tell our fathers, and they would be proud of us. But if we tell them
+now they won't be proud; they will be vexed, and maybe punish us. Wait
+until Colonel Allen tells them that you helped him. Then 'twill be all
+right," advised Esther, and Faith agreed, a little doubtfully.
+
+It was difficult for the two little girls to fix their minds on their
+lessons that day, and for many days to come. They both watched the
+trail, each day expecting to see some messenger who would bring news
+that Colonel Allen was in possession of Fort Ticonderoga; but April
+passed, and Esther declared that she did not believe the Americans
+wanted the fort.
+
+"I am going to tell my mother everything. All about our going to Lake
+Dunmore, and my letter, and something else," declared Faith.
+
+It was one day early in May, and she and Esther were coming up from
+Beaver meadow, where they had been watching the little creatures,
+who Were very active and did not seem to fear the two little figures
+at the edge of the woods. The beavers were building a dam; they had
+dragged trees to the side of the stream, and it seemed a very
+wonderful thing to Esther when she saw the beavers sink one end of
+these stakes, while others raised and fastened the other end, twisting
+in the small branches of the trees, and plastering mud over all with
+their feet and tails. She was thinking to herself that there were more
+strange things to see in the Wilderness in one day than in a whole
+year in a village, when she felt Faith seize her arm and say
+laughingly:
+
+"You haven't heard a word. Now, listen! I am going to tell my mother."
+
+The little girls were now in sight of the clearing, and, before Esther
+could answer, Faith stopped suddenly and exclaimed:
+
+"Look, Esther! There's a man just leaving the mill, and running up the
+trail as fast as he can go. A stranger."
+
+Quite forgetting beavers and secrets the two little girls ran toward
+the house. "There's my father," said Esther as they reached the door.
+
+Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge were both in the kitchen of the Carew house, and
+none of the elder people appeared to notice the two girls.
+
+Mr. Carew was loading his musket, and Faith's mother was packing a
+knapsack with provisions.
+
+"Here are the children," said Mrs. Eldridge, as she turned toward the
+door; and then Esther saw that her father was waiting for Mr. Carew.
+
+"Faithie dear, your father is going to Castleton," said Mrs. Carew,
+fastening the knapsack, and in a moment Faith was held close in her
+father's arms, and then the two men were off, striding down the trail.
+
+"Are they going to take Ticonderoga?" Faith questioned eagerly.
+
+The two women looked at her in surprise, but Mrs. Carew answered
+quickly:
+
+"Of course they are. Americans are guarding the trail, so we are safe
+enough at present. But neither of you girls must go beyond the
+clearing."
+
+"When shall we know about the fort, mother? When will we know?" asked
+Faith.
+
+"Soon, I hope, child. But talk not of it now," responded her mother.
+
+But after a little Mrs. Eldridge told them that a messenger had come
+from Bennington, summoning the settlers to Castleton to meet Colonel
+Allen. Faith and Esther listened to the story of the far-off battle
+of Lexington, in Massachusetts, the news of which had determined the
+Green Mountain Boys to make an immediate attack on the fort. These men
+were the settlers of the New Hampshire Grants, living long distances
+apart, and obliged to travel over rough trails, through deep forests,
+across rivers and mountains.
+
+There were no smooth roads or fleet horses to help them on their way;
+there was little time for preparation when Allen's summons came; they
+had no uniforms, no strains of music; but no truer soldiers ever faced
+danger than the Green Mountain Boys.
+
+That night Faith told her mother the story of her adventure in the
+fort, when Nathan had rescued her and taken her down the cliff. She
+told of the evening in March when she had guided Mr. Phelps along the
+moonlit shore of the lake and told him of the entrance to the fort;
+and last of all she described her journey with Esther over the trail
+to Lake Dunmore, and the letter to Ethan Allen which she had given to
+Seth Warner.
+
+Mrs. Carew listened in amazement; but she had no word of blame for
+Faith. She realized the dangers the child had so unknowingly faced
+with a sense that her little girl had been guarded by a protection
+greater than any by which she could have surrounded her; and she
+wondered, too, if it were not possible that Faith might not really
+have helped in the great undertaking for which her father was ready to
+give all that he had to give.
+
+"Mother dear, I despise secrets," Faith whispered, as she finished the
+story, "and I mean never to have another one."
+
+Three days later Mr. Carew came swinging across the clearing. He waved
+his cap in the air as Faith came running to meet him.
+
+"Ticonderoga is ours," he called, "and the English prisoners are on
+their way to Hartford. And so it was you, little maid, who helped
+Phelps to a plan of the fort, and told Ethan Allen of young Beaman!"
+
+"Did it help, father? Did it help?" Faith asked eagerly.
+
+"Help? Indeed it did. Young Beaman led the way to the fort, and we
+were in without firing a shot. And Colonel Allen and his men hold the
+fort," replied Mr. Carew.
+
+He could stay for but a few hours, as he was carrying the news to the
+settlements. It was several days before he was at home again, and told
+them more fully of Allen's triumph, and of the capture of Crown Point
+by Seth Warner and his followers.
+
+Toward the last of May Aunt Prissy, accompanied by Nathan Beaman,
+arrived at the log cabin, and Faith heard the story of Louise's
+arrival at Ticonderoga.
+
+"Her father has been taken a prisoner to Hartford, and Louise will
+stay with me," Aunt Prissy said. "I will adopt her for my own daughter
+if her father consents."
+
+"I do hope he will," said Faith, glad indeed to know that her friend
+was safe.
+
+"And so my little Faith did help take the fort after all, thanks to
+Nathan," said Aunt Prissy, smiling down at her little niece.
+
+"'Twas Faith who really helped, for she told Colonel Allen about me,"
+Nathan added handsomely.
+
+All this made Faith a very happy little girl; but when, a few weeks
+later, a messenger brought her a letter from Ethan Allen himself, she
+felt that no other little girl in all the American Colonies could be
+as proud as Faith Carew. She confessed to her mother that, after all,
+some secrets were worth keeping. Colonel Allen invited her to make a
+visit to the fort, and it was arranged that her father should take her
+to Ticonderoga and that she should stay for a few days with Aunt
+Prissy.
+
+So once again she went over the trail and crossed the lake, and on a
+pleasant June morning with her father and Aunt Prissy, she stood again
+at the entrance to Fort Ticonderoga. This time she was not left alone,
+as on her first visit, a frightened deserted child. For it was Colonel
+Allen himself, tall and handsome, who met the little party at the
+entrance and escorted them about the fortifications.
+
+"'Faith,'" he said kindly, as he bade them good-bye, "'tis indeed the
+best of names for a little American girl; a name that I shall ever
+remember."
+
+Faith was very quiet as they walked toward home. She was thinking to
+herself of all the happy experiences of the past weeks; and not until
+she saw Louise waiting for her at Aunt Prissy's gate did her face lose
+its serious expression. She ran ahead of the others and called out:
+"Louise! Louise! You will be Aunt Prissy's little girl, won't you?
+Because then you'll really be an American."
+
+Louise nodded happily.
+
+"Yes; and father is going to be an American, too. Didn't Aunt Prissy
+tell you?" she responded; "and it's all because you were my friend,
+Faith," she added more soberly, as the two girls entered the house,
+and stood hand in hand at the door where, but a few months ago, Louise
+had entered a ragged, unhappy child.
+
+"We'll always be friends, shan't we!" said Faith, and Louise earnestly
+responded:
+
+"Always."
+
+
+
+
+The stories in this series are:
+
+ A LITTLE MAID OF PROVINCE TOWN
+ A LITTLE MAID OF MASSACHUSETTS COLONY
+ A LITTLE MAID OF NARRAGANSETT BAY
+ A LITTLE MAID OF BUNKER HILL
+ A LITTLE MAID OF TICONDEROGA
+ A LITTLE MAID OF OLD CONNECTICUT
+ A LITTLE MAID OF OLD MAINE
+ A LITTLE MAID OF OLD NEW YORK
+ A LITTLE MAID OF OLD PHILADELPHIA
+ A LITTLE MAID OF VIRGINIA
+ A LITTLE MAID OF MARYLAND
+ A LITTLE MAID OF MOHAWK VALLEY
+ A LITTLE MAID OF MONMOUTH
+ A LITTLE MAID OF NANTUCKET
+ A LITTLE MAID OF VERMONT
+
+
+
+
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