A Little Maid of Ticonderoga
Page 7
CHAPTER VII
NEW FRIENDS
"An Indian woman and a little girl with yellow hair are coming acrossthe road, mother," declared Donald Scott, rushing into thesitting-room, where his mother was busy with her sewing.
Mrs. Scott hastened to the front door. "Oh, Aunt Prissy," calledFaith, running as fast as her tired feet could carry her, and hardlyseeing the brown-haired little cousin standing by his mother's side.
Aunt Prissy welcomed her little niece, whom she had not expected tosee for weeks to come, and then turned to thank Kashaqua. But theIndian woman had disappeared. The bundle containing Faith's clothinglay on the door-step, but there was no trace of her companion. Longafterward they discovered that Kashaqua had started directly back overthe trail, and had reached the Carews' cabin, with her message ofFaith's safe arrival at her aunt's house, early the next morning.
"Come in, dear child. You are indeed welcome. Your father's letterreached me but yesterday," said Aunt Prissy, putting her arm aboutFaith and leading her into the house. "I know you are tired, and youshall lie down on the settle for a little, and then have your supperand go straight to bed."
Faith was quite ready to agree. As she curled up on the broad sofa herthree little cousins came into the room. They came on tiptoe, veryquietly, Donald leading the two younger boys. Their mother had toldthem that Cousin Faith was tired after her long journey, and that theymust just kiss her and run away.
Faith smiled up at the friendly little faces as they bent over towelcome her. "I know I shan't be lonesome with such dear cousins," shesaid, and the boys ran away to their play, quite sure that it was afine thing to have a girl cousin come from the Wilderness to visitthem.
Faith slept late the next morning, and awoke to hear the sound of rainagainst the windows. It was a lonesome sound to a little girl so farfrom her mother and father, and Faith was already thinking to herselfthat this big house, with its shining yellow floors, its white windowcurtains, and its nearness to a well-traveled road, was a very drearyplace compared to her cabin home, when her chamber door opened and incame her Aunt Prissy, smiling and happy as if a rainy day was justwhat she had been hoping for.
"We shall have a fine time to-day, Faithie dear," she declared, as shefilled the big blue wash-basin with warm water. "There is nothing likea rainy day for a real good time. Your Uncle Philip and the boys arewaiting to eat breakfast with you, and I have a great deal to talkover with you; so make haste and come down," and Aunt Prissy, with agay little nod, was gone, leaving Faith greatly cheered and wonderingwhat the "good time" would be.
Uncle Philip Scott was waiting at the foot of the stairs. "So here isour little maid from the Wilderness! Well, it is a fine thing to havea girl in the house," he declared, leading Faith into the dining-roomand giving her a seat at the table beside his own. "Did you have anyadventures coming over the trail?" he asked, after Faith had greetedher little cousins.
Faith told them of "Nooski's" appearance, greatly to the delight ofher boy cousins, who asked if the Indian woman had told Faith the bestway to catch bear cubs and tame them.
"Come out to the shop, boys," said Mr. Scott as they finishedbreakfast, "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 doorDonald turned and called back: "You'll come out to the shop, won'tyou, 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'tbelieve she could be cross," thought the little girl.
She helped her aunt clear the table and wash the dishes, just as shehad helped her mother at home; and as they went back and forth in thepleasant kitchen, with the dancing flames from the fireplacebrightening the walls and making the tins shine like silver, Faithquite forgot that the rain was pouring down and that she was far fromhome.
"I am going to begin a dress for you this very day. It is somematerial I have in the house; a fine blue thibet, and I shall putruffles on the skirt. That will be your Sunday dress," said AuntPriscilla, "and your father wrote me you were to have the best shoesthat the shoemaker can make for you. We'll see about the shoesto-morrow. Did you bring your blue beads, Faithie? But of course youdid. They will be nice to wear with your blue frock. And I mean you tohave a warm hood of quilted silk for Sunday wear."
Faith drew a long breath as her aunt finished. She wondered what AuntPrissy would say if she told her about giving the blue beads to EstherEldridge. But in the exciting prospect of so many new and beautifulthings she almost forgot the lost beads. She had brought "Lady Amy,"carefully packed in the stout bundle, and Aunt Prissy declared thatthe 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. Imean to make you a good dress of gray and scarlet homespun for schoolwear," replied her aunt. "The schoolhouse is but a half-mile walk fromhere; a fine new cabin, and you and Donald may go together. I declare,the rain has stopped. 'Rain before seven, clear before eleven' is atrue saying."
Faith ran to the window and looked out. "Yes, indeed. The sky is blueagain," she said.
"You'd best run out to the shop a while now, Faithie. I'll call youwhen 'tis time," said her aunt.
Faith opened the kitchen door to step out, but closed it quickly, andlooked around at her aunt with a startled face. "There's a little bearright on the door-step," she whispered.
"A bear! Oh, I forgot. You have not seen 'Scotchie,' our dog," saidAunt Prissy. "No wonder you thought he was a bear. But he is a finefellow, and a good friend. I often wish your dear father had just sucha 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 tellhim who you are, and that he is to take care of you. He went to schoolwith 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 Philipcame running to meet her.
"I'm going to make you a bow and some arrows, Cousin Faith," saidDonald, pushing open the shop door. "I have a fine piece of ash, justright for a bow, and some deerskin thongs to string it with. I madebows for Hugh and Philip."
The workshop seemed a very wonderful place to Faith, and she looked atthe forge, with its glowing coals, over which her Uncle Philip washolding a bar of iron, at the long work-bench with its tools, and atthe small bench, evidently made for the use of her little cousins.
The boys were eager to show her all their treasures. They had a boxfull 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 hasno knots," and Donald selected a narrow strip of wood and held it on alevel with his eyes, squinting at its length, just as he had seen hisfather do. "This is a good straight piece. Here, you use my knife, andwhittle it down until it's about as big as your finger. And then I'llshow you how to finish it."
But before Faith had whittled the wood to the required size, theyheard the sound of a gaily whistled tune, and Donald ran toward thedoor and called out: "Hallo, Nathan," and a tall, pleasant-faced boyof about fifteen years appeared in the doorway. He took off hiscoonskin cap as he entered.
"Good-morning, Mr. Scott," he said, and then turned smilingly to speakto the boys.
"Faith, this is Nathan Beaman," said Donald, and the tall boy bowedagain, and Faith smiled and nodded.
"I've been up to the fort to sell a basket of eggs," explained Nath
an,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 errandstake me. But I know well enough what those English soldiers are therefor; all the Shoreham folk know that. I wish the Green Mountain Boysheld 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 notmade you forget that American settlers have a right to defend theirhomes."
"I hear there's a reward offered for the capture of Ethan Allen," saidthe boy.
Mr. Scott laughed. "Yes, but he's in small danger. Colonel Allen maycapture the fort instead of being taken a prisoner," he answered.
Nathan now turned toward the children, and Donald showed him the bowhe was making for his cousin. "I'll string it for you," offeredNathan; and Donald was delighted to have the older boy finish hiswork, for he was quite sure that anything Nathan Beaman did was alittle 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 itcan't be done," he added. "Why, every man who holds a New HampshireGrant would defend him. And Colonel Allen isn't afraid of the wholeEnglish army."
"I know him. He was at my father's house just a few weeks ago," saidFaith.
"Don't tell anybody," said Nathan. "Some of the people at the fort mayquestion you, but you mustn't let them know that you have ever seenColonel Allen."
Donald had been busy sorting out feathers for the new arrows, and nowshowed Nathan a number of bright yellow tips, which the elder boydeclared would be just what were needed.
Nathan asked Faith many questions about her father's mill, and aboutEthan Allen's visit. And Faith told him of the big bear that hadentered their kitchen and eaten the syrup. When Mrs. Scott called themto dinner she felt that she was well acquainted with the good-naturedboy, whom Mrs. Scott welcomed warmly.
"I believe Nathan knows as much about Fort Ticonderoga as the men whobuilt it," she said laughingly, "for the soldiers have let him playabout there since he was a little boy."
"And Nathan made his own boat, too. The boat he comes over fromShoreham in," said Donald. For Nathan Beaman lived on the further sideof the strip of water which separated Ticonderoga from the NewHampshire 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, whomeasured her feet and promised to have the shoes ready at the end of aweek.
As they started for the shoemaker's Mrs. Scott said:
"The man who will make your shoes is a great friend of the Englishsoldiers. Your uncle thinks that he gathers up information about theAmerican settlers and tells the English officers. Do not let himquestion you as to what your father thinks of American or Englishrule. For I must leave you there a little while to do an errand at thenext house."
Faith began to think that it was rather a serious thing to live nearan English fort.