Part 14 (2/2)
”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 mola.s.ses 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 sh.o.r.e. 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 sh.o.r.e 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, s.h.i.+ning 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 sh.o.r.e, where they could warm their chilled toes and fingers.
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