CHAPTER II
FAITH MAKES A PROMISE
For a second Faith was too frightened to move. Then pulling one of thenewly kindled sticks from the fire she hurled it at the big creatureand ran for the stairs, up which Esther was already hurrying.
The flaming brand halted the bear for a second only, but the littlegirls had reached the upper floor before he was well into the kitchen,and, sniffing the molasses, he turned toward the empty jug and thefull kettle.
"What shall we do? What shall we do?" sobbed Esther. "He will come uphere 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 thehouse. 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 swingingfrom the windowsill, had dropped to the ground, and was speeding downthe path to the mill, while Esther, frightened and helpless, leanedout screaming at the top of her voice.
Mrs. Carew was just leaving the mill when she saw Faith racing towardher. "A bear! A bear in our kitchen," she called.
"Hugh!" called Mrs. Carew, and Mr. Carew came running from the mill tohear the story.
"It's lucky I keep a musket at the mill," he said. "Here, you takeFaith into the mill and fasten the door on the inside. I'll attend tothe bear," and he was off, racing toward the house, while Mrs. Carewhurried Faith into the mill and shut the heavy door.
"I do hope Esther will stay in the chamber until your father getsthere," said Mrs. Carew anxiously. "I do not believe the bear willventure up the stairs."
"He was after the syrup," said Faith, "and if he tried the stairsEsther 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 hermother's arm trembled as she drew the girl to her side.
There was silence for what seemed a very long time to Mrs. Carew andFaith, and then they heard Mr. Carew calling; "All right, open thedoor. Here is Esther safe and sound."
Esther, sobbing and trembling, clung to Mrs. Carew, and Faith heldtight to her father's hand while he told the story. The bear, with hisnose 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 hefinished. "I have dragged the bear outside, and he will furnish ussome fine steaks, and a good skin for a rug; but your kettle of syrupis all over the floor."
"Kettle of syrup?" questioned Mrs. Carew. "Why, there was no kettle ofsyrup." Neither of the little girls offered any explanation. Mr. Carewlooked about the clearing to see if any other bear was in theneighborhood, but it was evident that the creature had come alone.
"'Tis not often they are so bold," said Mr. Carew, as they neared thecabin, "although last year an old bear and two cubs came down by themill, 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 eatenwas smeared over the hearth and floor. The little rocking-chair wastipped over and broken, and everything was in disorder.
Esther looked into the kitchen, but Mrs. Carew cautioned her notto enter. "You and Faith go to the front door and go into thesitting-room," she said. "There is nothing that either of you can doto help;" so Faith led the way and pushed open the heavy door whichled directly into a big comfortable room. The lower floor of the cabinwas divided into two rooms, the sitting-room and kitchen, and overthese were two comfortable chambers. The stairs led up from thekitchen.
Faith thought the sitting-room a very fine place. There was a bigfireplace on one side of the room, and the walls were ceiled, orpaneled, with pine boards. On one side of the fireplace was a broadwooden settle, covered with a number of fur robes, and several bigcushions. Between the two front windows stood a table of dark wood,and on the table were two tall brass candlesticks. A small narrowgilt-framed mirror hung over the table.
There were several strongly-made comfortable wooden chairs withcushions. The floor was of pine, like the ceiled walls, and was now agolden brown in color. There were several bearskin rugs on the floor,for Mr. Carew, like all the men of the "Wilderness," was a hunter; andwhen 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. "Oursitting-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 motherabout 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 dothat I'll get my father to take me home with him instead of stayinguntil 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 matterwhat you did I wouldn't talk about it. Why, even the Indians treatvisitors politely, and give them the best they have, and that's what Ishall do," and Faith stood very straight and looked at Esther veryseriously.
"Truly? Truly? What is the 'best' you have? And when will you give itto me?" demanded Esther, coming close to her and clasping her arm. "Isit beads? Oh! I do hope it is beads! And you can't back out after whatyou have said," and Esther jumped up and down in delight at thethought of a possible string of fine beads.
For a moment it seemed as if Faith would burst into tears. She hadmeant to tell Esther that she would do her best to be kind and politeto her because Esther was a guest, and now Esther was demanding thatFaith should do exactly as she had promised and give her "the best shehad." And it happened that Faith's dearest possession was a string offine beads. Aunt Priscilla Scott, who lived in Ticonderoga, hadbrought them as a gift on her last visit. They were beautiful bluebeads,--like the sky on a June day,--and Faith wore them only onSundays. They were in a pretty little wooden box in the sitting-roomcloset.
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 brassknob set in one of the panels. The panel opened, and there was acloset. The little wooden box that held the beads was on the middleshelf. Faith took it up, closed the door, and turned toward Esther.
"Here! This is the best thing I have in all the world, the prettiestand the dearest. And it is beads. Take them," and she thrust the boxinto Esther's eager hands and ran out of the room. She forgot the deadbear, 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 circledbehind the mill into the woods. She ran on and on until she could nolonger hear the sound of the brook, and the path began to grow rockyand difficult. Then, tired and almost breathless, Faith sat down on abig rock and looked about her. For a few moments she could think ofnothing but her lost beads, and of the disagreeable visitor. Thengradually she realized that she had never before been so far alongthis rough path. All about her rose huge, towering pines. Lookingahead the path seemed to end in a dense thicket. She heard the rustleof some little forest animal as it moved through the vines behindher, and the call of birds near at hand. Faith began to recall thehappenings of the morning: the excitement of Esther's arrival, thesudden appearance of the bear in the kitchen doorway, her terror lesther mother should come before she could be warned; and then, again,Esther and the loss of her beads. She began to
cry. She felt verytired and unhappy. She felt Esther was to blame for everything, evenfor the appearance of the bear. Never before had a bear dared come tothe house. Faith leaned back against a friendly tree with a tiredlittle sigh. She would rest, and then go home, she thought, and closedher eyes.
When she awoke, she thought she must still be dreaming; for, standinga little way down the path, was a tall man leaning on a musket. Hewore a flannel blouse, and his homespun trousers were tucked into highleathern gaiters.
The man smiled and nodded. "Do not be frightened, little maid," hesaid in a friendly voice. "I did not want to leave you here in thewoods until I was sure that you could make your way home. Are youMiller 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 heardyour father speak of me."
"Yes, sir! You are a Green Mountain Boy; and you help the settlers tokeep their 'Grants,'" Faith replied quickly; for she had often heardher father and mother speak of the trouble the settlers were having toprove their titles to land taken under the "New Hampshire Grants," andshe remembered hearing her father say that Ethan Allen would help anyman defend his rights. She wished that she could tell him all aboutEsther Eldridge and the blue beads, but she remembered her promise. "Iguess there are times when people don't have any rights," she decided,and was quite unconscious that she had spoken aloud until she heardher companion say very clearly:
"There can never be such a time as that. People would be slaves indeednot to uphold their just and rightful claims. But why is a small maidlike yourself troubling about 'rights'?"
"I have company at my house----" began Faith.
"I see, I see!" interrupted Colonel Allen. "Of course you have to letthe guest do whatever she pleases," and he smiled and nodded, as if heunderstood all about it. "And now we had best start toward yourfather'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 questionsabout the people who came along the trail from the settlements ontheir way to Lake Champlain.
When they reached the clearing where the mill stood Faith's father andmother came running to meet them. They welcomed Mr. Allen, and saidthat 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.