CHAPTER XIV
A BIRTHDAY
"Can you skate, Cousin Faith?" asked Donald, on their way to schoolone morning in late December. There had been a week of very coldweather, and the ice of the lake glittered temptingly in the morningsun.
"No, I never had any skates, and there wasn't a very good chance forskating at home," answered Faith regretfully; for many of the schoolchildren were eager for the sport, and told her of their good times onthe ice.
"Mother has a pair of skates for you; I heard her say so; and fatheris going to teach you to skate," responded Donald. "I can skate," headded, "and after you learn we'll have a fine time. Nat Beaman comesacross the lake on the ice in no time."
It was rather difficult for Faith to pay attention to her studies thatday. She wondered when Aunt Prissy would give her the skates, andUncle Phil teach her how to use them. And when the schoolmasterannounced that there would be no school for the remainder of the weekFaith felt that everything was planned just right for her. Now, shethought, she could begin the very next day, if only the cold, clearweather 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 chanceto tell Faith that the skates were a "secret." "But I didn't know ituntil just a few minutes ago," he explained, adding briefly: "I hatesecrets."
Faith agreed heartily. If the skates were a secret who could tell whenAunt Prissy would give them to her? She went to bed a littledespondent, thinking to herself that as soon as she was clear of onesecret another seemed ready to interfere with her happiness. But shewas soon asleep, and woke up to find the sun shining in at herwindows, and Aunt Prissy starting the fire with a shovelful of coalsfrom the kitchen hearth. And what were those shining silver-likeobjects swinging from the bed-post?
"Skates! My skates!" she exclaimed, sitting up in bed. "Oh, AuntPrissy! I did want them so to-day."
"They are your birthday present from your father and mother," saidAunt Prissy, coming to the side of the bed, and leaning over to kissher little niece. "Eleven years old to-day! And you had forgotten allabout it!"
"Why, so I am! Why, so I did!" said Faith. "Well, I like secrets thatend this way. May I go skating right away, Aunt Prissy?"
"Breakfast first!" laughed Aunt Prissy, and was out of the room beforeFaith had noticed that lying across the foot of her bed was a dress ofpretty 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 frontof the blazing fire.
"Why, here are new stockings, too," she said, as she discovered a pairof warm knit brown and blue stockings.
She came running into the dining-room, skates in hand, to be met byher uncle and little cousins with birthday greetings. Donald had atlast finished the bow and arrows that he had promised her weeksbefore, and now gave them to her; Hugh had made a "quiver," a littlecase to hold the arrows, such as the Indians use, of birch bark, andlittle Philip had a dish filled with molasses candy, which he hadhelped to make.
It was a beautiful morning for Faith, and the broiled chicken and hotcorn cake gave the breakfast an added sense of festivity.
Soon after breakfast Mr. Scott, Donald and Faith were ready to startfor the lake. Donald took his sled along. "So we can draw Cousin Faithhome, if she gets tired," he explained, with quite an air of beingolder and stronger than his cousin.
Aunt Prissy watched them start off, thinking to herself that Faith hadnever looked so pretty as she did in the fur coat and cap, with herskates swinging from her arm, the bright steel catching the rays ofsunlight.
They crossed the road, and went down the field to the shore. The hardcrust gave Faith and Donald a fine coast down the slope, and both thechildren 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 oneside and Donald on the other, Faith ventured out on the dark, shiningice. After a few lurches and tumbles, she found that she could standalone, and in a short time could skate a little.
"Father, are those Indians?" asked Donald, pointing to a number ofdark figures coming swiftly down the lake from the direction of thefort.
Mr. Scott looked, and answered quickly: "Yes. They have seen us; so wewill skate toward them. They will probably be friendly." But he toldFaith to sit down on the sled, and took fast hold of Donald's hand. Ina few moments the flying figures of the Indians were close at hand.There were six of them, young braves, and evidently racing either forsport, or bound on some errand of importance, for they sped straightpast the little group, with a friendly call of salutation.
"I wonder what that means," said Mr. Scott, turning to watch them. "Itmay 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 Americansettlers, and drive them from their homes," replied Mr. Scott. Fornews of the trouble in Boston, the blockade of the port, and the lackof supplies, had reached the men of the Wilderness; and Mr. Scott knewthat the English were planning to send a larger body of troops to FortTiconderoga and Crown Point, and the sight of these speeding Indiansmade him wonder if they might not be English messengers.
"Couldn't we stop them, uncle?" asked Faith, so earnestly that heruncle 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 inthe distance. "If trouble comes there are brave Americans ready," hesaid; "and now we had best be going toward home, or you will be tootired to come out this afternoon."
Faith and Donald were surprised to find that it was dinner time. Theyhad a great deal to tell Aunt Prissy of their morning's adventures.
"Could a little girl do anything to help, Aunt Prissy, if the Englishdo try to drive us away?" Faith asked, as she helped her aunt clearthe dining-room table.
"Who knows?" responded Mrs. Scott, cheerfully. "A brave girl might beof great service. But I do not believe the Tories will dare go muchfarther. 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, anddelighted at the prospect of going to the lake with Faith and Donaldthat afternoon. Faith and Donald promised to draw her on the sled, andAunt 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 firstseen. She knew that she had friends; she was included in all thepleasant happenings with Faith; her father seemed to take pride in herappearance; and best of all, she thought, she was to begin school whenthe spring term opened. To-day as they started off for the lake shewas as full of happiness as any child could be.
There were a number of children and young people on the ice, skatingand sliding. A number of boys had built a bonfire on the shore, wherethey could warm their chilled toes and fingers.
Nathan Beaman was there, circling about in skilful curves, or dartingoff with long swift strokes, greatly to the admiration of the otherchildren. He was quite ready to take the sled rope and give Louise afine ride up the lake toward the fort, and back to the fire, and toguide Faith in her clumsy efforts to skate.
Faith and Louise were warming their fingers at the fire when theyheard loud voices and a commotion on the ice.
"What is it? Indians?" exclaimed Faith, looking around, for thesettlers never knew at what moment the Indians might becomemischievous.
"No! Soldiers. Soldiers from the fort," replied Aunt Prissy, drawingthe little girls away from the fire. "Perhaps they are only coming towarm their fingers."
Two red-coated soldiers came swinging close to the sho
re. They weretalking loudly, and as they neared the fire they called out: "Clearaway from that fire. We'll have no fires built on this shore. 'Tistoo good a way to send messages across the lake."
With a couple of stout sticks they beat out the flame, kicking snowover the coals, and extinguishing the last bit of fire.
Mrs. Scott had helped Louise toward the ice, but Faith had lingered amoment. As one of the soldiers turned from the fire he found himselffacing a little fur-clad figure with flushed cheeks and angry eyes.
"That was our fire. You had no business to put it out," Faithdeclared.
"Oh, ho! What's this?" laughed the soldier. "Do you own this lake? Orperhaps you are our new captain?"
"It is a mean thing to spoil our fire," continued Faith; "we wouldn'tdo you any harm."
"I'm not so sure about that," replied the soldier. "You have a prettyfierce expression," and with another kick at the fire, and a"good-bye, little rebel," to Faith, the two soldiers started back tothe fort. The skaters now, troubled and angry by the unfriendlyinterference, 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 Faithearnestly; she was quite sure that Ethan Allen could do anything heattempted.
"Ask him yourself," responded Nathan laughingly.
"I guess I will," Faith thought to herself, as she followed AuntPrissy up the field toward home. "Perhaps that would be doingsomething to help Americans."
The more Faith thought about this the stronger became her resolve toask Colonel Allen to take possession of Fort Ticonderoga. She was sosilent all the way home that her companions were sure she wasovertired. Louise had to return to her own home, and soon after supperFaith was ready to go to bed.
"I've got a real secret now; even if I don't like secrets," shethought to herself. For she realized that she could not tell any oneof her determination to find some way to ask Ethan Allen to captureTiconderoga and send the troublesome English soldiers back to theirown homes.