CHAPTER IV
A NEW PLAN
Esther was much better the next morning, but she was not well enoughto come down-stairs for several days, and when her father appeared heagreed with Mrs. Carew that the little girl was not fit to undertakethe journey on horseback along the rough trail to Brandon.
Mrs. Carew was able to assure him, however, that he need not beanxious 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 fromto-day," he told Esther, "and you must mind Mrs. Carew in everythingshe bids you."
Esther promised tearfully. She did not want to stay, but she resolvedto herself, as she watched her father ride away, that she would doeverything 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 softpillows, and a little fire crackling on the hearth, Esther lookedabout the sitting-room and began to think it a very pleasant place.Faith brought all her treasures to entertain her little visitor. Chiefof these was a fine book called "Pilgrim's Progress," with manypictures. There was a doll,--one that Faith's Aunt Priscilla hadbrought 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 takeLady Amy, as the doll was named. But Esther was as careful as Faithherself, and declared that she did not believe any little girl thatside of Bennington had such a beautiful doll.
"I think your Aunt Priscilla is the best aunt that ever was. She gaveyou this lovely doll, and your blue beads----" Esther stoppedsuddenly. 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 themback. 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 herof the beads. But Esther had been so grateful for everything that Mrs.Carew and Faith did for her that they had almost forgotten hermischief, and were beginning to like their little visitor.
"Yes, my Aunt Prissy is lovely," said Faith. "She is a young aunt. Herhair 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 AuntPrissy came for a visit to the log cabin. "When I go to visit her Ishall see the fort where the English soldiers are," she added.
"Colonel Ethan Allen could take the fort away from them if he wantedto; my father said so," boasted Esther; and Faith was quite ready toagree to this, for it seemed to her that the tall, dark-eyed colonelcould 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 thelight stand and use her own set of dishes. And I will make you a finedish of cream toast."
Both the little girls were delighted at the plan. And Faith ran tothe kitchen and, with her mother's help, brought in the stand andput it down in front of the settle. She spread a white cloth overit, and then turned to the closet, from which she had taken theblue beads, and brought out her treasured tea-set. There was around-bodied, squatty teapot with a high handle, a small pitcher,a round sugar-bowl, two cups and saucers, and two plates. The disheswere of delicate cream-tinted china covered with crimson roses anddelicate buds and faint green leaves.
One by one Faith brought these treasures to the little table, smilingwith delight at Esther's exclamations of admiration.
"My grandmother who lives in Connecticut sent me these for my lastbirthday present," said Faith. "My Grandmother Carew, whom I havenever seen. And they came from across the big salt ocean, fromEngland."
"To think that a little girl in a log cabin should have such lovelythings!" 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 filledthe china teapot with milk so they could play that it was a realtea-party. There were baked apples to eat with the toast, and althoughEsther longed for cake she did not speak of it, and, bolstered up withcushions, and Faith sitting in a high-backed chair facing her, shebegan really to enjoy herself.
"My father made this little table," said Faith, helping Esther to asecond cup of "tea," "and he made these chairs and the settle. He cameup here with Mr. Stanley years ago, and cut down trees and built thishouse and the barn and the mill; then he went way back where mygrandmother lives and brought my mother here. Some day I am to go toConnecticut 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 toschool this winter. That would be splendid!" And Esther sat up soquickly 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 carriedthe dishes to the kitchen, washed them with the greatest care,and replaced them on the closet shelf, Esther talked of all theattractions of living in a village and going to school with otherlittle girls.
"I feel as well as ever," declared Esther as the two little girls wentto bed that night; "but I do wish your mother thought sweet thingswould 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, 'Hurryto bed! Hurry to bed!' And in the morning it is 'Time to get up! Timeto get up!'"
"You are the queerest girl I ever knew. The idea that a brook couldsay anything," replied Esther; but her tone was friendly. "I supposeit's because you live way off here in the woods. Now if you lived in avillage----"
"I don't want to live in a village if it will stop my hearing what thebrook says. And I can tell you what the robins say to the youngrobins; and what little foxes tell their mothers; and I know how thebeavers build their homes under water," declared Faith, with a littlelaugh at Esther's puzzled expression.
"Tell me about the beavers," said Esther, as they snuggled down in thebig feather-bed.
"Every house a beaver builds has two doors," began Faith, "and it hasan up-stairs and down-stairs. One of the doors to the beaver's houseopens on the land side, so that they can get out and get theirdinners; and the other opens under the water--way down deep, belowwhere 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 downtrees with their sharp teeth, and of the dams they built acrossstreams, 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 andparties. 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 Brandonto go to school, and after the little girls had gone to bed she spokeof 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 bewith other children," said Mr. Carew, "but I hardly know how we couldspare her."
There was a little silence, for the father and mother knew that theirpleasant home on the slope of the hillside would be a very differentplace without their little maid.
"But of course we would not think of Brandon," continued Faith'sfather. "If we must let her go, why, her Aunt Priscilla will give hera warm welcome and take good care of the child; and the school atTiconderoga is doubtless a good one."
"Esther seems sorry for her mischief, but I should not wish Faith tobe with her so far from home. Perhaps we had best send some word
toPriscilla by the next traveler who goes that way, and ask her if Faithmay go to her for the winter months," said Mrs. Carew.
So, while Faith described the beaver's home to the sleepy Esther, itwas settled that as soon as it could be arranged she should go to staywith her Aunt Priscilla in the village of Ticonderoga, across LakeChamplain, and go to school.
"If 'twere not that some stray Indians might happen along and make abonfire of our house and mill we might plan for a month's visitourselves," said Mr. Carew.
"We must not think of it," responded his wife. For the log cabin homewas very dear to her, and at that time the Indians, often incited bythe British in command of the forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point,burned the homes of settlers who held their land through grants givenby the New Hampshire government.
"More settlers are coming into this region every year. We shall soonhave neighbors near at hand, and can have a school and church," saidMr. Carew hopefully. "Colonel Allen is not journeying through thewilderness for pleasure. He has some plan in mind to make this regionmore secure for all of us. Well, tell Faithie, if she has aught to sayof going to Brandon, that she is soon to visit Aunt Priscilla. I doubtnot 'twill be best for the child."