FAITH AGAIN VISITS THE FORT
The night after hearing that Louise had gone Faith felt more nearly
homesick than at any time since her arrival at her aunt's house.
Everything seemed to remind her of her friend. Even "Lady Amy" made
her remember that Louise had never owned a doll of her own.
"And I had meant to give Louise one of my strings of blue beads just
as soon as I had asked Aunt Prissy," she thought, regretfully, holding
up the pretty beads, and recalling how much Louise had admired them.
"Aunt Prissy," she called, running down the stairs and into the
sitting-room, "may I not give Louise one of my bead necklaces?"
Aunt Prissy looked up in amazement.
"But how can you, Faithie, dear? We do not know where she is," she
answered.
"We shall know some time. Of course we shall. And when we do, may I? I
meant to ask you the day of the quilting," said Faith.
"Of course you may, child. I was sure that you would want to when
Esther sent the beads. I only hope you may have a chance to give them
to Louise at an early day," responded Aunt Prissy.
This decision proved a comfort to Faith. As the weeks went by, and no
news of the shoemaker and his little daughter was received, she would
often look at the string of blue beads which she meant to give her
friend. "I wish I had given them to her on my birthday," she thought
regretfully, "but she shall have them some time," for Faith was quite
sure that it could not be very long before Louise would find a way to
let them know where she was.
March came, "stirring the fire" vigorously from the day of its
arrival. The ice in the lake broke up rapidly, the snow melted, and by
the middle of the month Faith began to expect her father. Nathan
Beaman, in his clumsy boat, had crossed from Shoreham a number of
times. He often teasingly reminded Faith of her plan to ask Ethan
Allen to come and take possession of Fort Ticonderoga.
"You'd better hurry. The British will be sending men down from Canada
by early summer, and then 'twill be of no use for the Green Mountain
Boys to try to capture the fort," he said.
"How do you always know so much about what the English are going to
do?" asked Faith.
The children were all in the shop. Nathan was helping Donald in the
construction of a small boat, and Faith and the two younger boys had
been filling a basket with chips and shavings to carry into the house.
"Can't help knowing," answered Nathan. "I hear the men at the fort
talking about all their fine plans to own all this country every time
I go there."
"Nathan," and Faith lowered her voice so that the other children would
not hear, "you know I promised not to tell about the door at the
fort?"
Nathan nodded; he was looking at her sharply, and half feared that she
was about to tell him that she had broken the promise.
"Well, of course I shan't tell. But if my telling some American would
help send the soldiers away, mayn't I tell then?" and Faith's face was
very serious as she waited for his response.
"Yes. I meant you weren't to tell Louise Trent, or those Young girls,"
said Nathan. "And don't tell any one unless you are sure it will be of
some use. You see I may tell, if it comes to that."
Faith drew a long breath. "Thank you, Nathan," she said, in so serious
a tone that the boy laughed aloud.
"You are as grave about that old fort as my father and the Shoreham
men are. You ought to hear my father tell about the big fight here in
1758. He was a young man then, and the French held the fort, and the
English were after it."
Donald had stopped his work, and he and Hugh were listening eagerly.
"Tell us, tell us about it," said Donald.
"Father says there'll never be anything like it again. All the
Colonies sent men, and Lord Howe brought thousands of English
soldiers. England was our friend then," said Nathan. "They had
thousands of boats, and rafts to carry their big guns. They had big
flags, and music; and they didn't lurk or skulk about. Their boats
came right down the lake in fine shape; they landed, and marched
toward the fort. But the French were ready for them, and beat them
back. However, the next year the English and Americans drove the
French out."
"I guess the English are brave," Donald ventured, returning to his
work.
"Of course they are. Why, we're all English ourselves," declared
Nathan, "and that's why we won't stand being treated so unfairly. We
can't stand it."
"I'm not English. I'm an American," said Faith; "and when the
Americans take Ticonderoga that will be American too."
"That's the way to talk, little maid," said a gruff voice, and the
children turned quickly toward the door.
"I didn't mean to listen," and a tall man, dressed in deerskin jacket
and trousers, with moccasins, and wearing a fur cap, stepped into the
shop, resting his musket against the wall near the door. "Shouldn't
have dared come in if I had not heard I was in good company," he said
laughingly, his sharp eyes looking carefully about the shop.
Nathan, with a half-muttered word of good-bye to the children, had
started toward the door; but the newcomer's hand grasped his arm.
"Wait a minute!" he said, swinging the boy about. "I'm not so sure
about letting you start off so smart. You may head straight for the
fort, for all I know. What's your name?"
Nathan stood silent. His face flushed, but he looked the newcomer
steadily in the face.
"Let go of Nathan!" said Donald sturdily, clutching at the man's arm,
and kicking at his legs. "This isn't your shop. You let go of him."
"I guess I'd better," laughed the man, taking a firm hold of Donald
and looking at both his captives in evident amusement. "Well, Philip
Scott, what sort of a hornet's nest have you here?" he called out, and
Faith turned around to see her Uncle Philip standing in the doorway.
"I'll not let go these men until you promise to defend me," continued
the stranger.
"You are safe, Phelps," responded Mr. Scott, coming forward and, as
Nathan and Donald were released, giving the stranger a cordial
welcome. Nathan vanished without a word, but on Mr. Scott's saying
that he was the son of Mr. Beaman of Shoreham, the stranger was
reassured. It was evident he did not wish his arrival to become known
at the fort.
Faith heard the stranger say that he had come from Hartford, and that
he would cross to the New Hampshire Grants as soon as he could safely
do so.
"I'd like to look in at Fort Ticonderoga if I could without the
soldiers knowing it," she heard him say, and her uncle replied that it
would be impossible.
Faith was sure that this stranger was on some errand to the Green
Mountain Boys, for he spoke of Remember Baker, and Seth Warner.
"I'd like to take Colonel Allen a plan of the fort," she heard him
say, as she helped Aunt Prissy prepare an early dinner for their
visitor.
Faith wished that she was grown up. Then, she was sure, she would dare
to tell this stranger of the way up the cliff to the unguarded
entrance. "He could go up this evening, and then he could tell Colonel
Allen all about it," she thought, and before dinner was over she had
resolved to find a way to tell him. But after a talk with Mr. Scott
the visitor had declared he must get a few hours sleep. He said that
he had been on the trail since very early that morning, and must be
off again soon after sunset.
"Run in the sitting-room, Faithie, and fix a cushion for Mr. Phelps,"
said Aunt Prissy, and the little girl started obediently.
"I'll tell him now," she resolved, and as the tall man followed her
she said quickly: "I know how you can get into the fort and no one see
you. It's a secret. I'll show you. But Uncle Phil won't let me if you
tell him."
"I'll not tell him. You are a brave child. Tell me quickly," responded
the tall stranger.
"There's a canoe under the big willow at the bottom of the field----"
began Faith, but he interrupted.
"Yes! Yes! I know. I am to cross the lake in it. But how can I get
into the fort?"
"I could show you. I can't tell you," answered Faith.
"Then 'tis of small use. Harm might come to you, child," he answered,
stretching himself out on the long settle with a tired sigh.
Faith went slowly back to the kitchen. Here was the very chance she
had so long hoped for, and this stranger would not let her attempt it.
All that afternoon Faith was very quiet. She walked across the fields
to the shore and looked at the big willow tree where the canoe was
concealed. She looked off toward Mount Defiance, and Mount Hope,
rising clearly against the sky, as if standing sentinels for Fort
Ticonderoga.
"I'll try, anyway," she said to herself, as she turned toward home.
After supper she went early up-stairs. But she did not undress. She
knew that her uncle would not go to the lake shore with his visitor,
for that might attract the attention of some hunter or fisherman. It
would not be long before Mr. Phelps would start. There was no time to
lose. She put on her fur cap, and a knit jacket, and then peered out
of the window. The sky was clear, and the moon made it almost as light
as day. The sound of the falls came clearly through the quiet air.
"He could find his way up the cliff as plainly as if it were
daylight," thought Faith, as she turned from the window.
She opened her door and closed it silently behind her. Her cousins
were in bed, her uncle and aunt in the sitting-room with their
visitor. Faith would have to pass the sitting-room door and go through
the kitchen; the slightest noise would betray her. She had put on
her moccasins, the ones Kashaqua had given her, and she stepped
cautiously, without a sound. In a few moments she was safely
out-of-doors and running across the field. She crouched down in the
canoe and waited.
Faith did not hear or see the stranger as he came toward the
shore--not until he grasped the canoe to push it into the water.
"King of Britain!" he whispered under his breath, when Faith spoke his
name. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to show you the way into the fort. Yes! 'Twill take not
more than an hour or two. Then you can leave me here. 'Twill do me no
harm, and you will tell Colonel Allen about the fort," said Faith, in
a whisper.
The man slid the canoe into the water. "You are well-named, Faith," he
responded. "Well, 'tis a chance, and no man will harm a little maid,"
and with a stroke of his paddle he sent the canoe clear of the willows
and headed toward the fort.
"Keep close to the shore," whispered Faith, peering anxiously ahead.
Several hours later Faith stepped from the canoe, and said a whispered
good-bye to the stranger, and watched the canoe dart off straight
toward Shoreham. He had scaled the cliff, while Faith kept the canoe
close under the alder bushes, entered the door of the fort, and
skilfully made his way about the fortifications, determining the right
place for an attack and assuring himself that the fortress contained
valuable stores.
As Faith stepped from the canoe the man tried to thank her.
"Some day your Uncle Scott will hear of this, and be proud indeed of
so brave a child," he said, "and I shall tell Colonel Allen your name,
and of your courage. Be sure of that. You have helped the American
cause more than a regiment of soldiers."
Faith said over his words as she made her way across the fields. She
recalled her first visit to the fort. "I'm glad those girls ran off
that day," she thought, as she gently tried the back door. It was
securely fastened. A low warning growl from "Scotchie" made her fear
to lift a window. He would arouse the household. She stood on the
steps, shivering a little in the sharp March wind. "I must get in
without making a noise," she thought. But she could think of no way to
accomplish it.
In spite of her silence "Scotchie" realized that some one was outside.
He barked, growled, and once or twice threw himself against the door.
Then suddenly his growls stopped, and, before Faith had time to move,
the kitchen door opened slightly and she heard her uncle say, "Who's
there?" and knew that, musket in hand, he was awaiting her answer.