A Little Maid of Ticonderoga

								

expected that she and Esther would be the best of friends, but the
time before dinner seemed very long to both the children.
Soon after dinner Mr. Eldridge went on his way. He left his horse in
Mr. Carew's care, as he was to walk to the shore of Lake Champlain and
trust to good fortune to find a canoe or boat in which he could cross
the narrow strait to Ticonderoga. He would not return for a week, and
he seemed greatly pleased that his little daughter was so contented to
be left with her new friends.
"She is an only child, like your own little maid," he said to Mrs.
Carew, "and I am glad they are to be friends."
They all walked down the slope with him, and watched him striding off
along the rough path.
"He's going to fetch me some rock-candy," said Esther as they turned
back to the house.
Mrs. Carew stopped at the mill, and the two little girls went back to
the house.
"We'll make the maple candy now, shan't we?" said Esther, as they
reached the kitchen door. "See, the kettle is all clean, and I know
where the molasses jug is," and before Faith could remind her that she
had not yet asked permission, Esther was dragging the heavy jug from
the pantry.
"Oh, look out, Esther. You'll spill it," cautioned Faith, running to
help her.
"No, I won't. Here, help me turn it into the kettle and get it over
the fire before your mother comes back," urged Esther, and the two
girls lifted the jug and turned the maple syrup into the kettle.
"There, that will make a lot of candy," said Esther. "You stir up the
fire and put on more wood."
Faith obeyed. She hardly knew what else she could do, although she was
sure that her mother would not want them to use all the syrup for
candy. As she piled on the wood, she heard a scrambling noise at the
door, and a sudden scream from Esther: "Faith! Faith! A bear! A bear!"
and looking over her shoulder she saw a big brown bear coming in
through the kitchen door.

CHAPTER II
FAITH MAKES A PROMISE

For a second Faith was too frightened to move. Then pulling one of the
newly kindled sticks from the fire she hurled it at the big creature
and ran for the stairs, up which Esther was already hurrying.
The flaming brand halted the bear for a second only, but the little
girls had reached the upper floor before he was well into the kitchen,
and, sniffing the molasses, he turned toward the empty jug and the
full kettle.
"What shall we do? What shall we do?" sobbed Esther. "He will come up
here 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 the
house. 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 swinging
from the windowsill, had dropped to the ground, and was speeding down