“No, I never had any skates, and there wasn’t a very good chance for skating at home,” answered Faith regretfully; for many of the school children were eager for the sport, and told her of their good times on the ice.
“Mother has a pair of skates for you; I heard her say so; and father is going to teach you to skate,” responded Donald. “I can skate,” he added, “and after you learn we’ll have a fine time. Nat Beaman comes across the lake on the ice in no time.”
It was rather difficult for Faith to pay attention to her studies that day. She wondered when Aunt Prissy would give her the skates, and Uncle Phil teach her how to use them. [Pg 141]And when the schoolmaster announced that there would be no school for the remainder of the week Faith felt that everything was planned just right for her. Now, she thought, she could begin the very next day, if only the cold, clear weather 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 chance to tell Faith that the skates were a “secret.” “But I didn’t know it until just a few minutes ago,” he explained, adding briefly1: “I hate secrets.”
Faith agreed heartily2. If the skates were a secret who could tell when Aunt Prissy would give them to her? She went to bed a little despondent3, thinking to herself that as soon as she was clear of one secret another seemed ready to interfere4 with her happiness. But she was soon asleep, and woke up to find the sun shining in at her windows, and Aunt Prissy starting the fire with a shovelful5 of coals from the kitchen hearth6. And what were those shining silver-like objects swinging from the bed-post?
“Skates! My skates!” she exclaimed, sitting [Pg 142]up in bed. “Oh, Aunt Prissy! I did want them so to-day.”
“They are your birthday present from your father and mother,” said Aunt Prissy, coming to the side of the bed, and leaning over to kiss her little niece. “Eleven years old to-day! And you had forgotten all about it!”
“Why, so I am! Why, so I did!” said Faith. “Well, I like secrets that end this way. May I go skating right away, Aunt Prissy?”
“Breakfast first!” laughed Aunt Prissy, and was out of the room before Faith had noticed that lying across the foot of her bed was a dress of pretty 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 front of the blazing fire.
“Why, here are new stockings, too,” she said, as she discovered a pair of warm knit brown and blue stockings.
She came running into the dining-room, skates in hand, to be met by her uncle and little cousins with birthday greetings. Donald had at last finished the bow and arrows that he had promised her weeks before, and now gave [Pg 143]them to her; Hugh had made a “quiver,” a little case to hold the arrows, such as the Indians use, of birch bark, and little Philip had a dish filled with molasses candy, which he had helped to make.
It was a beautiful morning for Faith, and the broiled7 chicken and hot corn cake gave the breakfast an added sense of festivity.
Soon after breakfast Mr. Scott, Donald and Faith were ready to start for the lake. Donald took his sled along. “So we can draw Cousin Faith home, if she gets tired,” he explained, with quite an air of being older and stronger than his cousin.
Aunt Prissy watched them start off, thinking to herself that Faith had never looked so pretty as she did in the fur coat and cap, with her skates swinging from her arm, the bright steel catching8 the rays of sunlight.
They crossed the road, and went down the field to the shore. The hard crust gave Faith and Donald a fine coast down the slope, and both the children 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 [Pg 144]up by her uncle on one side and Donald on the other, Faith ventured out on the dark, shining ice. After a few lurches and tumbles, she found that she could stand alone, and in a short time could skate a little.
“Father, are those Indians?” asked Donald, pointing to a number of dark figures coming swiftly down the lake from the direction of the fort.
Mr. Scott looked, and answered quickly: “Yes. They have seen us; so we will skate toward them. They will probably be friendly.” But he told Faith to sit down on the sled, and took fast hold of Donald’s hand. In a few moments the flying figures of the Indians were close at hand. There were six of them, young braves, and evidently racing9 either for sport, or bound on some errand of importance, for they sped straight past the little group, with a friendly call of salutation.
“I wonder what that means,” said Mr. Scott, turning to watch them. “It may 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.
[Pg 145]“Heaven knows, child. Perhaps for troops enough to crush the American settlers, and drive them from their homes,” replied Mr. Scott. For news of the trouble in Boston, the blockade of the port, and the lack of supplies, had reached the men of the
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