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,"