again, and told
them more fully of Allen's triumph, and of the capture of Crown Point
by Seth Warner and his followers.
Toward the last of May Aunt Prissy, accompanied by Nathan Beaman,
arrived at the log cabin, and Faith heard the story of Louise's
arrival at Ticonderoga.
"Her father has been taken a prisoner to Hartford, and Louise will
stay with me," Aunt Prissy said. "I will adopt her for my own daughter
if her father consents."
"I do hope he will," said Faith, glad indeed to know that her friend
was safe.
"And so my little Faith did help take the fort after all, thanks to
Nathan," said Aunt Prissy, smiling down at her little niece.
"'Twas Faith who really helped, for she told Colonel Allen about me,"
Nathan added handsomely.
All this made Faith a very happy little girl; but when, a few weeks
later, a messenger brought her a letter from Ethan Allen himself, she
felt that no other little girl in all the American Colonies could be
as proud as Faith Carew. She confessed to her mother that, after all,
some secrets were worth keeping. Colonel Allen invited her to make a
visit to the fort, and it was arranged that her father should take her
to Ticonderoga and that she should stay for a few days with Aunt
Prissy.
So once again she went over the trail and crossed the lake, and on a
pleasant June morning with her father and Aunt Prissy, she stood again
at the entrance to Fort Ticonderoga. This time she was not left alone,
as on her first visit, a frightened deserted child. For it was Colonel
Allen himself, tall and handsome, who met the little party at the
entrance and escorted them about the fortifications.
"'Faith,'" he said kindly, as he bade them good-bye, "'tis indeed the
best of names for a little American girl; a name that I shall ever
remember."
Faith was very quiet as they walked toward home. She was thinking to
herself of all the happy experiences of the past weeks; and not until
she saw Louise waiting for her at Aunt Prissy's gate did her face lose
its serious expression. She ran ahead of the others and called out:
"Louise! Louise! You will be Aunt Prissy's little girl, won't you?
Because then you'll really be an American."
Louise nodded happily.
"Yes; and father is going to be an American, too. Didn't Aunt Prissy
tell you?" she responded; "and it's all because you were my friend,
Faith," she added more soberly, as the two girls entered the house,
and stood hand in hand at the door where
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