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.