Faith opened the kitchen door to step out, but closed it quickly, and looked around at her aunt with a startled face. “There’s a little bear right on the door-step,” she whispered.
“A bear! Oh, I forgot. You have not seen ‘Scotchie,’ our dog,” said Aunt Prissy. “No wonder you thought he was a bear. But he is a fine fellow, and a good friend. I often wish your dear father had just such a dog,” and she opened the door and called “Scotchie! Scotchie!”
The big black Newfoundland dog came slowly into the room.
“Put your hand on his head, Faith,” said Aunt Prissy, “and I’ll tell him who you are, and that he is to take care of you. He went to school with Donald all last spring, and we knew he would take care of him. Here, ‘Scotchie,’ go to the shop with Faith,” she concluded.
Faith started for the square building on the further side of the yard, and the big dog marched along beside her. Donald and little Philip came running to meet her.
“I’m going to make you a bow and some arrows, Cousin Faith,” said Donald, pushing open the shop door. “I have a fine piece of ash, just right for a bow, and some deerskin thongs to string it with. I made bows for Hugh and Philip.”
The workshop seemed a very wonderful place to Faith, and she looked at the forge, with its glowing coals, over which her Uncle Philip was holding a bar of iron, at the long work-bench with its tools, and at the small bench, evidently made for the use of her little cousins.
The boys were eager to show her all their treasures. They had a box full of bright feathers, with which to tip their arrows.
“We’ll show you how to make an arrow, Cousin Faith,” said Donald. “First of all, you must be sure the piece of wood is straight, and has no knots,” and Donald selected a narrow strip of wood and held it on a level with his eyes, squinting at its length, just as he had seen his father do. “This is a good straight piece. Here, you use my knife, and whittle it down until it’s about as big as your finger. And then I’ll show you how to finish it.”
But before Faith had whittled the wood to the required size, they heard the sound of a gaily whistled tune, and Donald ran toward the door and called out: “Hallo, Nathan,” and a tall, pleasant-faced boy of about fifteen years appeared in the doorway. He took off his coonskin cap as he entered.