Yankee Girl at Fort Sumter | Page 4

of the fort was a daily promenade for
many Charleston people. During the summer workmen had been
making necessary repairs on the fortifications; but visitors were always
welcomed by the officers in charge, one of whom, Captain Carleton,
was a college friend of Sylvia's father.
Sylvia could row a small boat very well, and her father had purchased a
pretty sailboat which he was teaching her to steer. She often went with
her father on trips about the harbor, and the little girl always thought
that these excursions were the most delightful of pleasures.
There was a favorable breeze this Saturday afternoon, and the little boat,
with its shining white paint and snowy sail, skimmed swiftly across the
harbor. Sylvia watched the little waves which seemed to dance forward
to meet them, looked at the many boats and vessels, and quite forgot
Elinor Mayhew's unkindness. Her mother and father were talking of the
black servants, whom they had hired with the house of Mr. Robert
Waite, Grace's uncle. Sylvia heard them speak of Aunt Connie, the
good- natured black cook, who lived in a cabin behind the Fultons'
kitchen.
"Aunt Connie wants to bring her little girl to live with her. Their master
is willing, if we have no objections," Sylvia heard her mother say.
"Oh, let the child come," Mr. Fulton responded; "how old is she?"
"Just Sylvia's age. Her name is Estralla," replied Mrs. Fulton.
"You'll have a little darky for a playmate, Sylvia. How will you like
that?" her father asked. But before Sylvia could answer, the boat swung
alongside the landing-place at the fort and she saw her father's friend,
Captain Carleton, waiting to welcome them.
The band was playing, and a few people were on the parapet.

"Not many visitors to-day," said the Captain, as they all walked on
together. "I am afraid the Charleston people resent the fact that the
United States is protecting its property."
As they walked along the Captain pointed to the sand which the wind
had blown into heaps about the sea-front of the old fort. "A child of ten
could easily come into the fort over those sand-banks," he said.
"Whose fort is this?" asked Sylvia, so earnestly that both the Captain
and her father smiled.
"It belongs to the United States, of which South Carolina is one,"
replied the Captain.
Sylvia gave a little sigh of satisfaction. Even Elinor Mayhew could not
find any fault with that, she thought, and she was eager to get home and
tell Grace what the Captain had said.
On the way back Sylvia asked her mother if she knew that there was a
song with her name in it.
"Why, of course, dear child. You were named for that very Sylvia,"
replied her mother.
"'Then to Sylvia let us sing, That Sylvia is excelling; She excels each
mortal thing Upon the dull earth dwelling; To her let us garlands
bring'"--
sang Mrs. Fulton; "and you can thank your father for choosing your
name," she added gaily.
"Oh! But Grace said it was about spelling," explained Sylvia; "but I
like your way best," she added quickly.
There were a good many pleasant things for Sylvia to think of that
night. Not every girl could be named out of a song, she reflected. Then
there was the little colored girl Estralla, who was to arrive the next day,
and besides these interesting facts, she had discovered who really

owned the forts, and could tell her schoolmates on Monday. All these
pleasant happenings made Sylvia forgetful of Elinor Mayhew's
unkindness. Before bedtime she had learned the words of the song from
which she was named. She knew Grace would think that "excelling"
was much better than "spelling."
CHAPTER II
A NEW FRIEND
The next morning Sylvia was awakened by a tapping on her chamber
door. Usually Jennie, the colored girl who helped Aunt Connie in the
work of the house, would come into the room before Sylvia was awake
with a big pitcher of hot water, and Sylvia would open her eyes to see
Jennie unfastening the shutters and spreading out the fresh clothes. So
this morning she wondered what the tapping meant, and called out:
"Come in."
The door opened very slowly and a little negro girl, with a round
woolly head and big startled eyes, stood peering in. She was barefooted,
and wore a straight garment of faded blue cotton.
For a moment the two children stared at each other. Then Sylvia
remembered that Aunt Connie's little girl was coming to live with her
mother.
"Are you Estralla?" she asked eagerly, sitting up in bed.
"Yas, Missy," replied the little darky, lifting the big pitcher of water
and bringing it into the room, where she stood holding it as if not
knowing what to do