when sylvia had told estralla to come to her room that night, she had determined to find a way to get the little negro to a place of safety. sylvia did not know that a negro was, in those far-off days, the property of his master as much as a horse or a dog, and that wherever the negro might go his master could claim him and punish him for trying to escape. any person aiding a slave to escape could also be punished by law.
all sylvia thought of was to have estralla protected, and she was quite sure that a united states fort could protect one little negro girl. nevertheless she was troubled and worried as to how she could carry out her plan; but she resolved not to tell grace.
as usual flora was waiting at miss patten's gate for her friends. she was wearing a pretty turban hat, and pinned in front was a fine blue cockade, to which flora pointed and said: "look, girls. this is the secession cockade. ralph gave it to me," she explained; "all loyal carolinians ought to wear it, ralph says."
"what does it mean to wear one?" asked sylvia.
"oh, it means that you believe south carolina has a right to keep its slaves, and sell them, of course; and if the united states interferes, why, carolinians will teach them a lesson," flora explained grandly, repeating the explanation her father had given her that very morning.
many of the other girls wore blue cockades, and a palmetto flag was hung behind miss rosalie's desk.
"young ladies," said miss rosalie, "i have hung south carolina's flag where you can all see it. you all know that a flag is an emblem. our flag means the glory of our past and the hope of the future. i will ask you all to rise and salute this flag!"
the little girls all stood, and each raised her right hand. all but
sylvia. flushed and unhappy, with downcast eyes, she kept her seat.
this was not the "stars and stripes," the flag she had been taught to
love and honor. she knew that the palmetto flag stood for slavery.
sylvia did not know what miss rosalie would say to her, and, even worse than her teacher's disapproval, she was sure that her schoolmates, perhaps even grace and flora, would dislike and blame her for not saluting their flag.
but she was soon to realize just how serious was her failure to salute the palmetto flag. miss rosalie came down the aisle and laid a note on sylvia's desk.
it was very brief: "you may go home at recess. take your books and go quietly without a word to any of the other pupils. you may tell your parents that i do not care to have you as a pupil for another day."
as sylvia read these words the tears sprang to her eyes. it was all she could do not to sob aloud. she dared not look at the other girls. she held a book before her face, and only hoped that she could keep back the tears until recess-time.
but not for a moment did sylvia wish that she had saluted a flag which stood for the protection of slavery. miss rosalie had said that a flag was an "emblem," and even in her unhappiness sylvia knew that the emblem of the united states stood for justice and liberty.
when the hour of recess came sylvia had her books neatly strapped, and, as miss rosalie had directed, she left the room quietly without one word to any of the other girls. she had nearly reached the gate when she heard steps close behind her and grace's voice calling: "sylvia, sylvia, dear," and grace's arm was about her. "it's a mean shame," declared the warm-hearted little southern girl, "and flag or no flag, i'm your true friend."
"grace! grace!" called miss rosalie, and before sylvia could respond her loyal playmate had turned obediently back to the house.
sylvia stepped out on the street, her eyes a little blurred by tears, but greatly comforted by grace's assuring words of friendship.
she did not want to go home and tell her mother what had happened, and show her miss patten's note, for she knew that her mother would be troubled and unhappy.
suddenly she decided to go to her father's warehouse and tell him, and go home with him at noon. she was sure her father would think she had done right.
she turned and walked quickly down king street, and in a short time she was near the wharves and could see the long building where her father stored the cotton he purchased from the planters. the wharves were piled high with boxes and bales, and there were small boats coming in to the wharves, and others making ready to depart.
sylvia could see her father's boat close to the wharf near the warehouse. "i wish i could take that boat and carry estralla off to fort sumter," she thought.
a good-natured negro led her to mr. fulton's office, and before her father could say a word sylvia was in the midst of her story. she told of the blue cockades that the other girls wore, of the palmetto flag, and of her failure to salute it, and handed him miss patten's note.
mr. fulton looked serious and troubled as he listened to his little girl's story. then he lifted her to his knee, took off her pretty hat, and said:
"too bad, dear child! but you did right. a little yankee girl must be loyal to the stars and stripes. i am glad you came and told me."
for a moment it seemed to sylvia that her father had forgotten all about her. he was looking straight out of the window.
while he had not forgotten his little girl he was thinking that charleston people must be quite ready to take the serious step of urging their state to declare her secession from the united states, and her right to buy and sell human beings as slaves.
he wished that the united states officers at fort moultrie could realize that at any time charleston men might seize fort sumter, where there were but few soldiers, and he said aloud: "i ought to warn them."
sylvia wondered for a moment what her father could mean, but he said quickly: "jump down and put on your hat. i'm going to sail down to fort moultrie and have a talk with my good friends there, and you can come with me."
at this good news sylvia forgot all her troubles. a sail across the harbor with her father was the most delightful thing that she could imagine. and she held fast to his hand, smiling happily, as they walked down the wharf where the boat was fastened.
mr. fulton was beginning to find his position as a northern man in charleston rather uncomfortable. many of his southern friends firmly believed that the northern men had no right to tell them that slavery was wrong and must cease. he wished to protect his business interests, or he would have returned to boston; for it was difficult for him not to declare his own patriotic feeling that abraham lincoln, who had just been elected president of the united states, would never permit slavery to continue.
mr. fulton sent a darky with a message to sylvia's mother that he was taking the little girl for a sail to the forts, and in a short time they were on board the butterfly, as sylvia had named the white sloop, and were going swiftly down the harbor.
"may i steer?" asked sylvia, and mr. fulton smilingly agreed. he was very proud of his little daughter's ability to sail a boat, and although he watched her shape the boat's course, and was ready to give her any needed assistance, he was sure that he could trust her.
as they sailed past fort sumter sylvia could see men at work repairing the fortifications. over both forts waved the stars and stripes.
she made a skilful landing at fort moultrie, greatly to the admiration of the sentry on guard. mr. fulton and sylvia went directly to the officer's quarters, which were in the rear of the fort, and where mrs. carleton gave sylvia a warm welcome. she asked the little girl about her school and sylvia told her what had happened that morning.
"i am not surprised," said captain carleton. "i expect any day that charleston men will take fort sumter, and fly the palmetto flag, instead of the stars and stripes. if major anderson had his way we would have a stronger force in fort sumter, and that is greatly needed."
major anderson was the officer in command at fort moultrie. he was a southern man, but a true and loyal officer of the united states.
when captain carleton and mr. fulton went out mrs. carleton asked sylvia if she was sorry to leave the school, and if she liked her schoolmates. sylvia was eager to tell her of all the good times she had enjoyed with grace and flora, and declared that they were her true friends. then she told mrs. carleton about estralla, and of her resolve that the little darky girl should not be separated from aunt connie.
"your best plan, then, will be to go and see mr. robert waite and ask him. he is a kind-hearted man, and perhaps he will promise you to let the child stay with her mother. i hope it will not be long now before all the slaves will be set free," said mrs. carleton.
before sylvia could respond captain carleton came hurrying into the room. he had a letter in his hand, and asked sylvia to excuse mrs. carleton for a moment, and they left the room together. in a few moments mrs. carleton returned alone, and sylvia heard captain carleton say: "it is worth trying."
"my dear sylvia, i want you to do something for me; it is not really for me," she added quickly, "it is for the united states. something to help keep the flag flying over these forts."
"oh, can i do something like that?" sylvia asked eagerly.
"yes, my dear. now, listen carefully. here is a letter which major anderson wants delivered to a gentleman who will start for washington to-morrow. if anyone from this fort should be seen visiting that gentleman he would not be allowed to leave charleston as he plans. if your father, even, should call upon him it would create suspicion. so i am going to ask you to carry this letter to the address written on the envelope, and you must give it into his own hands to-night. not even your own father will know that you have this letter; so if he should be questioned or watched he will be able to deny knowing of its existence. are you willing to undertake it?"
"yes! yes!" promised sylvia. "i will carry it safely. the gentleman shall have the letter to-night," and she reached out her hand to take it.
but mrs. carleton shook her head. "no, my dear, i will pin it safely inside your dress. it would not do for you to be seen leaving the fort with a letter in your hand."
