ESTRALLA AND ELINOR
In the morning Sylvia did not refer to what had happened the day
before, so her mother decided not to question her. Grace and Flora both
arrived at an early hour to accompany Sylvia to school. They were eager
to hear how she had happened to be on the schooner which had carried
arms to Fort Sumter from the Charleston Arsenal. But Sylvia did not
seem to want to talk of her adventure, and both the little southern
girls were too polite to question her.
"Father says those guns don't belong to the United States, they belong
to South Carolina."
Sylvia did not reply. She recalled one of her lessons, however, where
she had learned that the United States meant each and every State in
the Union and she remembered what Captain Carleton had said.
"Mother says I may go with you on Saturday, Flora," interrupted Grace;
"I wish it was Friday this minute."
"So do I," agreed Flora laughingly; "and we must teach Sylvia to ride
on one of the ponies this time."
For on the previous visit Sylvia had said that she wished she could
ride as Flora did.
"Oh! Truly? Flora, do you really mean it?" Sylvia asked.
"Of course I do. We will have a ride Saturday afternoon and again
Sunday," replied Flora.
With the pleasure of the plantation visit in store Sylvia for the
moment forgot all about her dread of facing the girls at school. Miss
Patten detained her at the door of the schoolroom with a warmer
greeting than usual, but said: "My dear, I want to talk with you at
recess;" but her smile was so friendly and her words so kind that
Sylvia was not troubled. As she passed Elinor's seat she did not look
up, but the whisper, "Yankee," made her flush, and brought back all her
dislike of the tall, handsome Elinor.
At recess, after the other girls had left the schoolroom, Miss Patten
came to Sylvia's desk and sat down beside her.
"Sylvia, dear," she said gently, "I want you to tell me why you started
off alone yesterday. Had anything happened here at school to make you
so unhappy that you did not want to stay?"
Sylvia looked up in surprise. Why, Miss Patten seemed to know all about
it, she thought. How easy it would be to tell her the whole story. But
suddenly she resolved that no matter what Miss Patten knew, she,
Sylvia, must not break her word. So she looked down at her desk, and
made no reply.
"I am sure none of the other pupils would mean to hurt your feelings,
Sylvia. But if any of them have carelessly said something that sounded
unkind, I know they will apologize," continued the friendly voice; and
again Sylvia looked up. If she told what Elinor and May had said she
was now sure that Miss Rosalie would make them both say they were
sorry; and Sylvia remembered that she had declared to them that they
should do exactly that.
"Would they really, Miss Patten?" she asked in so serious a voice that
the teacher believed for the moment that she would soon know the exact
reason why Sylvia had fled from the school; and she was right, she was
about to hear it, but not from Sylvia. There was a little silence in
the quiet pleasant room where the scent of jessamine and honey-suckle
came through the open windows, and no sound disturbed the two at
Sylvia's desk. Sylvia was assuring herself that she really ought to
tell Miss Patten; but somehow she could not speak. If she broke a
promise, even to an enemy, as she felt Elinor Mayhew to be, she would
despise herself. But Elinor would have to apologize for the way she had
treated Sylvia. Just at this moment of hesitation a round woolly head
appeared at one of the open windows. Two small black hands rested on
the window-sill, and a moment later Estralla, in her faded blue dress,
was standing directly in front of Miss Patten and Sylvia.
"I begs pardon, Missy Teacher. But I knows my missy ain't done nuffin'
to be kept shut up for. An' I knows why she runned off yesterd'y.
Yas'm. I heered dat tall dark girl an' nuther girl sayin' as how Missy
Sylvia was a Yankee. Yas'm; and as how they was glad they called her
names. Yas'm, I sho' heered 'em say those very words," and Estralla
bobbed her head, and stood trembling in every limb before "Missy
Teacher," not knowing what would happen to her, but determined that the
little white girl, who had protected her, and given her the fine pink
dress, should not be punished.
"Oh, Estralla!" whispered Sylvia, her face brightening.
Miss Rosalie stood up, and rested her hand on Sylvia's shoulder.
"And so you would not tell, or complain about your schoolmates?" Then
without waiting for a reply, she leaned over and kissed Sylvia. "That
is right, dear child. I am proud to have you as a pupil. Now," and she
turned to Estralla, "you run home as fast as you can go. Your young
mistress is not being punished, and will not be. But you did just right
in coming to tell me. But the next time you come remember to come in at
the door!" and Miss Rosalie smiled pleasantly at the little darky,
whose face now was radiant with delight.
"Yas'm. I sho' will 'member," and with a smile at Sylvia, Estralla
tiptoed toward the open door and disappeared.
It was a very grave teacher who watched her pupils return to their
seats that morning. It was a time when all the people in the southern
city were anxious and troubled. There had always been slaves in South
Carolina, and now the Government of the United States was realizing
that the black people must not be kept in servitude; that they had the
same rights as white people; and it was difficult for the Charleston
people to acknowledge that this was right.
Miss Rosalie was a South Carolinian, and she was sure that Charleston
people did right to insist on keeping their slaves, even if it meant
war. And it now seemed likely that the North and South might come to
warfare. The word "Yankee" was as hateful to Miss Rosalie as it was to
Elinor Mayhew, and for that very reason she determined that Elinor
should make a public apology for calling one of her schoolmates a
"Yankee." To the Carolinians the name meant the name of their enemies,
and it seemed to Miss Rosalie a very dreadful thing to accuse this
little northern girl of being an enemy.
After the girls were all seated she said in a very quiet tone:
"Elinor, please come to the platform."
For a moment Elinor hesitated. Then she walked slowly down the aisle
and stood beside Miss Patten.
"Now, young ladies, I do not need to explain to you the meaning of the
word 'courtesy.' You all know that it means kindness and consideration
of the rights and feelings of others. You know as well the meaning of
the word 'hospitality'; that it means that any person who is received
beneath your roof is entitled to courtesy and to more than that, to
protection. Even savages will protect any traveler who comes into their
home, and give the best they have to make him comfortable." Miss
Rosalie stopped a moment, and then said: "If there is anyone of you who
has not known the meaning of the two words to which I refer, will she
please to rise."
The girls all remained seated.
"Elinor, you will now apologize for having failed in courtesy and in
hospitality to one of my pupils."
Elinor stood looking out across the schoolroom. Her mouth was tightly
closed, and apparently she had no intention of obeying.
"Do I have to apologize for speaking the truth?" she demanded.
The girls held their breath. Was it possible that Elinor dared defy
Miss Patten? Grace and Flora were sadly puzzled. They were the only
pupils who did not understand the exact reason, Elinor's treatment of
Sylvia, for Miss Patten's demand.
The teacher did not respond, and Elinor did not speak. Then after a
moment Miss Patten said, "Take your seat, Elinor. I shall make this
request of you again at the beginning of the afternoon session. If you
do not comply with it you will no longer be received as a pupil in this
school."