Yankee Girl at Fort Sumter by Curtis, Alice Turner

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Rose Koven, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

A YANKEE GIRL AT FORT SUMTER

BY

ALICE TURNER CURTIS

AUTHOR OF The Little Maid's Historical Series, etc.

Illustrated by ISABEL W. CALEY

PHILADELPHIA 1920

INTRODUCTION

Sylvia Fulton, a little Boston girl, was staying with her father and mother in the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina, just before the opening of the Civil War. She had become deeply attached to her new friends, and their chivalrous kindness toward the little northern girl, as well as Sylvia's perilous adventure in Charleston Harbor, and the amusing efforts of the faithful negro girl to become like her young mistress, all tend to make this story one that every little girl will enjoy reading, and from which she will learn of far-off days and of the high ideals of southern honor and northern courage.

I. SYLVIA

II. A NEW FRIEND

III. SYLVIA IN TROUBLE

IV. AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

V. ESTRALLA AND ELINOR

VI. SYLVIA AT THE PLANTATION

VII. SYLVIA SEES A GHOST

VIII. A TWILIGHT TEA-PARTY

IX. TROUBLESOME WORDS

X. THE PALMETTO FLAG

XI. SYLVIA CARRIES A MESSAGE

XII. ESTRALLA HELPS

XIII. A HAPPY AFTERNOON

XIV. MR. ROBERT WAITE

XV. "WHERE IS SYLVIA?"

XVI. IN DANGER

XVII. A CHRISTMAS PRESENT

XVIII. GREAT NEWS

XIX. SYLVIA MAKES A PROMISE

XX. "TWO LITTLE DARKY GIRLS"

XXI. FORT SUMTER IS FIRED UPON

CHAPTER I

SYLVIA

"Your name is in a song, isn't it?" said Grace Waite, as she and her new playmate, Sylvia Fulton, walked down the pleasant street on their way to school.

"Is it? Can you sing the song?" questioned Sylvia eagerly, her blue eyes shining at what promised to be such a delightful discovery.

Grace nodded smilingly. She was a year older than Sylvia, nearly eleven years old, and felt that it was quite proper that she should be able to explain to Sylvia more about her name than Sylvia knew herself.

"It is something about 'spelling,'" she explained, and then sang, very softly:

"I suppose it means she was the best speller," Grace said soberly.

"I think it is a lovely song," said Sylvia. "I'll tell my mother about it. I am so glad you told me, Grace."

Sylvia Fulton was ten years old, and had lived in Charleston, South Carolina, for the past year. Before that the Fultons had lived in Boston. Grace Waite lived in the house next to the one which Mr. Fulton had hired in the beautiful southern city, and the two little girls had become fast friends. They both attended Miss Patten's school. Usually Grace's black mammy, Esther, escorted them to and from Miss Patten's, but on this morning in early October they were allowed to go by themselves.

As they walked along they could look out across the blue harbor, and see sailing vessels and rowboats coming and going. In the distance were the three forts whose historic names were known to every child in Charleston. Grace never failed to point them out to the little northern girl, and to repeat their names: