“No, my husband; surely I can trust him with you, his own wise, careful, loving father;” she answered with a confiding smile.

“O papa, mayn’t I go along with you? and won’t you teach me too?” cried Violet, who was always ready for any excitement.

“Not to-day, daughter:  only Eddie and I are going now; but sometime I will teach you all.  It is well enough for even ladies to handle a pistol on occasion, and your mamma is quite a good shot.”

Vi looked disappointed but did not fret, pout, or ask a second time; for such things were not allowed in the family by either parent.

“Mamma’s good little girl,” the mother said, drawing her caressingly to her side, as Mr. Travilla and Eddie left the room.  “I am going to walk down to the quarter this afternoon and will take you and your brother and sister with me, if you care to go.”

“O, mamma, thank you! yes indeed, I do want to go,” cried the little one, her face growing bright as its wont.  “May we be there when the bell rings? ’cause I do like to see the dogs.”  And she clapped her tiny hands with a laugh like the chiming of silver bells.

Her sister laughed too, saying, “O, yes, mamma, do let us.”

The Ion negroes were paid liberal wages, and yet as kind and generously cared for as in the old days of slavery; even more so, for now Elsie might lawfully carry out her desire to educate and elevate them to a higher standard of intelligence and morality.

To this end Mr. Travilla had added to the quarter a neat school-house, where the children received instruction in the rudiments during the day, the adults in the evening, from one of their own race whose advantages had been such as to qualify him for the work.  There, too, the master and mistress themselves held a Sunday school on Sabbath afternoons.

Aunt Sally, the nurse, also instructed the women in housewifely ways, and Dinah taught them sewing; Elsie encouraging and stimulating them to effort by bestowing prizes on the most diligent and proficient.

Eddie came in from his first lesson in the use of firearms, flushed and excited.

“Mamma, I did shoot,” he cried exultingly, “I shooted many times, and papa says I’ll make a good shot some day if I keep on trying.”

“Ah! did you hit the mark?”

“Not quite this time, mamma,” and the bright face clouded slightly.

“Not quite,” laughed Mr. Travilla, drawing his boy caressingly toward him.  “If you please, mamma, do not question us too closely; we expect to do better another time.  He really did fairly well considering his age and that it was his first lesson.”

“Papa,” asked Vi, climbing his knee, “were you ’fraid Eddie would shoot us if we went along?”

“I thought it safer to leave you at home.”

“Papa, mamma’s going to take us walking down to the quarter this afternoon; we’re to be there when the bell rings, so we can see those funny dogs.”