“All little girls should learn guns. Then no one can bother them.”

William Etty “I’ll show you.” He sat beside her and opened the latch. This Maria already knew but she was gracious and allowed him to show her as he loaded cartridges into each of the cylinder’s chambers. He got to the fifth one and stopped there. He held up one of the bullets. “Only five, Maria.”
“But it’s a six shooter.”
“Ah, and how many toes does my little Maria have?”
“Ten.”
“If you load six bullets in the gun, you might end up with only nine toes.” He laughed and closed the latch on the revolver. He handed it to her as he wagged his finger from side to side. “And don’t cock it until you are ready to fire.”
She nodded.
“Now, go put it back.”
The old woman harrumphed. “Under the pillow is no place for a gun.”
The old man sat down and waited for Maria to return from her room. He continued. “All little girls should learn guns. Then no one can bother them.”  Chapter V, Maria's Trail