"Pardon me," said Ensal, interrupting the felicitations of the ladies.
"We are not through yet. I see they are taking the boy over to the
County Court."

"That isn't right," cried Foresta, as she followed the group.

The Criminal Court was then in session, and Henry's case was not long in
being called. The deputy sheriff was seen to whisper a few words aside
to the judge. The jury brought in a verdict of guilty and the judge
assessed his punishment at ten months on the county farm.

Henry was now placed on the bench, where sat the row of convicted
prisoners awaiting the pleasure of the sheriff, whose duty it was to
deliver them to the places assigned them. As the boy took his seat on
this bench to await the issue of other trials, when the sheriff would
carry all the prisoners over together, there began to crowd to his mind
all that he knew of Negroes on the county farm. He had heard of the
indecent manner of whipping Negro women practiced out there. He saw one
woman whose eye had been knocked out by an overseer. He had seen a
petition emanating from the colored people containing sworn allegations
setting forth a multitude of horrors.

Henry remembered having seen one boy return whose foot was frost-bitten
and had to be amputated as the result of exposure at the farm. It was
summer now, but ten months would carry him fully through the winter at
the farm. The thoughts of a stay there was too much for him. Arising
quickly he sprang up into the court house window. An officer rushed
toward him to intercept him, but it was too late. Out of the window he
jumped, dropping to the pavement below. He dashed out of the side gate
of the court house yard and ran southward across the square, in the
center of which the court house stood. Coming to the street which led to
the bridge over the river that intersected the city, he turned eastward
and started across the bridge with all the speed at his command.

The court officials were now in hot pursuit of the fleeing lad, one
officer seizing a buggy, another jumping upon a street car and ordering
the motorman to proceed at his utmost speed.

Henry had almost covered the full length of the bridge when the cry of
the officers, caught up from one to another, had about come up with him.
When he had all but reached the farther end of the bridge, in order to
avoid an officer whom he saw standing awaiting him with a drawn pistol,
he leaped over the railing and dropped about twenty feet,