soul respond to those things and those things only to
which their souls respond? He that is without the law shall be judged
without the law."

Judged! That is a solemn and sometimes an awful affair with nature.

CHAPTER VII.

_Officers Of The Law._

"Hold on, there!" said one of a group of white boys on their way to
school. The command was addressed to a Negro lad fourteen years of age.
"Where are you going?" asked the self-appointed spokesman of the white
boys. The Negro lad looked sullenly at the white boy.

"No need of clouding up; you can't rain," said the white boy. "Don't you
know the law? The school board said for you niggers to get to school a
half hour before we white children. What do you mean by hanging around
and going to school on our time?"

"It is none of your business," said the Negro.

"I guess you had better skip, Mr. Coon," said the white boy. The group
now sat down on the curbing, while the Negro walked away. The white boys
gathered stones preparatory for battle.

The race problem had at last reached the childhood of the two races. In
former days the children of the whites and the Negroes had played
together, and ties of friendship were formed that often survived the
changes of later years when one playmate became a master and his fellow
became his servant. But that friendly commingling of other days was
practically all gone now, and clashes between the white and Negro
children became so frequent that the school authorities had decreed
separate hours for the opening and closing of the schools of the two
races, so as to lessen the friction as much as possible.

"Fly, you black face nigger, you," shouted a white boy.

"My face ain't near as black as your heart," rejoined the Negro,
adroitly dodging the stones thrown by the white boys. The Negro threw
his books to the sidewalk and soon had a handful of missiles.
The rock battle was now on in earnest, the white boys feeling sure that
their superior numbers would soon put the lone warrior to flight. The
Negro entered into the battle with his whole soul, and was vigorous and
alert. It was his idea that the injuring of one or two of his opponents
would bring the battle to a close. A policeman rounded a corner leading
to the street in which the rock battle was raging. The Negro's back was
to the policeman, while the other boys were facing him. They dropped
their stones and assumed a pacific and frightened attitude in time to
impress the