Section VII-IX:

Henry finds Jimmie in his bedroom. He swoops him up and heads for the stairs, scared and on fire, only to find the stairs blocked by fire.  Henry panics and began “submitting, submitting because of his fathers, bending his mind in a most perfect slavery to this conflagration.”  Miraculously, Henry remembers a back stair case.  After descending the stairs, Henry is overcome by the fire. He falls under a desk. Jars on the desk explode and send hot liquids onto Henry’s face.

Dr. Trescott finally discovers that it is his house on fire.  He rushes home to his screaming wife, and enters his laboratory door to save Jimmie. After pulling Jimmie out, Trescott tries to go back in for Henry. The firemen stop Trescott and pull Henry out themselves.

The townspeople begin to gossip before the house is done smoldering. The firemen argue over who was first to the fire. “A great rumor went among the crowds. It was told with hushed voices. Afterward a reverent silence fell even upon the boys. Jimmie Trescott and Henry Johnson had been burned to death, and Dr. Trescott himself had been most savagely hurt.”

Crane still works to maintain the normalcy of the townspeople.  More important, Henry risked his life for someone else’s son. He manages to save Jimmie, but he is grievously wounded. Henry showed great courage and wisdom while in the burning house; he wrapped Jimmie in a blanket to protect him and remembered the back staircase when the main one was blocked. Also important is the fact that Dr. Trescott, after ensuring his son’s safety, tried to go back into the fire to save Henry, his servant. Though Henry is NOT Trescott’s slave, the racist feelings were still the norm at the time.  Dr. Trescott shows that he has transcended the racist sentiment. He considers Henry family, if not a friend.

Link to text:

Section VII: 

http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=CraMons.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=7&division=div2

Section VIII:

http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=CraMons.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=8&division=div2

Section IX:
http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=CraMons.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=9&division=div2