Summary

The next scene opens in December of 1936. Mr. Crane (the superintendent) tells Wash about the expense of heating the school during the unseasonably cold weather. Wash takes note of a “new bleed-off line that ran straight across the school grounds” (146). A plan begins to form. At home, Rhoda directs Wash to add part of his day's earnings to his college fund. Wash finds his father and outlines his plan to have the school connect to the bleed-off line in order to save the cost of heating. He hopes Mr. Crane will spend the savings on new supplies for the New London Colored School. Jim sees problems, including that pressure from the bleed-off line varies and that the white school officials might just keep any money they save. The discussion turns heated as Wash pushes his father to stand up to the white officials...