To Kill a Mockingbird

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To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee
We lived in the South. We were Southerners. Our ancestor, (great grandfather), Simon Finch, came over from England. He paddled his boat up the Alabama River. He settled on the banks of the river and made a home there. He had a cotton farm. The name of the farm was Finch’s Landing. Simon Finch had three slaves. Then, the Civil War happened. The family lost everything but kept the land. For many years, the family stayed on the land. My aunt is still there. My father, Atticus Finch, left to learn law. His brother went to Boston to study medicine. But Attitcus came back to Maycomb County, Alabama, where he grew up to be a lawyer. Atticus knew everyone in town. When my father was a new lawyer, he had two cases. They had killed a man. He wanted them to plead guilty to second degree murder. Then, they would have lived. They pleaded not guilty to first degree murder. They were found guilty and hanged. My father began to dislike law. My father did not make much money. He had to pay for his brother to go to medical school. Maycomb was a hot, old, tired town. Everyone moved slowly.

We lived on the main street. I lived with Jem, (my brother ), Atticus, (my father), and Calpurnia, (the cook). My father read to us and played with us but was quiet and polite. Calpurnia and I fought a lot. Calpurnia always won. Our mother died when I was two. She died of a heart attack. I don’t remember her. I was six years old. Jem was ten. That summer, Dill came to visit. He was staying next door with his aunt, Rachel. He was seven years old but shorter than me. We fixed the tree house together. We put on plays. After a while, we became bored. Dill could not stop looking and thinking about the Radley Place. The Radley house had been white. Now it was gray. It had rotted shingles. The yard was messy. Boo lived in the Radley house, but no one ever saw him. People thought he was bad. They blamed him when flowers died. They blamed him if anything was stolen. Negros (black people) were afraid to walk past the house. Many years ago, the Radleys moved to town. They kept to themselves. They never went to church. They did not talk to other people. They had two boys. One son got in trouble. He drank too much and fought with the town police. The police wanted to send him away to a special school. Mr. Radley said not to. He said he would not let the boy, Boo, out of his sight.

Boo did not come out of the Radley house for fifteen years. One day, he stuck a pair of scissors into his father’s leg. The police came. Boo went to jail. But his father took him home. After that, no one saw him again. When Mr. Radley died, the older son came to live with Boo. Boo still was never seen. Dill said, “What does he look like?” I said, “He has yellow teeth, a scar across his face, and his hands are blood stained from eating squirrels and cats.” I said, “He walks around late at night when everyone is sleeping. I’ve seen his tracks. Some people say he looks in their windows.” Dill said, “I want to see him! Let’s make him come out!” Then Dill dared Jem to go up to the Radley’s door. He wanted Boo to see Jem and come out. Jem waited and thought about the dare. Dill said, “You’re scared!” Jem said, “I am not. I just have to think how I’m going to do this.” Then Dill said, “Ok. All you have to do is touch the Radley house. Then you will win the dare. Don’t be scared! Scout (my name) and I will be right behind you!” Jem thought. Then he ran past us, threw open the gate, ran through the yard, slapped the house, and ran back. We ran until we were safely back at my house. We looked at the Radley house. We thought we saw someone watching.

Chapter 2 Dill left. Summer was over. First, I was sad. Then I thought about starting school. I was happy. I could not wait to be in school for the first time. Jem walked me to school. He told me to leave him alone at school. My teacher, Miss Caroline, was young. She wore red make up and a red and white dress. She looked like a candy. Jem liked looking at her. She was from North Alabama. We thought, “She thinks she is better than everyone.” She picked me to read the ABCs. I did. Then she had me read a book. She said, “Tell your father to stop teaching you reading. It will ruin what I teach.” I said, “My father did not teach me. No one taught me. Jem says I was born reading.” Miss Caroline thought I was lying. At recess, I saw Jem. I told him I hated school. Miss Caroline taught “man”, “cat”, “you.” Everyone sat and stared. I was bored. I wrote a letter to Dill. Miss Caroline caught me. She said, “Tell your father to stop teaching you. Also, we print in first grade. We don’t write in script ( ) like this.” Calpurnia taught me how to write. She wanted to shut me up and keep me busy. Then Miss Caroline said, “Who goes home for lunch?” “Who brings his/her lunch? Put it

on your desk.” Children put their lunches on their desks. Walter Cunningham did not. Miss Caroline said, “Walter, where is your lunch?” He did not answer. Miss Caroline said, “Walter, I will give you a quarter to buy lunch.” Walter said, “No, thank you.” Miss Caroline looked at him. I stood up. I thought I had to explain. I said, “Miss Caroline, Walter is a Cunningham. The Cunninghams are poor. They don’t have much. But they don’t take hand-outs. Walter could never pay you back.” I thought about what Atticus (my father) said. One time, he helped Mr. Cunningham. Mr. Cunningham said, “I can’t pay you.” Atticus said, “I am not worried. Pay me when you can.” That winter, we found a load of fire wood in our yard. Later, a bag of nuts was left on our steps. Atticus said, “That is how Mr. Cunningham is paying me. He has no money.” Jem had asked our father, “Are we poor?” Atticus said, “Yes. We are poor because the farmers around us are poor. They can’t pay us for my work.” Now Miss Caroline was mad at me for speaking up. She hit my hand with a ruler. She told me to stand in the corner. The class laughed. She told them to stop. They laughed more. Miss Blount yelled, “Miss Caroline, keep your class quiet!” The bell rang. We all ran out. Miss Caroline sat. She put her head in her arms. I could have felt sorry for her, but she had been mean to me.

Chapter 3 I was hitting Walter Cunningham. Jem made me stop. I said, “He made me get in trouble with the teacher.” Jem said to Walter, “Are you a Cunningham? Our dad is friends with your dad. Come have lunch with us. Scout won’t hurt you anymore.” Atticus greeted Walter. They talked about farming. Walter said, “I can’t pass first grade because every spring, I have to work on the farm.” Then Walter asked for molasses (syrup). He put molasses on everything! I said, “What is he doing?” Calpurnia got mad. She called me into the kitchen. She said, “Don’t you talk that way to a guest. You think you are better than him. You are wrong.” I had to eat dinner in the kitchen by myself. I was mad. I told Atticus to fire Calpurnia. He said he never would. I went back to school. I heard Miss Caroline yell. She said, “I saw something crawl out of that boy’s hair!” Little Chuck Little said, “That’s a cootie.” Miss Caroline asked the boy with the cootie in his hair, “What is your name?” He said, “Burris Ewell.” She said, “How do you spell that?” The boy said, “I don’t know.” Miss Caroline said, “I want you to go home. Take a bath. Wash your hair with soap.” Burris said, “Why?” Miss Caroline said, “Because the

other children could catch your bugs.” Burris Ewell stood up. He was very dirty. His neck was gray. His fingernails were black. He said, “You are not sending me home-I was leaving anyway. I am done with school for the year.” Miss Caroline looked shocked. A girl said, “The Ewells only come on the first day of school. The police make them come. Then they give up.” Miss Caroline said, “But what about their parents?” The girl said, “They do not have a mother. And their father fights with everyone.” Miss Caroline said, “Sit down, Burris.” But Burris said, “Make me!” Little Chuck Little said, “Let him go.” Miss Caroline said, “Go or I will call the principal.” Burris walked out yelling. Miss Caroline started to cry. We all tried to make her feel better. I went home after school. I was upset. I did not like school. Calpurnia said, “I missed you. The house was so quiet.” After dinner, Atticus said, “Scout, let’s read.” I said, “I am not going to school anymore. You can teach me.” Atticus said, “No, I can’t. I have to work. And the law says you have to go to school. Why don’t you like school?” I told him about the day. Atticus said I had to learn a few things, but Miss Caroline did, too. She could not know everything. I said, “But Burris Ewell doesn’t have to go to

school.” Atticus said the Ewells were different. It isn’t worth fighting with them. They never work. Mr. Ewell drinks. He spends all his money on whiskey. He has no money left for food. He hunts. People let him hunt so he can give his children some food. It is not fair to punish the children because of their father. I said, “But I want to read with you. Miss Caroline says I can’t.” Atticus said, “Let’s make a deal-you go to school and we will still read together. Just don’t tell Miss Caroline.”

Chapter 4 School was boring. It went on and on. I did not like learning in a group. I wanted to read and read. I got out of school before Jem. I would run past the Radley house to safety at our house. One day, I spied something. There were two trees at the edge of the Radley lot. One had a hole in it. I went back. I reached in the hole. There were two pieces of gum! I smelled the gum. I licked the gum. I waited. I did not die. Then, I thought it was ok to chew the gum. Jem came home. He said, “Where did you get that gum?” I told him. He was mad. He made me spit it out. It was the last day of school before the summer. Jem and I walked home. He spotted something shiny in the hole in the tree. It was a little box. It had two old pennies in it. I said, “What should we do with them? They belong to someone!” Jem put them in his trunk. Dill came. We looked for something to do. I got a big, old tire. I got inside. I said, “Jem, push me.” He gave me a big push. I rolled too fast down the street. I thought I was going to throw up. At last, I hit a bump and stopped. I was in the Radley yard! Jem yelled, “Hurry, Scout! Get out of there! Get the tire!” I

thought I heard something. I ran away. I left the tire. I said, “Jem, you get the tire. You think you are so brave.” Jem took a deep breath. He ran and got the tire. In the summer, we made up games. Jem said, “Let’s play Boo Radley.” I had to play Mrs. Radley. Dill said she used to be beautiful. Then she married Mr. Radley. She lost all her money. She lost her teeth and her hair. Dill was Mr. Radley. Jem played Boo Radley. Dill said Boo made a mess and cut up all the chairs. Jem hid under the steps. Dill pretended to poke him with a broom. Jem played Boo by yelling at us. Atticus caught us playing one day. He said, “What are you playing? I hope you are not playing ‘Boo Radley.’” I did not like the game. I did not want to get Atticus mad. Also, I was scared. When the tire went into the Radley yard, I thought I heard something. I heard laughing.

Chapter 5 Dill asked me to marry him. Then he forgot about me. He played more with Jem. So I went to visit Miss Maudie Atkinson. Miss Maudie loved her garden. She always let Jem and I play there. She once showed me her false teeth. She liked to bake cakes for me, Jem, and Dill. One day, I said, “Miss Maudie, is Boo Radley still alive?” Miss Maudie said, “His name is Arthur. Yes, he is alive.” I said, “How do you know? Maybe he is dead. Maybe they put him in the chimney!” Miss Maudie said, “Who told you that?” I said, “Jem.” Miss Maudie said, “He is alive. He just does not want to come out. You know the story.” I said, “No, I don’t.” So Miss Maudie told me. She said, “Old Mr. Radley was a strict Baptist. He thought that anything good was a sin. He said I spent too much time on my flowers. He said me and my flowers were going to hell.” I said, “Miss Stephanie Crawford said Arthur walks around at night. One time, he looked in her window!” Miss Maudie said, “That’s crazy talk. He was a nice little boy. That is a sad house.” The next day, Jem and Dill were talking. I walked up. Dill said, “Get away!” I said, “No, I

won’t! You tell me what is going on!” Jem said, “We have a plan. I am going to send Boo Radley a note. I will use a fishing pole. I can put it through a window. Dill has a bell. He will ring it if someone is coming. You can watch the back.” I said, “What does the note say?” Dill said, “We are asking Boo to come out. We said we will buy him an ice cream.” I said, “You’re crazy!” Then we went to the Radley house. Dill stood in front. I stood in back. Jem stood at the side. He held the pole out across the yard. It was too short to reach the window. Then, the bell rang! I looked. There was Atticus! He said, “Jem, what are you doing?” Jem said, “Trying to give a note to Mr. Radley.” Atticus said, “Let me see it.” Then Atticus said, “Leave Mr. Radley alone. He will come out if he wants to. Maybe he will stay inside. That’s his business. You are not to bother him. Stop making fun of him, too.” Atticus went into our house. He got the file he forgot. He left to go back to work.

Chapter 6 We went to see Dill. It was his last night. The summer was almost over. Dill and Jem had a plan. They were going to peep into Boo Radley’s window. Atticus was reading. He would not know. I told them not to. They told me to go home. But I stayed. We crawled under the wire fence. We opened the gate. We were in the backyard! We crept to the side of the house. The window was too high up. Jem and I held hands. We made a seat for Dill. We lifted him up. We said, “Did you see anything?” Dill said, “No. Let’s try the back window.” I said, “No. Let’s get out of here!” But Jem went to the back porch. He looked in a window. Just then, I saw a shadow! It was a man with a hat. It came over to Jem. Then it left. No one said anything. Jem jumped off the porch and ran to us. We ran through the gate. I fell. Then I heard a gun! Dill and Jem dived down beside me. Jem said, “To the fence! Hurry!” Jem held the wire up for us. We ran to the school yard. But Jem was not with us. We ran back to find him. Jem was stuck in the wire fence! He kicked off his pants. He ran to the school yard in his shorts!

We ran home. We were safe. We walked to the front of our house. We saw a crowd of people at the Radley house. Jem said, “We better go there. They will think it is funny if we don’t show up.” Mr. Radley was holding a gun. Everyone was talking to him. Jem said, “What happened?” Miss Stephanie said, “Mr. Radley shot at a Negro (black person) in his garden.” Jem said, “Did he hit him?” Miss Stephanie said, “No. He shot in the air. But next time, he will shoot the thing, whether it is a Negro, a dog, or Jem Finch!” Atticus said, “Where are your pants, Jem?” Dill thought quickly. He said, “I won them from him. We were playing cards.” Miss Rachel said, “Cards?” Jem said, “No, we were playing with matches.” Atticus said, “Jem, just go get your pants.” We said goodbye to Dill. He kissed me goodbye. That night, I could not sleep. I was scared Boo Radley would come get me. Jem could not sleep, either. He said, “I need to go get my pants.” I said, “You can’t! Mr. Radley will shoot you!” Jem said, “I know, but Atticus has never whipped me. I want to keep it that way.” It was no use trying to talk Jem out of it. He went to get his pants. I listened and watched. I waited to hear a gun shot. But Jem came back. He held up his pants! No one said a word.

Chapter 7 Second grade was just as bad as first grade. I wanted to read. All they did was flash cards at me. Jem and I walked home from school. He did not talk. Then one day, he said, “There’s something I never told you. When I went back for my pants, they were nicely folded and hung on the fence. The holes had been sewn up. They seemed to know I was coming back.” We walked past our tree. There was a ball of rope in the hole. I said, “Don’t take it, Jem. This is someone’s hiding place. Wait a few days. If the rope is still there, then we will take it.” A few days passed. The rope was still there. Jem took it. We felt the tree was ours. One day, there were two white things in the tree. They were soap carvings of a girl and boy. One looked like Jem, the other looked like me! “Who made these?” I asked. “Who whittles?” (carves things) “Mr. Avery,” Jem said. “But he just makes toothpicks,” I said. “What about Miss Stephanie Crawford’s boyfriend?” Jem said, “But he lives in the country. He never sees us. How would he know what we look like?”

Jem put the soap dolls in his trunk. Two weeks later, we found chewing gum in the tree. We loved that. We forgot that everything on the Radley Place was poison, or so we thought. The next week, we found a medal from a spelling bee. Then, we found a pocket watch on a chain with a metal knife. Jem said, “Maybe we should tell Atticus, or maybe not. But we should write a letter to the person that is leaving us things, and say thank you.” We wrote a letter. The next day, Jem went to put the letter in the tree hole. The hole was filled with cement! Jem waited for Mr. Radley to pass by. The next day, he saw Mr. Radley. He asked, “Mr. Radley, why did you fill the hole in the tree with cement?” Mr. Radley said, “Because the tree was dying. You plug them with cement when they are sick. You know that.” At night, Jem asked our dad, “Atticus, does that tree look sick?” Atticus said, “Why no. Its leaves are green and full.” Jem stayed outside for a long time. When he came in, I saw that he had been crying.

Chapter 8 It was a cold winter. Mrs. Radley died. When Atticus came back from visiting at the Radleys, I asked, “Atticus, did you see Mr. Arthur?” Atticus said sternly, “I did not.” The next morning, I woke up. I looked out the window and started screaming. It was snowing! Jem and I had never seen snow before. The phone rang. There was no school! Jem and I went to play outside. Mr. Avery saw us. He said, “You bad children made this happen. You threw off the weather like this with your bad deeds.” Jem said, “Let’s play in Miss Maudie’s snow. Don’t waste the snow in our yard.” Miss Maudie was wrapping her bushes and flowers. Jem said, “Miss Maudie, why are you doing that?” Miss Maudie said, “To keep them warm so they won’t freeze. I hate this snow!” Jem said, “Then can we have your snow?” Miss Maudie said, “Take it!” We took baskets and baskets of snow and dirt back to our yard. Jem made a snow man. The dirt made the snow man look like a black man. I said, “I never saw a colored snow man before!” Jem said, “Just

wait,” and he patted white snow over the dirt. We couldn’t wait for Atticus to come home. When he did, we showed him our snow man. He said, “Son, I will never worry about you anymore. You always have an idea!” Then he said, “It looks just like Mr. Avery. You will have to change it.” Jem ran and got Miss Maudie’s sun hat. He put it on the snow man. When Miss Maudie opened her door and saw it, she smiled. That night, I went to bed. A little later, Atticus was waking me up. He said, “Baby, get up!” I said, “What’s wrong?” When we got outside, I saw Miss Maudie’s house on fire. Atticus said, “Jem, take Scout and stand in front of the Radley place. Keep out of the way.” The fire engine did not work in the cold. Men had to push it. The fire hose burst and water shot up. Men carried chairs and tables out of the burning house. Mr. Avery yelled from a window upstairs. He was throwing things out the window. Men said, “Dick, get out of there. The stairs are on fire!” He pulled himself out of the window and slid down the roof. Men stopped bringing out things. The fire had taken over the whole house. Smoke was now rolling off of our house. I said to Jem, “Do they need to bring out our things?” Jem said, “Don’t worry yet.” I was freezing. Even Jem’s arm around me could not keep me warm.

Another fire truck came. Men soaked our house with water. The roof of Miss Maudie’s house caved in. It was dawn before the fire truck left and the men went home. All that was left of Miss Maudie’s house was a smoking black hole. Atticus took us home. He made us hot chocolate. Then he said, “Where did you get that blanket? I told you to stay put!” I looked. I had a brown wool blanket wrapped around me. “I don’t know, sir,” I said. “We stayed put. I promise! I don’t know where I got this.” Atticus said, “Let’s wrap it up and give it back.” Jem cried, “No sir!” Then he started to tell Atticus all our secrets: about the hole in the tree and the hole in Jem’s pants. Jem said, “He never hurt us. He could have cut me up that night. Instead, he sewed up my pants!” Atticus said, “Then someday Scout should thank him for the blanket.” I said, “Who?” Atticus said, “Boo Radley!” I nearly threw up. When I was freezing, Boo had snuck up and put a blanket around me. I didn’t even know. Calpurnia woke us at noon. We did not go to school. We went to bring Miss Maudie back her sun hat. We said, “We are very sorry, Miss Maudie.” Miss Maudie said, “Don’t worry. I hated this old house. Now I can build a little house with more room for my flowers. I heard you had a visitor last night, Scout.” I was surprised.

Miss Maudie did not seem that sad.

Chapter 9 “You can take that back, boy!” I yelled. I was ready to hit Cecil Jacobs. I had promised Atticus that I would not fight anymore. But I was mad. Cecil Jacobs said Atticus defended (helped people in court) niggers (bad word for black people). At night, I asked Atticus, “Do you defend niggers?” Atticus said he did and not to use that word. I said, “But everyone at school uses that word.” Atticus said, “But you won’t anymore.” Then Atticus added, “I guess you should know this. I am defending a Negro named Tom Robinson. He goes to Calpurnia’s church. People say I should not work with him. I said, “Then why are you doing it?” Atticus said, “I need to hold my head up in town, no matter what people say. You need to do the same. Fight with your head, not your fists, even if children tease you. Stand up for what you believe.” I went back to Cecil Jacobs. I said, “Will you take back what you said?” Cecil said, “No! Your dad defends niggers!” I was about to hit him. Then I remembered what Atticus said.

Cecil called me a chicken, but I didn’t care. But then Christmas came. We spent every Christmas at Finch’s Landing with Aunt Alexandra, Uncle Jimmy, and Francis. Francis was their grandson. They were cold. Aunt Alexandra hated the way I wore overalls. She thought little girls should wear dresses. Francis was worse! He always ran to Aunt Alexandra and told her everything. Then, she would tell Atticus on me. Then Atticus would yell at me. But we liked Uncle Jack, Atticus’s younger brother. Every Christmas, he stayed with us for a week. He was a doctor. One time, he took a splinter out of my foot. He kept me laughing so much, I didn’t even feel when it came out. “How’s your cat?” I asked when I saw Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack showed us pictures of her. I said, “She’s fat!” Uncle Jack said, “She eats all the fingers and ears that fall off at the hospital!” I said, “That’s a damn story.” Uncle Jack said, “What is the cussing (using bad words) for? I don’t like that kind of talk. No more while I’m here.” Next morning, Jem and I ran to the Christmas tree. We opened our gifts. We each got an air gun from Atticus! Then we went to Finch’s Landing. It was a big, old house. It was on a hill, overlooking the river. You could see where the slaves used to live. Everyone sat at the dinner table, even Francis and Jem. Aunt Alexandra made

me sit at a little table by myself. I didn’t like that, but I did like her cooking. Francis and I went outside. Francis said, “Grandma said she’ll teach me to cook someday.” I said, “Men don’t cook. I will never make Dill cook. We’re going to get married someday.” Francis said, “Jean Louise, you are really dumb sometimes. But it is not your fault. Your father lets you run wild, and he is a nigger-lover. Grandma said so. So you don’t know any better. But the family is really ashamed of Atticus.” I yelled, “He is not!” Francis ran into the old kitchen. He yelled, “Nigger lover!” I waited. I was going to get him. Then, Aunt Alexandra came out. “Where’s Francis?” she asked. “He’s in the kitchen,” I said. Francis yelled, “Jean Louise has me trapped in here! She won’t let me out.” Aunt Alexandra said, “Now Jean Louise, you leave Francis alone. I’ll tell your father.” Aunt Alexandra left. Francis kept saying, “Nigger lover.” I punched him in the mouth. Uncle Jack ran out and stopped me from punching again. He said, “Who started this?” Francis said I had. Next thing I know, Uncle Jack spanked me. I yelled, “I hate you!” We left Finch’s Landing in a hurry. I ran to my room when we got home. Uncle Jack knocked on the door. I said, “Go away.” He said, “Do you still hate me?”

I said, “You’re not fair! You didn’t let me tell my side of the story.” Uncle Jack asked me what my side of the story was. I told him that Francis had called Atticus a nigger lover. Uncle Jack was mad. He said he was going to tell Aunt Alexandra. I cried, “Don’t! I don’t want Atticus to know the fight was about him. He warned me not to fight if people teased.” That night, I got up to get a drink of water. I heard Atticus and Uncle Jack talking. Uncle Jack said, “I am sorry I spanked Scout.” Atticus said, “Don’t worry. She earned it. She has to learn to control her hot head and her mouth. Things will only get worse in the next few months.” I was afraid Uncle Jack would tell Atticus why I hit Francis. He didn’t. Uncle Jack asked, “Do you think you will win the court case?” Atticus said, “No. It is the Ewells word against a black man. The jury will take the Ewell’s side, just because they are white. I hope I can get Jem and Scout through this. I hope they can handle the teasing. Most of all, I hope they never start to hate Negroes, like the rest of this town. I hope they come to talk to me.” “Scout?” Atticus said. I jumped! “Go to bed!” Atticus said. I did. Atticus knew I had heard every word.

Chapter 10 Atticus was old-almost 50. He would play football with Jem, but he would not let Jem tackle him. He did not work in an exciting job. He wore glasses. He did not like hunting. He did not play cards or drink or smoke like other dads. He just read. Atticus was boring. But that year, everyone talked about Atticus. They did not say nice things about him defending Tom Robinson. Word also got out that Atticus would not let me fight anymore. Atticus gave us the air guns but would not teach us how to shoot. Uncle Jack had to teach us. Atticus said to Jem, “Shoot at tin cans. Don’t shoot at birds. But I know you will. So if you have to shoot at birds, shoot at the bluejays. Leave the mockingbirds alone. It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” One day, I said to Miss Maudie, “Everyone here is old.” She said, “I am not old. Your father is not old.” I said, “But what can he do?” I asked. Miss Maudie said he could write a will, (when someone dies, it is the paper that says who gets his/her things), he could play checkers,

and he could play the Jew’s Harp (mouth musical instrument). If that was all he could do, I was ashamed. One day, Jem and I took our air guns and went for a walk. We saw old Tim Johnson, a dog from the other side of town. What was he doing? We ran home to tell Calpurnia. Jem said, “Come quick! The dog looks sick!” Jem and I and Calpurnia went out to see him. The dog was gulping and twitching and walking funny. Calpurnia grabbed us and made us run home. Then she called Atticus. She said, “Mr. Finch, there’s a mad dog coming this way!” She told the telephone operator (woman who answers all calls) to call all the people on the street. She said, “Tell them not to come out!” Then Calpurnia said, “Do the Radleys have a phone number?” Jen looked in the book but did not see one. Culpurnia said, “I must tell them, too.” She ran next door. She pounded on the door. No one answered. So Calpurnia yelled, “Mad dog! Don’t come out!” Just then, a car drove up. It was Atticus with Sheriff Heck Tate. Atticus said, “Where is the dog, Calpurnia?” She pointed to the street. Everyone waited. It was quiet. Then old Tim Johnson could be seen walking in a daze. He stopped in front of the Radley place. Heck Tate handed the gun to Atticus and said, “You do it.”

Atticus said, “Don’t waste time, Heck. You do it,” and gave the gun back to Mr. Tate. Mr. Tate said, “I can’t shoot that well. You are a better shot. You do it!” Atticus walked into the street. His glasses fell off. I heard them crack. He shot the gun. Tim Johnson fell over. He never knew what hit him. We ran out. Miss Maudie came out. She said, “I saw that. You are still One-Shot Finch.” Atticus didn’t say anything. He got in the car and drove away. Jem was shocked. Miss Maudie asked, “So Miss Jean Louise, do you still think your father can’t do anything?” I said, “I wonder why he doesn’t go hunting anymore.” Miss Maudie said, “The fact that he shoots so well is a gift from God. Atticus felt that now he could beat all living things. He decided to only shoot if he had to.” We waited for the garbage truck to come. Zeebo drove the truck. He took Tim Johnson’s body and put it in his truck. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone at school that Atticus was a great shooter. Jem said not to. He said, “If Atticus wanted us to know about his shooting, he would have told us. He is a gentleman, just like me!”

Chapter 11 We liked to walk to the stores in Maycomb. But we did not like to pass Mrs. Dubose’s house. Mrs. Dubose was mean. She always yelled at us. People said she kept a gun under her shawl. She was old. She spent most of the day in bed or in a wheelchair. She lived with a Negro (black) girl who took care of her. Jem told Atticus she was mean. He just said, “Easy, son. She is old and sick. Don’t let her get you mad. Be a gentleman.” When Atticus saw her, he would take off his hat. He would say, “Good night, Mrs. Dubose. You look lovely,” even if he did not mean it. Jem got money for his birthday. He wanted to spend it. He wanted to buy a train for himself and a baton (twirling stick) for me. We walked into town. There was Mrs. Dubose on her porch. She started, “Where are you kids going? I’m going to tell your school. Jem, you broke Miss Maudie’s flowers. I’m going to tell your father!” Jem said, “Come Scout. Let’s just go.”

Then Mrs. Dubose said, “Your father works for trash and niggers! He is trash.” Jem turned red. He did not say a word. We bought the train and the baton. We walked home. Just as we were passing Mrs. Dubose’s house, Jem grabbed my baton. He hit all the bushes with it. He knocked all the buds and flowers off the bushes. Leaves and flowers covered the grass. Then he broke my baton in two. I ran home. Atticus came home. He held my broken baton in one hand. He held a flower in the other. “Did you do this?” he asked Jem. Jem said ‘yes’. “Why?” Atticus asked. Jem said, “Because she said you do law for niggers.” Atticus said, “But that does not give you the right to hurt a sick old lady. Go talk to her right now.” Jem did not move. Atticus said, “Go now!” I sat on Atticus’ lap. He said, “Scout, I know this is hard. It’s not fair to you and Jem. But I have to defend Tom Robinson. I could not go to church and believe in God without doing the right thing.” Jem came back. He said, “I told her I was sorry and I cleaned up the yard. But she wants me to read to her. Do I have to?” Atticus said, “Yes!” Jem said, “But she wants me to read for a month!” Atticus said, “Then you will read for a month!” The next Monday, we went to Mrs. Dubose’s house. Jessie, her Negro helper, let us in. We

sat near her bed. She looked awful. Her face was gray and caved in. She drooled. Jem read to her. She told him words he did not know. After a while, I saw she was not listening. Her head moved from side to side. Her mouth was moving but not talking. She made funny noises. The alarm clock went off. We jumped! Jessie told us to leave. It was time for Mrs. Dubose to take her medicine. The same thing happened each day. Jem would read. Mrs. Dubose would yell at him about the flowers or about Atticus. Then she would get quiet. The alarm clock would ring. Jessie would tell us to leave. I asked Atticus, “What is a nigger-lover?” Atticus said, “Did someone call you that?” I said,”No, Mrs. Dubose calls you that. Francis called me that last Christmas.” Atticus said, “Is that why you punched him?” I said, “Yes.” Atticus said, “People who say ‘nigger-lover’ are dumb and trashy. It shows how poor they are. It should not hurt you.” I said, “Then you are not really a nigger-lover, right?” Atticus said, “Yes, I am. I love everyone.” One day, Jem was reading. Atticus stopped by. I thought, ‘We have been staying at Mrs. Dubose’s longer and longer each day. Each day, the alarm clock goes off later and later.’ Mrs. Dubose told Atticus, “I need Jem to read one more week.” Jem said, “But you said one month. I

should be done.” Atticus said, “You will read one more week.” At last, Mrs. Dubose said, “That will do. You can stop.” We jumped for joy! One night, the phone rang. Atticus got it. He said he was going to see Mrs. Dubose. He would be back soon. Atticus came back with a candy box. Jem asked, “What did she want?” Atticus said, “She just died. She is not hurting anymore. Do you know what her fits were?” Jem said, “No.” Atticus said, “She was a morphine (strong medicine) addict. She took it for pain. She could not stop. She could have kept taking it. But a few months ago, she called me. She wanted me to make her a will. She said her life was in good order but for one thing. She wanted to die beholden to nothing and nobody (not owing anything to anyone). She wanted to quit the morphine. That’s what her fits were.” Jem said, “Did she die free of the morphine?” Atticus said, “Yes.” Atticus said, “She wanted you to have this box.” Jem opened it. It was a flower bud. Jem cried, “Tell her to leave me alone!” Atticus said, “No, son. I think she is saying she forgives you.” Atticus said, “She was a great lady. I wanted you to know her. I would have made you read to her, even if you did not cut down her flowers. We did not agree on many things. But she was brave. Braver than a

man with a gun. She wanted to die beholden to nobody and nothing. It hurt but she stuck with it. She died free of morphine. She stuck to her word.”

Chapter 12 Jem was twelve. He was changing. He ate a lot. He was growing. He was moody. He told me to leave him alone a lot. I cried. I ran to Calpurnia. Summer came. Dill wrote me a letter. He said he had a new father. He was not going to come to Maycomb this summer. He said he still wanted to marry me. I cried for two days. I thought my summer would be awful with no Dill and no Jem. Atticus went away for two weeks. He went to work at the state house. Calpurnia watched over us. Calpurnia said, “What about church this Sunday?” I said, “Don’t worry. We’ll behave.” Calpurnia said, “Maybe you’ll go to my church this time. Then I can watch you.” We went to Calpurnia’s church. It was on the outskirts of town. Men took off their hats for us. People stepped aside and made a path for us. A tall woman said, “What you up to, Miss Cal? Why you

bringing white children to a nigger church? They got their own church!” Calpurnia was mad. She said, “It’s the same God, isn’t it?” Jem said, “Let’s go. They don’t want us here.” Just then, a man said, “Ignore Lula. We are glad to have you here.” Calpurnia led us into her church. We sat in front. The church was very poor. There were no pictures. There were no books. There was no piano. Calpurnia gave us each a dime to give. Jem said, “We have our own money.” Calpurnia said, “Keep it. You are my guests.” The reverend (head of the church) said, “You all know Tom Robinson. This week, the money you give will go to his wife to help her.” Then a man got up. He read a line from a prayer book. Everyone sang the line. The reverend talked how everyone should try to be good. Then he asked everyone to give their money. People walked up. They threw dimes in a can. Then the reverend said, “This is not enough. We need ten dollars. Tom is in jail. His wife can’t work and leave the kids.” People gave more money. Jem gave our two dimes. At last, church was over. I asked, “Why does Helen Robinson (Tom’s wife) need money? Why can’t she work? Why can’t she bring the children to work?” Sometimes babies sat in the fields. Their mothers picked cotton. The reverend said, “No one wants to hire Tom’s wife.” I asked, “Why?” Calpurnia said, “Because of what

they say Tom did.” I asked, “What did he do?” Calpurnia said, “Mr. Ewell said Tom raped his daughter. Tom was arrested and put in jail.” I said, “Mr. Ewell? Atticus says they are trash. What is ‘rape’?” Calpurnia said, “Ask your father.” I asked, “Why do you sing your prayers that way-a line at a time?” Calpurnia said, “You mean ‘linin’?” Jem said, “You should take the money and buy prayer books!” Calpurnia said, “That would not help. Most people at church can’t read. Only four can. I am one of them.” “Where did you go to school? I asked. “No where.” Calpurnia said. “Miss Buford taught me to read.” “Are you that old?” I asked. Calpurnia said she did not know how old she was. She said she was older than Atticus. She did not know her birthday, either. “I have my birthday on Christmas-that way I can remember it.” Calpurnia said. Jem asked, “Why did you talk nigger-talk at the church? You don’t talk that way when you are with us. It’s not good speech.” Calpurnia thought. Then she said, “That’s the way the church people talk. If I talk like a white person, people will think I am trying to show off.” I asked, “Can I come see you sometimes?” Calpurnia said, “You see me everyday.” I said, “I mean at your house, not mine.” Calpurnia said,

“Anytime.” Just then, we saw Aunt Alexandra on our porch.

Chapter 13 “Bring my bag to the bedroom, Calpurnia,” said Aunt Alexandra. Jem took the bag upstairs. “Did you come for a visit?” I asked. “Didn’t your father tell you?” Aunt Alexandra said. “Your father and I thought you should have a woman in the house. I came to stay for a while. Jean Louise, soon you will like boys and clothes.” I could not think of anything to say. I never had anything to talk to Aunt Alexandra about. Atticus came home. I jumped in his arms. “Do you know that Aunt Alexandra is here?” I asked. Atticus said, “Yes, we thought it would be good for you.” People were happy to see her. Miss Maudie baked her a cake. Miss Rachel had Aunty over for coffee. Mr. Radley stopped by. Aunt Alexandra joined many clubs. She had good manners. She knew many people. But she loved to talk about them. She loved to gossip

about others. She would say, “They drink because their family always drank.” or “They are mean. It runs in their family.” She thought the longer a family lived in Maycomb, the better they were. Jem said, “The Ewells have lived here a long time. That would make them a fine family. But they are trash. They live on welfare money (money from the state for the poor).” People did stay in Maycomb forever. New people never came. The same families married the same families. Everyone knew each other. It was summer. We were outside a lot. I only saw Aunt Alexandra at dinner and bedtime. One time, I ran in for a drink of water. Aunt Alexandra said, “Say hello to Cousin Lily Brooke.” I said, “I didn’t know she was a cousin.” Aunt Alexandra was mad. Aunt Alexandra thought we should learn about the Finch family. She brought in a book. It was called, ‘Meditations of Joshua S. St. Clair.’ She said, “Your cousin wrote this.” Jem said, “Isn’t that the cousin who was in jail? He tried to shoot the president! The family had to pay five hundred dollars to get him out of jail.” Aunt Alexandra said, “Who told you?” Jem said, “Why Atticus told me!” Aunt Alexandra left the room mad. That night, Atticus came to talk to us. He said, “Your aunt has asked me to talk to you. She wants you to know about the Finch family. You come from a high class family. You should

behave like a lady and a gentleman.” I was playing with a comb. Atticus yelled at me to stop it. I started to cry. This was not like my father. I said, “If we behave, will things be different? Do you really want us to behave?” Atticus said, “Forget about it. Be yourselves.” Then he said, “I get more like Cousin Joshua everyday. I hope I won’t cost the family five hundred dollars.” Chapter 14 We walked around town. People would talk. They would say, “Here come those Finch children. Their daddy doesn’t care about us. He doesn’t care if someone gets raped.” I told Atticus about the day we went to church with Calpurnia. I said, “Can I go with her again this Sunday?” Aunt Alexandra yelled, “No!” I said, “I didn’t ask you.” Atticus got mad. He made me say I was sorry to Aunt Alexandra. He said, “You need to listen to her when you are in her house.” I ran to the bathroom. When I got back, Atticus and Alexandra were fighting. Alexandra said, “You need to get rid of Calpurnia.” Atticus said, “No! She has done a good job with the children. I won’t tell her to go.” Jem and I left the room. Jem said, “Don’t make Aunty mad, Scout. Give Atticus a break. He is worried about the Tom Robinson case.” I was mad.

Jem was acting like he was my boss. I said, “Who do you think you are?” Jem said, “Quiet, or I’ll spank you.” That was it! I hit Jem and scratched him. He punched me. Atticus had to stop us. He sent us to bed. I had won. Jem had to go to bed at my bedtime! We went upstairs. I turned off my light. I thought I stepped on something. I went to get Jem. I said, “Jem, what does a snake feel like? I think there is one under my bed. Can you look?” Jem got a broom. He swiped it under the bed. Out came Dill! “How did you get here?” Jem asked. First, Dill told a story about his new father. He did not like Dill. Dill said he locked Dill in the basement in chains. Then, he said he took 13 dollars from his mother’s purse. He took the train and walked the rest of the way. Jem said, “You have to tell your mother you are here.” Then Jem went to get Atticus. Dill was scared. He said, “Please don’t send me back. I’ll run away again!” Atticus said, “You can stay here tonight. I just need to tell your Aunt Rachel you are here.” Aunt Rachel yelled at Dill. But then she said, “Ok, you can stay here one night.” We all went to bed. I fell asleep. Dill slept in Jem’s room. Then he came into my room. “Move over, Scout,” he said. He got into bed with me. I said, “Why did you run, Dill? Did your father really hate you?” Dill said, “No, they gave me lots of things.

But they never talked to me. They would say, ‘You have a roomful of toys. Go play.’ I didn’t feel wanted.” Then Dill said, “Scout, let’s get a baby!” He said there was a man. The man rows his boat to an island. All the babies wait there. I said, “Aunt Alexandra told me God drops babies down the chimney.” Dill fell asleep. I asked, “Why doesn’t Boo Radley run away?” Dill said, “Maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to go.” Chapter 15 Dill stayed for a week. It was night. Atticus and Aunty sat in their chairs. They read. Jem and I laid on the floor reading. There was a knock on the door. It was Mr. Heck Tate. There was a group of men in our yard. Mr. Tate said, “Let’s move the man to the county jail tomorrow. I am afraid. That Sarum bunch will make trouble.” Atticus said, “No. He will be fine here. He may lose his case, but I want the truth to be told.” The men’s voices got louder. Jem was scared. He yelled, “Dad, telephone!” Atticus came into the house. Jem said, “Dad, did they want to hurt you?” Atticus said, “No! Don’t be silly.” But Jem was still scared. Aunty and Atticus fought again. She said he was disgracing the family because he wanted to help Tom Robinson. Another group of men talked to Atticus at church. He said, “They put Tom Robinson in the Maycomb jail.”

That night, Atticus said, “I’m going out.” He got into his car. That was strange. Atticus always walked everywhere. It was time for bed. Jem said, “I’m going out, too.” I told him, “Then I’m going with you. And Dill will want to come, too.” We got Dill out of bed. We walked into town. We saw Atticus’ car at his office. But he was not there. We found him at the jail. He was alone reading. Then four cars drove up. The men got out. They went to the jail. They said, “Is he in there, Mr. Finch?” Atticus said, “Yes.” The men said, “Then let us in. You know why we are here.” Atticus said, “Go home. Or the sheriff, Heck Tate, will come.” The men said, “He is out. We know it. We told him someone shot a gun in the woods. He went to see. You didn’t think of that, did you?” I was scared for Atticus. I yelled. I ran to him. These were strange men. I had never seen them before. Atticus said, “Go home, Jem. Take Scout and Dill with you.” Jem said, “No!” A man grabbed Jem. I kicked the man. Atticus said, “Don’t kick people.” Atticus said again, “Go home.” But Jem said, “No.” Then I saw Mr. Cunningham. I said, “Hi, Mr. Cunningham. You gave us nuts. My father did work for you. I know your boy, Walter. He had dinner at our house.” Mr. Cunningham looked at his feet. Everyone else looked shocked.

Then Mr. Cunningham said, “Let’s all go home.” The men left. Atticus went back into the jail. He wiped his face. A voice came from the dark. It said, “Are they gone?” Atticus said, “Yes, Tom. They won’t bother you. Get some sleep.” Another voice said, “I had you covered, Atticus!” It was Mr. Underwood with a gun. He had been watching the whole time! We walked home. I thought Atticus would be mad at Jem. But I was wrong. He patted Jem’s head. Chapter 16 We got home. We were quiet. We didn’t want to wake Aunty. We waited for Atticus to fall asleep. Then I got into Jem’s bed. I started to cry. I was thinking about what had happened. Aunty was mad the next morning. She said it was wrong for children to walk around at night. Atticus said he was glad we came. Aunty said that Mr. Underwood would have helped. Atticus said, “That’s funny. He hates Negroes.” Aunty said, “Don’t say that in front of Calpurnia.” Then I said, “I thought Mr. Cunningham was our friend. He wanted to hurt you last night.” Atticus said, “He was part of a mob (group). But a mob is made of people. You talked to him like a person. Then he came to his senses.” I said, “Wait until the first day of school. I’ll get Walter!”

Atticus said, “No, you won’t! It’s over. Forget it.” Atticus left. Aunt Alexandra told us to stay in the yard. We watched all the people going into town for court. Atticus came home for lunch. He said they had picked a jury. He went back to work. We could not stay in the yard any longer. We went into town. It was busy. People sat and ate lunch. The Negroes sat by themselves in a corner. “There’s Dolphus Raymond”, said Jem. I said, “He’s white. Why does he sit with the colored (black) people?” Jem said, “He’s got a colored woman and many mixed children.” I said, “Mixed children?” Jem said, “Yes, they are half black and half white. I feel sorry for them. White people don’t want them because they are half colored. Colored people don’t want them because they are half white. They don’t belong anywhere.” Then everyone stopped eating. It was time for court. Everyone went into the courthouse. The Negroes waited. They let the white people go in first. I heard some old men. One said, “The court picked Atticus to defend (help) this nigger (bad word for black person).” Another man said, “Yes, but Atticus wanted to help that Negro. I don’t understand him.” The courthouse was full. There was no place to sit. We went up to the black balcony

(place to sit upstairs). We were with Reverend Sykes. Four black people got up. They gave us their seats. We could see the jury (12 people who vote on the case). We saw Atticus and Tom Robinson in front. Judge Taylor faced the court. He had white hair. He sometimes put his feet on his desk. He chewed a cigar.

Chapter 17 Mr. Gilmer, the other lawyer, called his first witness (person who saw something). Heck Tate was first to speak. He said, “It was the night of Nov. 21. I was leaving my office to go home. Then Mr. Ewell came in. He said to get to his house quick. Some nigger (bad word for black person) had raped his girl. I went and found her lying on the floor. She was beat up. I asked her who did it. She said, ‘Tom Robinson.’ I asked her if he raped her. She said, ‘Yes.’ I went and got Tom Robinson. I asked her if this was the man who hurt her. She said, ‘Yes.’ So I took him in.” The judge said, “Any questions?” Atticus said, “Yes, did you call a doctor, Mr. Tate?” Heck Tate said, “No.” Atticus said, “Tell us what she looked like then.” Mr. Tate said, “She was banged up on the right side of her face. She had a black eye on her right side. There were

marks all around her neck. Her arms were black and blue.” Then Mr. Ewell was called. The Ewells never worked. They never went to school. They lived in a dirty house. Their yard was full of junk. Mr. Gilmer said, “Tell me, Mr. Ewell, about Nov. 21.” Mr. Ewell said, “I was coming home with wood. I heard Mayella screaming. I ran to the window. I saw Tom Robinson on Mayella!” The courtroom was filled with noise. Reverend Sykes said, “Jem, you should take Miss Jean Louise home.” Jem said, “Go home, Scout.” I said, “Make me. I’m not going!” The judge used his gavel (the thing a judge hits to stop everyone from talking). Everyone was quiet. The judge said, “Talk nicely, Mr. Ewell.” Then he asked, “Mr. Ewell, did you see Tom Robinson having sex with your daughter?” Mr. Ewell said, “Yes!” Then Mr. Ewell said, “I ran from the window to the door. Tom Robinson ran out. I went to see if Mayella was ok. Then I ran to get Mr. Tate.” It was Atticus’ turn. He said, “Did you ever run for a doctor?” Mr. Ewell said, “No. I knew who did it.” Atticus said, “But weren’t you worried about how hurt she was?” Then Atticus said, “Do you agree with what Mr. Tate said? He told about where Mayella was hurt.” Mr. Ewell said, “Yes. He told the truth.” Then Atticus asked, “Mr. Ewell, can you read and write?”

Mr. Gilmer said, “I object! (Atticus should take back the question). The judge said, “It’s ok. Go ahead, Mr. Finch.” Mr. Ewell said he could write. Then Atticus gave him a pen and paper. He asked Mr. Ewell to write his name. Mr. Ewell did. Atticus said, “You’re left handed, Mr. Ewell!” Mr. Gilmer asked, “Can you use both hands?” Mr. Ewell said, Yes.” Jem said, “That’s it! We’ve got him!” I was not so sure. Chapter 18 Mayella Ewell was then called up. She was told to tell her story. She started crying. The judge said, “What are you afraid of?” Mayella said, “Him!” and pointed to Atticus. She said, “I am afraid of his questions.” The judge said Atticus would not hurt her-he would not let that happen. Then Mayella said, “I was on my porch. My dad told me to cut wood. I did not feel strong. I saw Tom Robinson. I asked him to cut the wood. I said I would give him a nickel. I went in the house to get the nickel. He came in after me. He grabbed me. I fought back. He hit me. I don’t remember too much after that. I remember Papa in the room. He was yelling, ‘Who did this to you?’” It was Atticus’ turn to ask questions. He asked, “How many brothers and sisters do you have?” Mayella said 7. Atticus asked, “Are you the

oldest?” Mayella said, “Yes.” Atticus said, “How long has your mother been dead?” Mayella said, “A long time.” “Did you go to school?” Atticus asked. “Maybe three years,” Mayella said. The family was poor. There was not a lot of food. Papa got money from the government for food. Sometimes he used it for beer and whiskey. Papa needed the children home to work. Atticus asked, “Do you love your father?” Mayella said, “Yes, but not when he drinks.” Atticus said, “Does he ever hit you?” Mayella said no. Atticus said, “You say Mr. Robinson came in your house, grabbed your neck, raped you, and hit you. Tom, stand up. Is this the man?” Mayella said yes. Tom Robinson stood up. He looked strong. But his left arm was shorter than his right arm. It hung dead at his side. His left hand was small and weak. Jem said, “Look, Scout! Tom has a bad arm!” Reverend Sykes said, “He does. When he was a boy, he got his arm caught in a cotton gin (machine).” Atticus said, “Tom grabbed you. You turned around. Why didn’t you run? You said you screamed. Why didn’t the other children hear you? Where were they? You didn’t scream until you saw your father in the window. Who beat you up really? What did your father really see in the window? Your father beat you up!” Mayella was mad. After that, she stopped talking.

Chapter 19 Tom used his good hand to lift his other hand. He put his bad hand on the bible. He lifted his good hand in the air. He swore to tell the truth. Tom was 25. He was married. He had 3 children. He had been in jail before. One time, a man tried to cut him. He fought back. Both men were put in jail. The other man had money to get out. Tom didn’t. Atticus asked, “Did you know Mayella Ewell?” Tom said, “Yes. I pass her place going to and from the field. I work for Mr. Link Deas. I pick cotton and nuts for him.” Atticus asked, “Did you ever talk to Mayella?” Tom said, “Yes, I always say hi. One day, she asked me to come and cut wood for her. I did. She said she would pay me a nickel. I said no. I was happy to help.” Atticus said, “Did you ever go back again?” Tom said, “Yes, many times. Every time I passed

by, Mayella had work for me to do. She did not pay me. But I wanted to help. No one else helped her. The children were always around. But they did not help. She always talked to me. She seemed lonely.” Atticus asked, “What happened on Nov. 21?” Tom said, “I was passing by the Ewell house. Miss Mayella called me in. She said she needed help. She said to fix a door in the house. It was quiet. The children were gone. She sent them to town for ice cream. I looked at the door. It was not broken. I said I had to go. Miss Mayella asked me to get a box down from the closet. I reached to get it. Then she grabbed me around the legs! She scared me! I knocked over a chair. Then she jumped on me and hugged me!” There was noise in the courtroom. The judge hit his gavel. Everyone got quiet. Atticus said, “Then what happened?” Tom said, “She kissed me. I said to let me out. She stood by the door. Then I saw Mr. Ewell. He was looking in the window. He was yelling.” Atticus asked, “What was Mr. Ewell yelling?” Tom said, “He called her a bad name. He said he would kill Miss Mayella.” Atticus asked, “Then what did you do?” Tom said, “I ran away. I was scared what he would do to me.” Mr. Link Deas yelled out, “Tom has worked for me for 8 years. He has never made trouble!” The judge told him to be quiet.

Then it was Mr. Gilmer’s turn to ask questions. He said, “You can chop wood with one hand?” Tom said, “Yes.” Mr. Gilmer said, “Then you could choke a woman with one hand.” Tom said, “I could but I never did.” Mr. Gilmer said, “Why did you do all that work for Miss Mayella?” Tom said, “I felt sorry for her.” Mr. Gilmer said, “A nigger feeling sorry for a white woman?” Again, there was a lot of noise in the courtroom. Mr. Gilmer said, “Miss Mayella said you chopped wood for her. You say she asked you to fix her door. Are you saying she is lying?” Tom said, “No, I am saying she is mixed up.” Mr. Gilmer asked, “Why did you run away? If you had nothing to hide, why did you run?” Tom said, “I was afraid I would end up in court.” Mr. Gilmer said, “To face what you did?” Tom said, “No, I was afraid I would have to face up to what I didn’t do.” Then Dill started to cry. Jem said I had to take him out. We went outside by a tree. I said, “What’s wrong with you?” Dill said, “I couldn’t stand to watch Mr. Gilmer talk to Tom with so much hate. It made me sick.” Then Mr. Dolphus Raymond said, “I know what you mean.”

Chapter 20 “Come here. I have something for your stomach,” said Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Dill went. I went, too. I did not think Atticus or Aunt Alexandra would be happy. “Take a sip,” Mr. Raymond said. Dill sucked on a straw from a paper bag. I said, “Don’t!” Dilll said, “It’s just cola!” I said, “Then Mr. Raymond, why do you act the way you do?” Mr. Raymond said, “I act drunk. Then people leave me alone.” I asked, “Why did you tell us your secret?” Mr. Raymond said, “Because you are children. You are not hardened yet. You cry. You cried about how white people treat colored people. They act like colored people are not people at all.” “Atticus says cheating a colored man is the worst thing you can do,” I said. “Your father is not like most people,” Mr. Raymond said.

We went back in. Atticus was talking. Jem said, “We’re going to win! Atticus is going over the evidence (facts of the case). Atticus faced the jury. He walked back and forth as he talked. Then, Atticus asked the judge if he could do something. He took off his coat, unbuttoned his vest, and loosened his shirt and his tie. We were shocked! We had never seen him do that. He said, “People of the jury, you need to be sure beyond all reasonable doubt (100% sure) about your vote. The state has not medical facts that show that Tom Robinson did this crime. The state wants you to trust what two witnesses (people who say they saw the crime) said. But I don’t believe them. The defendant (Tom Robinson) is not guilty (he did not do it). But someone here did.” Atticus went on. “I feel sad for Mayella Ewell. But she is putting Tom’s life on the line. She is covering up that she did something wrong. What did she do? She kissed a Negro man. She broke a rule around here. Whites don’t mix with Negroes. Then she tried to blame someone else. Her father saw the kiss. What did he do? He beat his little girl with his left hand. Then he went to the police. He told them his story. But Tom Robinson can only use his right hand. Tom tried to help Mayella. But now it is his word against two white people. They thought they would win because

they are white. They want you to think, ‘All Negroes are bad. All Negroes lie.’ But that is a lie. Black or white, some men are good and some men are bad.” Atticus was sweating. Then Atticus added, “Thomas Jefferson said ‘all men are equal’. We know this is not true. Some men are smart, some are not, some are rich, some are poor. But in court, all men should be equal. This court is only as good as the people on the jury. So please jury, do the right thing. Send Tom Robinson back home.” Then, Calpurnia walked up to Atticus. Chapter 21 Calpurnia asked, “Could I give this note to Mr. Finch?” The judge said yes. Atticus read the note. He said, “My children are missing!” Mr. Underwood said, “There they are. They have been sitting up there with the colored people.” Atticus said, “Go home!” Jem said, “But we want to hear the verdict!” (what the jury decides, guilty or not guilty) Atticus said, “Ok. Go home and eat dinner. Then come back.” Calpurnia was mad. She said, “Jem, you should not have listened to all that. You should not have brought your little sister. Your aunt will be mad.” Jem was smiling. Calpurnia said, “And Dill, you call Aunt Rachel right now. She has been looking all over for you!” Aunt Alexandra nearly fainted when we told her we had been in court. We told her

Atticus said we could go back. She said nothing. Calpurnia was still yelling at us. Reverend Sykes saved us seats. The courtroom was full. The jury was out. Jem said, “Don’t worry. We’ve won!” Reverend Sykes said, “Don’t be so sure. I have never seen a jury pick a colored man over a white man.” Jem said, “But if a girl lets you do things, it’s not rape. And in Alabama, you have to be under 18 to call it rape. Mayella is 19.” Reverend Sykes said, “Shh. Scout should not hear this.” We waited. The courtroom was still. The clock struck eleven. I said, “It’s taking a long time.” I felt cold. But it was a hot summer night. The courtroom was full of people. But it was quiet. Then Heck Tate walked in with Tom Robinson. He said, “Court will start again.” The jury came back in. No one on the jury looked at Tom. The jury boss gave Heck Tate a paper. He gave the paper to the judge. I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor asked the jury, “What do you say?” One by one, they all said, “Guilty.” Atticus put his papers in his case. He talked to Tom Robinson. Then he left. “Miss Jean Louise?” Reverend Sykes said. All the Negroes were standing. “Stand up. Your father is leaving.”

Chapter 22 Jem cried. We met Atticus outside. “It’s not right!” Jem yelled. “No son, it’s not right,” Atticus said. We walked home. Aunt Alexandra was waiting up. “I’m sorry, brother,” she said to Atticus. “Will Jem be ok? They shouldn’t have gone to the courtroom.” Atticus said, “This is where they live. They may as well know what is going on. That is how Maycomb works.” Aunt Alexandra said, “Don’t be bitter (mad).” Atticus said, “I’m not bitter. I’m tired.” Jem said, “Father, how could they do this?” Atticus said, “I don’t know but they did. They’ve done it before. They will do it again. And the only people who cry are the children.” The next morning, Atticus said, “Don’t worry. We will appeal (go back to court with a

different jury). Calpurnia came in with lots of food. The kitchen was filled! Calpurnia said, “Tom Robinson’s father sent over a chicken. This morning, the porch was filled with all this food! People want to say thank you for trying.” Atticus’ eyes had tears in them. He said, “Tell them thank you. But tell them not to do this again. They need the food themselves.” Then he left. Dill came over. He said, “Miss Rachel said that if Atticus wants to fight a stone wall, that’s his problem.” I was going to yell at her but I didn’t. We went outside. Miss Crawford, Miss Atkinson, and Mr. Avery were all talking. Miss Stephanie called us over. “Who told you to sit with the colored people? Your father? Did Scout hear everything? Are you mad your father lost?” she asked. Miss Atkinson said, “Hush. Come in for some cake.” We ate. Miss Atkinson talked. She said, “Jem, thank god for your father. Someone has to do the bad jobs.” Jem said, “I always thought Maycomb was the best place. I thought Maycomb people were the best. But I was wrong.” Miss Atkinson said, “That’s why we’re lucky to have Atticus.” Jem said, “I wish everyone thought like you.” Miss Atkinson said, “You would be surprised how many of us do. The colored people, Judge Taylor, Heck Tate, and I all do. Judge Taylor could have given Tom Robinson’s case to a bad lawyer.” Jem said, “Wait ‘till I grow up!”

We left. Dill said, “When I grow up, I’m going to be a clown!” “A clown?”, we asked. Dill said, ”Yes. I can’t do anything to change these people. So I’ll join the circus and I’ll laugh my head off.” Jem said, “You are wrong. Clowns are sad. People laugh at them.” Just then, Mr. Avery, Miss Stephanie, and Miss Rachel yelled at us. Miss Rachel said to Dill, “Go home. There’s danger!” Aunt Alexandra called to us, “Come home!” Miss Stephanie said, “Bob Ewell stopped your father. He spit in Atticus’ face. Then he told your father he was going to kill him.” Chapter 23 Atticus just wiped his face and stood there. Mr. Ewell called him names. Then Mr. Ewell said, “Too proud to fight, nigger lover?” Atticus just said, “No, too old.” We told Atticus to carry a gun. He said no. We said, “What if he kills you? We will be alone!” We cried. That did not work, either. One day, Atticus asked Jem, “What’s wrong?” Jem said, “We are scared Mr. Ewell will hurt you.” Atticus said, “I made him look like a fool in court. He was angry. So he had to yell at someone. So he spit at me. At least he did not beat Mayella Ewell. I saved her a beating. That’s how I see it. Don’t worry. He blew off steam. He’s ok now.”

Aunt Alexandra said, “Don’t be so sure.” Tom Robinson was safe in jail. The higher court would look at his case. Atticus thought he had a good chance of going free. Tom Robinson’s wife and kids could not see him. I asked, “If he loses in court again, then what will happen?” Atticus said, “He could go to the electric chair. But don’t worry. We have a good chance.” Jem said, “Why did the jury give him death? He did not kill anyone. They could have given him 20 years in jail.” Atticus said, “That’s the law in Alabama. No jury here is going to go easy on a colored man.” Atticus said, “I don’t mind the rape law. I mind the death punishment without an eye witness (person who saw the crime). A person could still be innocent (never did the crime).” Jem said, “It’s the jury’s fault. Get rid of juries.” Atticus said, “I think judges should give the punishments. But it is hard to change the law. It will take a very long time. Maybe not until you are an old man.” Jem was mad. He said, “It’s not right.” Atticus said, “It’s not right. But that’s the way it is. A black man will never win against a white man. People carry their feelings into court. But remember this: A white man that cheats a black man is trash.” Jem said, “Why can’t people like us and Miss Maudie Atkinson be on a jury?” Atticus said, “Women can’t be on a jury in Alabama.” I asked, “Why?”

Atticus said, “So women don’t hear bad crimes. Also, they would ask too many questions. The court would never finish.” We thought of Miss Dubose and laughed. Maybe he was right. Atticus added, “People in Maycomb are afraid to be on a jury. If they vote against someone, the person may hurt them or stop doing business with them.” Jem said, “But a jury votes in secret.” Atticus said, “It’s supposed to be secret.” Jem said, “Tom Robinson’s jury voted quickly.” Atticus said, “No, it didn’t. It took the jury a few hours. Many times with a black man, it takes the jury a few minutes. I heard one man wanted to vote ‘not guilty’. It took a long time for other people to change his mind. He may have been a Cunningham! The Cunninghams had respect for the Finches after that night at the jail.” I said, “When school starts, I want to have Walter Cunningham over for dinner.” Aunt Alexandra said, “We’ll see.” I said, “Why not?” Aunt Alexandra said, “You can clean Walter up but he’ll never be like Jem. And the Cunninghams drink too much. Finch women should not be interested in Cunninghams. Walter Cunningham is trash. Stop making problems for Atticus.” I did not like that Aunt Alexandra was picking our friends. I began to cry. Jem and I went into my room. Jem tried to comfort me. He said, “Look, Scout. Don’t tell

anyone. I have hair under my arms. And next year, I want to go out for football. Don’t let Aunty get you mad. She is trying to make you into a lady. Can’t you try something like sewing?” I said, “I don’t care if Aunty doesn’t think I’m a lady. I am crying because she called Walter trash. He’s a nice boy.” Jem said, “I know how things work. There are 4 kinds of people in Maycomb. There are people like us who don’t like Cunninghams. Then there are Cunninghams who don’t like Ewells. Then there are Ewells who don’t like colored people. But I’ve seen Atticus pat his foot to fiddle music like a Cunningham. And he likes pot liquor like a Cunningham.” “Then that makes us Cunninghams,” I said. Jem said, “No. We are still different. We have ‘background.’” I said, “Atticus told me once that being an ‘Old Family’ is silly. That doesn’t make us better. All people’s families have been around for a long time.” Jem said, “What makes us different is that we can read and write. The Cunninghams can’t read or write.” I said, “No, Jem. Walter is just as smart as us. He never learned to read or write because he has to help his daddy. Nothing is wrong with him. I think there is just one kind of people. People!” Jem said, “Scout, that’s what I thought when I was your age. If there is just one kind of people, why can’t they get

along? Now I know why Boo Radley stays shut up in his house all the time-he wants to stay inside!”

Chapter 24 It was the end of August. Dill was leaving the next day. Jem tried to teach Dill to swim. I could not go. They jumped in the creek naked. I stayed back to help Calpurnia. Aunt Alexandra had a church meeting. The women talked about poor people. Then they ate cakes and tarts. I was wearing my best pink dress. I carried the coffee in. Aunt Alexandra said, “Stay with us, Jean Louise.” She was trying to make me into a lady. I wanted to run but I sat down. Miss Maudie asked, “Where are your pants today?” I said, “Under my dress.” Everyone laughed. I wasn’t trying to be funny.

Miss Stephanie said, “What do you want to be when you grow up? A lawyer? You sure spent enough time in the courtroom to be a lawyer.” Again, everyone laughed. I said, “No, I just want to be a lady.” Then I talked to Mrs. Merriweather. I asked, “What have you been talking about this afternoon?” She said, “J. Grimes Everett goes into the jungle. He helps the poor people. He tells them about God and church. I promised that I would spread his word about God and church.” A lady said, “Someone should tell her about God and church.” I asked, “Who is her? Mayella Ewell?” Mrs. Merriweather said, “No, that darky’s (not nice name for black person) wife. Tom Robinson’s wife. I believe in ‘forgive and forget’. Then this whole thing will blow over.” I asked, “What whole thing?” Mrs. Merriweather said, “Tom Robinson went to court. Now all the darkys are mad. They frown and grumble all day. I told my darky not to be mad. Jesus never went around mad all day.” Mrs. Farrow said, “You can’t teach the darkys. No woman is safe in her bed today.” Mrs. Merriweather said, “Some people in this town think they did the right thing. But all they did was stir up the darkys.” Miss Maudie was mad. Aunt Alexandra asked if anyone wanted more cake. She wanted to change the topic. The women smelled nice, wore pretty hats and light

dresses. They rocked in their chairs, used their fans, and drank cool water. But I liked being with men better. They did not ask you things and then laugh at you. They did not say one thing but mean something else. Mrs. Merriweather said, “People in the north set the colored people free. But then they won’t sit at the same table with them. At least, we don’t lie here. We say ‘you live your way and we will live ours.’” I wished I was the governor of Alabama. I would let Tom Robinson go free. I had heard that they took Tom to a prison camp. Atticus told him not to give up, that he was working on Tom’s case. Tom had lost hope. Just then, Atticus came home. He looked white. He asked Aunt Alexandra and Calpurnia to go into the kitchen. Miss Maudie came, too. He said, “Tom’s dead. It happened in the prison yard. Tom started running to the fence. He started climbing over it. They shot him.” Aunt Alexandra said, “Didn’t they warn him?” Atticus said, “Yes, they did but he did not stop. If he had had two good arms, he would have made it. They shot him 17 times. They did not have to shoot him so much. We had such a good chance, too. I guess Tom was tired of listening to white men. Calpurnia, will you come with me to tell Tom’s wife?” Aunt Alexandra looked tired. She said, “I don’t always

like what Atticus does, but he is my brother. This is tearing him apart. I wish it would stop. What do they want from him? People don’t care that this hurts his health and we lose money.” Miss Maudie said, “Thank god there is Atticus. He does what is right. Some people see that fair play is not for whites only.” Then Miss Maudie said, “We’ve left the ladies. We have to go back in. Let’s look like nothing happened.” We went back in. The ladies were still talking. I picked up a tray. I passed out more cookies.

Chapter 25 It was September, but it was still hot. Jem and I slept on the porch. I was about to smash a bug with my hands. Jem said, “Don’t do that, Scout. Put it outside.” I said, “Why?” Jem said, “Because it can’t hurt you so don’t hurt it.” I could not sleep. I was thinking about Dill. I was thinking about what he told me. He and Jem had gone swimming. They flagged down a car to give them a ride home. It was Atticus. He said he had to go to Tom Robinson’s house. He told them they would have to stay in the car. They got to Tom Robinson’s house. Small

children were playing in the yard. Atticus asked, “Where’s your mother?” One boy said, “I’ll go get her.” Tom’s wife came over. Atticus said something. Tom’s wife fell down in the dirt. Dill said she looked like a bug that someone stepped on. Atticus and Calpurnia helped her into the house. Atticus stayed inside a long time. Then he drove Jem and Dill home. The town talked about Tom Robinson’s death for two days. They said that once a nigger, always a nigger. Tom had a chance to go free, but he ran. They said Tom was legally married, kept himself clean, and went to church. But beneath it all, he was still a nigger. Easy come, easy go. Mr. Underwood wrote about Tom in his paper. He said it was a sin to kill cripples (people who have something wrong with them). He said it was like killing songbirds. Songbirds don’t hurt anyone. Mr. Ewell said, “One down, a few more to go.” I thought he meant that he still wanted to kill Atticus. I was scared. Jem made me promise not to tell Atticus.

Chapter 26 Jem was in 7th grade. I was in 3 grade. Jem went to a different school now. We walked to school together in the morning. After school, Jem was the water boy for the football team. I walked home alone. I wasn’t scared of Boo Radley anymore. I still wanted to see him. Atticus told me, “Stop it. It is dangerous. Mr. Radley shoots at anything in his yard. He even shoots at little girls.” I was surprised. Atticus had known that it was Dill, Jem, and I in the Radley yard. He had never said anything. Atticus said people would forget about Tom Robinson. Maybe he was right. I did not forget, though. The children in
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school did not say anything. I think their parents told them not to. I think they said, “Jem and Scout can’t help it. They have Atticus as a father.” Atticus ran for state government again that year. He was re-elected. I could not understand it. I pulled away from people. We had to do ‘Current Events’ (things in the news) once a week. You had to cut out something from the newspaper and talk about it to the class. Only the town children could get newspapers. One day, Cecil Jacobs talked about Adolf Hitler. Cecil said, “He has been after the Jews. He takes their houses and puts them in jail. I think it’s a bad thing.” Someone asked, “How can he do that? Doesn’t the government stop him?” The teacher said, “Hitler is the government.” Then, she wrote ‘DEMOCRACY’ on the board. I said, “That means the same rights for everyone.” The teacher said, “You are right. We live in a democracy. Germany is a dictatorship (one person runs things). Here, we don’t believe in hurting other people or being unfair.” Then the teacher said, “The Jews have been picked on for years. They have been pushed out of their own country. Ok, time for Math.” I could not think about Math. I was thinking about Hitler. One man against 1,000,000 German people. Why couldn’t they shut him up or put him in jail? I asked Atticus. He did not know the answer. Then, I asked

Jem. I said, “My teacher, Miss Gates, was upset about how Hitler treats the Jews. But I remember what she said coming out of the courthouse after Tom Robinson’s trial. She said, “It’s time someone taught them a lesson. They are getting too sure of themselves.” How can she hate Hitler but then be so bad about colored people? Jem got mad. He said, “Stop it. Don’t ever say a word about the courthouse again!” I went to Atticus. He hugged me. He said, “Give Jem time. He is trying to forget something. But maybe he is just putting it away for awhile. Later, he can think about it and make sense out of it.” Chapter 27 Things settled down. Bob Ewell got a job. Then he lost it. He blamed Atticus somehow. Judge Taylor was reading one night. He heard scratching. He went to see what it was. His screen door was open. He saw someone running away. Mr. Link Deas had been Tom Robinson’s boss. He felt bad for Helen Robinson. He gave her a job. She could not walk down the road past the Ewells. They yelled at her and threw things. She had to walk a mile out of her way. Mr. Deas walked Helen home one day. He made her walk past the Ewells. He stopped at their house. He yelled, “Ewell, you let Helen walk

down this road. Next time, I’ll have you put in jail!” The next day, Helen walked past the Ewell house. No one yelled at her. But Mr. Ewell walked behind her. He said dirty things to her. Helen was scared. She phoned Mr. Deas. Mr. Deas said, “Ewell, stay away from her!” Mr. Ewell said, “I ain’t touched her.” Mr. Deas said, “But you made her scared. That’s enough to put you in jail. Leave her alone!” After that, Mr. Ewell stopped. Aunt Alexandra said, “Why is Bob Ewell still mad about the court case? He got his way.” Atticus said, “He thought he would be a hero in court. But everyone just thought Bob Ewell was a fool. He’s bothered everyone now. Soon he’ll stop.” We went to school. No one talked about the case. Aunt Alexandra had her parties with the church ladies. It was October. Last year, children played a Halloween trick on the Tutti Frutti sisters. They were deaf. They were sleeping. Some children took all their chairs and tables. They hid the chairs and tables in the cellar (basement). The sisters woke up. They looked for their chairs. They called the police. Mr. Heck Tate came. He brought dogs. The dogs ran to the cellar door. The dogs found the chairs and tables. The Maycomb ladies said that would not happen again. This year, they would have a Halloween party. That way, there would be no tricks.

Mrs. Merriweather wanted to put on a play. She wanted all the children to dress like food. I was to be a ham. The play was about Maycomb farms. Atticus said he could not come see the play. He was tired. Aunt Alexandra said she was tired, too. Atticus said maybe Jem could take me. I showed Atticus and Aunt Alexandra my ham suit. They were happy. I showed Calpurnia, too. Then, Jem and I left for the play.

Chapter 28 We walked past the Radley house. I said, “Boo does not want to hurt anyone. But it is still a scary house. I’m glad you’re here, Jem.” Jem said, “You know Atticus would not let you walk alone. Remember when we were scared of ghosts?” We laughed. It was dark. We could not see where we were going. I tripped. We had forgotten our flashlight. Then a light shone in our eyes. We jumped! It was Cecil Jacobs. He said, “I got you!” We walked to the high school. It was filled with people. I said, “Oh Jem, I forgot my money.” Jem said, “Atticus gave me 30 cents. You can do six

games.” Cecil and I played a few games. Then we saw it was time for the play. I went back stage. I put on my ham suit. I listened to the play. Mrs. Merriweather talked about Maycomb for a long time. I fell asleep. She called out, “Ham!” I did not come out. Then I woke up. I walked out at the wrong time. Judge Taylor laughed and laughed. Mrs. Merriweather said I ruined her play. I felt badly. I asked Jem to wait until everyone left. I did not want to be seen. We left the high school. It was dark. I wore my ham suit. I could not see much. I said, “Oh Jem, I forgot my shoes!” Jem said, “Get them tomorrow.” Then he said, “Ssssh. I thought I heard something.” We stopped. I said, “Are you trying to scare me?” Jem said, “No, I hear it when we are walking.” We started walking again. I heard it, too. I could not see Jem. But he could see me. He had his hand on my head. I thought it was Cecil Jacobs. I turned around. I yelled, “Cecil Jacobs is a big wet hen!” No Cecil. Jem said, “Can you take your ham suit off?” I said, “I am not wearing much under it.” I was not wearing shoes. We could not walk faster. We would fall or I might step on stones. Someone was behind us. We were near the big oak tree. Jem yelled, “Run, Scout, run!” I tried. I fell. I yelled, “Help!” Something pushed me. I heard kicking. Then I felt Jem

lying next to me. He got up and pulled me up. We ran a short time. Jem was pulled down. Again, I heard fighting. Then Jem screamed. I ran to him. I ran into a man. He squeezed the breath out of me. I could not move. Then he was pulled back. I thought Jem was winning the fight. It was quiet. I could hear a man breathing heavily. I thought I saw him stagger (walk while falling) to the tree. I yelled, “Jem!” He did not say anything. The man was looking for something. I heard him pull something heavy along the ground. I saw four people under the tree. The man stumbled to the road. I walked to where the man had been. I felt something with my toes. I felt pants, a shirt, and a face. The whiskers on the face did not feel like Jem. I smelled whiskey. I made it to the road. I looked to the street light. I saw a man. He was carrying Jem. Jem’s arm was dangling in front of him. The man went to our house. Atticus came out. He took Jem inside. I got to our house. Atticus yelled, “Call the doctor! Where is Scout?” Aunt Alexandra said, “Here she is.” Then she used the phone. She said, “Please get the doctor here right away!” Then Atticus called Heck Tate. He said, “Someone has been after my children. I don’t think he is still there. But go look at the school yard.”

I asked, “Aunt Alexandra, is Jem dead?” She said, “No, but he is not awake. We don’t know how badly he is hurt. What happened?” I said, “I don’t know.” She took off my ham suit. She gave me pants to put on. Dr. Reynolds came. He said, “Good lord!” when he saw me. He went to see Jem. I asked, “Is Jem dead?” Dr. Reynolds said, “No, he has a bump on his head like you. And he has a broken arm. Looks like someone tried to twist it off. He’ll be fine.” Then Heck Tate came in. We went into Jem’s room. Jem had a big mark on his face. His arm laid out from his body. Atticus said, “Scout, he can’t hear you. He is out. He started waking up. But Dr. Reynolds gave him medicine to sleep. He is in pain.” Aunt Alexandra, Atticus, and Heck Tate were in the room. So was the man who found Jem. I did not know him. Atticus said, “Mr. Tate, tell us what you found.” Heck Tate said, “I found a little girl’s dress. And I found Bob Ewell’s body. He’s lying on the ground with a knife in him. He’s dead.”

Chapter 29 We all sat and stared. We were surprised. Then Mr. Heck Tate said, “Scout, tell us about tonight.” I went to sit on Atticus’ lap. I said, “We started to go home. I forgot my shoes. But the lights went off at the school. Jem said I could get my shoes tomorrow. We heard someone. I yelled, ‘Cecil Jacobs is a big fat hen.’ Then Jem yelled really loud.” Heck Tate said, “Atticus, did you hear them?” Atticus said, “No, I had my radio turned on loud.” Then I said, “We walked on. We heard footsteps. I could not see much. I was in my ham suit. But Jem could see me.” Atticus said, “You should have

seen Scout when she came home. Her ham suit was crushed!” Mr. Tate said, “I see now. Mr. Ewell’s arms were cut with tiny little holes. They must have been from the ham suit.” Atticus went and got the suit. Mr. Tate found a cut in it. He said, “Mr. Ewell was going to hurt her.” Atticus said, “That Ewell was crazy.” Heck Tate said, “He wasn’t crazy. He was drunk. And he was so mean, he would have hurt your children. He was too scared to hurt you.” Then I said, “We were near the tree. Something grabbed me and crushed my ham suit. I heard fighting. Jem pulled me away. But then Mr. Ewell pulled him down. Jem yelled. I didn’t hear him anymore. Then Mr. Ewell grabbed me again. Then someone pulled Mr. Ewell down.” Then I said, “I heard someone stumbling. It didn’t sound like Jem.” Heck Tate said, “Who was it?” I said, “It was him.” I pointed to the other man in the room. The man was white. He looked like he was never in the sun. He was thin. I looked and looked at him. He smiled a little. It was Boo Radley.

Chapter 30 “Jean Louise, this is Mr. Arthur,” said Atticus. Then Dr. Reynolds came back. He said, “Everyone out of Jem’s room.” We went out on the front porch. I sat near Boo. Atticus said, “Well Heck, this will have to go to court. I think Jem stabbed Bob Ewell. But he had to. Or Ewell would have killed him.” Heck Tate said, “Jem never killed Bob Ewell.” Atticus said, “Heck, that is very nice of you. You want to help Jem. But I don’t want to cover anything up. I want the truth to come out.” Heck Tate said, “Mr. Finch, Bob Ewell fell on his knife. He killed himself.”

Atticus said, “Jem and Scout know what happened. If I go to town and tell a different story, they won’t trust me anymore. I have to tell the truth.” Heck Tate said, “It is the truth. Bob Ewell threw Jem down. Then he fell over a tree root. I can show you. Jem did not kill him. He fell on his knife. You can’t tell me that a young boy with a broken arm could kill a big man in the dark.” Then Heck Tate said, “A black man died for no reason. Now the man who caused that is dead. Let the dead bury the dead. It’s finished.” Then Heck Tate said, “I think someone tried to stop Mr. Ewell from killing your children. Maybe I should say who it is. But he is shy. He stays in his house. He doesn’t want people talking about him. So I will still say that Bob Ewell fell on his knife. Good night, Atticus.” Heck Tate left. Atticus said, “Scout, Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. Will you say that?” I ran to Atticus. I hugged him. I said, “Yes, Mr. Tate was right. If I say something different, someone would get in trouble. That would be like shooting a mockingbird. Mockingbirds don’t hurt anyone.” Atticus got up. He walked past Boo Radley. He said, “Thank you for my children, Arthur.”

Chapter 31 Boo Radley got up. His walk was not steady. He stumbled. He coughed a lot. He looked at the front door. I said, “You want to say goodnight to Jem?” He nodded. We walked into Jem’s room. Boo stood in a dark corner. I took his hand and led him over to Jem. He wanted to touch Jem. I said, “You can. He is sleeping.” Then we walked to the front door. Boo said, “Will you take me home?” We walked to his house. I thought about all the times I had been scared of his house. He opened the door and went inside. I never saw him again.

People give things to each other. Boo had given us things in the tree. Now he gave us our lives. We had never given him anything. I went home. Aunt Alexandra had gone to sleep. Atticus was in Jem’s room. He was reading. I said, “Please read to me.” He did. I leaned against his knee. I fell asleep. Then Atticus put me into bed. He tucked me in. I was talking about the book. I said, “People chased the ghost in the book. They didn’t know what he looked like. They blamed him for doing bad things. But then they saw that he hadn’t done anything bad. He was really nice…..” Attics said, “Most people are.” Then Atticus went back to sit with Jem. He wanted to be there when Jem woke up.

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