Left to its own devices, the class tied Eunice Ann Simpson to a chair and placed her in the furnace room. We haven’t done anything in church in years.”Ĭalpurnia evidently remembered a rainy Sunday when we were both fatherless and teacherless. Atticus left us collection.”Ĭalpurnia’s eyes narrowed and I could tell what was going through her mind. While she was shelling peas, Calpurnia suddenly said, “What am I gonna do about you all’s church this Sunday?” That kind of thing’s pretty dry to most men.” “Oh, Scout, it’s like reorganizing the tax systems of the counties and things. In addition to Jem’s newly developed characteristics, he had acquired a maddening air of wisdom. “He spends his time doin‘ things that wouldn’t get done if nobody did ’em.” We were surprised one morning to see a cartoon in the Montgomery Advertiser above the caption, “Maycomb’s Finch.” It showed Atticus barefooted and in short pants, chained to a desk: he was diligently writing on a slate while some frivolous- looking girls yelled, “Yoo-hoo!” at him. ![]() But these were events remote from the world of Jem and me. The Governor was eager to scrape a few barnacles off the ship of state there were sit-down strikes in Birmingham bread lines in the cities grew longer, people in the country grew poorer. I stayed miserable for two days.Īs if that were not enough, the state legislature was called into emergency session and Atticus left us for two weeks. With him, life was routine without him, life was unbearable. The fact that I had a permanent fiance was little compensation for his absence: I had never thought about it, but summer was Dill by the fishpool smoking string, Dill’s eyes alive with complicated plans to make Boo Radley emerge summer was the swiftness with which Dill would reach up and kiss me when Jem was not looking, the longings we sometimes felt each other feel. Dill concluded by saying he would love me forever and not to worry, he would come get me and marry me as soon as he got enough money together, so please write. Dill’s new father had a pleasant face, which made me glad Dill had captured him, but I was crushed. His father was a lawyer like Atticus, only much younger. The letter said he had a new father whose picture was enclosed, and he would have to stay in Meridian because they planned to build a fishing boat. I received a letter and a snapshot from him. ![]() She seemed glad to see me when I appeared in the kitchen, and by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl.īut summer came and Dill was not there. The beginning of that summer boded well: Jem could do as he pleased Calpurnia would do until Dill came. We’ll find lots of things to do in here.” He’s gonna want to be off to himself a lot now, doin’ whatever boys do, so you just come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonesome. “Baby,” said Calpurnia, “I just can’t help it if Mister Jem’s growin 4 up. “All he needs is somebody to beat him up, and I ain’t big enough.” “Don’t you fret too much over Mister Jem-” she began. After one altercation when Jem hollered, “It’s time you started bein‘ a girl and acting right!” I burst into tears and fled to Calpurnia. Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose them on me: several times he went so far as to tell me what to do. Dubose was not cold in her grave-Jem had seemed grateful enough for my company when he went to read to her. This change in Jem had come about in a matter of weeks. I must be patient with him and disturb him as little as possible. His appetite was appalling, and he told me so many times to stop pestering him I consulted Atticus: “Reckon he’s got a tapeworm?” Atticus said no, Jem was growing. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody.
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