10 Chapter 10 (1/2)

Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he was so old,he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness. Hewas much older than the parents of our school contemporaries, and there was nothingJem or I could say about him when our classmates said, ”My father—”

Jem was football crazy. Atticus was never too tired to play keep-away, but when Jemwanted to tackle him Atticus would say, ”I'm too old for that, son.”

Our father didn't do anything. He worked in an office, not in a drugstore. Atticus did notdrive a dump-truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in agarage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone.

Besides that, he wore glasses. He was nearly blind in his left eye, and said left eyeswere the tribal curse of the Finches. Whenever he wanted to see something well, heturned his head and looked from his right eye.

He did not do the things our schoolmates' fathers did: he never went hunting, he didnot play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the livingroom and read.

With these attributes, however, he would not remain as inconspicuous as we wishedhim to: that year, the school buzzed with talk about him defending Tom Robinson, noneof which was complimentary. After my bout with Cecil Jacobs when I committed myselfto a policy of cowardice, word got around that Scout Finch wouldn't fight any more, herdaddy wouldn't let her. This was not entirely correct: I wouldn't fight publicly for Atticus,but the family was private ground. I would fight anyone from a third cousin upwardstooth and nail. Francis Hancock, for example, knew that.

When he gave us our air-rifles Atticus wouldn't teach us to shoot. Uncle Jackinstructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn't interested in guns. Atticussaid to Jem one day, ”I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll goafter birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin tokill a mockingbird.”

That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and Iasked Miss Maudie about it.

”Your father's right,” she said. ”Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for usto enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do onething but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

”Miss Maudie, this is an old neighborhood, ain't it?”

”Been here longer than the town.”

”Nome, I mean the folks on our street are all old. Jem and me's the only childrenaround here. Mrs. Dubose is close on to a hundred and Miss Rachel's old and so areyou and Atticus.”

”I don't call fifty very old,” said Miss Maudie tartly. ”Not being wheeled around yet, amI? Neither's your father. But I must say Providence was kind enough to burn down thatold mausoleum of mine, I'm too old to keep it up—maybe you're right, Jean Louise, thisis a settled neighborhood. You've never been around young folks much, have you?”

”Yessum, at school.”

”I mean young grown-ups. You're lucky, you know. You and Jem have the benefit ofyour father's age. If your father was thirty you'd find life quite different.”

”I sure would. Atticus can't do anything…”

”You'd be surprised,” said Miss Maudie. ”There's life in him yet.”

”What can he do?”

”Well, he can make somebody's will so airtight can't anybody meddle with it.”

”Shoot…”

”Well, did you know he's the best checker-player in this town? Why, down at theLanding when we were coming up, Atticus Finch could beat everybody on both sides ofthe river.”

”Good Lord, Miss Maudie, Jem and me beat him all the time.”

”It's about time you found out it's because he lets you. Did you know he can play aJew's Harp?”

This modest accomplishment served to make me even more ashamed of him.

”Well…” she said.

”Well, what, Miss Maudie?”

”Well nothing. Nothing—it seems with all that you'd be proud of him. Can't everybodyplay a Jew's Harp. Now keep out of the way of the carpenters. You'd better go home, I'llbe in my azaleas and can't watch you. Plank might hit you.”

I went to the back yard and found Jem plugging away at a tin can, which seemedstupid with all the bluejays around. I returned to the front yard and busied myself for twohours erecting a complicated breastworks at the side of the porch, consisting of a tire,an orange crate, the laundry hamper, the porch chairs, and a small U.S. flag Jem gaveme from a popcorn box.

When Atticus came home to dinner he found me crouched down aiming across thestreet. ”What are you shooting at?”

”Miss Maudie's rear end.”

Atticus turned and saw my generous target bending over her bushes. He pushed hishat to the back of his head and crossed the street. ”Maudie,” he called, ”I thought I'dbetter warn you. You're in considerable peril.”

Miss Maudie straightened up and looked toward me. She said, ”Atticus, you are adevil from hell.”

When Atticus returned he told me to break camp. ”Don't you ever let me catch youpointing that gun at anybody again,” he said.

I wished my father was a devil from hell. I sounded out Calpurnia on the subject. ”Mr.

Finch? Why, he can do lots of things.”

”Like what?” I asked.

Calpurnia scratched her head. ”Well, I don't rightly know,” she said.

Jem underlined it when he asked Atticus if he was going out for the Methodists andAtticus said he'd break his neck if he did, he was just too old for that sort of thing. TheMethodists were trying to pay off their church mortgage, and had challenged theBaptists to a game of touch football. Everybody in town's father was playing, it seemed,except Atticus. Jem said he didn't even want to go, but he was unable to resist footballin any form, and he stood gloomily on the sidelines with Atticus and me watching CecilJacobs's father make touchdowns for the Baptists.

One Saturday Jem and I decided to go exploring with our air-rifles to see if we couldfind a rabbit or a squirrel. We had gone about five hundred yards beyond the RadleyPlace when I noticed Jem squinting at something down the street. He had turned hishead to one side and was looking out of the corners of his eyes.

”Whatcha looking at?”

”That old dog down yonder,” he said.

”That's old Tim Johnson, ain't it?”

”Yeah.”

Tim Johnson was the property of Mr. Harry Johnson who drove the Mobile bus andlived on the southern edge of town. Tim was a liver-colored bird dog, the pet ofMaycomb.

”What's he doing?”

”I don't know, Scout. We better go home.”

”Aw Jem, it's February.”

”I don't care, I'm gonna tell Cal.”

We raced home and ran to the kitchen.

”Cal,” said Jem, ”can you come down the sidewalk a minute?”

”What for, Jem? I can't come down the sidewalk every time you want me.”

”There's somethin' wrong with an old dog down yonder.”

Calpurnia sighed. ”I can't wrap up any dog's foot now. There's some gauze in thebathroom, go get it and do it yourself.”

Jem shook his head. ”He's sick, Cal. Something's wrong with him.”

”What's he doin', trying to catch his tail?”

”No, he's doin' like this.”

Jem gulped like a goldfish, hunched his shoulders and twitched his torso. ”He's goin'like that, only not like he means to.”

”Are you telling me a story, Jem Finch?” Calpurnia's voice hardened.

”No Cal, I swear I'm not.”

”Was he runnin'?”

”No, he's just moseyin' along, so slow you can't hardly tell it. He's comin' this way.”

Calpurnia rinsed her hands and followed Jem into the yard. ”I don't see any dog,” shesaid.

She followed us beyond the Radley Place and looked where Jem pointed. TimJohnson was not much more than a speck in the distance, but he was closer to us. Hewalked erratically, as if his right legs were shorter than his left legs. He reminded me ofa car stuck in a sandbed.

”He's gone lopsided,” said Jem.

Calpurnia stared, then grabbed us by the shoulders and ran us home. She shut thewood door behind us, went to the telephone and shouted, ”Gimme Mr. Finch's office!”

”Mr. Finch!” she shouted. ”This is Cal. I swear to God there's a mad dog down thestreet a piece—he's comin' this way, yes sir, he's—Mr. Finch, I declare he is—old TimJohnson, yes sir… yessir… yes—”

She hung up and shook her head when we tried to ask her what Atticus had said. Sherattled the telephone hook and said, ”Miss Eula May—now ma'am, I'm through talkin' toMr. Finch, please don't connect me no more—listen, Miss Eula May, can you call MissRachel and Miss Stephanie Crawford and whoever's got a phone on this street and tell'em a mad dog's comin'? Please ma'am!”

Calpurnia listened. ”I know it's February, Miss Eula May, but I know a mad dog when Isee one. Please ma'am hurry!”

Calpurnia asked Jem, ”Radleys got a phone?”

Jem looked in the book and said no. ”They won't come out anyway, Cal.”

”I don't care, I'm gonna tell 'em.”

She ran to the front porch, Jem and I at her heels. ”You stay in that house!” she yelled.

Calpurnia's message had been received by the neighborhood. Every wood door withinour range of vision was closed tight. We saw no trace of Tim Johnson. We watchedCalpurnia running toward the Radley Place, holding her skirt and apron above herknees. She went up to the front steps and banged on the door. She got no answer, andshe shouted, ”Mr. Nathan, Mr. Arthur, mad dog's comin'! Mad dog's comin'!”

”She's supposed to go around in back,” I said.

Jem shook his head. ”Don't make any difference now,” he said.

Calpurnia pounded on the door in vain. No one acknowledged her warning; no oneseemed to have heard it.

As Calpurnia sprinted to the back porch a black Ford swung into the driveway. Atticusand Mr. Heck Tate got out.

Mr. Heck Tate was the sheriff of Maycomb County. He was as tall as Atticus, butthinner. He was long-nosed, wore boots with shiny metal eye-holes, boot pants and alumber jacket. His belt had a row of bullets sticking in it. He carried a heavy rifle. Whenhe and Atticus reached the porch, Jem opened the door.

”Stay inside, son,” said Atticus. ”Where is he, Cal?”