TKAM Ch. 10-11 Jounral #4: Scout

Did you know Atticus was called One-Shot Finch? Well I didn’t, and I don’t know why people don’t tell me these things. Here Jem and I were thinking that Atticus was just old and couldn’t do anything, when really I think he’s the bravest man I know. He shot that crazy dog in one shot! Right in the head! Jem and I were walking down the street when we saw Tim Johnson was walking all funny toward us. He was a long way off but Jem wanted to go run and tell Cal. He did, and Cal called Atticus. When everyone was inside and the gun was brought out it was scary. Everything was silent as Tim Johnson slowly came into view. Atticus had to take the gun and it me scared half to death! He was too old to shoot a mad dog, wasn’t he? He aimed the gun, and his body seemed to relax. He was perfectly still and right when Tim Johnson leapt to come toward us, Atticus shot him! It was a perfect shot; anyone or anything that’s being aimed at by Atticus is in peril. I wanted to tell everyone at school about Atticus, but Jem said that I shouldn’t. If Atticus had wanted everyone to know about it he would’ve, instead of remaining inconspicuous.
I guess Jem wanted a change of scenery, or maybe he felt more grown up or something, because we went further to meet Atticus after work. To do this we had to go past Ms. Dubose’s house. I would rather not do this, but Jem said I had to grow up. She was the meanest old lady that ever lived. She always talked bad about Atticus and made me feel real embarrassed because he was taking that Tom person’s case. Jem always got the maddest though. When I say mad I mean crazy. He had just bought me my baton and we were walking back from town. When we came to Ms. Dubose’s house she wasn’t on the porch. Then Jem ran into her yard with my baton and cut all the flowers off her plants. Then took my baton and snapped it in a half! I started screaming and he told me to shut up, but I didn’t and he kicked me and I fell. He didn’t seem at all sorry for being cantankerous, but he seemed sorry about making me fall. We went home to wait for Atticus.
When he came through the door, his voice called out to Jem. It didn’t sound like a happy voice. Atticus had my baton in his hand as he walked in the room, and he asked Jem if he were responsible, but he asked it in a way that seemed like he already knew. Jem said yes, I don’t think he even thought to contridict Atticus. Atticus told Jem to go talk to Ms. Dubose, I was going to go with him in case she shot him with her CSA pistol, but Atticus called me back.
When Jem came back he said that she had told him he had to read to her for 2 hours for a month! It was a horrible punishment but I went with him every time. It was awful; I tried not to look at her. She had a lot of spit that always came out of her mouth. Her mouth always moved as if it were saying inaudible things but it was moving by itself I think. She would always pick on Jem and correct him at every word he said wrong or couldn’t say at all. As soon as the alarm clock went off we got out of there fast. One time Atticus came by, and I found out that she had been setting it later and later each time. Finally it was over for good though and me and Jem were free!
One evening we were all together and Atticus got a call from Ms. Dubose and he went over her house. When he came back he told us she had died. I didn’t know what I felt. I think it would be wrong to feel happy that someone died, so I settled on relief. Atticus said she was a morphine addict and that she was trying to get herself off of it. She died with a clean system, which Jem told me was a good thing. Atticus said that there was more to bravery than shooting something and that Ms. Dubose was a great lady. I’m not sure I believe that because she sure was mean to us, but when I left the room Jen was playing with the petals on the flower Ms. Dubose had given to him. I thought that was a nice thing to do even for a sick, mean lady.