Journal # 4 Chapter 10-12 Perspective of Miss Maudie

It was a beautiful afternoon, the flowers were blooming, the sun was as bright as a sunflower, and the sky a fluorescent blue. I was working in my garden, planting some new plant, and Scout came along. She was inaudible as she walked by. I took of my gardening gloves and set them to the side as Scout skipped towards me. Scout stepped in front of me and looked me in the eyes. " Atticus told me that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, is it true?" She said. I nodded gently and said, " Your father is right." I went on. " Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird." Scout asked another question, and soon we were on a different subject. Scout asked if the neighborhood was old, and I replied saying that the neighborhood was older than the town. "Nome, I mean the folks on our street are all old. Jem and me's the only children around here. Mrs. Dubose is close onto a hundred and Miss Rachel's old and so are you and Atticus." said Scout. When I heard her say Atticus was old I was a little puzzled. " I don't call fifty very old." I said. "Not being wheeled around yet, am I? Neither is your father." I told Scout that she hasn't been around of young people, and she replied saying she did. The kids and grownups at school. I could see how she felt with her father being contemporaries with others than the young parents at Scouts school. I told her if her father was thirty she'd be living a different life. " I sure would. Atticus cant do anything......." Scout said. I gave her a little smirk and said " You'd be surprised. There is life in him yet."

Scout sound interested when she heard that her father could do many things.

" What can he do?" Scout asked. I began a long list of things Atticus could do. It took me a while to start thinking. " Well, he can make somebody's will so airtight can't anybody meddle with it." "Well did you know he's the best checker-player in this town? Acticus Finch could beat everybody on both sides of the river." Scout had a face that looked like she didn't believe me. A yeah right face. She looked contradicting. "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." I said. I went on and on about the many things Atticus could do, and Scout just didn't sound as surprised or as proud as I thought she would be. I had carpenters over so I told Scout she should go home now, besides I would be gardening my azaleas. I went back to gardening fixing my gloves back on and Scout walked away to meet Jem in their yard.

I was still gardening putting in some new plants, and Atticus called to me from across the neighborhood. I got up and turned towards him and he said. " Maudie, I thought I'd better warn you. You are in considerable peril." I looked around and saw an air riffle pointed at me. I yelled across to him, " Atticus, you are a devil from hell." He walked away and I turned back to my gardening. After a while I finally finished gardening and went back inside my house and washed my hands and prepared myself a little snack.

I was cooking my famous recipe of cake as I heard a loud yell about a mad dog in the neighborhood. I put down my cooking utensils and went to the front door of my house to see what was going on. I was surprised to see a dog in the street as I opened my front door. He looked almost inconspicuous.I was surprised because they usually only come around in August. Everyone runnin' around as Atticus, and the Mr. Tate come to the rescue. They wait there targeting Tom Johnson, and Mr. Tate hand the riffle over to Atticus. I am surprised now. Atticus hasn't handled a gun in years. I knew that he could do it. Atticus brought the gun to his shoulder. It was the loudest noise I have every heard in a long time. Tim Johnson had no idea what hit him, as the brown and white heap fell to the ground and stood still. I saw Jem and Scout. I walked down the steps of my house and walked on over to Scout and said. " Well now, Miss Jean Louise, still think your father can't do anything? Still ashamed of him?"

"Noome. " Scout replied.

" Forgot to tell you the other day that besides playing the Jews, Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time." I told Jem and Scout.

"Dead shot......."said Jem.

"That's what I said Jem Finch. Guess you'll change your tune now. The very idea, didn't you know his nickname was Ol' One-Shot when he was a boy? Why, down at the Landing when he was coming up, if he shot fifteen times and hit fourteen doves he'd complain about wasting ammunition."

" He never said any thing about that," said Jem.

" If your fathers anything, he's civilized in his heart. Marksmanship's a gift of God, a talent - oh, you have to practice to make it perfect, but shootin's different from playing the piano or the like. I think maybe he's put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided he wouldn't shoot till he had to, and he had to today."

They both seemed to understand what I was saying, and I hope they keep in mind that,"people in their right minds never take pride in their talents."

I turned away and walked towards my house, and every time I looked back I got further and further away. I watched my steps I walked up to the house. I looked out saw the sunset and shut the door closely behind me.