Journal #4 -Chapters 10-12 Perspective: Atticus

While I was reading the newspaper Jem and Scout entered the room out of nowhere,like they were inaudible, and asked me "why are you so old" And I told them that I just started late. I guess they were ashamed of me because I notice that all the other dads are younger and have interesting jobs.

There was a mad dog in town and everyone was in peril. He was walking very slowly up to us. There were only two people who could have saved us. There was Mr. Heck Tate and the other was me. Tate's aiming is rusty and I haven't shot a gun in thirty years and my left eye is bad. I told Tate that he had a perfect shot right now but he said "You know my aim isn't that good anymore" and that only I can stop him. The dog was coming closer and I had to act fast. I took the rifle and started to walk up to the dog. I noticed from the center of my eye that Jem and Scout tried to get out of the house inconspicuously so that they can see better but I told them to stay where they are. I held out my rifle and killed Tim with one shot. Now that I shot him we just had to wait for Zeebo to come and clean up the mess. Then I overheard Miss Maudie coming to Jem and Scout and asked them if they are still ashamed of me. Miss Maudie said that back in the day, when I was a little boy, they used to call me Ol' One-Shot. Jem asked why I didn't tell them that I was good with guns. Then I asked myself why I didn't tell them that I was good with guns and aiming. Then I over heard Miss Maudie say "Maybe he thinks that God gave him an unfair advantage to most living things. I know that Atticus in his heart he is civilized. That's why he didn't fire a gun until he needed to. And I guess that he needed to now" Overhearing what she said just answered my question perfectly.

Then the next day I'm walking back home about to pass Mrs. Dubose's house and her camellias are destroyed and they're everywhere on the floor. I see a broken baton on the ground and Mrs. Dubose says that it was Jem. I was so upset that I forgot everything else she said. I picked up the broken baton and walked back home. When I got back, I slammed the door shut and yelled "Jem!" I asked him if he did it and he honestly replies with "Yes sir" He didn't even try to contradict me. Then I told him to go back to Mrs. Dubose's house and apologize. When he came back he said he has to read to her for 2 hours every weekday and Saturdays and for one whole month. And So he did.

After Jem was done reading to her for a whole month now and I get a call telling me to write Mrs. Dubose's will. When I get back with the candy box Jem asked me what Mrs. Dubose wanted. I told him that she died and that she was a morphine addict. That she was addicted almost all her life. She used it for a painkiller but she knew she was going to die. So she stopped taking morphine and died proudly. I told them that she was the bravest person I knew. She could have taken the morphine and lived without the pains but instead she decided not to and die proudly. To me I thought her decision was cantankerous. I would have done the same.