Chapter 4 Chapter Four

My school life thereafter was nothing compared to the first day of school.To be honest, every day is an endless project course, which slowly accumulates to form a unit.Along the way, the state spent miles and miles of homework paper and crayons on me trying to get me to understand the true meaning of group dynamics, with little success.Towards the end of my first year, what Jem called the "Dewey Decimal System" had spread throughout the school, so I never had a chance to compare it with other teaching methods.I could only look at the people around me: Atticus and Uncle Jack were both homeschooled and literate, and they both knew almost everything—at least what one didn't understand and the other often said.Also, here's the obvious fact: my father was a state legislator for many years, unanimously elected every time, but he was vital to what our teachers taught us to be a good citizen. Individuals adjust and adapt without knowing it.Jem had been brought up half Dewey and half punishment, and he seemed to be doing well both personally and in the group.Jem, however, was an exception, and no artificial system of education could make him do away with books.As for myself, everything I learned came from Time magazine and the books and newspapers I could read at home.I couldn't help but feel cheated as I trudged along with the monotonous pace of the Maycomb County education system.What exactly I was defrauded of, I can't say, but I also don't believe that twelve years of dull education was the original intention of the state government.

During this year, I finished school 30 minutes earlier than Jem every day, and he had to stay until three o'clock in the afternoon to go home, so I ran past the Radley house at a speed of 100 meters every time, waiting for safety. I stopped when I reached the front porch of my house.One afternoon, just as I was running past, something flashed in front of my eyes, which caught my attention. I couldn't help but take a deep breath, looked around for a while, and then went back to see what happened. On the edge of the Radley property, there were two large oak trees whose roots extended down to the sidewalk, making the sidewalk potholed.There was something on one of the trees that caught my eye firmly.

It was a piece of tinfoil protruding from a knot hole, just visible when I raised my eyes, shining brightly in the afternoon sun, as if winking at me.Standing on tiptoe, I took another hasty look around, then reached into the tree hole and pulled out two unwrapped pieces of chewing gum. My first impulse was to pop the gum in my mouth right away, but I remembered where I was.I ran all the way home, poring over my loot on the front porch.These two pieces of chewing gum didn't look very old, but I smelled them and found that there was nothing wrong with the smell.I licked it again, and after a while, realizing I wasn't dead, I stuffed it into my mouth—yes, Green Arrow Double Peppermint Gum.

Jem came home and asked me where I got the nice stuff.I told him it was picked up. "Scout, you can't eat what you pick up." "I didn't pick it up from the ground, it was on a tree." Jem growled at me. "Well, it's true," I said, "it's over there in that tree, the one we passed on the way to school." "Spit it out!" I spit it out.Anyway, the taste has faded. "I've been chewing it all afternoon, and I'm not dead, and I don't feel any discomfort." Jem stamped his foot and said, "Don't you know you ain't supposed to even touch that tree? You'll die if you do!"

"You even touched that house!" "That's two different things! You go and wash your mouth—right away, do you hear me?" "I don't, that way I'd have no taste in my mouth." "If you don't go, I'll tell Calpurnia!" In order to avoid confrontation with Calpurnia, I obediently complied.For whatever reason, during my first year at school, my relationship with Calpurnia changed a lot: Calpurnia's bossy, partial, and nosy nature changed a lot, and she Just kind of like whining and nagging now.As for me, sometimes I try to restrain myself and try not to annoy her.

Summer is approaching, and Jem and I can't wait.Summer is the best season for us: we can move a cot and sleep on the screened back porch, or find a way to sleep in a tree house; there are all kinds of delicious things to feast on in summer; A thousand colors intertwine in the hot summer landscape; above all, Dill is our playmate in summer. School dismissed early on the last day of term, and Jem and I walked home together. "Guess Dill's gonna be here tomorrow," I said. "Maybe the day after tomorrow," said Jem, "Mississippi is a day later than we are."

When we got to the big Radley oak tree, I raised my hand for the hundredth time and pointed to the hollow where I found those two pieces of gum, and I wanted Jem to believe it, but This time I found myself pointing at a tinfoil packet. "I saw it! Scout, I saw it..." Jem glanced around, reached out, and carefully took out the shiny little paper packet and put it in his pocket.The two of us ran home and stood on the front porch looking at the little box wrapped in gum foil.It looked like a purple velvet box for a wedding ring, with a small lock.Jem pushed lightly, and the catch popped open, revealing two polished coins, one on top of the other.Jem looked and looked carefully.

"The Indian head," he said, "is from 1906, Scout, and the other is from 1900. That's a long time." "1900," I echoed, "really..." "Don't talk yet, I'm thinking." "Jem, do you think this is where somebody hides stuff?" "No, nobody passes there every day except the two of us, unless it's a grown-up..." "Grown men don't keep things in places like this. Jem, do you think we should keep them?" "Scout, I don't know what to do. And who are we supposed to give it back to? I bet no one ever passes there—Cecile always takes the back street, detour home from town .”

Cecil Jacobs lived on the far north side of our street, next to the post office, and he walked the full mile to and from school every day just to avoid the Radleys and Mrs. Dubose's.Mrs. Dubose lives on the north side of our house, two houses away from us.The neighbors in the neighborhood agreed that she was the most vicious old lady in the neighborhood.Jem dared not pass her house unless Atticus was by his side. "Jem, what do you think we should do?" It stands to reason that whoever finds it belongs to him, unless someone claims it.It is not a big deal to pinch a camellia occasionally, squeeze a pour of hot milk from Miss Maudie's cow in summer, or pick a few bunches of grapes from someone's grape trellis to eat by yourself. These are the customs here. , but money is another matter.

"Well," said Jem, "we'll keep it until school starts, and we'll go round and round and see who it is. I think maybe some kid on the school bus put it in the tree hole, I just thought about the holiday today, so I forgot about it. I know, this thing must belong to the owner. You see, the coin is polished so brightly, which shows that the person cherishes it very much." "Yeah, but why does this man store chewing gum in a tree hole? Everyone knows that chewing gum can't be kept for too long." "I can't say, Scout. But these things mean a lot to that man..."

"Why do you say that, Jem..." "Look, Indian heads—how do you say that? They have something to do with Indians, they have powerful magical powers, and they bring good luck. It's not like luck when you eat fried chicken when you don't expect it, but like longevity Well, health, and passing the six-week exam . Jem stared at the Radley house for a long time before entering the room.He seemed to be thinking about something again. Two days later, Dill appeared in front of us in high spirits: he took the train alone from Meridian to Maycomb Station (just called it, Maycomb Station is actually in Albert County), Rachel Miss Al went there to pick him up in the only taxi in Maycomb.He claims he ate in the dining car and saw conjoined twins get off the train in Bay St. Louis.No matter how much we threatened, he insisted that he had indeed seen it with his own eyes.He had ditched those nasty blue shorts, the ones that buttoned to his shirt, for a real pair of shorts with a belt;He also told us that he met his father.Dill's father was said to be taller than our father, with a black, pointed beard, and the president of the L&N Railroad. "I've been helping the engine driver for a while," Dill said, yawning. "It's a fool to believe your shit, Dill. Stop talking nonsense," said Jem. "What shall we play today?" "Tom, Sam, and Dick," said Dill, "let's go to the front yard." Dill suggested "The Rover Boy" because there were three important characters in it.He's clearly fed up and doesn't want to be supporting us anymore. "It's boring." I said.I've had enough of Tom Rover, who would lose his memory midway through the show and not come back until near the end, when he was found in Alaska. "Jem, make one up for us," I suggested. "I'm tired of making up stories." The first day we were free, we were bored and didn't know how to get through the summer. We wandered out onto the front porch, where Dill stood, looking down the street at the somber front of the Radleys. "I—smell—death," he said in a pause.We quickly shut him up, but he spat out a few more words: "I did smell it, really." "You mean you can smell when someone is dying?" "No, I mean, I can tell if someone is dying just by smelling it. An old lady taught me that." Dill leaned over and sniffed me hard, "Joan— —Louise—Finch, you'll be dead in three days." "Dill, if you don't shut up, I'll kick your legs. I'll do what I said, and now..." "Shut up, all of you," Jem yelled, "you look like you really believe in Heat." "You look like you don't believe it." I replied. "What's a 'thermal flow'?" Dill asked. "Didn't you ever pass a hot place when you were walking at night in the wilderness?" Jem asked Dill. If you walk through them, you will become one of them when you die, floating in the night, breathing the breath of people..." "How can you not go through them?" "No way," said Jem, "sometimes they spread themselves out and take up the whole road, but if you have to pass a ghost, you hurry up and say: 'Light Angel, life is death; don't block Don't suck my way.' Then they won't hang on to you..." "Don't believe a word he says, Dill," I put in. "Calpurnia says that's nigger bullshit." Jem frowned at me angrily, but said, "Well, shall we play something else?" "Let's roll the tires," I suggested. Jem sighed. "You know I'm too big." "You can push." I ran to the backyard, pulled out an old tire from under the slab of the house, threw it into the front yard with a loud clap, and then yelled, "I'll come first." Dill said he should come first because he just arrived. Jem made the ruling that I'd do the first lap and Dill could do one more, so I curled up in the tires first. I didn't realize until after it happened that Jem was annoyed that I contradicted him on the topic of "heat flow," so he waited patiently for an opportunity to get back at me.All he did was push the tire down the pavement with all his might.The ground, the sky, the houses, all merged before my eyes into a madly swirling palette, my ears were thumping, my chest was choking.I couldn't reach out and stop the tires because my hands were stuck between my chest and my knees.I can only hope that Jem catches me rolling with the tires, or that there is a bump in the pavement where the tires will catch.I heard Jem yelling after him as he ran after him. The tires bumped a few times on the gravel, then slid across the road quickly, hit the curb, and bounced me to the road like a cork.I was lying on the concrete floor, dizzy and nauseous; I was shaking my head to stop it from spinning, and slapping my ears to get rid of the loud roar, when Jem's voice reached me: "Sku Te, get out of there, hurry!" I looked up, only to realize that it was the steps of the Radley house in front of me.I froze all of a sudden. "Come on, Scout, don't lie there!" Jem yelled hoarsely. "Get up, you hear?" I stood up and moved my limbs tremblingly. "Get the tire!" yelled Jem. "Get the tire! Are you a real fool?" Fortunately, my legs were finally able to walk. I used my trembling knees to support my body, and ran towards the two of them desperately. "Why don't you get the tires?" Jem yelled at me. "Why don't you get it?" I screamed. Jem fell silent. "Go, it's not far from the door. What's the matter? You touched that house, don't you remember?" Jem glared at me so angry that he had no excuse but ran down the sidewalk, lingering at the door for a while, then dashed in to get the tire. "See?" Jem frowned at me with a smug look on his face. "It's a piece of cake. Scout, I'll tell you the truth, you act like a girl sometimes. It's annoying." In fact, he didn't know everything about it, and I decided not to tell him. Calpurnia appeared at the gate and yelled at us, "Drink the lemonade! Come in, all of you, before the sun burns you!" Drinking lemonade at ten o'clock every morning is a summer tradition programme.Calpurnia set down a jug and three glasses on the porch and went about her business.Annoying Jem didn't particularly worry me; a few glasses of lemonade cheered him up. Jem poured down two large glasses of lemonade and patted his chest. "I know what we can do," he announced aloud. "We'll do something new and unique." "What's that?" Dill asked. "Weird Radley." Jem's head was almost transparent sometimes: he came up with the idea just to show me that he had no fear of the Radleys, or to compare his heroism with my cowardice. Cowardly in stark contrast. "Weird Radley? How?" Dill asked. Jem said, "Scout, you can play Mrs. Radley..." "I'd say it myself if I wanted to, but I don't think..." "What's the matter with you?" Dill asked. "Still scared?" "At night, when we're all asleep, he'll come out..." I said. Jem hissed. "Scout, how'd he know what we were doing? Besides, I don't think he's living there anymore. He died years ago, and they stuffed them up the chimney." Dill said, "Jem, if Scout gets scared, it's you and me and she can watch." Boo Radley was in that house, I'm pretty sure of that, but I can't prove it, and I think it's best to keep my mouth shut lest Jem tell me I believe in "Thermal Flow"-- I have nothing against this during the day. Jem assigned us roles: I was Mrs. Radley, and all I had to do was get out of the house and clean the front porch; Dill was old Mr. Radley, pacing up and down the sidewalk, and Jem and he There was a cough at the greeting; the role of Boogie Radley fell naturally to Jem, who squatted under the steps, screaming and trombone now and then. Day by day the summer passes, and our game moves forward day by day.We kept polishing and perfecting it, adding dialogue and action, and finally it became a little drama, but we would change it every day when we put it on. Dill is at his most alive as a villain, and he can be assigned any role, and if a villain character requires height, he can make himself appear taller.His worst performances are Gothic novels, but even his worst performances are interesting.I was very reluctant to take on the various female characters in the script.In my opinion, it's not as fun as Tarzan, and I've been acting all summer long with a vague worry in my head, though Jem reassures me that Boo Radley is dead. Yes, and with him and Calpurnia by day and Atticus at night, I'll be all right. Jem was born a hero. The skit he had concocted was full of melancholy, pieced together from street gossip and neighbourhood: Mrs. Radley was a pretty girl before, and after marrying Mr. Radley she changed, and lost all his money.She lost most of her teeth and hair, and her right index finger was missing—Dill had come up with this, saying that the weirdo bit off her finger one night when he couldn't find cats and squirrels to eat.She spends most of the day sitting in the living room crying, while the weirdo slowly slashes and slashes with a knife all day long, destroying all the furniture in the house. The three of us started out as the troubled teenage boy, and then I morphed into the probate judge; then Dill took Jem out, shoved him under the steps, and poked him a few times with the broom; Then it was the sheriff and the townspeople of all sorts, and Miss Stephanie--for in Maycomb she had the most say on matters involving the Radleys. When the show got to the climax of Freak, Jem would sneak inside, take the scissors out of the sewing machine drawer with Calpurnia's back turned to him, and sit on the swing and cut a bunch of newspapers.Then it was Dill's turn, and he walked past and coughed at Jem, who then pretended to stab Dill in the thigh with the scissors—a scene that, from where I was standing, seemed real. the same. Nathan Radley was in town every day, and when he passed us we stood still, watched him go in silence, and wondered if he'd noticed , I really don't know what he will do to us.As soon as we saw a neighbor appear, we stopped the performance immediately.Once, I found Miss Maudie staring at us from across the street, holding the pruning shears in her hand, frozen there. We were busy one day with episode twenty-fifth of the second installment of One Family, and we didn't notice Atticus standing on the sidewalk, watching us and tapping away at us with a roll of magazines. knee.Judging from the position of the sun, it was exactly twelve noon. "What are you playing?" he asked. "Nothing," said Jem. Jem's evasive manner suggested that our game was a secret, so I kept silent too. "Then what are you doing with the scissors? Why are you cutting the newspaper into pieces? If it's today's newspaper, I'll beat you up." "nothing." "What's nothing?" Atticus chased after him. "Nothing, father." "Give me the scissors," said Atticus. "It ain't something to play with. You don't happen to have anything to do with the Radleys, do you?" "No, father," said Jem, blushing. "I hope so," snapped Atticus, and went inside. "J-M..." "Shut up! He came into the living room and can hear us." It wasn't until we were safely back in the yard that Dill asked Jem if we could go on with the show. "I haven't made up my mind. Atticus didn't say we couldn't—" "Jem," I said, "I think Atticus already knows, anyway." "No, he doesn't know at all. If he finds out, he'll tell." I'm not so sure, but Jem told me it's because I'm a girl, and girls always think about it, and that's what makes girls annoying, and if I start acting like a girl, just go Come on, find some girls to play with. "Okay, go ahead," I said, "you'll figure it out sooner or later." The sudden appearance of Atticus is the second reason why I want to quit this game.The first reason came the day I rolled into the Radley front yard.Even though I was in a mess, shaking my head, suppressing my nausea, and Jem yelling, I heard another voice.The voice was so low it couldn't be heard from the sidewalk.Someone in the room was laughing.