TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Chapter 15
Chapter 15
The trial is soon. Things get bad fast. One night, Sheriff Tate comes to the house. He asks for Atticus. The Sheriff wants to talk outside. Scout knows grown-ups talk outside only for two reasons: death or politics.
“Who died?” Scout asks Jem. “Let’s go find out,” Jem says. They go outside. Their dad sends them back in. They go inside. They turn off the lights. They listen through the window. They see people in the yard – lots of people.
Sheriff Tate, Atticus, and Link Deas talk about the trial. Mr. Deas is Tom’s boss. Mr. Deas tells Atticus that Tom Robinson is arriving in Maycomb jail tonight. “Tom could get in big trouble,” Mr. Deas says. “There’s a group of townspeople that might cause problems. They may try to kill him before the trial starts. Atticus, you should never have taken this case. You might lose everything.”
“Link, the judge might give Tom the death penalty,” says Atticus. “But I will defend him so he can tell the truth. And we all know what that is.” Atticus goes back inside the house. The men leave.
“Did those men on the lawn want to hurt you?” Jem asks. “No, they were friends,” Atticus says. “They were friends from town.” “They weren’t a mob?” Jem asks. “They weren’t the Ku Klux Klan?” “What have you been reading?” Atticus says. “This is Maycomb. There are no mobs here. And the Klan is gone. It won’t come back.”
The next night, after supper, Atticus does something strange. He takes a long electrical cord with a light on the end. He takes the car and drives away. This is unusual because Atticus always walks to his office.
Jem is worried. "I'm going to see where he has gone," he says. Scout does not want him to go alone. "We're coming with you," she says, and Dill agrees.
They walk to the center of town. It is dark and quiet. They see Atticus’s car near the bank. But Atticus is not in it. Then they see him. He is sitting on a chair in front of the town jail. The light he brought is shining on the jail door. He is reading a newspaper.
They watch from a distance. It is strange to see him there. Why is he reading outside the jail? Then, four cars stop near the jail. Men get out. They are quiet. They walk toward Atticus. They stand in a circle around him.
"He's in there, isn't he?" one man says. "He is," Atticus says. "And he's asleep. Don't wake him up." The men are dark and their faces are not friendly. They want to get inside the jail. Atticus stands up. He is calm, but he is blocking the door. "You can't do that, gentlemen," he says.
Jem is scared for him. "We have to do something," he whispers. He runs toward Atticus. Scout and Dill follow him. Atticus sees them. His face changes. He is not happy. "Go home, Jem," he says. "Take Scout and Dill home."
But Jem does not move. He stands next to Atticus. One of the men looks at Jem. "Get those children out of here, Atticus," the man says. Atticus looks at the children. His voice is serious. "Go home," he says again.
Scout looks at the men around her. Their faces are angry. She does not know them. Then, she sees a face that she knows. It is Mr. Cunningham, the father of her friend Walter, from school. Scout tries to be friendly. "Hey, Mr. Cunningham," she says.
He does not answer. He does not look at her. She tries again. She talks about his son, Walter. "He's a good boy," she says. "Tell him I said hello." She keeps talking. The other men are watching her. It is very quiet.
Finally, Mr. Cunningham looks down at Scout. He bends down and puts his hand on her shoulder. "I'll tell him you said hey, little lady," he says. Then he stands up and speaks to the other men. "Let's go," he says. "Let's go, boys." The men turn and walk back to their cars. They drive away into the night.
Atticus watches them go. He does not say anything for a minute. Then he leans against the wall of the jail. There is a soft voice from the jail window. “Are they gone, Mr. Finch?” It is Tom Robinson. “They’re gone, Tom,” says Atticus. “You can try to sleep now.”
From another window above them, they hear another voice. It is Mr. Underwood. "I’ve had you covered all the time, Atticus," he says. He is holding a big gun. He has been watching, ready to help.
