Journal #2

Journal #2

Chapters 4-7

Perspective: Dill

I awaited the end of school excitedly. This summer I got to go back to Aunt Rachel’s again and that would mean endless summer days reenacting more skits with Scout and Jem in the yard. It also meant more expeditions of the Radley Place. To get to Aunt Rachel’s I rode the train by myself from Meridian to Maycomb Junction in Abbott County. I also got to eat at a diner. The day I arrived the sun was warm on our backs the heat covering us in blankets of sweat as me, Scout, and Jem spent the first days of summer deciding what to play. I wanted to play Tom and Sam and Dick but Scout, stubborn as ever, refused to. We spent those few days bored until we walked near the Radley House and got into talking about Hot Steams. Jem and Scout got mad at each other, as siblings often do, and Jem decided to roll her down in the tire to the Radley Lot. Soon she took dizzying steps runnin’ back for lemonade time and that’s when we got the idea for the Boo Radley game.

Earlier Scout had asked Jem to come up with a new idea but he’d had none. He got one though as we sat under the cool shade of the porch sipping down sweet glasses of lemonade. The Radley’s had always interested me with their haunting of the neighborhood and I eagerly agreed to the game, Scout holding back but finally joining in. We played different parts, I having a talent for playing many roles. The summer dwindled on and our game took shape. We stole bits of gossip and created our own stories to fit the roles. We played all during the day unless neighbors or townsfolk showed up. Our game was put to a stop though when Atticus game home early one day to pick up things he had forgotten.

I think he suspected our game but he went inside when we wouldn’t spill. Scout was being a girl and stopped playing, fearing of getting in trouble from Atticus. She kept bothering us until we stopped too though. I spent lots of the following weeks with Jem in their treehouse, one day I asked Scout to marry me too.

Me and Jem spent lots of time coming up with ideas and plans alone, but one day Scout caught us at it. She came wanderin’ over from Ms. Maudie’s and questioned us so we made her do what we told her if we told her what we were doin’. I came up with the idea of givin’ a note to Boo Radley, so he’ll finally come out of that house and we can have a good look at him. Also, maybe he’ll feel better. Bein’ cooped up in that house all day is no fun, none at all.

Our plan was workin’ well and Jem almost had the note in the shutter when Atticus came up the walk. I started ringin’ a bell as hard as I could in his face but it was no use. He suspected what we were up to and gave us a lecture on Mr. Radley’s privacy.

My last night in Maycomb soon came though. I was still determined to see Boo Radley before I had to go back to Meridian. Me, Jem, and Scout took a walk over to the Radley’s and slipped under the fence and we hurried over to their window. They lifted me up and I tried to peek in the house but all I could see was darkness. I wasn’t giving up though yet. I tried to convince them to go around to the back window but that’s when we saw the shadow. We were soon bein’ shot at and we had to run back. The whole neighborhood was there outside the Radley place. In all the hurry to get out though Jem had lost his pants and I had to tell lies about playing strip poker to throw off the adults. Unfortunately, I had not gotten to see Boo Radley this summer either, but oh was I still determined to.