Today, I read several chapters in “To Kill A Mockingbird”, which was given to me a few years ago by my niece one Christmas. I have never read the book before, even if maybe I was supposed to in middle school and I didn’t.

I am pretty sure these parts from the book are from before things get really churned up I reckon, but in them, Jean Louise (Scout) Finch and her brother Jeremy (Jem) are growing up under a pretty kind but mellow dad which they kinda assume is someone of simple interests because he comes home every night and reads the paper and reads books. Plus they have been hearing him getting called some names around because of his job and who he works with, and it bothers them a bit.

When he gave them each an air rifle as a gift, he declined to show them how to shoot them, and let their uncle take care of it. They wonder if there is any more to him than the kind reading pop they know. They kind of settle on he’s just that.

And when crazy Mrs. Dubose regularly slurs their father Atticus for helping a black man, and one afternoon Scout for not being girlie enough, after Jem decapitates her flowers in a fit of rage, Mr. Finch explains that Mrs. Dubose is ill and sends Jem to apologize to her and to spend the next month reading to her by her bedside as her restitution.

Jem and Scout do this, uncomfortably at first, but then as obligation. And when their time with her is up formally, Atticus tells ’em to stay at it a few more weeks, so they do.

Another afternoon, Jem and Scout see a neighbors dog idling erratically up a street. Spooked, they ask their housekeeper about it. She, when witnessing the beast, is also alarmed because she recognizes a rabid beast- and she makes calls around the neighborhood for people to stay in and stay safe. And she calls Atticus and the police.

Mr. Finch shows up home with the police officer to observe the dog, and yes, it looks crazed. The housekeeper pleads with the officer to put it down before it gets nearer to them and others on their street.

The officer demurs to Atticus with his rifle. “You shoot one of these way better than I ever could.” With one shot to the dog’s head, Atticus takes it down.

And after his two kids finish their restitution reading with Mrs. Dubose, he also lets the cat out of the bag.

Mrs. Dubose was ill. She was a recovering addict to morphoine, and she was dying, and she wanted to die clean, off of the stuff that had muddled her brain for years. And you kids help her through that time of coming off the stuff.

But Atticus, she was a horrid gross woman.

No, Scout- just sick. And so brave to decide to do what she did. She had little to gain out of doing it, but she wanted to do that for herself before it was too late.

She was the bravest person I have ever seen.

And after reading just those couple of chapters, I thought, what a remarkable father, and what a beautiful book.