In Harper Lee's To Kill a
Mockingbird, Dill and Jem plan to try to look inside a loose shutter into the
Radley house to get a look at Boo. Scout has strong misgiving about this, but Jem says
that if she doesn't like it she should leave. This is just another example of how close
Dill and Jem have become, and how Scout is often left out of the boys'
plans.
Jem, Dill and Scout creep through yards and bushes
to get to the Radley place. At the gate dividing the garden from the back yard, Jem
tells the others to spit on the hinges so the gate won't squeak. Jem and Scout hoist
Dill up to one of the windows of the house, but he can't see anything. Then Jem decides
to look through a different window. Going up the steps, one squeaks. Jem makes it to the
window, but at that moment, Scout and Dill see a shadow passing close to Jem. When it is
gone, the three children bolt out of the yard. As Scout falls, the kids hear the blast
of a shotgun. Struggling under the fence into the school yard, Scout and Dill are fine,
but turning they find Jem is not with them. Returning to the fence, Jem is kicking off
his pants which are stuck on the fence. Free, Jem joins the others and they take off,
leaving Jem's pants stuck on the tree. Mr. Radley believes there was a burglar on his
property; he is the one that shot the gun, and the neighbors gather outside to find out
what has happened.
Dill's last night in Maycomb really does
end with a bang!
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