Mrs. Dubose on Jem's reading:
"'Atticus,' he said, 'she wants me to read to her.'
'Read to her?'
'Yes sir. She wants me to come every afternoon after school and Saturdays and read to her out loud for two hours. Atticus, do I have to?'
'Certainly'
'But she wants me to do it for a month'
'Then you'll do it for a month.'"
Atticus and Jem on reading to Mrs. Dubose-105
I'm sorry for having to keep Jem and his sister out so long, but they help so much. I've been doing better, waiting- always waiting for the alarm clock to ring. Without distractions, I don't know what would have happened. I concentrate on every sentence. Was it correct? If I don't pay attention to every word, it seems that the pain is worse. I need that dose more and more every second I think about it. It's always one more chapter, one more paragraph, one more sentence, one more letter. It takes longer and longer each day, but I will die free of this horrid stuff. Atticus is a great man and has raised his son to be the same. I may not believe in what he does, but I do respect him for doing it. It is more distractions when I find something else to rag on Jem for. I'll show him how much I appreciate him coming here and reading to me for hours, and I'll make sure it is before I die too. I know my days are almost over, and that's why I need Jem to come and read. I don't care how I do it, or how hard it is, but I will leave this world without one drop of morphine in my body.