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           Heplacedtheyoungtowntoofarawayfromtheonlykindofpublictransportationinthosedays—river-boat—andittookamanfromthenorthendofthecountytwodaystotraveltoMaycombforstore-boughtgoods.Asaresultthetownremainedthesamesizeforahundredyears,anislandinapatchworkseaofcottonfieldsandtimberland.

           AlthoughMaycombwasignoredduringtheWarBetweentheStates,Reconstructionruleandeconomicruinforcedthetowntogrow.Itgrewinward.Newpeoplesorarelysettledthere,thesamefamiliesmarriedthesamefamiliesuntilthemembersofthecommunitylookedfaintlyalike.OccasionallysomeonewouldreturnfromMontgomeryorMobilewithanoutsider,buttheresultcausedonlyarippleinthequietstreamoffamilyresemblance.Thingsweremoreorlessthesameduringmyearlyyears.

           TherewasindeedacastesysteminMaycomb,buttomyminditworkedthisway:theoldercitizens,thepresentgenerationofpeoplewhohadlivedsidebysideforyearsandyears,wereutterlypredictabletooneanother:theytookforgrantedattitudes,charactershadings,evengestures,ashavingbeenrepeatedineachgenerationandrefinedbytime.ThusthedictaNoCrawfordMindsHisOwnBusiness,EveryThirdMerriweatherIsMorbid,TheTruthIsNotintheDelafields,AlltheBufordsWalkLikeThat,weresimplyguidestodailyliving:nevertakeacheckfromaDelafieldwithoutadiscreetcalltothebank;MissMaudieAtkinson’sshoulderstoopsbecauseshewasaBuford;ifMrs.