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Chapter 1
MindfulofJohnWesley’sstricturesontheuseofmanywordsinbuyingandselling, Simonmadeapilepracticingmedicine, butinthispursuithewasunhappylesthebetemptedintodoing whatheknewwasnotforthegloryofGod, astheputtingonofgoldandcostlyapparel. SoSimon,havingforgottenhisteacher’sdictumonthepossessionofhumanchattels, boughtthreeslavesandwiththeiraidestablishedahomestead onthebanksoftheAlabamaRiversomefortymilesaboveSaintStephens. HereturnedtoSaintStephensonlyonce,tofindawife, andwithherestablishedalinethatranhightodaughters. Simonlivedtoanimpressiveageanddiedrich.
ItwascustomaryforthemeninthefamilytoremainonSimon’shomestead, Finch’sLanding,andmaketheirlivingfromcotton. Theplacewasself-sufficient:modestincomparisonwiththeempiresaroundit, theLandingneverthelessproducedeverythingrequiredtosustainlife exceptice,wheatflour,andarticlesofclothing, suppliedbyriver-boatsfromMobile.
SimonwouldhaveregardedwithimpotentfurythedisturbancebetweentheNorthandtheSouth, asitlefthisdescendantsstrippedofeverythingbuttheirland, yetthetraditionoflivingonthelandremainedunbroken untilwellintothetwentiethcentury,whenmyfather,AtticusFinch, wenttoMontgomerytoreadlaw,andhisyoungerbrotherwenttoBostontostudymedicine. TheirsisterAlexandrawastheFinchwhoremainedattheLanding: shemarriedataciturnman whospentmostofhistimelyinginahammockbytheriverwondering ifhistrot-lineswerefull.
Whenmyfatherwasadmittedtothebar,hereturnedtoMaycombandbeganhispractice. Maycomb,sometwentymileseastofFinch’sLanding,wasthecountyseatofMaycombCounty.
