Judge Taylor asked if Atticus had any questions and he did.
“Did you call a doctor, Sheriff? Did anybody call a doctor?” asked Atticus.
“No, sir,” said Mr. Tate.
“Why not?” There was an edge to Atticus’s voice.
“Well I can tell you why I didn’t. It wasn’t necessary , Mr. Finch. She was mighty banged up . Something sho’ happened, it was obvious .”
“But you didn’t call a doctor? While you were there did anyone send for one, fetch one, carry her to one?”
“No sir –“
Judge Taylor told Atticus that he had already answered the questions and to move on. Atticus wanted to make sure.
“Sheriff,” Atticus was saying, “you say she was mighty banged up. In what way?”
“Well –“
“Just describe the injuries, Heck.”
“Well, she was beaten around the head. There was already bruises comin’ on her arms, and it happened about thirty minutes before—“
“How do you know?”
Mr. Tate grinned. “Sorry, that’s what they said. Anyway, she was pretty bruised up when I got there, and she had a black eye comin’.”
“Which eye?”
“Let’s see,” he said softly, then he looked at Atticus
“Can’t you remember?” Atticus asked.
Mr. Tate said, “Her left.”
“Wait a minute, Sheriff,” said Atticus. “Was it her left facing you or her left looking the same way you were?”
Mr. Tate said, “Oh yes, that’d make it her right. It was her right eye, Mr. Finch. I remember now, she was banged up on that side of her face…”
Mr. Tate blinked as if something had suddenly been made clear to him. He turned and looked at Tom Robinson and Tom raised his head also.
Something became clear to Atticus as well and he asked the sheriff to repeat what he just said.
“It was her right eye, I said.”
Attticus looked up at Mr. Tate. Which side again, Heck?”
“The right side, Mr. Finch, but she had more bruises – you wanta hear about ‘em?”
“Yes, what were her other injuries?”
“… her arms were bruised, and she showed me her neck. There were finger marks on her neck—“
“All around her throat? At the back of her neck?”
“I’d say they were all around Mr. Finch.”
“You would?”
“Yes sir, she had a small throat, anybody could’a reached around it with—“
“Just answer the question yes or no please, Sheriff,”, said Atticus dryly, and Mr. Tate fell silent.
They were all finished with Mr. Tate as a witness and he stepped down from the witness stand.
