The booming voice for the clerk range out, “Mayella Violet Ewell!”
A young girl walked to the witness stand and raised her hand to be sworn in as a witness. She was a strong girl who worked hard.
It was also clear that Mayella tried to keep clean and look nice.
Mr. Gilmer asked Mayella to tell the jury in her own words what happened on the evening of November twenty-first.
Mayella sat silently.
“Where were you at dusk on that evening” began Mr. Gilmer patiently.
“On the porch.”
“Which porch?”
“Ain’t but one, the front porch.”
“What were you doing on the porch?”
“Nothin’.”
Judge Taylor said, “Just tell us what happened. You can do that, can’t you?”
Mayella stared at him and then burst into tears. Judge Taylor let her cry for a bit and then said, “That’s enough now. Don’t be ‘fraid of anybody here, as long as you tell the truth. All this is strange to you, I know, but you’ve nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to fear. What are you scared of?”
Mayella said something behind her hands and the judge had to ask her to repeat.
“Him,” she sobbed , pointing to Atticus.
“Mr. Finch?”
She nodded saying, “Don’t want him doin’ me like he done Papa, tryin’ to make him out lefthanded…”
Judge Taylor looked at a loss as to what to. He asked, “How old are you?
“Nineteen-and-a-half,” Mayella said.
The judge spoke in soothing tones . “Mr. Finch has no idea of scaring you: he growled, “and if he did, I’m here to stop him. That’s one thing I’m sitting up here for. Now you’re a big girl, so you just sit up straight and tell the – tell us what happened to you. You can do that, can’t you?
