in the town, but rather, a lonely guy who really just wants a friend.  And, since he can see the children playing from his house, he knows Jem and Scout pretty well by now.  He thinks their escapades are amusing and funny (as evidenced by the laughter when Scout fell out of the tire), he cares about the children deeply and covers for them (as evidenced by the sewn-up pants that Jem left behind on the fence), and wants to show them that he is there, and that he is a friend.  So, he puts gifts in the tree, one being little carved figures that look very much like the two children.

Another significant aspect to the gifts in the tree is that it provides an opportunity to see just what a cruel family situation Boo lives with; once his brother discovers he has been putting gifts in the tree, he fills the tree up and stops that act of kindness right in its tracks.  No wonder Boo is unhappy and lonely, and reaching out--he lives in a pretty sad home.

I hope that those thoughts help; good luck!

The final gifts that Jem and Scout find in the knothole of the Radley oak tree are

• a ball of twine;
• two carved soap images that looked like Jem and Scout;
• "a tarnished medal"; and
• "a pocket watch... on a chain with an aluminum knife."

Much has been made by critics of the symbolism of the gifts received by Jem and Scout by Boo Radley. They have to be items that Boo owns himself or has discovered during his nighttime prowlings. The twine may be the same string used to mend Jem's lost pants; or it may represent Boo's hope that the children will try once again to send him a letter via Jem's fishing pole. The soap images show that Boo is keeping an eye on the children, and that he has some talent besides peeping in windows at night. The medal, apparently given to the winner of a local spelling bee, is probably Boo's who, like Scout and Jem, was an avid reader as a youth. It serves to remind the children--and reader--that Boo was once a normal and talented boy. The pocket watch is not unlike Atticus's own watch which Jem greatly admires. How Boo could have known about Jem's desire to possess Atticus's watch is uncertain, but Atticus does let Jem carry it "once a week if Jem were careful with it." Perhaps Boo saw Jem playing with it as he passed the Radley house; or, maybe Boo realizes that all boys need a time piece of their own. As for the knife, it serves to foreshadow the death of Bob Ewell--at the hands of Boo Radley and his own kitchen knife.

In chapter four, Scout finds a stick of gum that she eats immediately until her brother warns and scolds her about the dangers (the gum was found in a tree on Radley property). In the same chapter, Jem and Scout find two very old polished pennies inside a box made of gum wrappers. These gifts are found by the kids on their way home from school. Chapters 5-6 discuss the summer time. Then in chapter seven, Jem and Scout go back to school. In the same tree they find some gray twine. Next, they find two figures carved out of soap that resemble Jem and Scout. Then they find a whole pack of gum, a tarnished spelling bee medal, a pocket watch that wouldn't work, and an aluminum knife before the tree hole is cemented closed. The book does not indicate which items are 'new' except for the obvious like the stick of gum or the pack of gum.

When school starts, and Scout is in the second grade, she and Jem find a ball of gray twine in the knothole. Jem thinks it belongs to "somebody like Walter Cunningham." But when it is still there after three days, he takes it. He and Scout then decide that whatever is left in the knothole is meant for them.

They subsequently find a boy and girl image carved out of white soap. It is clear the carvings are of Jem and Scout. Jem says:

“These are good . . . I’ve never seen any these good.” He held them down to me. They were almost perfect miniatures of two children. The boy had on shorts, and a shock of soapy hair fell to his eyebrows. I looked up at Jem. A point of straight brown hair kicked downwards from his part. I had never noticed it before. Jem looked from the girl-doll to me. The girl-doll wore bangs. So did I.

Less than two weeks later, they discover a pack of chewing gum in the knothole. They later retrieve a "tarnished medal" from a spelling bee and a broken pocket watch. They find a chain with a knife attached to the watch.

It seems clear that Boo is reaching out to the children. All of this starts after he sews up and returns Jem's torn pants. Jem is upset when Nathan Radley fills the knothole with cement, putting an end to their interactions.

The above answers give literal points. However, if we read the novel on a deeper level, we can say that Scout and Jem found much more than items in the knot-hole of a tree. They found a what they were looking for, namely Boo Radley, and more importantly, they found a friend. 

The first part of the novel is about Jem, Scout, and Dill and how they wanted to get Boo out of his house. They heard many stories about him and they were interested to say the least. What they did not know was that Boo was watching them. Moreover, as much as they tried to learn about him, he was the one reaching out to them. 

Second, Boo, in his way, was extending friendship to Scout and Jem. This would be very significant at the end of the novel, because the one who saved them from death (as Bob Ewell attacked them) was Boo. So, what started as a few gifts in the knot-hole of a tree ended up in Boo's life-saving protection. 

To Kill A Mockingbird exposes racial prejudice and stereotypical behavior as the residents of Maycomb County make countless assumptions and share vicious gossip which prevent some people, such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, from being treated equally and fairly. Atticus has always brought his children up to believe in the rights of others, even when others make bad decisions. He maintains that, unless  "you climb into his skin," (you) a person can have no concept of what causes others to make decisions or pass judgment themselves.

Boo Radley is a character in the novel who is much maligned and suffers because of the tales that surround him, to the point that he has been in his house for many, many years. There is apparently even a "malevolent phantom," the cause of many crimes and strange occurrences, which emanates from the Radley house. And, if the children ever knock a ball into the garden, the ball is never retrieved but is simply "lost." The children are intrigued by Boo and, prompted by Dill, they consider ways to encourage Boo to come out of the house. 

One day, whilst running home from school, Scout spots a piece of tin-foil sticking out of the knot-hole in a tree in the Radley garden. Despite her fear, she takes it and discovers that it contains two pieces of gum which she examines when she gets them home, half expecting to die after having licking one of them. On the last day of school, Scout points out another piece of tinfoil to Jem  and he takes it. This time, it is a small box, "purple velvet," and it contains coins, pennies called "Indian-heads."  

After finding a ball of twine in the knot-hole which they leave there for a few days in case it belongs to someone, the children conclude that, actually, these things are for them. The next things they find there are two small carved soap figures, a boy and a girl. A few weeks later, there was a whole pack of chewing gum and no such worries about being poisoned as the children devoured the pieces. Next, there was a medal, a spelling medal from many years before and then their greatest find, a pocket-watch. 

Unfortunately, the children will not be able to find any more treasures as, when they return to put a thank you note in the hole, they discover it has been filled with cement. 

Scout finds gum in the Radley tree knot-hole.

Walking by the Radley House, Scout notices some tinfoil “winking at [her] in the afternoon sun”. Even though she is in the scary, forbidding Radley yard, she is tempted.

I stood on tiptoe, hastily looked around once more, reached into the hole, and withdrew two pieces of chewing gum minus their outer wrappers. (ch 4)

Scout is afraid to put the gum in her mouth, even though it’s her first reaction.  She does so anyway, and when she doesn’t die she enjoys the gum.

When Jem finds out, he is horrified and tells her to spit it out right away.  She tells him she hasn’t died yet, but agrees to spit out the gum and gargle before he tells Calpurnia.

The gum is Boo Radley’s first attempt to reach out to the children in a gesture of simple friendship.  As they find more and more gifts in the tree, including pennies, twine, a watch, and soap carvings, they get closer to Boo.  When Nathan Radley cements the hole, they are angry and sad at the loss of connection to Boo, understanding that this forces him further into isolation.

As Scout ran by the Radley house one day after school, she spotted a shiny object in one of the Radley's oak trees. When she reached up to the knot-hole, she found two pieces of chewing gum wrapped in tinfoil. Later, she showed Jem where she had found the gum, and they discovered another tinfoil package waiting for them in the knot-hole. It was a small box lined in "purple velvet." Inside were "two scrubbed and polished pennies... Indian-heads." Next they found some string--"a ball of gray twine." On another visit, Jem and Scout found a pair of figurines--"almost perfect miniatures" of the two children. Then came an entire pack of gum and, later, a "tarnished medal" that proved to be an old spelling bee award. Finally came their "biggest prize": a pocket watch with a knife attached to a chain. It would be the children's final gift, since the knot-hole was soon filled with cement.

The knothole in the tree is Boo Radley's sole link with the outside world. He fills it with a number of objects, which is his unique way of reaching out to Jem and Scout. When returning home from school one day, Scout sees a piece of tin-foil sticking out of the knothole. Naturally, she's curious, so she opens up the foil and looks inside to find two sticks of gum. When she gets home, she tries one of them, just to make sure it isn't poisoned. But when Jem discovers where Scout found the gum, he makes her spit it out. Boo Radley, though an endless source of fascination for kids in the neighborhood, is still very much a boogie-man figure. Who knows what he might have done to that chewing gum?

Later on, Scout and Jem find another item in the knothole. This time it's a couple of old pennies or "Indian heads" from way back in the early 1900s, buried inside a velvet jewelry box. Boo's gifts get more interesting as the story progresses. Next up is a ball of twine. Jem's still quite wary, but after a few days, when he sees the twine still there, he takes it. Slowly but surely a bond of trust is developing between Boo and the children.

Boo can still be a bit creepy, though. The little figurines of Scout and Jem carved out of soap kind of look like voodoo dolls. Scout certainly thinks so, anyway. But Boo subsequently redeems himself with more conventional gifts such as some more chewing gum (a whole pack this time), a tarnished spelling bee medal from way back when, and a broken old pocket watch.

The kids are truly fascinated by Boo's unusual gifts. They're also deeply grateful and so try to leave him a thank you note in the knothole. Unfortunately they're not able to do this because Nathan Radley, Boo's brother, has filled in the hole with cement. He claims it's because the tree is diseased and needs to be cured. But the kids aren't really convinced; they realize that Nathan's trying to keep Boo isolated from the outside world. He's hacked into his brother's little line of communication with the Finch children, ostensibly to protect him. Yet we're never really sure of his motives. He remains as much of a mystery as Boo, albeit in a different way.

Boo Radley begins to leave little gifts for the children in the knothole of a tree on his property. This is a very significant moment in the novel, because Lee is characterizing Boo through his actions. Up until this point, all we know about Boo is what the children have picked up about him through exaggerated gossip and what we might call the town's folklore.

The Boo of the children's imagination is a monster, a dangerous figure. Part of the thrill of interacting with him is the fear factor. It takes daring, for example, for Jem to run on to Boo's back porch or run and touch a wall of his house.

When the children find the gifts from Boo, this changes readers' perception of the kind of person he is. Much information is conveyed from the gifts. First, it becomes clear that Boo has been watching the children and knows they are fascinated with him. Second, the gifts show that he is not offended but amused by their antics. Third, the silly gifts—sticks of gum, a broken watch—suggest that he has empathy, even if the children do not, and knows what they will like.

Boo's kind and generous actions belie the stereotypes about him as a monster. His kindness is especially significant as it mirrors the kindness of Tom Robinson in helping Mayella. Robinson, too, is seen through the eyes of people who have prejudged him as a monster.

The gifts that are left by Boo Radley for Jem and Scout in the knothole of the Radley oak are meant to be a message of friendship from the most mysterious man in Maycomb. Boo has been watching the children play in front of his house, and the gifts serve as an ice-breaker between them. Some of the gifts have specific significance; some do not. The chewing gum found by Scout, with its shiny outer foil wrapping glittering in the sunlight, is the first gift. It seems to have no significance other than being an irresistible treat for Scout--and which Jem determines is not poisonous. (Remember, the Radley pecans are believed to be deadly.) The Indian-head pennies are probably just some coins Boo had laying around the house, but to Jem they are "strong magic... good luck." The carved soap images are meant to be likenesses of Jem and Scout, and the "tarnished medal" was probably the spelling bee medal won by Boo himself when he was a child. As for the watch, chain and knife, Boo may well have seen Jem playing with his grandfather's watch, which Atticus let him carry once a week; now he would have one of his own. And the knife seems to be author Harper Lee's way of foreshadowing the knife that Boo uses to save the children at the end of the story. 

In the classic novel, Jem and Scout make it their mission to try to get Boo Radley to come out of his house. They had heard all the rumors about him, and they wanted to see him for themselves. Atticus had told them many times to leave the Radley's alone, but they are kids and are very curious. 

Jem and Scout find several things in the knot-hole of the old oak tree on the Radley property. The children are very curious as to who has left these things there. Later in the book they realize that it is Boo who is leaving these little gifts. He is trying to show them his affection for them. In the knot-hole they find 2 sticks of gum, a pack of gum, 2 old Indian head coins, gray twine, soap figures carved to like Jem and Scout, old spelling bee medals and an old watch on a chain and an aluminum knife.

"Two live oaks stood at the end of the Radley lot; their roots reached into the side road and made it bumpy. Something about one of the trees attracted my attention. Some tin foil was sticking out of a knot-hole just above my eye level, winking at me in the afternoon sun. I stood on my tiptoe, hastily looked around once more, reached into the hole, and withdrew two pieces of chewing gum minus their outer wrappers."

Jem and Scout don't realize it yet, but the person leaving these things for them will be the person who saves their lives. The person they have spent so much time trying to get to come out of his house, is the person who watches them and feels a deep connection to the both of them.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ITEMS FOUND IN THE SECRET KNOTHOLE

1. Pack of Gum.  I believe Boo placed the gum in the knothole as a lure to the children. First, the tinfoil was "winking at me" in the sun, and it grabbed Scout's attention when she saw it. None of the other items would likely have been visible in such a way, so the foil acted as a signal to Scout. The fact that the gift was edible--or at least chewable--was also significant; though inexpensive, gum was a luxury to poor children during the Great Depression. Symbolically, author Harper Lee's choice to use "Double-Mint" represents the duality of the nearly inseparable Jem and Scout.

2. Soap Carved Dolls.  The dolls were carved in the images of Jem and Scout and show that Boo spent many hours watching the children and was a competent artisan of carving. Boo may be mentally ill, but he has a talent at which he excels. 

3. Aluminum Knife.  The knife, probably Boo's old boyhood possession, signifies the similarity between the young Boo and the young Jem. It could have been the same knife in which the soap figures were carved. Most importantly, it foreshadows the knife that Boo will use later against Bob Ewell. 

4. Watch on a Chain.  The watch symbolizes the passage of time, but it is also a thoughtful gift by Boo. Atticus allows Jem to wear the boy's grandfather's watch once a week, and perhaps Boo recognized how much Jem enjoyed this ritual; so, he gave Jem one of his own.

5. Twine.  The meaning of the twine is unclear, but Boo could have meant it as a way of communicating with the children--Boo on one end of the twine, and the children on the other.

6. Old Medal.  The old spelling bee medal was probably won by Boo himself, and Boo presents it to the children to symbolize its passage to the younger generation.

Scout is the first to find something in the knot-hole in the oak tree on the Radleys' property. She finds two sticks of Wrigley's Double-Mint gum. Scout was hesitant to eat it because she found it on the Radley's property but eventually she does. When Jem finds out, he tells her to spit it out because of the fear and mystery surrounding Boo and the Radley family. 

Jem and Scout also find a wedding ring box containing two Indian-head pennies. In a later chapter (7), they find a ball of gray twine and two figures carved out of soap: 

They were almost perfect miniatures of two children. The boy had on shorts, and a shock of soapy hair fell to his eyebrows. I looked  up at Jem. A point of straight brown hair kicked downwards from his part. I had never noticed it before. Jem looked from the girl-doll to  me. The girl-doll wore bangs. So did I. 

The dolls were supposed to look like Jem and Scout. They also find a pack of gum and an old spelling medal, a pocket watch, a chain, and a knife. Shortly after this, Jem and Scout decided to write a letter to thank whoever had been putting prizes in the tree. Then they discover that the knot-hole had been sealed with cement by Nathan Radley. Supposing that Boo Radley had been putting the prizes in the tree, Nathan's cement symbolizes another way Boo has been repressed from one of the few ways he knows how to communicate. 

Jem goes from being suspicious and curious about the tree gifts to being appreciative of Boo Radley's efforts.

When Jem first learns about the items left in the tree, he is skeptical.  The children have gotten used to the idea that the Radley place is dangerous and Boo Radley is a monster. Scout finds gum in the tree and eats it, but when Jem finds out he yells at her to spit it out. 

Jem stamped his foot. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to even touch the trees over there? You’ll get killed if you do!”

“You touched the house once!”

“That was different! You go gargle—right now, you hear me?” (Ch. 4) 

The children do not know at first who has left the things in the tree or what they are there for.  They think that someone might be keeping things in the tree hollow.  It soon becomes clear that the items are gifts for them when they find two soap dolls that look eerily like Scout and Jem. 

Jem let me do the honors: I pulled out two small images carved in soap. One was the figure of a boy, the other wore a crude dress. Before I remembered that there was no such thing as hoo-dooing, I shrieked and threw them down. (Ch. 7) 

Jem is impressed by the soap dolls.  He and Scout discuss who might have made them, but it is becoming more and more apparent that the tree is on the Radley property and the only Radley they interact with (or try to interact with) is Boo.  When the tree hole is cemented by Nathan Radley, Jem is upset. 

The whole thing comes to a head the night of the fire.  Jem has figured it out by then.  He realizes that Boo Radley cares about them and is trying to reach out and make friends.  He sewed up Jem’s pants when he left them behind.  He put a blanket on Scout’s shoulders.  Jem tells Atticus that they can’t return the blanket because Boo will get in trouble. 

Like Scout, Jem is maturing.  When the story starts, Jem is still pretty young and looks at the world from a child’s point of view.  The development of his reaction to Boo Radley demonstrates that he is starting to mature.  He comes to understand that the presents in the tree are not dangerous, but are rather an attempt by a lonely, reclusive neighbor to make a friend.  Jem becomes protective of Boo.

The children find several gifts in the tree's knothole that seem to be from someone who watches them pass by each day during the week. They find these in the knothole: chewing gum, gray twine, a medal, a watch, pennies, and boy and girl soap dolls.

When the children pass the Radley house and see the gray twine in the tree, Scout tells Jem not to take anything because it is probably someone else's hiding place.

"Somebody like Walter Cunningham comes down here every recess and hides his things. Listen, let's leave it and wait a couple of days. If it ain't gone then, we'll take it, okay?"

On the third day, they see that the twine is yet there, so Jem puts it in his pocket. One day Scout reaches into the hole and pulls out two small figures carved from soap, one of which is a boy, the other a girl in a dress. "These are good . . . I've never seen any this good!" Jem exclaims.

From the resemblance of these dolls to Jem and Scout, it is obvious that the children have been watched as they pass by the Radley house. Certainly, when Nathan Radley cements this hole, it becomes apparent that it is Boo who has been putting gifts out for the children. In addition, the soap figures indicate that Boo takes an interest in them. 

Since Boo put a blanket on Scout's shoulders while she and Jem stood outside in the cold on the night Miss Maudie's house burned, and since has been leaving the children gifts, it seems reasonable that Boo also runs outside on the night in which the children are attacked in order to rescue them from Bob Ewell's vicious assault.

At this point in the plot of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is now in the first grade. This means that she gets out 30 minutes earlier than Jem and has to walk home alone past the frightening Radley property. One day while walking home, she sees something shiny in the knot-hole of one of the huge oak trees on the Radley property. The shine is coming from the wrapping around two pieces of gum. On the last day of school, inside the know-hole of the tree Jem and Scout find a box covered in gum wrappers and inside the box are two Indian-head pennies.

What those gifts reveal is that somebody is aware of their presence and has been watching them. That somebody is Boo Radley himself. This is an attempt on his part to make contact with the kids and have some sort of communication with them.

The trees at the edge of the Radleys' property are live oaks. They have protruding roots that extend into the road alongside the yard.

In one of the oaks is a knot hole. The first time Scout notices it is because of the silvery paper; she finds Double Mint chewing gum—two fresh but unwrapped sticks—inside.

In the days that follow, after Scout again sees a silvery gum wrapper, the children find other treasures in the hole. In a tiny velvet box covered with more foil, there are two bright but very old pennies. After that, Jem and Scout find twine, two carved figurines that resemble them, more gum, an old school medal, a pocket watch, a chain, and a small knife.

They decide to write a formal thank-you note and leave it in the hole, but when they go to place it there, they find the hole has been filled in with cement.

Along the side adjoining the school yard and the Radleys' chicken coops, there are also pecan trees. A long-standing myth has it that the nuts are poisonous. Jem thinks at first that the knot hole gifts are poisonous, but after the gum fails to kill Scout, he becomes enamored with the gifts, especially the watch. He stops obsessing about the poison trees.

The knot-hole is significant because it establishes a connection between the children and Arthur (Boo) Radley. While the children are still afraid of Boo, they had continued to play games centered around the mystery of Boo. When Boo puts those items in the knot-hole in the tree, he is reaching out and playing along. This also further establishes Boo as a "mockingbird," one who does nothing but sing for others. Boo keeps to himself and only does good things that others may or may not notice. Just as the mockingbird puts something good into the world (song), Boo puts these items in the tree to brighten the childrens' day. 

When Boo's father closes up the hole, this signifies his (Mr. Radley's) abusive nature. This symbolizes the way in which Mr. Radley's poor treatment of Boo has led to him being "cemented" inside the Radley house. Jem seems to realize that some significant connection has been terminated with Mr. Radley filling the hole with cement: 

He stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I saw he had been crying; his face was dirty in the right places, but I thought it odd that I had not heard him. 

At first they assume that it must be some little kid's hiding place, and since things show up there and no one else takes them, they decide that anything found there will be their own.  After a time and when they find things they know a child wouldn't put in there, they decide to write a letter to whomever it is giving them these gifts.  Only by that time, the hole has been filled with cement by Nathan who claimed he did it because the tree was dying.  Jem and Scout suspect this might not be the case, but move on as they can't pursue the matter further.

The first thing that one of them finds is chewing gum.  Scout finds it and chews it and Jem gets all angry at her.  But then they keep finding more stuff.

At that point, the two of them talk about it a bunch.  They decide that the knot hole must be someone's secret hiding place.  So they think that someone must have put the stuff there because it was valuable to them.

So they decide to hold on to the stuff and wait until school starts.  At that point they'll see if it belongs to anyone.

You can find this in Chapter 4.

What Scout retrieves from the knothole in the tree on the Radleys' property the first time are two sticks of Wrigley's DoubleMint chewing gum with the wrappers taken off. After she gets them home, she licks her piece to make sure it is safe to chew and then pops it into her mouth. When Jem arrives, he tells her not to put such things in her mouth, especially from the Radleys. When he orders her to spit it out, she does.

The second gift found in the knothole is a small purple velvet jewel box, of the type wedding rings are put in. It is "patchworked with bits of tinfoil collected from chewing-gum wrappers." When Jem and Scout open it up, they find two pennies, one stacked on the other. Jem notes that these Indian-head pennies are old: one dates back to 1900. Actually, in the 1930s, a penny from thirty-odd years ago is not that old, but these are children, for whom thirty years is a long time.

When Scout noticed something "winking at me" on a sunny afternoon as she "raced by" the Radley oak, she screwed up her courage and decided to investigate. Some shiny tinfoil caught her eye, and when she retrieved it, the object turned out to be "two pieces of chewing gum minus their outer wrappers." Boo must have removed the paper wrappers to deliberately expose the tinfoil in the hope that one of the children would see it reflect in the sunlight. As Jem and Scout walked home on the last day of school before summer vacation, Scout spotted another piece of tinfoil in the same spot as before. This time Jem grabbed it, and when they inspected the object after they got home, the children found that the foil had been shaped into a miniature box: Inside were "two scrubbed and polished pennies... Indian-heads."

I agree with the first post but I'd like to add the the items in the knothole are Boo's attempts to make contact with the children. The first, a piece of gum, is something that every child likes and indicates Boo has thought carefully about what his first attempt at contact should be. The two Indian head pennies may have a duel meaning. First, the children could spend the money on candy ( remember the story is set in the 1930's) plus Indians were outcasts just as Boo. The third present seems most symbolic. They are images of the children carved out of soap. This may be Boo's way of telling the children "This is how I see you." This could be another attempt to get the children to see him in reality by showing them that soap images aren't particularly realistic. The yarn can be used to bind things together, like Boo and the children and the other things seem to be items Boo might have cherished in his childhood. All these things are meant to establish contact with the children but, ironically, just when the children are about to establish contact by writing a thank-you note, they find Nathan Radley has filled the knothole with cement,

The knot hole is on a tree on the Radley property.  The fact that the children continually find items in there leaves open the question of WHO is placing the items there.  One can assume it is Boo Radley.  Not only does this prove that he does come out of his home (how else would he place the items there?), but also it could prove that he is watching the children and may knowingly be placing the items there for them.   The children think perhaps they have stumbled upon someone's secret hiding place.

Jem is moved that the "haint" of Boo Radley has reached out to them in friendship; he is also impressed with how well Boo has carved the little figures of Scout and himself.

When Scout and Jem discover that there is something in the knothole of the Radley's tree that they pass every day on the way home from school, he lets Scout pull them out. She extracts two carved figures from soap of a boy and a girl. Scout thinks of "hoo-dooing," and in fright throws the figures to the ground. This action angers Jem, who quickly snatches them up, scolding Scout, "What's the matter with you?....I've never seen any this good." Then, he realizes that Boo has carved the two of them in close likenesses. Clearly, he is touched emotionally because Jem stands still, staring at Scout, probably without really seeing her. And, when the children return home, Jem takes the two figures and puts them safely in his trunk.