"This here's the new Nurse Nora." "I reckoned that the minute I saw her horse and mule." "Are the Beasley children here?" "They're right inside, only you ain't going to them." "ELLER:" "Whereas you report that you'd graduated from high school well, we find no evidence to substantiate that." "Oh, something's gotta be wrong." "I graduated from high school." "The Army has strict regulations against dealing with people who falsify records." "You know, we've always taught our kids that learning is important and here their daddy hasn't even graduated from high school." "Sort of like hitting a home run and finding out you missed second base." "Now, to set your record straight, you need that diploma, Mr. Walton." "Listen, you can't keep me off this base." "Take a good look, Mr. Walton." "You're off." "It isn't all up to you, Ronie." "Sweet Billy, Sam, Lady, you claim you care about them." "I don't believe you." "And if I have to bring the sheriff up here to find those children, I'll do it." "JOHN-BOY:" "The intermingling of what had gone before and what lay ahead was a never-ending process that touched our lives on the mountain." "My father was not a man to live in the past." "He honored it, but it was his way to live the time at hand." "One early morning in 1943 the present was awaiting my sister Mary Ellen and the past was ready to catch up with our father." "JEFFREY:" "See?" "I told you so." "I wonder how they got here." "They walked, dummy." "And then they tied themselves up." " I'm gonna go tell Uncle John." " I get to do that." "I saw them first!" " Uncle John, come see the horse!" "JEFFREY:" "Nana!" "I saw them first!" "Uncle John!" "Jim-Bob!" "Come see what's in the yard!" "Children, you'll wake everyone." "Goodness." "JEFFREY:" "Wake everybody up!" "Look in the yard!" "Why, I believe I will." "BEN:" "What was all that commotion?" "Oh, it's just the children yelling and hollering with excitement." "They've never seen a horse before that wasn't tied to a milk wagon." "Ha, ha." " Oh, that's Nora's horse and mule." "JOHN:" "Easy, easy, easy." " Nora's here, Mama." " All right." "OLIVIA:" "Jim-Bob, you'd better go see if Nora's asleep in the barn." "JIM-BOB:" "Which way is the barn?" "OLIVIA:" "That way, sleepyhead." "JOHN:" "Honey, you know anything about this?" "MARY ELLEN:" "I haven't talked to Nora in weeks." "ELIZABETH:" "Hey, what's that stuck in the saddle?" "It's for me." "JEFFREY:" "Can we keep them?" " They belong to the county nurse." " But I'll boost you up." " No, no." "Put me down." "You'll teach us how to ride sometime, won't you?" " Sure, honey." "Sometime." " Nora's been called into the Army." "Isn't that kind of sudden?" "MARY ELLEN:" "She's been thinking about it a long time." "There's an epidemic at Fort Lee." "That made up her mind." "She want you to tend to her horses for her?" "Until the county can find a replacement for her she wants me to take over her job." "You can't do that." "You'll be gone for days at a time." "Who else is there?" "ROSE:" "What am I doing standing here?" "JOHN:" "Come on." "ROSE:" "It's my turn to make breakfast." "JOHN:" "Somebody check the barn, see if Jim-Bob's fallen asleep." "ERIN:" "I can't believe I'm up this early." " You're not." "Why do they say this is the nicest time of the day?" "Because it is, if you look at it." "I remember when you first went up the hills to help Nora." " She taught you a lot." " More than anyone." "I never would have made it through nursing school without her." "Hello, Mama." "Looks like we're gonna be a couple of substitutes today." "The countries in Central America are Guatemala, Honduras El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica." "Sounds like Mama's planning a geography lesson." "I hope Miss Winfield comes back before long." "I don't know whether I like living with a schoolmarm." "MARY ELLEN:" "They can be awful prim and proper." "Won't let you chew gum." "I never understood why." "You two better watch out or I'll make you stand in a corner." "Better get out of here before that happens." " Bye-bye." " Bye, Daddy." " Think you can manage that?" " Well, part of it at least." "I should be able to get a leave from the Pickett Plant without any problem." "And I'm a nurse, I can take care of sick people." "They're such different people, Mama." ""Special people," Grandpa used to call them." "Set in their own ways, living in their own world." "Some are ill, some are hungry, some are lonely." "Grandpa used to take them presents." "Smiles, he called them." "Nora's afraid a couple of children have rickets." "She left cod-liver oil with a neighbor but doesn't think she gives it to them." "That's discouraging." "And she says, "These are prideful people, Mary Ellen." "You can afford more tolerance than they."" "There's something on the back." "[CHUCKLES]" ""I know you won't let Ronie Cotter scare you off." "She'll try."" "Nora knows you very well." "She knows you won't turn down a challenge like Ronie, uh...." "What's her name?" "Cotter." "Ronie Cotter." "Hello there, young fella." "What can I do for you?" "You can address me properly, for one thing." "I'm Lieutenant James Dodd Eller, G-2, out of Camp Rockfish." "Okay." "What can I do for you?" "That's Army Intelligence, mister." "Yeah, it seems to me I heard that somewhere." "I need information concerning the whereabouts of one John Walton who is alleged to run a mill operation in this area." "Nothing alleged about John's mill." "It's right down the road there, about half a mile." "You have reason to believe he can be found there?" "Well, if he's home, he can be found there." "I mean, ha, ha, that's where his whereabouts is." "[LAUGHS]" "I'm just doing my job, mister." "[ENGINE STARTS]" "Overdoing it, I'd say." "Tell that officer in Procurement next time he wants lumber, we're gonna need more notice." "Did you know he was a college professor before he joined the Army?" "Well, you tell him anyway." "Okay, but I don't think it'll do much good." "What's the matter?" "Can't he hear?" "Well, he does a lot of thinking of things." "Taking the long view, he calls it." " He smoke a pipe?" " Oh, you know him?" "No, but I know pipe smokers." "You see, by the time they get their pipe out and they get the tobacco out and they put the tobacco in the pipe and they tamp it down and light it and they puff on it a while, they forgot what you were talking about." "[BEN LAUGHING]" "JOHN:" "Morning." " Mr. John Walton?" " Yes, sir." " Lieutenant James Dodd Eller." " Lieutenant." "Camp Rockfish." "G-2, Mr. Walton." "This is my son Ben." "What can we do for you, lieutenant?" "Little matter of security, Mr. Walton." "Both of you gentlemen filled out the regulation security forms, I believe." " Quite a while ago." " Yes, and your file is quite in order." "There is a discrepancy in yours, Mr. Walton." "There is?" "Whereas you report that you'd graduated from high school well, we find no evidence to substantiate that." "Oh, something's gotta be wrong." "I graduated from high school." "The Army has strict regulations against dealing with people who falsify records." "What are you talking about, falsify?" "I graduated from high school." "Not according to county records, Mr. Walton." "Then the county's gotta be wrong." "I got a diploma around here someplace." "Well, if you can produce such a document that would have an effect on our decision." "Decision?" "What decision are you talking about?" "Well, you do business with Camp Rockfish." "You need to get on the premises, I presume?" "You got a notion of keeping me off the post?" " You're saying I can't?" "BEN:" "Now, wait a second." "We'll find the diploma and get it to you, okay?" "If you find it." "Listen, I'm doing business on that post." "You get that through your head." "I wouldn't be too sure, sir." "Let's get to work." "[MARY ELLEN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]" "Grandma Floyd?" "[KNOCKING]" "Grandma Floyd?" " Grandma Floyd." " I don't know you." "I'm Mary Ellen Willard." "I'm a friend of Nora's." "She'll be in today." "She sees me right regular." "She sent me to see you." "I'm a nurse too." "[HORSE WHINNIES]" "Them's her animals out there." "Nora'll be in directly." "I'm afraid not." "Nora's joined the Army Nurse Corps." "I'll be coming by to see you for a while." " You know all that, do you?" " It came up very suddenly." "You wanna hear what she wrote me about you?" "She says you're good friends and she cares about you very much." "So she run off?" "Don't make a particle of sense to me." " You go along, you hear?" " Is there anything I can do for you?" "Just go along." "I don't need no one now Nora's gone." "MARY ELLEN:" "I'll be by from time to time." "Good morning." "He's just the beatinest thing on molasses cookies." "I can't blame him." "You got any more?" "No, we shared them, him and me and the jackass." "I give them a cookie, they give me a nuzzle." " I call that fair." " Sweet Billy." "That's your name, isn't it?" "What for is it on the paper?" "Oh, this is just to help me get acquainted." "Nora made me a list." " Are you on the paper?" " I'm Mary Ellen Willard." " Well, I never seen you before." "GRANDMA FLOYD:" "Claims Nora sent her." "Claims she's a nurse." "She show you the paper?" "She says I'm on it." "Never saw Nora carry one with her, did you?" "I guess maybe not." "She says Nora went off to the Army suddenly." "Now, if that ain't peculiar." "Why, that can't be." "There's only men in the Army." "The Army Nurse Corps." "It was an emergency, an epidemic at Fort Lee." " Oh, she's got every kind of story." " Well, here, read it for yourself." "I'd like to oblige you, ma'am, but I can't read." " I guess it just don't show." " Well, you could have fooled me." " I need to find the Beasley cabin." " Don't know that." "Well, it's over yonder, bearing to this hand" "He don't know neither." "I need to look in on the Beasley children." "Well, Sam and Lady Beasley's most likely over at my sister Ronie's place." "I can take you there." "I'm beginning to see why they call you Sweet Billy." "Come on." "Come on, you." "Go." " You got any idea how stupid this is?" " No, sir." "How long did Lieutenant Eller say he'd be?" "He just said for you to wait here, sir." "[VEHICLE APPROACHING]" "I'll handle it from here, sergeant." "May I assume you brought your diploma, Mr. Walton?" "You may assume I came here to try to talk some sense into you." "ELLER:" "The diploma?" "Look, you got it so I can't talk to Procurement." "I can't see anybody but you." "And I'm being as patient with you as I know how." "The clearance of people who do business with the Army is a concern to Army Intelligence." "Now, to set your record straight, you need that diploma, Mr. Walton." "Listen, you can't keep me off this base." "Take a good look, Mr. Walton." "You're off." "I don't hide diplomas under the underwear." "Well, where do you hide them?" "Jeffrey, please sit down." "JEFFREY:" "What did he say to you?" "JOHN:" "Who?" "JEFFREY:" "That smart-aleck young G-2 officer." " Jeffrey...." " Jeffrey says that's what I called him." "There's nothing to get excited about, son." "I'm just trying to find my high-school diploma." "You've looked through these boxes three times now." "Why don't we just sit down and try to figure it out?" "You did something wrong in high school?" "I didn't do anything wrong, son." "Then how come Army Intelligence is after you?" "Liv, please, I've got enough on my mind." "I know a wood box that needs filling, Jeffrey." "I'm gonna show you where it is." "Maybe I ought to stay here and help out Uncle John." " No, no, Jeffrey, I'm fine." "I'm fine." " Come on, Jeffrey." "BILLY:" "Well, this would be it." "Whoa, mule." "RONIE:" "You ain't coming one step further." "You're Ronie Cotter?" "Don't matter, that." "You just turn tail and get." "You two ladies was bound to meet sometime." "This here's the new Nurse Nora." "I reckoned that the minute I saw her horse and mule." "Are the Beasley children here?" "They're right inside, only you ain't going to them." "I got lots of time." "Nora told me she thinks the children have got rickets." "Oh, that grieved her so much, she run off." "She joined the Army." "Still don't make no sense." "The Army Nurse Corps." "It came up real suddenly." "He's got his own ways but what he don't know he can always ask his sister." "Ronie always tells me what I think." " Is the children's father around?" " Around, maybe." "But he ain't here and he ain't at home." "Orey Beasley is most never at home." "Leastwise not since the children's mama died." "Hey, where you going?" "Hello there." "Miss Nora sent me to see you." "You wanna tell me your names?" "The boy's Sam, she's Lady." "That's all you need to know." "I remember Miss Nora." "What are you two doing inside on a beautiful day like today?" "You ought to be out playing in the sunshine." "I can keep them quiet and warm in here." "Can't you see they're too sickly to be running around outside?" "Well, why don't we take a look?" "Lady, you wanna be first?" "I won't have you poking and prodding around." " It's only a stethoscope." " I know what it is." "And I know it ain't never cured nobody." "You can take your fancy gear back down the mountain where you come from." "And leave Sweet Billy and me to take care of these young'uns." "We done it before Nora come riding up the hill." "Then see to them." "Play with them outside, see they eat right." "And if you don't do anything else, give them this." "A spoonful a day." "It's cod-liver oil, but it can make them well." "[SIGHS]" "I'll be back, Ronie." "You better get used to that." "[GROANS]" "Was it a large diploma or a small diploma?" "Just a diploma." "Was it rolled up with a little ribbon around it or was it laid out flat?" "I don't know." " Now, was it framed?" " Rose." "Now, doesn't that just drive you crazy, John?" "I don't know why I do that." "Since childhood." "Questions, questions, questions." "I drove my angel mother beside herself." "And my husband" " Ha." "He just got up and left the house." "Where could the blasted thing be?" "Well, that's the question you have to ask yourself." "If I was a diploma, where would I be?" "You'd think the county board of education would keep their records straight." "Of course, this house isn't straight, or I'd be able to find it." "Now, now, John." "It'll turn up." "You know, every cloud" " You know." "Where do you think Ma would put it, or Liv?" "Is it possible you put it someplace, John?" "Me?" "Just a thought." "It is your diploma." "I'd have thought for sure it'd be in that old Army trunk in the barn." "There's a lot of other stuff out there too." "Well, it could have been." "I went in the Army right after graduation." "There's some love letters out there, Mama." "You have no right to read my love letters." "Oh, I didn't say they were yours." "Daddy, look what I found, it's your graduation picture." "Well, now we're getting somewhere." ""Walton Mountain School graduating class, 1917."" "I was beginning to think I dreamt this whole thing up." "[ELIZABETH CHUCKLES]" "There's your daddy." "Handsome devil, isn't he?" "You graduated in uniform?" "Yup, me and Wilfred Tulluck volunteered right after the war started." "That was April 6th, 1917, John." "We just studied that in History." "No, this must have been taken sometime later, late in April." " That can't be right, Daddy." " Graduation's in June." "Mama grows them." "Aren't they pretty?" "If you like flowers, pretty enough, I guess." "Would you like me to put them in a glass for you?" "I'll mind them, if I take the notion." "I'd like to bring my grandma to visit you." "She's over in Buckingham County now, but maybe when she gets back." "It's just a name, you know." "I ain't one." "Young'uns around here started it because I'm near as old as God." "Then you're not really a grandma?" "If you paid a mind when I talk, you'd know I just said that." " Just a name." " Do you have any relatives?" "Nope, and I ain't shopping for any, young lady." "I'll be stopping by again soon." "Ain't no need to get off." "Ronie's been gone a long time." " I didn't come to see Ronie." " Yes, ma'am." "She said you'd be sure and come by this morning." "Where are Sam and Lady?" "Ronie took them off somewhere." "She don't want you to see them." "[MARY ELLEN SIGHS]" "Sam and Lady need this medicine, and Ronie hasn't even opened the bottle." "I told her you'd rile and she said, "Let her."" "She's just not partial to you." "Well, I'm not partial to her either." "It's got nothing to do with that." "Well, you're gonna have to do any changing because Ronie ain't a hand at change." "Sweet Billy, listen to me." "Sam and Lady are sick." "You tell Ronie if they don't get the care they need I'll have to take them away." "They'll have to go to a hospital." "I won't like doing it, but I'll do it if I have to." "[CLEARS THROAT]" "[KNOCKING ON DOOR]" "Elizabeth said you found something." "The dustiest records in Jefferson County." "From 1917 to 1920." "Kept in the distinguished and nearly illegible hand of one Horace F. Kendall, principal." "Horse-Face Kendall, I remember." "It states that you and Wilfred Tulluck volunteered for the Army." "I told you that." "And that there was a farewell ceremony given in your honor." "At the Rockfish Railroad Station." "Where Principal Kendall, in an emotional address stated that, quote:" ""These honored young dough boys will be graduated with their class the class of 1917," unquote." "That's it." "Let's take this over to the smart aleck at G-2." "It was all talk, John." "He never put it into action, he never carried it out." "Lord almighty, what does it take to keep you out of here?" "I told you I'd be back." "Sam and Lady need me." "Well, you can drop in your tracks." "They ain't here." "Don't lie to me." "I know they're with you most of the time." "Oh, you know that, do you?" "You and Miss Nora always full of palaver about what you know." "They ain't here." "Do you want Sam and Lady to die or to be crippled the rest of their lives?" "Don't you talk dying to me." "I'm the one who's keeping them safe from you and Nora and that bottle you keep shoving at me." "You never intended to give them their medicine, did you?" "My mama used to say:" ""Leave the old maids to mopping and scrubbing might be to garden some." "Don't never let them near young'uns."" "Nora and I have studied medicine." "We've watched children in hospitals." " We've seen what rickets can do." " And you've read your infernal books." "Nora's always quoting chapter and verse." "Didn't make her smart with young'uns." "It's been months since Nora first suspected the children had rickets." ""They need vitamin D, cod-liver oil sunshine and a lot of hugging."" "Hugging." "You read just fine." "I was born knowing more than you can ever read." "My mama saw we learned what need be." " You never taught Sweet Billy to read?" " I wouldn't shame him." "No need for that." "Shame him?" "Oh, can't you see?" "He ain't just like everybody else." "I know he can't read, he told me that." "And wouldn't I be some fine sister to let him know he ain't good enough for reading?" "You born knowing that too?" "If he were my brother, I'd try and teach him." "I'd give him a chance." "Don't you never hold out a promise to Sweet Billy you can't keep." "It isn't all up to you, Ronie." "Sweet Billy, Sam, Lady, you claim you care about them." "I don't believe you." "And if I have to bring the sheriff up here to find those children, I'll do it." " There enough light for that?" " Not really, but at least it's quiet." " Kids keep interrupting you?" " And others." "[JOHN CHUCKLES]" "You know, maybe I could be of help." "I don't think so." "I'm grading English papers." "Oh." "Composition, I always hated that." "Ha, ha." "Listen to this one." "I had the class write a paper on patriotism." ""Patriotism is when I see the flag going up and my heart goes up the pole along with it."" " You gave that an A?" " It's very sophisticated for a third-grader." "Must be nice to have an education." "You're still bothered about that diploma." "I keep telling myself, Liv, that I got the education that's all that counts." "But, you know, it keeps eating away at me." "If it's the Army that's worrying you why don't you take those old records down there?" "That'll explain why you thought you graduated." "No, it's not that, Liv." "It's that we've always taught our kids that learning is important and here their daddy hasn't even graduated from high school." "Sort of like hitting a home run and finding out you missed second base." "If it means that much to you there's a test you can take that covers high-school work." "It would mean a lot of studying but it might be worth it to get your diploma." "Heh, heh, Liv, I'm too old for anything like that." "No, you're not." " Would you help me?" " I'll get you the books and everything." "I think I'll give my schoolmarm a kiss." "I wouldn't give that a C." "Oh, you wouldn't?" "[BOTH LAUGHING]" "OLIVIA:" "That's better." "[WHISTLING]" "JOHN:" "Hey, Ike." "There he is, the man most likely to succeed." "Corabeth." "Oh, John, Elizabeth told us of your plans to graduate." "I cannot find words to tell you how proud I am of you." " [WHISPERS] But she'll keep looking." " Oh, Mr. Godsey." "Ike, what I need is a real good notebook." "[IN NORMAL VOICE] Okay." "Is that something you're reading or is that a book you wrote?" "Ha-ha-ha." "Don't worry about him, Corabeth." "Soon I'll be smart enough to have a real good conversation with you." "Oh, I shall look forward to that." "Oh, John, we must watch the use of the word "real."" "Uh, we are using it as a synonym for "very" which, of course, it is not." " We are?" " Here you go, a real good notebook." "CORABETH:" "When is your examination?" " Soon as I learn everything in this book." "You know, I bet you Corabeth could pass that test right now." "Oh, Mr. Godsey, I doubt that very strongly." "However, perhaps with just the briefest review of the book just a glance, really." "All right." "How about subjunctive?" "Subjunctive." "Oh, my goodness." "The subjunctive." "Yes, of course, we use it all the time, yes." "Go ahead, tell us what it is." "Well, how to find the precise definition?" "Clarity." "Now, what we want above all else is clarity." "Now, the subjunctive is...." "Oh, if I could just find that Latin word for it." "It is from the Latin root, of course." "Uh...." "Now, clarity, in the interest of clarity, the subjunctive is, um...." "Well, of course, it is used primarily with, um...." "If you could just give me one or two words to start, I...." "John?" "Mr. Godsey!" "Subjunctive." "[JOHN SIGHS]" "[JOHN GROANS THEN MUTTERS]" "[JOHN SIGHS THEN GRUNTS]" " Hey, Dad, you want some help?" " I'm all right." " Let's see what you got there." " No, thank you." "I know a lot about this stuff that you don't." " I've been going to school, you haven't." " I'm all right, thank you." " He was only trying to help." " We all are." " Just say the word." " I'm fine." "I read and write all the time." "Daddy, I think we're getting on your nerves." "ELIZABETH:" "If you want any help, just call." "It's all right, I'm fine." " We'll be upstairs." " All right." " What's the matter with Uncle John?" " Not a thing." "Just trying to get caught up on 30 years of homework." "[JOHN GROANS]" "You already finished studying?" "Liv, I just can't concentrate the way I used to." "It shouldn't be any different than going over accounts or figuring bids." "It's not the same thing at all." "This has got nothing to do with making a living." "You're teaching me participles and what's the capital of Michigan." "It's got nothing to do with life." "Basic education means knowing certain things, that's all." "It does, huh?" "What's the capital of Michigan?" "Lansing." "That's right." "You know, I don't blame kids for getting fed up with school." " I got a notion to chuck the whole thing." " You getting cold feet?" "Ah, Liv, it's a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be." "Well, you better get to it, then." "[WHISPERS] Go on." "[JOHN GROANS]" "[CHUCKLING]" "How you getting along up there?" "I don't think you ever know." "But I'm trying, and I'm learning a lot." "How about you?" "I've never been smarter in my life." " When do you take your test?" "JOHN:" "Oh...." " This afternoon, if he wants to." " This afternoon?" "That's too soon." "OLIVIA:" "Hey." " Oh, hi." " Here's your book." " Oh, thanks, Mama." " Come on, let's go." " You taking him with you?" "Oh." "Does he look like a secret weapon to you?" "Come on, let's go bye-bye." "Come on." "OLIVIA:" "Bye." "JOHN:" "Bye-bye." " Liv, this afternoon?" " That's up to you." "I'm giving some makeup tests this afternoon." " You'd fit right in the picture." " Well, uh, I'm...." " Liv, do I look smart enough?" " You look wonderful." "Well, honey, I...." "Morning, Ronie." "You collecting strays?" "MARY ELLEN:" "No, this one's mine." "John Curtis, say hello to Miss Ronie Cotter." "I never took you for married." "I'm a widow." " Well, look at you two." " You coming to take us away?" "MARY ELLEN:" "No, I brought you a treat." "We're gonna have ourselves a picnic." "Do you like picnics?" "We don't know." "It's where you eat outside and you play games." "It's a lot of fun." "[SIGHS]" "Why don't we take some of this first?" "You take some too." "Well, I don't really need it, but my little boy out there takes it." " Ain't nary a little boy." " Sure, he's out there with Ronie." "Ain't nary Ronie neither." "Ronie won't allow you back there." "RONIE:" "You can play with it." "I've known the little boy that could play with a doll." "Wanna try it on your back?" "Ah!" "Look there, up on the head and down on the shoulders and up in the front." "There you go." "Hey, let's go for a walk." "[RONIE BABBLING]" "Look at you, what a big boy." "What a big boy." "There ain't a place you don't come nosing around, is there?" "I'm sorry, Ronie." "I was looking for John Curtis." "We were all going to have a picnic, you know." "He's safe enough with me." "MARY ELLEN:" "It's a lovely garden." "You take such good care of it." "Oh, you get to riling up and it's peaceable to sit here with them." "Quiet and easy-like." "[RUSTLING]" "He's mighty healthy." "I'm lucky." "Pox swept through here like a fire." "Took my Roy and my two babies." "The fine doctor couldn't save them." "He kept opening bottles and parceling medicine down them." "Reading books and boiling water." "And they died." "They just died." "Epidemics are sinful." "Sometimes even medicines fail." "But Sam and Lady have a chance, the best chance if you'll just care for them the way you tend your garden here." "You can take this doll to the picnic." "You wanna do that?" "[RONIE COOS]" "Sure ain't Ronie's way to let folks back there." "Must have been hard for her to bear, losing her family." "Yeah, I could never leave her now." "I'm about all Ronie's got." " She loves you, Sweet Billy." " She keeps me right close by." "Sometimes I look off down that road and I think:" ""You go on down there, Sweet Billy, and join yourself the Army."" " I'd have a mind to do that." " You tell Ronie that?" "No." "No, ma'am." "No, I wouldn't fret her now with that." "You can't go and leave them as needs you." "[RONIE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]" "He's most as pleasant as another little boy I knew." "BILLY:" "You mind how Pa used to let me ride?" "RONIE:" "Mm-hm." "BILLY:" "Reckon he'd like to?" "RONIE:" "He just might." "Let's go, John Curtis." "[BILLY WHISTLING]" "[LAUGHING]" "[CHUCKLES]" "RONIE:" "Hi." "[BILLY GRUNTING]" "BILLY:" "Yeah." "Come on, John Curtis." "Oh, my." "Come on." "Oh!" "You made some good friends today, didn't you?" "Well, he sure rides fine." "He's like carrying a feather." "Sure is a pretty thing." "You mean me to keep this?" "I'm sure Ronie will help you with your letters." "The words come after that." " You don't never give up, do you?" " Do you?" "Let's set out the picnic." "All right, John Curtis, just stand there." "Sam, Lady, come on!" "We're gonna have a picnic." " There you go, here." "LADY:" "Wow." "There you go, Serena." "Jeffrey." "Wherever you'll be most comfortable, Mr. Walton." " Come sit next to me, Uncle John." " I'll be fine right here, Jeffrey." " Don't worry, you'll pass." " Easy for you to say." "All right, now, let's settle down." "You've all got your special work, and you're gonna need quiet to do it." "If you have any questions, come up to the desk and ask me quietly." "Don't talk among yourselves." "[PENCIL TAPPING]" "Jeffrey, that's distracting." " I didn't know I was doing anything." " Apparently you're not." "Let's get back to work." "OLIVIA:" "This is actually a two-part question." "I want you to answer the question first and then I want you to list the items." "Two times six, that's two six times." " [WHISPERS] Not out loud, Jeffrey." " You made me lose count." "You're supposed to do it in your head, Jeffrey." "There's room." "JOHN:" "Listen to your Aunt Liv." "Simmer down." "We're all trying to do our best." "[HORSE WHINNIES]" "Wasn't expecting you, sure." "I was just on my way home." "This is my son." "That a fact?" "Grandma back from Buckingham County yet?" "No, she's still visiting." "We all miss her a lot." " Young'un too, I guess." " Oh, they're great friends." " How goes it with you?" " It goes along." "Oh." "These was growing." "Oh." "Grandma Floyd, they're beautiful." "Well, they's all over, wild." "Guess you know that." "Here, John Curtis." "Oh." "Why don't you hold these fast till we get home, okay?" "Sure do thank you." "[JOHN CURTIS BABBLING]" "JOHN:" "Just in time to welcome the weary traveler home." "[MARY ELLEN CHUCKLES]" "John Curtis, how you doing?" "Thank you." "How you doing?" " You look tired, Mary Ellen." " I am." "But like Grandpa used to say, it's a good kind of tired." " You have a good day?" " Yeah." "How about you?" "How was your test?" "Uh, your mama hasn't told me how I did, but I don't think I disgraced the family." "MARY ELLEN:" "Oh." "Well, that's good." "[FAMILY CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]" "ROSE:" "Congratulations!" "IKE:" "I bet you never thought you'd pass." "ROSE:" "You did it." "[PIANO PLAYING]" "ALL [SINGING]:" "There's a long, long trail a-winding" "Into the land of my dreams" "JOHN-BOY:" "The past and the present joined again that special evening in our home." "And it was questionable who had learned the most:" "our father, preparing for a graduation over a quarter of a century late or Mary Ellen, gaining new insight with each trip to those remarkable people who live in the backwoods hollows of the Blue Ridge." "ELIZABETH:" "Daddy?" "JOHN:" "Yes, honey?" "ELIZABETH:" "I'm real proud of you for passing that test." "JOHN:" "Very proud, Elizabeth." "ELIZABETH:" "Everybody's real proud." "JOHN:" "No, no, everybody's very proud, Elizabeth." "We're using "real" as a synonym for "very," and, of course, it's not." "ELIZABETH:" "You sound just like Corabeth." "JOHN:" "Good night, Elizabeth." "ELIZABETH:" "Good night, Daddy." "[ENGLISH" " US" " SDH]"