"Come on, kids, I'll give you a ride." "Pass the little fellow up to me, son." "That's the boy." "All right, let's go." "All right, kids, here we are." "Here you are, son." "Here he comes." "I told you he looks like he eats persimmons." "He sure does." "Now, boys." "Good morning." "I'm stevan griswald, your new schoolmaster." "I'm lucas mccain, this is my boy mark." "Pleased to meet you, mr." "Griswald." "An' this is billy davis." "How'd you do?" "These students are..." "12 minutes late for class." "Oh, mr." "Griswald, most folks around here" "Don't have timepieces." "The children usually judge their pace by the school bell." "There'll be no bell for my classroom." "Punctuality is" "The responsibility of the individual." "Oh, I see." "Well, fellas you better hustle." "All right." "Oh, I'm..." "I'm sorry, mr." "Mccain." "That's all right, billy." "Don't touch that!" "But, sir" "I said don't touch it." "Well..." "Well, it's not good for a gun to stay in the dirt." "Take your places in the classroom, immediately." "Is this gun loaded, mr." "Mccain?" "Certainly." "In the name of sanity." "How can you place a loaded weapon" "Within the easy reach of children?" "Eh, your point's well taken, mr." "Griswald," "But it can't go off without being cocked." "An' the reason it's loaded is because a rifle" "Is a necessary safeguard in open country." "Safeguard?" "Carelessness is inexcusable anywhere." "I've just explained" "Please do not bring a firearm" "Into the vicinity of this schoolhouse again, mr." "Mccain." "Thank you." "And the standards in this school will be as high" "As they are at the boston academy." "Learning is your duty, teaching you well is mine." "I noticed that many of you carried your shoes" "To school this morning." "This is not to happen again." "Anyone arriving at school without shoes will be sent home." "Well, but the shoes will be dirty before a lot of the kids" "Get here, especially those walkin'." "Pa only brought 'em in today, because it was the first day." "Young man, you are speaking out of turn." "Oh, I'm sorry." "My eyesight is excellent, thank you." "I know that the road to school is dusty," "And that you take pride in appearing' in this class," "Looking neat." "However walking long distances bare-footed," "Is a threat to personal health, as well as to appearance." "There will be a rag outside the door so you can wipe your shoes" "Before entry." "Is that clear?" "Yeah." "Come November, I'll wear some." "You will wear shoes tomorrow, like everyone else." "But I gotta wait 'til first frost." "Remain after class" "And explain exactly what this behavior means." "It ain't my turn!" "That's what it means." "I said after class, william." "Billy's got five sisters, mr." "Griswald." "Now, his mother buys for one each month." "There can be no exceptions to the rules of this class." "William, I will accompany you to town after school" "And buy you a pair of shoes." "Well, I ain't too sure ma would like that." "I will make arrangements with your mother about repaying me" "For them." "And mark, I want no more interruptions from you." "Yes, sir." "We will begin our studies with a short history lesson." "It's after 9:00, son." "You better get to bed." "Uh, I can't, gotta finish my homework." "Did you an' billy go fishin' again after school today?" "No, pa, honest." "It's that old persimmons." "I mean mr." "Griswald." "He gives us so much homework," "Nobody's got time for anythin' else, even chores." "Well, mark, he's right, your books are more important" "Than chores right now." "Well, maybe." "But- but, pa, what good is it knowing' about," "Some greek called, er, arc..." "Archimedes?" "Mark, everything' you learn, comes in handy someday," "One way or another." "You know, there was a battle the greeks fought at a place called," "Er, thermopylae." "You read about that?" "Yeah, it's not even there anymore, the pass I mean." "Mr. Griswald says it's turned into a swamp." "Well, son, the place may be gone, but knowin' what happened" "There saved my life when I was in the army." "Honest?" "It was the first year of the war on an eight-man patrol," "We ran smack into a party of rebs." "Oh, there must've been 20 of them." "They opened fire." "In a few minutes, there were only four of us left." "Oh, were you- were you scared?" "Uh-huh." "They drove us back against a cliff," "Looked like we didn't have a chance." "Then I remembered a box canyon I had scouted" "A couple of days before." "Oh, about, 50 yards across, about the same width as the pass" "Through the mountains at thermopylae." "If we could get to it, we could hold them off," "The way the greeks held off the persians." "Sure cuz only a few of them can get into the canyon at a time." "Right." "Well, we crawled an' fought every inch of the way." "Finally made it." "An' we did hold them off 'til our main column showed up." "I see what you mean." "I'll go bed down the stock, son." "Continue, sally." "And the greeks believed the gods made their home" "On a mountain called olympus." "Jupiter was the main god." "Then there was mercury..." "Psst." "Apollo." "Venus, she was the goddess of beauty." "Mars was the god of war." "Just a minute, sally." "Mark!" "Stand up." "Continue, please, where sally left off." "Oh, there..." "There was apollo, and mercury." "Go on." "Oh, there was diana, she was one of the goddesses." "An'..." "An' then" " I..." "I didn't finish my homework last night." "And why not?" "Everyone else is prepared." "I know." "I..." "I fell asleep, after I talked to pa." "You will remain after school for an hour." "Yes, sir." "Every day!" "Since your father considers talking more important" "Than studying, it becomes my duty to see that your lessons" "Are completed here!" "You got no cause to talk that way about my pa." "That's all, mark, sit down." "You got no cause to say anythin' about my pa!" "I said sit down." "No!" "No, I won't sit down, no!" "You kids get out of school early today?" "No." "I just came home." "Some kinda trouble, son?" "Mr. Griswald, got all riled up cuz I didn't finish my homework." "He sent you home?" "No." "He told me to stay after school an hour every day." "Every day?" "For how long?" "He didn't say." "Mark?" "What else?" "He said that- that you thought talkin' was more important" "Than my studying'." "That you weren't doin' good for me." "That's when I came home." "I see." "He isn't fair." "He's strict, but I don't think he means to be unfair." "He's a mean, nasty, rotten ol' varmint!" "Mark, I want you to go back to school." "As long as mr." "Griswald is the teacher there," "You've got no choice but to obey 'im." "But, pa, I can't." "I hate him." "Hate?" "Isn't that a strong word to use" "Just because you don't agree with someone?" "You better go back." "All right." "An'..." "An' I'll make up all my homework from last night." "Very well, I accept your apology." "However, you will remain an extra hour after school today" "As punishment for your conduct." "A total of two hours." "Yes, sir, mr." "Griswald." "Should have stayed in boston, the old stick." "It's the way pa feels that bothers me." "It's all persimmon's fault." "Yeah." "I know somethin' that'll fix him and his old greeks." "What's that?" "You'll see." "Don't do that!" "Already done." "What are you doing at my desk?" "Answer my question." "I" " I was- well, nothin', mr." "Griswald." "Take your seat, mark." "Jujubes!" "Stand up, mark mccain." "Every book has a soul." "You have destroyed this book." "Murdered a piece of literature." "No." "No, I didn't, I didn't." "please, mark." "Come here." "Come here!" "Turn around." "Mr. Griswald said you were standin' at the desk" "Openin' the book when he came in." "I'll never go back to that school." "Not as long as I live, not while he's there." "Books are valuable, expensive and hard to freight." "The school needs every one it has." "Destruction is not like you, mark." "Billy did it, not me." "Billy?" "Why didn't you tell mr." "Griswald?" "He asked me not to snitch on him." "I don't know what to say." "But if you choose to stand up an' take the blame for somebody," "You've gotta do just that, not run away." "I don't mind the punishment," "I just can't take any more o' him." "You're not the one who passes on teachers." "You've got no choice but to go back to school." "I won't!" "If mr." "Griswald is not the right teacher for us," "It'll be taken up by the town council." "In the meanwhile, you'll go back." "No, no, please, pa, please!" "Mark, don't disobey me, too." "I can't, pa, not even for you." "Well, almost time for school to let out." "We better get goin'." "Somebody might come by here an' see us." "I know just the place, we can hide out every day." "Nobody'll ever find us." "Where's that?" "In them hills over there." "A cave I came on last Saturday." "Come on I'll show it to ya." "Wait." "Just coz I'm not goin' back is no reason for you to stay out." "I'm not goin' back, either." "Okay, come on." "There it is." "Jehosephat!" "Told you it was a good one, come on." "Oh, it's an old mine cave." "That's right, nice an' cool, too." "Uh-huh, you know how far back it goes?" "I don't know, likely miles." "Take a look, let's jump on the car, an' explore." "All right." "Mark!" "Mark, are you all right?" "Mark!" "Mark." "Billy?" "Billy, you out there?" "Billy!" "Billy!" "Oh, pa, I let you down." "Sally?" "Is mark on his way home from school?" "I don't know, mr." "Mccain." "No, I'm not mistaken." "I tell you he left for school early this mornin'." "Well, they never arrived." "He and billy were both absent." "Well even if they played hookey, mark should be home by now." "Why?" "Anything can be expected of a rebellious boy like your son." "Now, look, mr." "Griswald, mark never gave trouble 'til you came." "You've educated him to rebellion." "Mr. Mccain, don't blame me for your lack of discipline." "My training and credentials are the finest." "It takes more than credentials to make a good teacher." "It takes a heart, an' I don't think you've got one." "But you're gonna help me find those boys." "Excuse me, mr." "Mccain, I have work to do at home." "We're gonna look for those boys, an' when we find them," "They better be all right." "Very well, I suggest we begin our search at the davis ranch," "Where they undoubtedly spent the day." "For your sake, I hope so." "Come on." "Look!" "Wow!" "Mr. Mccain." "Billy, what are you doin' out here, son?" "Where's mark?" "He's in the cave, in the cave!" "Cave?" "What cave?" "All the dirt fell in." "We was hidin', an' all the dirt fell down." "On mark, son?" "Did it fall on mark?" "I don't know, I guess it did." "Where is this place?" "Stop sniveling." "Where is it?" "None of it would have happened" "If you hadn't said mean things about mr." "Mccain." "That's why mark left school, that's why!" "What are you talking about?" "You said mr." "Mccain wouldn't let mark study," "An' it was his fault mark didn't have his homework." "Good lord, I- I didn't realize it." "All right, forget it now." "Billy, show us where that cave is, billy." "Okay." "Hah!" "Giddy up!" "Over there." "The mine fell or somethin'!" "All right, you stay here, billy." "Come on, griswald." "How will you get through?" "I'll get through!" "Are you hurt?" "No, I'm all right." "Mark!" "Mark!" "Mark!" "Do you hear me?" "You hear anythin'?" "No." "No, nothing." "Pa?" "Pa?" "Pa, over here." "Over here, pa." "Hurry, griswald." "Pa, over here." "Pa..." "I knew you'd come, pa." "Come on!" "It won't budge, pa, not an inch." "But I don't think it's hurt bad." "If it moves even a little, pull your leg out quick, son." "Ah, this isn't gonna work." "We're gonna need a lever." "There's not much time." "Archimedes said, "give me a lever and I can move the world."" "We'll get you out, mark." "It just won't budge." "We'll try an' pry this up." "Watch his leg." "Try it again." "Oh, this isn't gonna work." "We're gonna need a flat rock." "A fulcrum." "Yeah, there's one get it, will you?" "Hurry, hurry, it's gonna fall." "We're tryin', son." "Hurry up, griswald!" "The position of a fulcrum" "Determines the amount of leverage." "Get over there an' pull 'im out when I press down." "Are you ready?" "Ready!" "Mark, can you get out by yourself?" "Yeah, I think so." "Come on." "There, that should save you some pain" "On the way home, mr." "Griswald." "Thank you." "It's sure gonna be dark riding' home." "It won't be dark long, tonight the moon rises at 8:00 sharp." "It's in its final quarter and it should furnish plenty of light." "Well, mark, I told you learnin' comes in handy." "You're right, mr." "Mccain." "I hope that I'm not so set in my ways," "That I can't learn myself" "From what's happened in the past few days." "Oh, er, billy?" "Yes, sir?" "Think I might have a..." "Jujube?" "Oh, yes, sir." "Thank you." "Well, I think we better get goin' now," "Billy's parents don't know where he is." "Come on, boys."