"Uh, Cindy, I gotta get back to work." "I got some paperwork to do." "Oh, stay another hour and I'll give you a back rub." "Cindy, I can't let Daddy down like that." "Ahh." "Well, I noticed you don't have any problem letting me down." "Poor Ben can hardly take his shoes off without you polishing them." "And you're so busy trying to keep every hair in place that we've all forgotten what the real Cindy looks like." "Well, maybe you're just jealous because I'm making you all look bad." "For your own sake, Cindy, ease off." "Mind your own business." "Cindy, don't you think you should let up a little?" "You're starting to look awful tired." "Oh." "I forgot to put makeup on this morning." "I was so busy finishing the cradle." "Oh!" "Can you feel him?" "He kicked." "I sure can." "Cindy, I'm gonna be a good father." " Find your own girl, boy." "JASON:" "Hey, Ned." " Let me go." "JASON:" "Take it easy." "Ned, come on." " Hey, cut it out." " Boys!" "JASON:" "Hold on, you two!" " Jason, what are you doing here?" " Hurry up and get dressed." "Ben's in jail." "JOHN-BOY:" "Walton's Mountain seemed especially beautiful to my brother Ben and his wife, Cindy during the months they awaited the birth of their first child." "But the war made its demands." "Ben had to work harder than ever before leaving Cindy alone at the time when she needed him the most." "[SIGHS]" "[GRUNTS]" "Come back to bed, Ben." "I can't, honey." "There's work to be done." "[SIGHS]" "On Saturday?" "The war doesn't stop on Saturdays, and neither can I." "Remember how we used to go dancing on Saturday nights?" "Ahh, deadlines." "Seems like that's all we do, one from another." "We had such an exciting courtship." "It's not the millwork, it's the dumb paperwork." "Whirlwind, you'd call it." "I'm not even 22 years of age, but I feel like an old man." "CINDY:" "Ben, you're not listening to me." "Hey, Cindy, do I have any gray hair?" "[CINDY CHUCKLES]" "Ben, let's go out tonight, just us two." "Casablanca's playing in Rockfish." "Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart." "Wish I could, Cindy." "I got a deadline to meet." "Maybe next week." "[DOOR CLOSES]" "Next week." "JEFFREY:" "Look what I found." "ROSE:" "Ha, ha." " His name's Harold." "SERENA:" "Can I hold him?" "Uh, he just got here." "He's a bit shy." "Here, let me have him." "You're not holding him right anyhow." "[JEFFREY SPUTTERS]" " Serena, do you wanna hold him?" " Yeah." "Don't" " Don't drop him." "I won't, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter because cats have nine lives." "This cat looks awfully fat for a stray." "Where did he come from, anyway?" "He followed me home from baseball practice." "Let me see him." "[CHUCKLES]" "Jeffrey, I'm afraid Harold is about to become a mother, and soon." "You're kidding." "We've gotta think of a better name than Harold since he's a girl." "I can name her Harold if I want to." "I found her." "She's gonna sleep in my bed." "Aren't you?" "Jeffrey, did you ask Uncle John if you could keep Harold?" "No, but he won't mind, will he?" "ROSE:" "What do you think, Elizabeth?" "I think he might." "[DOOR OPENS AND BELL DINGS]" " Hi, Ike." "IKE:" "Hi, kids." "Oh, Cindy, look what just arrived." "The most amazing book." "I am so eager for my friends to see it." "You know, it is so important that we retain our femininity during these war years." "It will give the boys something to fight for something to come home to." "The Fastidious Wife?" "Sounds intriguing." "Oh, my dear, it really isn't for young girls." "Oh, I'm sorry, Corabeth, I wouldn't wanna be corrupted." "Now, was there something you wanted?" "Uh, do you think we would lose the war if I bought a pair of overalls?" "I know they're not very feminine, but they are handy in doing gardening." "Yeah, we got some new stock right over here." "Thank you." "You know, I wish someone had given me this book when I was a young bride." "Let's face it, Corabeth you're about as fastidious as they make them." "It was written by a woman social worker who spent years counseling deserted wives." "Well, I don't think Ben's ready to desert me yet." "CORABETH:" "She interviewed dozens of men to find out what it was that a man preferred in a woman what a woman could do to make a man happy." "It is absolutely scientific with proven techniques about how to help your marriage." "I'm sure that you will be impressed with it." "Well, have you tried it?" "Oh, my dear, I have resigned myself years ago to Mr. Godsey." "But it is not too late for you and Ben." "Now, you can cultivate his affections, win his undivided attention." "Something I have been unable to do myself." "Let's face it, Corabeth, you adore me." "[CINDY CHUCKLES]" " I think I'll think about it, Corabeth." " Well, what do you think?" " Am I a vision of loveliness?" "CINDY:" "Ha, ha." "Absolutely." "I think I'll wear them home, Corabeth." "Well, I do hope you'll take the back roads." "[BOTH CHUCKLE]" "I'm sorry, son." "You're gonna have to take the cat back where you found her." "CINDY:" "You can't get rid of her while she's pregnant." "JIM-BOB:" "Yeah?" "Wanna bet?" " Why can't we keep her?" "Because before long, there's gonna be a lot of kittens here and you won't wanna get rid of them either." "And then we'll have cats up to our ankles." "The time to stop it is right now." "The cat leaves after supper." "Well, it's a shame with the children growing up in the city and all that they can't see the kittens being born." "Cindy could learn a lot from it too." "CINDY:" "Ha, ha." "JEFFREY:" "Please, Uncle John?" "Harold's very ladylike." "The answer is no, and that's final." "Come on, Harold." "He doesn't want you." "Once an orphan, always an orphan." "Jeffrey!" "[SIGHS]" "I guess it's a little late to get rid of the cat now." "She looks like she's pretty near due." "[GIRLS CHUCKLING]" "CINDY:" "Well, at least she doesn't have swollen ankles." "[ALL LAUGH]" "Soon as those kittens are old enough to leave their mother, they're going." " You understand?" " Sure." "That'll be okay, won't it, Serena?" "SERENA:" "We'll put them up for adoption." "Let's go make a bed for him right now." " Okay." " Her." "I'll eat this bread pudding later." "I gotta get to the mill." "Ben will think I deserted him." "JIM-BOB:" "I gotta go." "I'll be late for my date." "CINDY:" "Anybody mind if I say good night too?" "You going to bed already?" "ELIZABETH:" "How about a game of checkers?" "No, thanks, I've already started a new book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." "Seems like you're reading a book a week." "I have a lot of time for reading these days." "Well, for heaven's sake what am I gonna do with all this bread pudding?" "I can't toast it." " See you later, everybody." " Bye-bye." "ELIZABETH:" "Bye." "ROSE:" "Bye." "JIM-BOB:" "Good night, Cindy." " Good night." "Have a good time." " Thanks." " We're going to see Casablanca." " Oh, I hear it's real romantic." "I vow and declare, it gets hot enough in that kitchen to melt wax." "[ROSE CHUCKLES]" " Well, it's nice out here." " Mm." "It would be a good night to take a drive down to the river." "That's what Ben and I used to do." "Do a little sparking along the way I'll bet, huh?" "Tsk." "Those days are gone forever." "I remember my 11th birthday party." "Mama said I could have 11 friends, and we played 11 games and she made hats for us all out of the funny papers." "It was the most wonderful day." "I cried when it was over." "I knew there would never, ever be another day like that in my whole life." "Well, it was just a beginning." "There was the day I won the declamation contest in high school and the day I met my Burt and the day John and Olivia asked me to become a part of this family." "Well, there were a lot of other days in between." "[CHUCKLES]" "It's just that no sooner does one part of your life come to an end than there's something better waiting for you." "You and Ben may not spark along the river again but you're coming into a whole new kind of closeness, Cindy." "You're right, Rose." "I don't have any right to feel sorry for myself." " Oh." "Ha, ha." " Mm." "Good night." "[CINDY SIGHS]" "Darn that moon." "BEN:" "Hey, Jason!" " Ha, ha, how are you?" "Rose told me I'd find you out here." "I'd like you to meet my buddy Ned Phillips." " This is my brother Ben." " Good to see you." " My father, John." " Welcome." " Thank you, sir." " We're on our way to the Dew Drop." "Thought we'd stop by and see if you wanted to join us." "If you're talking to me, no, thanks." "Why don't you run along, son?" "Have a good time." " But we're not finished yet." " I'll take care of it." "Cindy did wanna get out." "I'll go get her." " All right, we'll meet you in the car." " Sounds good." " It was nice meeting you, sir." " Bye, now." " Thanks, Daddy." "Bye-bye." " All right, have fun, son." "BEN:" "Will." "Cindy?" "[WHISPERS] Good night." "MEN [SINGING]:" "Praise the Lord And pass the ammunition" "Praise the Lord And pass the ammunition" "Praise the Lord And pass the ammunition" "And we'll all stay free" "[BEN  NED LAUGHING]" "Hey, Jason, I didn't know you could play the piano like that." "I haven't been in the Army all my life." "Last call." "You guys ready for another beer?" "Oh, none for me, thanks." "I've had about all I can handle." "My friend has had more." "[NED LAUGHING]" "Besides, it's getting late." "We should be getting home." "Hey, wait a minute." "Wait." "The night is still young." "I feel like having myself a dance." "What do you say, sweetie?" "Her name is Sue Ann." "I don't care what her name is just so long as she can jitterbug." "Come on, Ned." "Soldier, you couldn't walk across the floor." " Try me." "Play something, Jase." " Hey, take your hands off me." " Find your own girl, boy." "JASON:" "Hey, Ned." " Let me go." "JASON:" "Take it easy." "Ned, come on." " Hey, cut it out." " Boys!" "JASON:" "Hold on, you two!" "Cindy, wake up!" " Jason, what are you doing here?" " Hurry up and get dressed." "Ben's in jail." "[ROSE CHUCKLING]" "You know, the reverend closed with one of my favorite proverbs:" ""He that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat."" "[ROSE LAUGHS]" "There's nothing like a good sermon to help a man see the errors of his ways." " Too bad it wears off by Saturday night." " Hey, Ben." "How's the welterweight champion of Walton's Mountain?" "[IKE LAUGHING]" "Cindy, could I speak to you a moment please?" " Excuse us, this is private." " I'll just run home and fix dinner." "I heard about that incident at the roadside tavern last night." "You have my deepest sympathy." "I would just like to forget about it, thanks." "CORABETH:" "I know exactly how you feel." "But, my dear, when a man goes out on the town it is because there is something amiss at home." "I'm sorry, Corabeth, but I refuse to take the blame for Ben getting into a fight." "I understand." "It's hard to accept at first." "But this will explain everything." "Read it and you will thank me for it the rest of your life." "I can't take this, Corabeth." "CORABETH:" "I refuse to take no for an answer." "I have already put it on your bill." "If it does not help your marriage, return it." "Complete refund." "Cindy, what was that all about?" "She just sold me a book, right in front of church." "[KITTENS MEWING]" "Harold!" "Harold went and had her kittens while we were gone at church." "Boy, Serena will be mad." "She wanted to be here when they were born." "JIM-BOB:" "Ha, ha, how about that?" "A quartet." "JASON:" "Poor old Ned will be doing KP for a month." "The sheriff took one look at Cindy and didn't have the heart to hold Ben." "Too bad." "A night in jail might have done him some good." "BEN:" "It was only a fight." "No one got hurt or anything." "I notice Cindy's been kind of cool to you lately, son, and I don't blame her." "You gotta start thinking about her more, and about that baby." "You wanna be the kind of papa he'll be proud of." "CINDY:" "Don't worry, my baby is going to be perfect." "I'm glad to hear that." "I've been waiting a long time for a perfect Walton." "If anyone can do it, Cindy can." "[CAR APPROACHING]" "[ENGINE STOPS]" "Sue Ann, what are you doing here?" "SUE ANN:" "Ben Walton, this is for last night." "I just don't know how to thank you." "Uh, Sue Ann, this is Ben's wife, Cindy." "You ought to be so proud of him." "He's a real man." "He did tell you how he rescued me from an ugly drunk?" "Oh, he told me about the drunk, but he didn't tell me about you." "Well, he was wonderful." "I'm just sorry it caused so much trouble." "You come on in any time, honey, and I'll treat you to a beer." "And next time, bring your wife." "Jason and me will make this delivery." "You two have things you wanna talk about." "Oh, not me." "I wouldn't wanna hold up the war effort." "What if we go out to dinner tonight in Rockfish?" "I'm sorry, Ben, but I'm awfully busy." "Maybe next week." " Give me a chance, will you?" " Looks like you're in the doghouse, Ben." "She gonna be cold for a week." "That's what you get for keeping bad company." "[ENGINE STARTS]" "BEN:" "Hey, wait for me!" "[KNOCKING ON DOOR]" "Come on in." "Oh." "What have you got there?" "Well, I've been meaning to bring it in from the attic." "And now that I see it in broad daylight, I'm not sure it was such a good idea." "Well, it does look like it may need a little work." "Would you believe John Curtis spent his first six months in this cradle along with most of the rest of the newborn Waltons before that?" "A family relic, huh?" "More like a historical monument." "[BOTH LAUGH]" " Think it'll go another round?" " Well, it may have to." "Ben's been promising to take me into Charlottesville to pick up a crib but I hardly see him these days." "Oh, he has been awfully busy lately." "He's been a lot more busy since I started looking like a tub." "You know, men do get crazy when they're expecting no doubt about that." "Somebody ought to write a book about expectant fathers." "Even Curt got a little crazy when I came close to my time and he was a doctor." "You reading a new book?" "Corabeth gave it to me." "I haven't even started it yet." ""The fastidious wife is the wife who fulfills her femininity by accepting with grace the domination and leadership of a strong, masterful man."" "Sounds like Ben." "Oh, Ben thinks of himself as masterful, all right." ""A woman need not be beautiful but she will keep her person delicate as a flower." "Her home must be more than immaculate." "It must reflect her romantic nature."" "I think they ought to write a book called The Fastidious Husband." "Well, I guess I'm not very delicate." "And this place really isn't romantic." "Listen to these chapter headings." ""Making Him Feel Like a Hero."" ""The Art of Doting."" ""Learning to Be Adorable."" "I think you ought to throw this book out before Ben gets home." "Well, that won't be for hours yet." "Maybe you ought to read the chapter about the husband who works late." "Oh, yeah." ""A husband will talk convincingly about the press of business but when he works late night after night you know you have failed."" "And you just thought there was a war going on." "Ha, ha." " I'll talk to you later, Cindy." " Bye-bye." "Darling." "Oh, Cindy, I thought you'd still be asleep." "And miss a chance to kiss you good night?" " Cindy, you're not still mad at me?" " Of course not." "Anger is such an unbecoming emotion, don't you think?" "I've always thought so." "Cindy?" " I'm sorry about last night." " That's all right." "You had every right to go out and have a good time." "A man needs to relax." " Where are you going?" " To start your bath." " You don't have to do that." " It's my pleasure." "It'll be just a minute." "Cindy, I don't want you to tire yourself waiting on me." "How can I get tired of doing things for the man I love?" "Pregnant women sure are changeable." "Kissing's a lot more fun than fighting, isn't it?" " Sure is." " Mm." "Uh, I'd better get my bath ready, right?" "Right." "And I'm gonna be in in just a second to scrub your back but I have to get something from the house." "Till then." "Mary Ellen, you ever tried to sleep in a room full of kittens?" "I found some hot chocolate." "Why don't you have a cup?" "Okay." " What's that you've got on?" " It was a wedding gift." "I thought it was about time I wore it." "You look like something left over from a birthday party." "MARY ELLEN:" "What are you doing still stirring?" "I was waiting up for Ben." "It's so dull for a husband to come home to a sleeping wife." "Cindy, have you been reading that book?" "Oh, well, I just glanced at it." "Oh." " Oh, let me make some more." "CINDY:" "Oh, that's okay." "I don't need it anyway." "I should stay slim and trim for Ben." " Good night." " Good night." "Boy, she's sure acting strange." "It's that crazy book about how to be a good wife." "That's how a wife's supposed to act?" "You should read that book." "A Christian saint couldn't live up to it." "Sounding like Corabeth." "That's right." "Poor Cindy." "Heh." "Poor Ben." "ELIZABETH:" "We can name that one Mercury because he's quick." "And what does a silly name like that have to do with being quick?" "If you did your homework once in a while, you'd know." "We should name the pretty gray and white one Aphrodite." " That's a dumb name for a cat." "ELIZABETH:" "It is not." "Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty." "Or we could name that one Puss and this one Boots." "That's even dumber than Asperdity and Mercury." "Why don't we have some regular names like George or Frank?" " We need animal names." " You mean like Serena?" "Will you guys quit it?" "Wait a minute." "We have to think about the future of the cats." "I can't think of better names than gods and goddesses." "Nana, what do you think we should name the kittens?" "Well, I think you better not get too attached to these little fellas." "You're gonna have to give them away, you know." "I wish nobody would take them." "Besides, they're not big enough, and they do grow slow." "CINDY: "The fastidious wife is conscious of her appearance taking the extra time required to keep herself fresh and beautiful." "'My wife is always a joy to look at' was the comment of one satisfied husband."" ""Inside every man is a little boy who has not quite outgrown the need to be babied." "Wait on your husband." "Fuss over him." "It is the little things you do that will make him forever grateful."" ""Housework for the fastidious wife is never a burden for she knows her husband delights in a fastidious house."" ""A good long look in the mirror will convince most women that daily exercise is a must." "Today's hidden curves may be tomorrow's bulges and nothing will cause a man to lose interest faster than unsightly fat."" "I don't see how that's gonna do you any good." "[CINDY SIGHING]" "JEFFREY:" "George?" "Here, George." "Jim-Bob, can't you help me find George?" " In a minute." " This what you're looking for?" "JEFFREY:" "Uncle John, where'd you find him?" "On my bed." "Bad kitty." "Don't go into Uncle John's room anymore." "I told you you could keep Harold if you gave the kittens away." "But they're not big enough yet, Uncle John." "They're weaned and they're running all over the place." "What if nobody wants them?" "You can give them to Old Man Baskin." "You know what he'll do with them." "He'll put them in a sack and throw them in the river." "Don't worry, we'll find a home for them." "Won't we, Jeffrey?" "[JIM-BOB CHUCKLES]" "[JOHN SIGHS]" "CINDY:" "How do you like it?" "Well, it sure doesn't look like that old, simple handmade cradle I remember." "Oh, thanks." "I wanted something special for our baby." "It's special, all right." "Now, look, I thought that maybe I could drape off this corner as a sort of nursery." "I'd put a chest of drawers right here for the baby's things and then I'd have a rocker here where I could nurse him." "Cindy, don't you think you should let up a little?" "You're starting to look awful tired." "Oh." "I forgot to put makeup on this morning." "I was so busy finishing the cradle." "Oh!" "Can you feel him?" "He kicked." "I sure can." "Cindy, I'm gonna be a good father." "Remember I used to burp John Curtis for Mary Ellen." "[CINDY CHUCKLES]" "That's woman's work." "I want you to save your strength for man's work, for me." "It's getting close." "Are you scared?" "I'm just scared that you'll stop loving me." "That'll never happen." "Uh, Cindy, I gotta get back to work." "I got some paperwork to do." "Oh, stay another hour and I'll give you a back rub." "Cindy, I can't let Daddy down like that." "Ahh." "Well, I noticed you don't have any problem letting me down." "[SIGHS]" "Ben, I'm sorry." "I didn't mean that." "You know I'd rather be with you." "It's just that we're awfully rushed these days." "Well, I guess the sooner you go, the sooner you're gonna be back." " Cindy, are you sure you're all right?" " I'm fine." "Come on." "Go on." "[DOOR OPENS AND BELL DINGS]" " Hi." "IKE:" "Oh, hi, Cindy." "I came in for some oatmeal." "Oh." "Stocking up on baby food?" "How very wise." "One never knows when a shortage may occur." "Well, actually, I'm making cookies for Ben." " They're his favorite." " Oh." "Sounds like you're still being the fastidious wife, huh?" "Well, I do hope you that are spreading the word about our little book." "I guess Corabeth didn't tell you the book isn't selling." "She's about to lower the price." "Mr. Godsey, why must you undermine me at every turn?" "IKE:" "Because I think that book is full of nonsense." "CORABETH:" "Well, I do not." "IKE:" "Well, I do." "Mr. Godsey, it is inconceivable to me why we have remained together." " We have absolutely nothing in common." "IKE:" "You are absolutely wrong." "We've got everything in common." "We got the store, we got our livelihood." "And two people, man and wife, that do all those things together they don't need anything else." "Well, a little understanding and consideration might be helpful." "[CORABETH SIGHS]" "However, there is some truth in what Mr. Godsey says." "Have you read the chapter on taking an interest in your husband's work?" "But I'm still practicing 10 ways to please." "Oh, Cindy, you can skip ahead." "Thanks, Corabeth." "Bye." " You still got it?" " Right here." " Think it will really work?" " It's got to." "It's our only chance." "[BELL DINGS]" "Oh, hi, Jeffrey." "Hi, Serena." "What do you got there?" "We're giving away kittens, absolutely free." "Absolutely free, huh?" "Look at this, Corabeth." "Isn't that the sweetest thing you ever saw?" "We've already given away two." "Mr. Godsey, I hope you're not thinking of accepting one of these things." "They're absolutely worthless." "It's good for nothing except to eat and make a nuisance." "IKE:" "Corabeth has never allowed us to have a cat." "Look!" "[CORABETH  IKE SCREAMING]" " I'll get it!" "I'll get it!" " Mr. Godsey, oh!" "Oh, get it out!" "[GASPING]" "It's only a little mouse." "The most loathsome creature on the face of the Earth." " Aphrodite could help." "CORABETH:" "Who?" "Aphrodite." "That's the kitten's name." "Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty." "Well, you know, maybe that's not a bad idea, Corabeth." "It might cut down the mouse population." "What do you think?" "[IKE COOING]" "Well, with a name like Aphrodite, who could resist?" "Yes, nice kitty." "Yes, well, she is a nice kitty." "Kill!" "[IKE  CHILDREN LAUGHING]" " Hey." " Hi." " Well, what you got there?" " Oatmeal cookies." "It's a surprise." "But don't tell Rose I got into the raisins." "They're hard to come by." "I'll just eat the evidence before she gets suspicious, okay?" "Thank you." "What are you doing?" "Just straightening up." "This place is a mess." "Cindy, you shouldn't do that." "You look tired." "You should take a nap." "I'm fine." "I wanna help you." "I'm interested in your work." " I'll just start by doing these papers." " Okay." " And I'll be very quiet." " Good." "You know, a woman shouldn't hinder her husband in his work." "That's true." "You know, she should give him all the support that she possibly can." "It's nice being here together, isn't it?" "I mean, with me helping you we're gonna have more time to ourselves." "Where are you going?" "I gotta get these figures over to Murdock Lumber." " Daddy's trying to close a deal." " Can I go?" "Cindy, I'm not gonna let you get on that bumpy road in your condition." "If we're not home by suppertime, tell Rose to keep things warm for us." "Bye-bye." " Bye, Apollo." " See you later, Charlie." "He can't take care of himself out here in the woods." "SERENA:" "It's either that or drown him in the lake." "JEFFREY:" "He's just too little." "He needs his mama." "She'll take care of him." "You run home and get her." "I'll stay here." "Where's Harold?" "She's getting fur all over the living room." "ROSE:" "Jeffrey, where are you going with that animal?" "It's an emergency." " Now, what was all that about?" " Beats me." "SERENA:" "Now, Harold, you stay." "I feel like Hansel and Gretel's wicked stepmother." "JEFFREY:" "We couldn't just leave Harold's kittens out here alone." "SERENA:" "I know." "Come on." "Turn around and don't look back." "Don't look back." "Aren't you coming in for supper?" "Oh, I thought I would wait and eat with Ben later." "You shouldn't be skipping meals in your condition." "Anyway, it looks like you're finished in here." "Oh, well, I'm gonna start on the mill next." "It's ankle-deep in sawdust." "All this trying to be a perfect wife is wearing you out, Cindy." "I'll be better at it once I get the hang of it." "If you live that long." " Don't start, Mary Ellen." " Well, it can't be much fun." "Poor Ben can hardly take his shoes off without you polishing them." "And you're so busy trying to keep every hair in place that we've all forgotten what the real Cindy looks like." "Well, maybe you're just jealous because I'm making you all look bad." "For your own sake, Cindy, ease off." "Mind your own business." "I'll be here if you need me." "[ENGINE STOPS]" "JOHN:" "Did you leave the light on in the mill?" "BEN:" "No, Cindy was working in here." "I guess she left the light on." "Cindy." "JOHN:" "What are you doing in here?" "Oh, I meant to have this all finished by the time you guys got back." "BEN:" "Are you okay?" " Yeah." "JOHN:" "Let's get her in the house." " Oh." "Take it easy." "Take it easy." "Oh!" "BEN:" "Cindy!" "JOHN:" "Pick her up." " Here we go." " I got her." "Let's go." "[SIGHS]" " What's been keeping them?" " Just checking her out real careful." "You know, this is all my fault." "I should have made her slow down." "There was no way you could know this was gonna happen." "I just took it for granted she was strong like Mama." "Calm down, son." "You're not gonna do Cindy or anybody else any good." "She's been waiting on me while I should have been waiting on her." "Ben, you're gonna be a father real soon." "I'd hate to see you blame yourself every time one of your children gets sick." "You're gonna be feeling guilty all the time." "I guess I have a lot to learn about having a family." "Well, you'll learn." "One a step at a time." "[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]" "How is she, doctor?" "Suffering from exhaustion, and she may be going into labor." " But she's not due yet." "LEWIS:" "I know." "The baby would have a hard time of it right now." "Shouldn't she be in the hospital?" "I don't wanna move her unless I have to." "Keep her in bed." "Watch her." "And call me if there's any change." " Thanks for coming by." " I'll be back tomorrow." "[GROANING]" "How's she doing?" "She's been having some contractions." "It's too soon to tell whether it's the real thing or not." "I'll stay with her now, Mary Ellen." "Okay, but you call me if you need me, even if you have to get me out of bed." "Mary Ellen?" "Thank you." "How are you feeling?" "[CRYING]" " The doctor said we might lose the baby." " You'll be fine." "[GROANS]" " Should I get Mary Ellen?" " No." "Just stay with me." "I'm not going anywhere." "[CRYING] I'm sorry, Ben." "BEN:" "Shh." "[WHISPERS] Cindy, I love you." "Shh." "Shh." "[KITTEN MEWS]" "What is it?" "Cross your heart and hope to die, swear not to tell." " I swear." "What is it?" " Come on." "Harold must have brought her kitten all the way home." " Gotta hide them." " They can sleep with me." "You always kick off your covers." "Does Jim-Bob hang up his clothes in the closet?" "Sometimes." "We've gotta take a chance." "I'll make a nest for them in there." " There, doesn't that feel better?" " Can't I even get up and wash myself?" "Not until we're sure that that baby's all right." "Here's breakfast." "I'll come back in and check on you in a while." "Thanks." "I want you to eat a big breakfast so you can build up your strength." "Oh, I can't." "I just wanna go to sleep." "It's here if you get hungry." "I'll check in on you in a little while, okay?" " Ben?" " Yeah?" "CINDY:" "Take the cradle with you." "I haven't felt the baby move all morning." " Good morning." "ROSE:" "Morning." "How's Cindy?" "Tired, very worried." "So am I." "Thanks, Rose." "Hey, does anybody know how Apollo got in my shoe?" "I thought I told you to get rid of those kittens." "We tried, Uncle John." " Harold's in my bathrobe." " Well, you didn't try hard enough." "Remember, now, you two promised to find homes for those kittens." "We gave every single one of them away except for Apollo." " Nobody would take him." "JEFFREY:" "We asked everyone." "SERENA:" "Then we took him into the woods with Harold." "We thought that they'd stay there." "You mean they found their way home?" "Sounds like a couple of real smart cats to me." "SERENA:" "Don't let that man throw him in the river." "Please." "[MEWING]" "What do you think, Mary Ellen?" "Make a good mouser?" "They look like prime stock to me." "[MEWS]" "[CHUCKLING]" "I'll tell you what we'll do." "We'll let Harold and, um" "SERENA:" "Apollo." " Yeah." "JEFFREY:" "Charlie." " Whatever." "go to work in the barn." "Maybe they can help keep down the mouse population." "That's a good idea, Uncle John." "Hurry, let's get the kittens to work before Uncle John changes his mind." "Hey, Daddy, you know there's no rats in the barn since that old black snake moved in a couple of years ago." "I know, son." "But you ever know a snake that would purr when you scratched it behind the ears?" "[ROSE LAUGHING]" "[KNOCKING ON DOOR]" "MARY ELLEN:" "Hello, doctor." " Evening." "How's our patient?" " That's what we're waiting to find out." " Let's have a look, then." "You keep working this hard, we're gonna be way ahead of schedule." "Be the first time since this war began." "What we need around here is more workers." "Trouble is, it just takes too much time to train them." "Ben, is something wrong?" "Yes, Daddy." "I don't wanna see Cindy hurt." "JOHN:" "Hmm." "Why don't you tell me about it?" "I don't know what to do." "What did you do when Mama was big like that?" "As I recall when she first got pregnant with John-Boy, I was pretty excited." "Of course, I gotta admit that toward the end, I got a little nervous." "By the time Elizabeth had come along I figured it was just something Liv did every year with my help, of course." "Daddy, do you know the feeling of being afraid to touch your own wife?" "That if you touch her too hard, you may break something?" "Because that's what I'm feeling right now." "Take it easy, son." "What's happening is just a natural process." "You can touch her, she's not gonna break." "The fact is she probably needs to be held more than ever right now." "Dr. Lewis is here." "The labor's stopped." "I think you're going to be fine, Mrs. Walton." " How's my baby?" " The baby too." "[CINDY CHUCKLES]" "That young fellow's got a strong, steady heartbeat." "You see to it that she stays in bed for at least a week." " I want you to take it easy, young lady." " Oh, I promise." "And you stop working her so hard, you hear?" "CINDY:" "Ha, ha." " I'll sit on her if I have to." "I'll be back tomorrow, but call me if you need me in the meantime." " We will." "I'll walk you to your car." " Thank you, doctor." "BOTH:" "Oh." "I guess you can bring that cradle back in." "Cindy, you're wonderful." "I didn't think you noticed." "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way." "You're just so special to me." "I haven't known how to act." "What's this?" ""Our research indicates that men who spend excessive amounts of time at work often do so to escape coming home to an uninteresting wife."" "Where'd you get this?" "Well, it came highly recommended." "Is that why you've been doing all these things around here?" "Like running my bath and trying to help me out in the mill?" "I just wanted to make you happy." "Cindy." "There's a miracle going on inside you right now." "You're creating life our baby." "That's enough." "Ben." "I love you the way you are." "I always have and I always will." "I'll just remember to say it more often." " I love you." " I love you." "JOHN-BOY:" "Cindy took it easy for the rest of her term and her relationship with my brother grew stronger every day." "In the years to come, she accomplished many things but she remained true to her own spirit and never again tried to become a fastidious wife." "MARY ELLEN:" "Good grief, Elizabeth, what do you have on your face?" "ELIZABETH:" "Cindy gave me her mud pack." "MARY ELLEN:" "Take it off." "ELIZABETH:" "Not now." "Seven secret ingredients are miraculously softening my skin." "JOHN:" "That sounds good." "Let's see how it looks in the morning." "MARY ELLEN:" "Good night, Daddy." "ELIZABETH:" "Good night." "JOHN:" "Good night." "ELIZABETH:" "Oh, no, I cracked my mud." "[ENGLISH" " US" " SDH]"