"As with most families everywhere, on Walton's Mountain we were faced with all kinds of troubles, large and small, some growing out of personal weaknesses, others thrust on us by our changing world." "Mostly, when trouble struck, we drew together, united against the common enemy and came out of the struggle closer than before." "But one year my family suffered a loss, which, rather than bringing us closer to one another, scattered us and threatened to destroy the fabric of our lives." "Reading these old Home Beautiful magazines is almost as good as going visiting." "Nice of Rosemary Fordwick to save them for you." "Women is always interested in other women's housekeeping." " Grandpa, you're doing it again." " Doing what?" "You speaking to me?" "You're walking off and leaving that heating pad plugged in." "Well, I am coming back." " When?" " Oh, in a year or so." "A man plagued with gout and lumbago is entitled to a little comfort." "You depend on that heating pad like a baby on a pacifier." "I'm always looking for a little warmth, somewhere or other." "You know, I could walk out, and you'd never miss me unless I took this with me." "Will you look at this?" "They call it a "family room."" "Well, that's every room in this house." " Hi, Grandma." " Hi, Grandma." " Goodness!" "I didn't know it was so late." " Hi, Mama." "Mama, I think you ought to know that your youngest son has gone girl-crazy." "I have not." "He's got a whole pocketful of hair ribbons he's snitched from girls." "Jim-Bob, it seems to me you could find better ways to spend your time." "The only ones who'd be disappointed are girls he didn't get around to." " Well, I don't care about those silly girls." " Like fun you don't!" "It's all in the excitement of the chase." "I can remember even that far back." " Hey, Jason, how's the practicing doing?" " Oh, hi, Jason." " Hey, Jason." " What's that?" " Hey, do you mind?" " Move over." " Mary Ellen, why'd you have to tell?" " We know her, Miss Tattletale." " Erin." " Who were you calling a tattletale?" " You." " Would you be quiet, please?" "How am I supposed to practice with you all acting like a bunch of wild Indians?" "Well, how are we supposed to act like a bunch of wild Indians" " with you banging on this piano?" " All right, that's it, I'm leaving." "One of these days I'm gonna get my own place." " Oh, good, we're gonna come visit." " Oh, no, you won't." "We're gonna visit you every single day." " Mama, look." " What is it, honey?" "There's something's the matter with my butterfly." "Elizabeth, I'm sorry, it looks like your butterfly's dead." "Can't be." "I gave him plenty of food, lots of air." "He was fine just this morning." "Well, butterflies live very short lives, Elizabeth." " Why?" " Well, that's just the way it is, child." "Elizabeth, you'd best get yourself a parrot." "They live to be 100 years old or more." "I liked too much." "Anytime I like something too much, it goes away." "Let me have a peek at these, Liv." "Mama, they're impossible." "Listen to that." "They've been cooped up in the schoolroom all day." "I'm gonna have to go practice in the barn." "Chance and Blue got more consideration than that bunch." "All of our animals are music lovers." "I wonder, if Mozart had had six brothers and sisters, how far he would've gone." " To the barn probably." " I'm sure." "That old woman." "You ought to see Erin, Mama." "She's wearing that fancy party dress again." "She's parading up and down in front of the mirror." "Can't take her eyes off herself!" " Ben, get out of here." " Yeah, Ma." "Erin, you look like a bandy chicken strutting around." "Don't you know that Reverend Fordwick says" " vanity is one of the seven deadly sins?" " Oh, I don't care." "If a person has just one nice thing of her own to wear," "I don't believe it's wrong to take pleasure in it." "Come on in, John, have a seat." "John, relax, will you?" "You haven't been called on the carpet." "Sit down." "That's a relief." " That a new pipe?" " Oh, yes, I picked it up yesterday." "Looks a little like mine." "It's nice." "I called you in, John, because a old friend of mine has just been named the new editor of a rather prestigious and established publishing house in New York," "Ruffner Brothers." "Oh, yes, I know the name." "Well, they have some of the finest writers published today on their list, and they're also interested in developing some new talent, and I was speaking to Hank about you." " Really?" " Yes, well," "Hank knows that I wouldn't recommend anyone unless I was genuinely enthusiastic." "And I've been telling him about the novel you're writing." "And I..." "I'm sorry." "Here I am going on a mile a minute, and I should've talked this over with you first." " Oh, no, it's perfectly fine." " Good." "Well, anyway, Hank is interested in looking at some sample pages." " You mean even before I've finished it?" " Yes." "Well, I suggest we send him the first 50 pages." "First 50?" "A lot of what I've written lately seems stronger." "Well, then, I wouldn't make a move without first consulting with the author." "Oh, no, it's just that there are so many things I was gonna go back and change." "Don't worry, John." "Hank understands that he's looking at a rough draft." "But if he warms to your material, maybe he'll provide you with an advance." " Money?" " Sure." "Well, maybe not too much, but certainly enough to free you from those one or two extra jobs you've been carrying and give you more time to concentrate on your writing." "It would certainly be a benefit." "And even if he doesn't come through with the advance, when the book is finished, you're gonna have an excellent entrée with Ruffner." " When do you want the pages?" " Let's see, today's Wednesday..." " Monday would be fine." " Well, you'll have them." "Professor Parks, thank you very much." "I just..." "I really appreciate it." " I'm very excited about it." " I am, too." "Well, I'm really excited." "I appreciate it." "I just had no idea." "Ruffner Brothers." "I mean, in fact, I don't even believe it." "In fact, when I tell my family, they won't believe it either." " Thank you very much." " John." " New pipe?" " Oh, don't want to forget that." " Thanks again." " Bye, John." "Okay, John, will there be anything else?" "Let me have a box of them chocolates there, Ike." "Chocolates?" "Your family must be doing some celebrating, huh?" "Made another payment at the bank." "All clear for another month." "Congratulations." "Hey, I'll tell you what." "I'll throw in some chocolate-covered cherries." "Thank you, Ike." " Corabeth practicing her dance step?" " Redecorating." " Thought she did that last month." " Well, that doesn't make any difference." "When she's got some time on her hands, she just starts shoving things around." " Kind of unsettling." " Oh, yeah." "She rips the wallpaper off the wall, then she redoes the curtains and the slipcovers." "Everything." "One of these days, Ike, I'll come in here and find you covered with wallpaper." "Corabeth always was a woman with a lot of ideas." "And energy." "And I've been thinking of doing some redecorating, myself." "Can't imagine your place being any different." "It always seemed just perfect to me." "Get a few dollars ahead, I'd like to modernize it a little." "Tell you what I'm gonna do, if you don't mind." "I'll lend you Corabeth." " Elizabeth, I got you another butterfly." " I don't want it." "Well, I thought you'd like it." "Please, Jim-Bob, let it go before anything happens to it." "Okay." "I've got my doll." "She doesn't ever change." "The Ruffner Brothers is one of the most important publishing houses in the country." "Those are the people that bought out Hawthorne, Thoreau, Melville." "They might be interested in me?" "And Professor Parks is gonna send some of your writing to them?" "First 50 pages." "I sure got my work cut out for me between now and Monday, putting the shine on them." "How come everybody's staring?" "First time you see something, kind of gets your attention." "You're smoking that." "Well, you've seen a man smoke a pipe before." "Well, we've never seen you smoke a pipe." "Well, lots of the literary men on the campus are smoking them." "And night watchmen." "My professor, Professor Parks, claims that his pipe is an aid to his concentration." "Besides, it scares away the mosquitoes, Esther." "Do look kind of professory." "All right, John-Boy, this joke has gone far enough." "I'm not gonna have tobacco stinking up my living room, not to mention what it's doing to your lungs." "Pipe smokers do not take the smoke into their lungs." "I have to get back to work." "Well, now, Miss Elizabeth, you've been kind of quiet tonight." " Anything wrong?" " No, Daddy." "I'm fine." "Zeb?" "Zeb?" "Yes, Esther." "I thought you'd drowned." "You plan to stay in that tub all night?" " I would if I could." "It eases my lumbago." " Everybody else is in bed." "As usual, I am the exception." "You go on down and go to bed, Esther, and compose yourself." "I'll be there before you get through saying your prayers." " Good night everybody." " Good night, Grandpa." " I'm coming, Esther." " Good night, Mama." " Night, Mary Ellen." " Good night, Jim-Bob." " Night, Daddy." " Good night, John-Boy." "Night, Ben." "Night, Elizabeth." "Good night, Elizabeth." " Elizabeth?" " I couldn't sleep." " It's late, honey." " I know." "Come on, I'll put you to bed." "Come on." "John, there's smoke." "John." "Get the kids!" "Now!" "Come on!" "Now!" " Wake up." "Fire." " John-Boy!" "What's going on?" "Oh, my God!" "Hurry up, get up." "Get some blankets!" "Boys, fire." "Jason, Jim-Bob, wake up." "Wake up." " Here, Daddy." " Dad!" "What happened?" " Fire!" " Stop." "Come on." "The house is on fire." "Esther..." "Let's go." "Mama, you all right?" "Fire!" "Stay out of here, Esther." "Give me that robe." "Zeb, no." "Mary Ellen, Elizabeth, hurry." " Elizabeth, come on." " Hurry up." "Erin, stop that and come now, quickly." "Erin, let's go." "All right, let's go, everybody." "Get ready." " Where is everybody?" " Come on, come on." "Come on, everybody!" "All right, here we go!" "Mama, my doll!" " Come on, come on." " Come on, down here." "Get out!" "Out!" "Out, out!" "Get outside and stay out." "Get outside and stay out." "Get outside and stay outside." " You've got to..." " Come on!" "Come on!" "Get out!" "Everybody out!" " Come quickly." " I'm trying!" "Erin!" "Erin, get up." " Mama!" " Erin!" "Somebody help him!" "Zeb!" "Jason, take that ax and get some help!" " You boys give them the blanket..." " No!" "John-Boy!" "John-Boy!" "Erin!" "Olivia, come back here." "All right." "I'll get them." "Stay back!" "John-Boy!" "John-Boy!" "Erin!" "Erin!" "Daddy, take her!" "My novel!" "Daddy, let me go." "Let me go!" "My writing!" "Erin!" "Daddy, Daddy." "I think that got it." "Thank you, fellows." "Thank you for your help." " Well, John, I guess we got it whipped." " It's just smoldering in a place or two now." "Well, I'm much obliged to you fellows." "Without your help, would've gone right to the foundation." "And more than likely lost the barn, too." "Well, I'm afraid your second floor is pretty well burned out." "It's hard to tell how bad it is." "Plenty of time to worry about that in the morning." " And be grateful no one was hurt." " Amen to that, Reverend." " Got any idea, John, how it all started?" " I don't know." "Probably the wiring." "It's all frazzled and old." "Well, now, you better get home." "Get yourself some sleep." " Thanks again." " Thank you, Reverend." "Where you off to, John-Boy?" "I have to see if there's anything left, Grandpa." "Well, we best wait till morning." "Let's go see the young 'uns." "Right, now watch where you step." "Don't touch anything." "Watch your feet, Jim." "It's awful." "It's just awful." "Thank God, we're all alive." "All right." "Let's see what we can salvage and take it out to the barn." "Easy now." "Watch it, everybody." "Don't touch anything, some of it's hot." " What do we have right here?" " Grab that." "Unfortunately, Sister and I have no clothing that would be appropriate." " We could bring beddings and linens." " Oh, thank you, ladies." "The Fordwicks brought some things by earlier." "Grandma?" "Well, you let us know if there's anything you need." "This gave us quite a lift, ladies." "Thank you." " Last night, we were in the pits of hell." " Zeb!" "I'm talking." "And then in the morning to be attended by angels of mercy." " Who make pretty good coffee, too." " Another legacy from Papa." "Sister and I were talking as we drove over here, and we would be so happy if any of you would share our home." "While the necessary repairs are being made, don't you know?" "Well, it's very nice of you, ladies." "As a matter of fact..." " But we wanna keep the family together." " Oh, we do understand." " But should you change your mind..." " Sister, we really must be on our way." " Oh, yes." " It's our monthly meeting of the Browning Society in Charlottesville." "Dear Mr. Browning." "Such a consolation." ""Grow old along with me!" "The best is yet to be"" "Sister." "Now if there's anything at all that we can do." " Rabbi Ben Ezra, stanza one." " Oh, thank you so much." " Thank you for coming." " Goodbye." " It was very nice." " Bye-bye." "It's time you all were starting for school." "Oh, I thought I'd stay here today and help Daddy." " Think again." " Mama, with half the house gone..." " Go on." " School." " Bye-bye." " Bye-bye." " Bye." " Jim-Bob, what have you got on your feet?" "Well, I threw two different shoes out the window, a good one and an old one." " I could go barefoot." " Not in this weather, you can't." "Elizabeth?" " Elizabeth, are you all right?" " Yes, Mama." " No fever." " Can I go now?" "Yeah, I'll see you this afternoon." "Erin, you better get a move on." " John-Boy." " Yes?" " I'm sorry about your novel." " Forget about it, Erin." "Well, it's all my fault." "If I hadn't tried to save this dress," " you wouldn't have lost it." " I'm not blaming you for it." "You don't hate me?" "Of course I don't hate you." "Looks to me like we're gonna have to rebuild the whole second floor of the house." "While we're at it, we might as well rewire it and modernize the plumbing." "Not one cent's insurance." "Ma, you know the rates are too high out here." "What's the use of fretting about that?" "We could try for another loan at the bank to buy the materials, and do most of the work ourselves." "Well, where are we all gonna sleep in the meantime?" "I guess we're gonna have to parcel you children out" " to friends and neighbors." " No." "I won't have that." "Well, now, honey, you can see the house." "What are we gonna do?" "John, I will not have my children scattered all over the county." "I want them here where I can take proper care of them." " But how are we gonna do that?" " I don't know, but..." "Well, we got that old tent in the barn we used for Grandpa." " Eleven people in one tent?" " Sure." " It'd be like a dormitory." " Well, I'm going back to my own room." "You'll do nothing of the sort." "There's burnt rafters hanging right over our bed." "It's true." "Well, anyway, maybe we can clean out the kitchen so that at least we can cook and eat in there." "Nobody's sleeping in a tent." "It gets cold at night around here." "John, after what happened last night, the children need to know that we're here, that we're looking after them." "Honey, they're gonna get sick sleeping outside." "John, please, let's just try." " All right, let's just try it." " Thanks." " Grandpa." " John-Boy." " Are you looking for something?" " No." "Just looking." "Soot and ashes and regrets." "I know." "Well, I'm gonna try to get myself cleaned up for class." "I'll see you." "Listen, Herman Melville's first copy of Moby-Dick was lost at sea." "Robert Louis Stevenson's wife burned Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because she thought it was vulgar." "Ernest Hemingway's first novel was in a suitcase that was stolen and never recovered." "Guess I'm in good company." "Unfortunately, all of this is of small comfort." "I'm still gonna have to write to Hank at Ruffner's and let him know what happened." "Professor, I don't know how long it's gonna take me to rewrite this." "I mean, I lost everything, I don't have anything." "Not my glasses, not even my clothes." "John, you still have your journals." "And, believe me, you're gonna be able to remember what you wrote." "Do you have any idea how the fire got started?" "My daddy says it was a short in the wiring." "There's so many things that could start a fire in a house." "Look, I'm really sorry that all of this happened." "I don't wanna take up any more of your time." "John." "I'm sorry." "Truly sorry." "You sure cleared a lot of stuff out of the house." " We got a start." " Mostly in the kitchen, John-Boy." "Where'd all these cots come from?" "Reverend Fordwick borrowed them from the CCC." "There are only seven of them." "You and Mama sleeping in the barn?" "That's right." "Your grandma and I have fashioned us a little love nest in the front parlor." " How is Mama anyway?" " She's all right." "She's just bound and determined nothing's gonna fall apart around here." "This ought to be enough wood to keep the fire hot." " But not too hot." " No." "You think you're funny, don't you?" "How come you're pulling such a long face?" " What I do with my face is my business." " But we're the ones that have to look at it." "Erin, I think we can find you something a little more becoming to wear." "No, thank you, Mama." "I want this." "It was in the box of clothes Mrs. Fordwick brought today and it's perfect." " Don't you think it's a little drab?" " No, Mama." "It's just right." "Elizabeth, honey, I'm sorry about your doll." "It's okay." "It was only an old doll." "I tell you what, soon as all this emergency is over, I'll get you a new one, all right?" "I don't want a new one, John-Boy." "I don't want anything." "John." "It's raining." "You think the tent is waterproof?" "If it's not, those kids will let us know soon enough." " John-Boy, there's a leak over my bed." " There's a leak over everybody's bed." " Look, John-Boy." " I think it's raining now." "Mary Ellen, where did you get that umbrella?" ""Be prepared," that's my motto..." " Let me get under that." " Let me get underneath there." "Hey, wait a minute, I'm getting wet." "Oh, good Lord." "Good Lord might have sent us the rain the night of the fire." "Zeb, now, you be careful who you criticize." "Yeah." "One thing's sure, from now on you have got to be my electric heating pad." "Zeb, behave." "Everybody in the barn!" "Come on, everybody out!" "Everybody out!" "Come into the barn, Jason!" " I knew it." " Everybody in the barn!" " Let's go!" " Come on!" "Everybody in the barn!" "Come on, get inside!" "Come on, get inside." "Let's go." "Come on, honey." "All right." "Take the blanket." "Take the blanket." "Lord, it's wet!" " Jim-Bob, don't dawdle." " I'm tired." "I know." "You'll feel better after you have a hot breakfast." "Mama, are we all going to sleep in here tonight?" "I don't know." "We'll figure out something." "Go inside and join the other children, Ben." " Yeah, I will, Mama." " Go and get everyone." "Now, Liv, this is not working out." "If they don't get some sleep and get warm, we're gonna end up with a bunch of sick kids." "I know." "I just hate the thought of us separated when we need to be close." "I don't like it any better than you do, but it's something that's just got to be done." "Am I too young to have rheumatism?" "Well, I don't believe there's any special age limit for its coming on you." " You always have been precocious." " What kind of a word is that?" " That's a Mary Ellen special." " Don't ask her what it means." "She'll give you six others just like it." "John-Boy, did you catch a cold in that downpour last night." " No, ma'am." " Acting mighty quiet." "I'm fine." "You know, I think this is the best breakfast I've ever had." "Well, it is good, considering." "I mean, it's not just the food." "I mean, we must have had 100 other meals just like it, but until the fire, I never really appreciated them." "Well, until last night, I never appreciated my nice, dry bed." "You know, Daddy, maybe we could borrow a big tarpaulin from the lumber yard." "I'm afraid a tarp won't help, Son." "Now, listen, your mother and I had hoped that we could all stay together till the roof was fixed and the house repaired, but it's not working out." "We're gonna have to place you all with friends and neighbors." " Daddy." " You mean, we have to live away from you and Mama?" " That's right." " Well, do we have to?" " Last night wasn't that bad." " Yeah, what's a little rain?" " At least we were all soaked together." " I don't like this any better than you do." "Well, still, we be luckier than most." "Here during the Depression lots of families get scattered, never to get back together again." " It's just gonna be for a few weeks." " A few weeks?" "Well, we won't be far apart, Erin." "We can come calling on one another whenever we feel like it." "That's right." "We can." "Your mother and I'll stay here in the house," "John-Boy will stay in the barn." " When do we have to split up?" " This afternoon." "Can't tell you how much we appreciate this, Reverend." "It'll be a treat for Rosemary and me." "The parsonage seems so empty, just the two of us." " All right, now." "You behave yourselves." " We will, Daddy." "All right." "One thing is certain, they'll do their schoolwork." "Okay." "Thanks again, Reverend." "Come on, let's get something to eat, okay?" "Then we'll put your things away." "Come on in here." "We're very pleased to have you with us, Jason." "So reassuring to have a man in residence." " This is my room?" " It used to be Papa's." " All this space just for me?" " And this is your wardrobe." "And here is your bath." "My own bathroom?" "Now, if there's anything at all that we've forgotten..." "Please don't hesitate to ask." "Sister and I want you to feel that this is your home." "Sorry as I am about the fire, but since it had to happen," " I'm so glad to have the both of you here." " Well, it's just temporary." "Esther couldn't make up her mind what to bring, so she brought everything." "Well, in a new place, Zeb, a woman just likes to have a few of her own things around her." "Takes away the strangeness." "The only difference is, I didn't need to bring anything but you, Esther." "I have one of my best rooms all ready for you." "Mrs. Brimmer, there seems to be a dearth of hot water." "I'd like you to meet one of your fellow boarders." "Mrs. Zuleika Dunbar, Mr. and Mrs. Zeb Walton." "It's a pleasure." "Well, I'm elated that you're joining our little circle." "It's just temporary." "Well, I'm sure Mr. Walton will be a welcome change from our daily diet of hen talk." "I will do my very level best, Mrs..." "Dunbar, Zuleika Dunbar." "Well, no rooster likes to hear the sound of his own crowing more than Zeb Walton." "Let's go." "I'll show you to your room." " Oh, please, let me be of some assistance." " This way." "Here." " Come on." " Zuleika, what an interesting name." " Zuleika..." " Dunbar." " All right, Yance." "Take care, now." " Bye-bye." "Keep an eye on that one." "Bye." "This your first time away from home?" "Last year I was at church camp for a week." " Like it?" " Well, once I got used to the rules, yeah." "Ben, we just got one rule around here and one rule only." "Do as you dang please." "Drop your things anywhere, Ben." "Don't worry about the pets." "They'll get used to you in no time at all." "This is your bed." "Maybe I could put my clothes in the closet." "If there was a closet, which there ain't." "See, Ben, I don't believe in them." "Things I use and wear, I want close at hand." "I don't want to have to go rummaging around in no dark closet." "Hey, you, get to work." "See, Ben, way I look at it, closets is for nothing more than putting away a lot of things which you don't really need." "I got nothing that fits that description." "Well, do you have a nail?" "A nail?" "A nail." "This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me." "Getting to see close-up what a doctor's life is really like." "Mady and I are real happy to have you with us, Mary Ellen." " Let me show you your room." " You know, I'm going to be a nurse." "Well, that's a wonderful ambition." "So you won't mind if I spend a lot of time in here?" "Well, I..." "Oh, I won't get in your way, Doc." "I promise." "Yeah, well, I think Mady was counting on your company and help in the house." "Oh, well, I'll do that, too, but mostly I wanna be in here with you, helping and learning." "Well, first, let's get you settled." "Elizabeth and us are gonna get along like apple pie and cheese." "She's always wanting to go to Ike's." "I fixed over my sewing room into something special for a little girl." "That was nice of you, Corabeth." "You shouldn't have gone to all that trouble." "Oh, I love doing it." "You know, in the past two months that sewing room has been a game room, a study and a beauty parlor." "We'll look in on you as often as we can." "You come see us whenever you want." " Elizabeth." " Yes, Mama?" "I'd better be going." " You be a good girl now." " She will." " Corabeth, let's go see my room now." " Of course, dear." " John-Boy, is that you?" " Daddy?" " Better come on down." " Yes, sir." "They were selling kisses at the county fair." "Rufe was standing outside the booth." "He said, "I paid $1, a whole day's wages," ""just to kiss the pride of Rockfish County." ""I got inside the booth, there was nothing but a jackass."" "So I said, "Rufe," ""you mean to say there's nothing in that kissing booth but a jackass?"" "And he says, "Yes, that's all it was, a jackass."" ""Well, Rufe," says I, "it takes one to know one."" "Mr. Walton, that is priceless." "I've laughed so much my sides ache." "Zeb does have a way with a story." "I declare, Mrs. Walton, living with such a man, you must wear yourself out laughing." "Well, you're partly right." "It does wear a mite thin when you been listening to the same story for 50 years." "Well, the stories are funny in themselves, but it's the way you have of turning a phrase, Mr. Walton." "Well, thank you for saying so, Miss Dunbar." "Oh, please, call me Zu." "All my friends do." "Well, I certainly hope that you consider me to be a friend, Zu." "You did say your home was in Richmond, Miss Dunbar?" "Well, I've lived most of my life in Richmond, but nowadays my home is anywhere I'm having a good time." "What she was saying is, she's gonna visit her sister in Wheeling." "When?" "Well, that was before our guests joined us." "I can go to Wheeling anytime." "Well, I declare." "You still awake, honey?" " I'm not sleepy." " Well." "Think I understand." "It's your first night away from home." "You're missing your mama and daddy." "I don't miss anybody." "Well, that's very brave of you, but I think a little company would not be amiss." "Suppose I slip down to the store and get you a sweet baby doll to cuddle?" "No, thank you." "I don't want a doll." "Well, shall I just sit here with you till you drift off?" "I like it just fine here by myself." "Good night." "Night, dear." " What's the matter, Liv?" " Everything." "Come on, now, don't torture yourself." "Spent our whole lives trying to raise our kids and give them a proper home." "And now they're scattered to the winds and the house is nothing but a shell." "Honey, there's nothing gone we can't replace." "We had hard times even from the beginning and we got through them somehow." "But here we are, still stumbling and picking ourselves up over and over, and I don't think I can pick myself up anymore." "Liv, you're awful tired, honey." "Let's see if we can get a good night's rest." "Maybe tomorrow things won't look so grim." "We'll get through." "We're always looking for a way to get through." "Makes a person wonder why we struggle so." "Liv, you're not listening to me." "I got two good strong hands, a strong back." "I'll put this place back together for you again." "It's useless." "I've tried and tried to rewrite the first page of my novel, the first paragraph, the first sentence." "Always comes out the same." "Flat." "Empty." "I feel as if there was a band of steel twisted tight inside me, shutting off the flow of words and feelings." "Maybe that steel band is my guilt about the fire, me being the cause." "Somehow I have to find an answer for that feeling." "Somehow." "May we come in?" "Sure." " Good morning, Jason." " Oh, good morning." " We do hope you slept well." " Oh, never better." "Thank you." "Sister and I thought you might enjoy having breakfast in bed." "Oh, you shouldn't have gone to all that trouble." "Oh, it was no trouble." "It gives a person that catered-to feeling that we all deserve from time to time." "We weren't sure which you preferred, bacon or sausage." "So we prepared both." " Oh, I like them both." "Thank you." " Good." "Now, Jason, Sister and I have been talking it over, and while you're with us, we would like you to use our car to go to your classes and to your work." "Oh, I couldn't do that." "You must, or we'll be offended, won't we, Mamie?" "Grievously." "Well, I wouldn't offend either one of you for anything." "Good." "It's settled." "Now, is there anything else we can get for you?" "No, everything is perfect." "Thank you." " Enjoy yourself." " Oh, I will." "Thank you." " Morning." " Morning." " Well, looks like someone overslept." " It was so quiet without Ben and Jason." "Well, we saved some cocoa for you and some hotcakes." "Thank you." " Gee, Erin, same dress?" " What I wear isn't important." "I agree with you, Erin." "Some of the girls at school do overdress, but an occasional change now and then is nice." "My vanity hurt people, Mrs. Fordwick, especially John-Boy." " I have to check it." " I see." ""Whosoever shall exalt herself shall be abased," ""and she that shall humble herself shall be exalted."" "Matthew 23, verse 12." "Well, I can't be late for school." "Okay, Mrs. Fordwick." "What in the name of peace and goodness is all this?" " Just ribbons, sir." " Your sisters'?" " No, sir." " Then whose?" "Just different girls." "It's kind of a collection." "Well, boys collect stamps and coins, arrowheads." " Did the girls give you these ribbons?" " Not exactly." " You took them forcibly?" " I don't think anybody minded too much." "Jim-Bob, let me speak to you, not just as a minister to a parishioner, or even as a friend to friend, but man to man." "The relationship between a man and a woman must be based on respect." "Well, gee, Reverend, grabbing those ribbons at recess was just something to do, a game." "And for some men, that is a lifelong attitude toward women, an empty game full of meaningless pursuits." " We don't want that for you, Jim-Bob." " No, sir." "Let me give some thought to what would be your most constructive move." " And in the meantime, no more collecting." " No, sir." "Watch it, John-Boy." " Son, will you work somewhere else?" " Sorry." "John-Boy, watch it, please." " Well, I'll be..." " What?" "It was still plugged in." "You think maybe it overheated?" "Pa never could remember to pull out the plug." " You caught me daydreaming." " I know what you're thinking." "I was thinking, rather than patching up the old place" " maybe we should start fresh." " I wish we could." "You know I wish we could." "But we can't because of the time and the money." "Just have to make do." "I guess that's what it's all about." "Making do." " Sorry." " You lose something?" "Well, I was just wondering what time it is." "Do you have a clock?" "Of course I got a clock." "You've been listening to too many stories about how backward we are here." "3:00!" "That's the plaguey thing about clocks." "You got to keep winding them." "So you have no idea what time it is?" " 9:30." "Give or take 10 minutes." " 9:30..." " Not your favorite time of day?" " I should've been at school an hour ago." "Well, you sure are stirring up a power of dust." "It's up to you, but it just seems to me that you'd no sooner get to school now, than you'd just have to turn right around and hike back again." "Maybe the best idea'd be to have a fresh go at it tomorrow." " I shouldn't play hooky." " No." "No, you shouldn't." "Course, I shouldn't send you to school on an empty stomach, you being a growing boy and all." " I am hungry." " Well." "There you are." "I'll just fry us up a mess of eggs, ham and grits, and then we'll be in better shape to face this problem." "What do you say?" " It makes a whole lot of sense." " Course it does." "How do you want them, Ben?" "Scrambled or straight up?" "I don't care right now." "Mary Ellen." "What's this doing here?" "Doc's very particular about his patient files." "Well, I moved it up here and I'm arranging everything alphabetically and chronologically." "There's something different over here, too." "Well, all the equipment's been scrubbed and polished and I rearranged the examination area." "So there's fewer steps for Dr. Vance and greater comfort for the patients." "Change is not something that Doc takes easy to." "Oh, well, he'll appreciate being able to do a better job with less effort." "Maybe." "Well, I could use a little help myself." "The wash needs to be taken down off the line and folded." "Well, I'll do it the minute the doctor returns." "I'm taking his calls." "Oh, we're getting along just like three sheep in spring clover, Olivia." "She hasn't been by the house, I was worried." "Oh, she's fine, and Corabeth is just taking wonderful care of her, and, you know, it's made a great difference, her being here with us." "You know, Corabeth hasn't even had one of her nervous spells." "She'll be right here, Olivia." "Are you sure she's all right?" "She usually comes running the minute she hears my voice." "Oh, she's fine." "But she does seem to have a little trouble sleeping." " Bad dreams?" " No, she doesn't seem to cry out, but when I go in I just find her lying there, staring at the ceiling." "Hello, Mama." "I do believe you've grown these few days." " Everything all right at school?" " It's fine." "Your daddy's been working night and day on the house so we can all be together real soon." "Corabeth tells me you've been having trouble sleeping." " Is something bothering you?" " No, Mama." "I'm fine." "I like it here." "Well, I have a lot of homework to do." "Your daddy's gonna be happy you're doing so well." "Goodbye, Mama." " That child is not herself." " Oh, you know children, Olivia." "They change from one minute to the next." "I've a good mind to take her home, what's left of it." "We sure would appreciate it if you'd let her stay." " It'd mean a lot to Corabeth and me." " I'm sure this little mood of hers will pass." "Do let her stay, Olivia." "Well, you keep a special eye on her, Corabeth." "I'm worried about her." "Thank you." " John-Boy." " Grandma." " Oh, I missed you." "How's everybody?" " Mama and Daddy are fine." " And the children?" " Well, I haven't seen anybody else." " John-Boy." " You're looking fit." "Oh, I'm flourishing." "Miss Dunbar, I'd like you to meet my grandson." " How do you do?" " You're a lucky young man" " to have the example as such as Zeb." " I think so." "We're gonna have a little snack, John-Boy, will you join us?" " Thank you very much." " I'll give you a hand, Flossie." "Miss Dunbar, wouldn't you like to come in the kitchen and lend a hand?" "No, thank you." "I'll just stay here and keep the menfolks company." "You say I never brew the tea to your taste, so come along and show me where I go wrong." " Oh, come on." " Well, I'll see you gentlemen later." " So long." " Come on." "Tea, tea, tea, tea." "That's all you ever get around here, tea." "Well, so has your daddy got any ideas about what caused the fire?" "Grandpa, yesterday we were digging out the mess in that bathroom." "You found the electric heater that's plugged into the wall," " just the way I left it?" " Yes, sir." " What's that?" " My pipe." "I left it in the hall the night of the fire." "It was lit." " Grandpa, I think I started the whole thing." " Hold on there." "You said my electric heater might have caused the fire." "Could have been me, could have been you, could have been anybody." "I'll never know for sure it wasn't me." "Don't you hold onto that burden." "Maybe I was careless, maybe you was careless." "If our carelessness caused that fire, we ought to be thankful our dear ones weren't harmed." "Every time I look at that house, I know it was me, Grandpa." "I found this and I hid it from my daddy." "I been carrying it around in my pocket for a whole day, and I can't look anybody in the face." "If I was the cause of that fire, I know you would forgive me." "And I'd forgive you if you was the cause of it." "Important thing is, John-Boy, can you forgive yourself?" "Jim-Bob, I've been giving your problem a great deal of thought, and I've decided these trophies of yours must be returned to their owners." "Give them back?" " I don't even know which is which." " The ladies will help you there." "And, Jim-Bob, in addition to returning the ribbons," "I want you to give something of yourself to each of the girls." "Something of myself?" " Well, I don't have anything." " I mean, perform some kindness." "Help each of them in some small way." "Sure isn't gonna be easy." "Of course it isn't." "So the lesson will be remembered." "You become the giver, not the taker." "Well, what if I just gave the ribbons back?" "Once you start, you'll find it's easier than you think," " and very rewarding." " Supper's ready." " Agreed?" " Agreed." "Smells good." "Erin, will you ask the blessing?" "I'm not worthy of that honor, Reverend Fordwick." "Jim-Bob?" "We thank you for the good food and good friends, and please be just as kind to the rest of the family, wherever they are." " Amen." " Very nice." "And humility is a beautiful thing, but moderation..." "I'm hoping that good will come out of all this." " I'm sure it will." " I'm thinking of answering the call." " What call?" " To be an evangelist." "I wanna preach humility to everyone." " Here you go." " Thank you." "John, stop the truck." " Hey, Mama." "Daddy." " John, Olivia." "Ain't this a nice howdy-do." " Why aren't you in school?" " School?" "You know that place there, Ben, where you go sit all day and try to get some sense between your ears." "School." "Well..." "Tell you what happened." "Ben here, this morning he woke up feverish." " Yeah." " Feverish." "Hardly lift his head off the pillow." "Feeling much too poorly for me to send to school." " Not too poorly to go fishing?" " Well, along about 11:00 or so, your boy here, he made a remarkable recovery." "Seemed like such a beautiful day, well, shame to waste it and also I decided to take him on a nature walk." "Oh, I won't do it again, Mama, I promise." "You won't, 'cause you're gonna get in the truck right now." " Mama." " Now wait a minute, Liv." "Now, you know we haven't got room for him at home." "Now, listen here, Son." "You miss one more day of school, one more hour even," " I'll come looking for you myself." " No, I won't, Daddy." "I promise." "I'll keep him in line, John." "Ben, why don't you give your Mama them fish?" "Here, Mama." "Ben, now you remember this is not a vacation." "I will, Mama." "John, what's happening to our children?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "I've been at this for a long time." "I didn't mean to disturb you." "Disturb us?" "Oh, no, Jason." "It's pure pleasure for Sister and me to hear you draw music from that old piano." "Well, most people find my practicing more irritating than enjoyable." "Oh, not us." "But perhaps we're disturbing you." "Oh, no." "I've just about done my limit of scales for the day." "Are you sure?" "Well, then, in that case, could Sister and I prevail upon you to play a song or two for us?" "I'm not very good." "We've heard you and we feel you're better than good, you're superb." "Are you familiar with Listen to the Mockingbird?" "Listen to the Mockingbird?" "Let's see." "That's it." "Lovely." " Wet paint." " Sorry." "Boy, oh, you two making good progress up here." "After a false start or two." "Yeah, this morning, everything I set my hand to went wrong." "I know that feeling." "I had to take out those reinforcements I put in the stairs." "First time I come up the stairs, they'd wallop around like an old hammock." "Well, I mean to be more help myself around here." "You got your own work, Son." "No, I'm gonna set the writing aside for a while." "Lately, I've just been wasting too much time, spoiling good paper, crumpling it up and throwing it away." "I'm anxious to get to work, help you on the house." "Sure could use the help." "Yes, we could use Jason and Ben around here, too." "Ben's too busy fishing." "Jason's strutting around in those new clothes the Baldwin ladies gave him." "Well, that strutting's gonna stop and that fishing, too, soon as I get my hands on them." "They know we need their help." "Problem is, everybody's just been separated a spell too long." "Yeah, your ma's sure missing her chicks." "Never seen her so low." "Well, she'll feel more cheerful once we get this place livable." "You know, maybe Sunday we ought to do some visiting." "Or maybe if she had some visitors of her own here." "Yeah." "Mama." "I thought you and your daddy had decided to go fishing." "We brought you a little surprise." " Surprise!" " Surprise!" "I was just thinking about all of you." "If ever a family needed a reunion, this one does." "I wanna look at each and every one of you." " Jason, what an elegant jacket." " Thank you, Mama." "The Baldwin sisters gave me this." "Of course, it did get a little dusty coming over here on the truck." "Oh, well, excuse us." "Next time we'll pick you up in a limousine, Mr. Uppity." "Well, you won't have to do that, because they also gave me the keys to their automobile." " Oh." " Well, next time we'll put down the red carpet so you don't dirty your patent leathers." " This is the noisiest family." " Poor Jason." "Do we give you a headache?" "I'm gonna fix him up." "I was telling Zuleika all about the time..." " Mama, can we eat early tonight?" " Oh, I suppose so." "Doc counts on me to take his calls from 2:00 to 5:00." "Well, he can do without you for one day." "Oh, Mama, I promised to get back." "Mary Ellen, I was counting on the whole day." " Let's go see where the fire was, okay?" " Yeah." " And if Zuleika..." " Ben, look at you." "You're so dirty." "I ought to pick you up bodily and put you in the washing machine." " You look kind of tired." " Well, I am a little tired." " Yancy and I went coon hunting." " You mean you were out all night?" "Well, I didn't get too much sleep." "And Zuleika began to roar with laughter before I even got the speckled bull..." "Oh, Zeb, Zeb, nobody here wants to listen to one of your long-winded stories." "Erin, you're so quiet, I hardly even noticed you were here." "Why didn't you push up and say hello?" ""She who is first shall be last" ""and she who is last shall be first."" "Living with the ministers made you kind of biblical." "Well, it's more than that, Mama." "I may have a call to preach." "Elizabeth?" "I didn't give you a hug." " Aren't you gonna say hello?" " Hello, Mama." " Aren't you glad to be here with all of us?" " It's very nice." "Elizabeth, will you please tell me what's troubling you?" "Nothing, Mama, I'm fine." "Mama?" "We brought this stuff from the Godseys for dinner." "Liv, you want to eat in here or should we have a picnic?" "It doesn't matter." "Oh, honey, what's the matter?" " Come on, Liv, it's not that bad." " Yes, it is." "We are not a family anymore." "When you finish that, Son, you can quit for the night." "Might as well work on through to supper." "I thought maybe you want an hour or so for your writing." "Lately working with my hands has been more satisfying." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Well, I mean, if my writing ability can be just dammed up like that, how am I even gonna make a living at it?" "Don't most jobs have their lean periods?" "From outside conditions, this is an inside condition." "You know, I think I know what you mean." "When I first started rebuilding this house, something was wrong." "I wanted to turn my back on it, walk away." "That's just how I feel about my book." "But I found out what was wrong." "I was trying to rebuild this house exactly like it was before." "Well, you can't do it." "You just can't get back that same excitement." "No, I'm not the same man that built this, I can't get the same materials." "I just gotta get a roof over our heads." "That's true." "Some of it won't be as good as it was before, but it all balances out." "Point is, there's a job to be done." "And you're a better man than I am." " You like those work noises, don't you?" " No nicer music." "Yeah, well, you telling John that you weren't a family anymore sure lit a fire under..." "Well, sure got him going." "Maybe when we're all together again under one roof, things will get back to normal." "After that get-together on Sunday, I was so low, all those children off in their separate worlds." "Yeah." "Children change." "They're never two days running the same." "I know, but it's a lot easier to take when you can be there with them and share in the changes." "The reason I don't have anything to give you, Professor, is because I don't know if I can do it." "I just don't know if I can create that all over again." "Something's wrong with me, there's something blocking my mind." "I find a dozen reasons not to sit down and write." "Used to be I couldn't wait to get there with a pencil in my hand and that empty page in front of me and the words coming out." "And now when I do sit down, it's just forcing myself." "And when the words do come, there's just no meaning and no feeling in them." "Maybe you're pushing yourself too hard, and thinking too much about Hank at Ruffner's waiting for the pages." "John, when you began to write, it was because you had to put your thoughts and your feelings down on paper." "You should return to that." "And you should stop demanding so much of yourself." "I don't know what's wrong with me." "I mean, I'm thinking all sorts of crazy things." "Stop romanticizing yourself, John." "You have ability, but ability isn't everything." "Some say it isn't even 50%." "There are thousands of talented people in this world." "Some of them never take the risk of proving themselves." "They're the ones who are always going to write the book, or paint that picture, or compose a symphony." "But they never do." "And then there are the others who take the first step, but as soon as they encounter any rejection," "any reversal, they don't have the resilience to bounce back." "One defeat short-circuits them for the rest of their lives, and they fashion a career out of being misunderstood and unappreciated." "I have never seen you, John, as one of those people." "And I still don't." "Thank you." "The dull and heat-laden days of August, the endless, leaden dog days, vanished in a rainstorm and September dawned bright and sparkling and sunny." "The foliage began to turn lemon yellow, watermelon red, russet and gold and bronze." "The woods were afire with color, but clean and chilled by an autumn wind, and the fever which had been in the boy's brain was swept away by the cleansing wind, and every day lay before him with such beckoning and promise of adventure" "that his heart would nearly explode with the wonder of it all." "Jim-Bob." "I see you have chosen not to take my advice about the hair ribbons." "Well, gee, Reverend, I tried." "I gave Vangie's ribbon back." " And the act of kindness?" " Well, I carried her books." "I gave Norma Beth's back and I fixed the flat tire on her bicycle." "I gave Letha June's back and I let her wear my sweater when she was cold." "Well, then I don't understand how it is you have more ribbons now than before." " Have you taken others?" " Well, no need to." "The girls hide their ribbons in my pockets and cram them in my books." "I've got twice as many as when I was snitching them." "How do you explain that, Reverend?" ""What man can pretend to know the riddle of a woman's mind?"" "The Bible?" "Don Quixote." "She makes me feel guilty if I even want a word with you, my own husband." " Now, Mady." " I didn't say a word, Mrs. Vance." "You didn't have to." "It's all this efficiency, efficiency." "Now she's even written up this schedule." " Well, a doctor's time is precious." " I know that." "Mady, Mary Ellen." "Now, let's everybody just calm down a little." " I'm sorry, Mrs. Vance." " I know you mean well." "Well, Mary Ellen's intentions are the best, her ideals the highest." "Just a mite too high maybe for an old-timer like me, but, in a few years, assisting some bright-eyed medic fresh out of school, perfect." "Well, from now on, I'll try not to be so high-handed, especially with Mrs. Vance." "It's just that I want to go on serving you and medicine in the most efficient way." "Yes, well, unfortunately, Mary Ellen, your internship with me is almost over." "Yes, I was just talking to your dad." "The house will be finished tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" "Well." "I'd say this calls for a special dinner to say farewell." "There's certainly no reason for you to hurry away, Jason." "Mercy, no." "You're welcome to stay indefinitely." "Oh, I appreciate that, but Mama expects everybody to be on hand tonight." "Now, any time you want to use the piano, you're more than welcome." "Well, thank you." "Next time I feel the need to get away from all that noise, I'll take you up on that." "An artist needs his periods of solitude." "Well, I don't know if I am an artist yet or if I ever will be, but staying here I have found out a couple of things about myself." "I do need solitude, like you said, but I must admit that I also miss all that noise and confusion, too." "Well, of course you do." "I hope it hasn't been too lonely for you here." "Oh, not at all." "Everybody enjoys being the center of things once in a while, having everything circle around him." "It's nice, but it's also a little wearing." "There's something to be said for occasionally being on the periphery." "Yes, ma'am." "Well, thanks again." "Come see us often?" "I will." "Bye." " Bye." " Bye." "The house will be very quiet tomorrow." "Sister, we mustn't be greedy." " Home looks great." " Never know there'd been a fire." " Here." " Oh, look." "Feels great to be in our own room again." " Mama, the curtains are beautiful." " Corabeth gave them to me." "She bought the material, but she never used it." "Ben, you are not camping out at Yancy Tucker's." "Jim-Bob, on your feet and start putting your stuff away." "I'm sorry, Mama." "Guess you miss doing things the easy way." "Well, it was okay for a while." "We had lots of rules at Reverend Fordwick's." "I don't mind a few rules." "Makes you feel like you're going in some direction." "Going around in circles does get a little tiresome." " Erin, won't you please change that dress?" " Mama." "You've got nicer things to wear." "I told you, vanity is my weakness." "I have to stay plain." "Erin, there's plain and plain." "Now put this on." "Mama," "I'm punishing myself for the hurt I caused John-Boy." "But it seems to me that what you're doing with this sackcloth and ashes routine is calling attention to yourself." "Now, isn't that the whole root of vanity, to say, "Look at me, I'm Erin Walton." "See how humble I am?"" "Well, I never looked at it that way." "Well, pride is also a sin, you know, and it seems to me you're kind of proud of being so humble." "You know something, Mama?" "You're right." "Here, put this on." "Try being Erin Walton again." "She wasn't perfect, but she had possibilities." "Thanks, Mama." "Grandpa, I'll be right back with the rest of these." "Well, you'll both be missed around here." "Oh, Flossie, we'll see you as often as we did before." "Course, but it won't be the same as sitting down to three meals a day together." "Would you believe I've already rented your room?" "To that nice-spoken gentleman from Wilkes-Barre." "That's good." " You're really leaving?" " Yes, we're off and away home." "Well, what will I do in the long nights without you to make me smile?" "There's always Charlie McCarthy." "You've been a wonderful audience, Zu." "I don't want to stay on here remembering happier times." "I've already told Mrs. B., I'm off to Wheeling in the morning." "It has been a pleasure." " Now, I know Esther won't mind." " What makes you so sure?" "I hate good-byes." " Think of me sometimes, Zeb." " I will." "You're a lucky woman, Esther." "Hear what she said?" "I don't need Zuleika Dunbar to tell me anything." "Zuleika Dunbar is a sweet woman." "Still, a little sugar goes a long ways." "For steady diets you need a little salt." "Grandpa, if you'll take those two boxes, we'll be all set." "We still gotta pick up Elizabeth at the Godseys'." "Just think, under one roof together." "Won't that be wonderful?" "See you in church on Sunday." "And the President pointed to me and said, "That's the man right there."" "You do have the wittiest way with a story." "I love to hear a man tell a story when he puts his heart in the telling." "I could hear a story just over and over if it's well told." ""The President said..." You..." "Looks like Zu's sister in Wheeling's gonna have to wait." ""Frailty, thy name is woman."" "You old fool." "Elizabeth says she doesn't want to come home with you, John-Boy." " She wants to stay here with Ike and me." " Now, Corabeth." "Well, much as I'd like to have her here, you know I wouldn't do anything to keep her." "You know that." "She won't come out of her room." " May I go in?" " Of course." "Thank you." "All right, honey, the joke's over." "Come on." "Grandma and Grandpa are waiting outside." "I'm not going with you, John-Boy." "What do you mean you're not going with me?" "Elizabeth, this is no time to start playing games." "I'm not." "Honey, everyone is waiting at the house." "We're gonna go home and have supper together." " Why are you behaving like this?" " I just wanna stay here." "What's the matter?" "I'm not going home." "That's all." "Nobody can make me go." "Well, I know somebody who can make you go." "I can just put you right over my shoulder and carry you home." "That's what I can do." "If you do, I'll run away the first chance I'll get." "I'll run away." "All right, that's enough." "Come on." "I'm not going home with you, John-Boy." "Ever." "We'll just have to see what your daddy has to say about it." "She looked me straight in the eye and said she wasn't coming home." "Well, maybe she was just pulling your leg." "No, she wasn't, Jason." "It's all that attention she's been getting." "Elizabeth's been getting considerable attention from Corabeth." "Yeah, they both try to give her what she wants before she even knows what she wants." "Well, it is kind of nice for a while, you know, being number one instead of being number seven." "I don't think it's that simple." "Elizabeth's been a different child since the fire." "I'll go get her." "Of course, we told Elizabeth that she's welcome to stay with us as long as she wanted to, but..." "She hasn't seemed upset about anything, has she, Ike?" "Oh, no, sir, no." "Not a bit." "You'd never know that anything happened." "Come on, honey, let's go home." "I..." "I can't." "I promised Corabeth that I'd help her sew the kitchen curtains." "We can do that some other time, honey." "Elizabeth, let's go." "Let me get my clothes." "We're home again." "Something sure smells good around here." "I sure am starved." "It's no wonder, with Yancy's cooking." "Good to have everything back to normal, isn't it?" "Oh, it's very nice." "With a little help, I can have supper ready in 10 minutes." "With a lot of help, could you have it ready in five?" "You should see the way Daddy fixed the upstairs hallway." "And our room, Elizabeth." "We've got the prettiest curtains." "And a beautiful rag rug." " We'll show it to you." " Not now." "Don't you want to see our room?" "Maybe later." "She says she's all right, but she's not." "Let's give her a little bit of time." "See if she settles in." "As the old house filled once more with the people he loved, he felt a familiar and exciting fullness in his heart as well." "It was contentment, it was joy, and it welled up inside him, and overflowed onto the page in words." "The bed was only fair." "She's not too good a cook." "I think it is about time, Esther." "So good to be home." "There were times I doubted we'd ever all be under this roof again." "Here we are." "Wonder which one of my lady friends I can dream about tonight?" "Well, it makes no difference to me just as long as you do it quietly." "Mama?" " Mama, where's Elizabeth?" " I thought she was upstairs with you." "She hasn't been upstairs since Daddy brought her home." "We've looked all over the house." "We can't find her anywhere." "Jason, go call your brothers." "Everybody start looking." "Now, wait a minute, Liv." "She didn't want to come home in the first place." " Think she went back to the Godseys?" " That's my bet." " Jason, you look all over the house?" " Oh, yes, ma'am." "But I can't imagine Elizabeth walking off alone." "But she's too scared to go out after dark." "Must be something she's more scared of than the dark." " You find Elizabeth yet?" " No." "I was wondering, did anybody look in the tree house?" " No." "You?" " No." "Who's that?" "Mama and Daddy, they're going to check at the Godseys'." "Jason, you check the cellar." "Elizabeth." "Elizabeth." " Why did you have to find me here?" " You can't sleep up here." "Why not?" " All by yourself?" " That's what I want." "You're thinking about the fire, aren't you?" "It's not gonna happen again, honey." "There's no reason to be afraid." "I'm not afraid." "Well, then why are you acting this way?" "Don't you know how much you're worrying your mama?" " I don't want Mama to worry." " Well, she is worried and she's worried because she cares about you." "I don't understand it, but lately you've been acting as though you don't care about her or anybody." "I don't." "I don't care." "Elizabeth." "I'm never going to care about anyone or anything ever again." "You don't mean that." "Yes, I do, John-Boy." "I do." "Whenever I care, terrible things happen." "What terrible things?" "Lucy Arnold was my best friend." "Lucy died." "Calico, the mama cat, my raccoon, my butterfly." "It always happens, John-Boy, always." "Whenever I love something, it dies." "Oh, please, I don't want you or Mama or Daddy or anybody to die." "Mama's fine, we're all fine." "Now." "I'm scared, John-Boy." "Honey," "sometimes you do lose people that you love." "That's a hard thing." "But it doesn't happen because you love them." "It just happens because it's part of nature." "You can't keep somebody safe by pretending not to love them, it just doesn't work, believe me." "Everybody's afraid." " Everybody?" " Yeah." "The best way I know to get over it is just to put myself smack dab in the middle of people that I do love, people who love me." "It seems to make it all worthwhile." "Why don't you try that?" "This other thing didn't work, did it?" "It was awful." "Drove all the way down to Ike's, there's no sign of her." "Didn't see her on the road anywhere." "Well, what can we do, but you said you've been everywhere, right?" "Everybody?" "Elizabeth's home." "Mama!" "Elizabeth, we were so worried about you." "Elizabeth, oh, Elizabeth." "After the ordeal of the fire and separation, my family seemed to have a new awareness of life's unpredictability, and out of that awareness came a new and largely-unspoken tenderness." "Open caring, whatever the circumstances, was our shared strength and consolation." "Hey, Jim-Bob." "How many hair ribbons you got now?" "Haven't got any." "Well, what happened?" "I traded them all to Shorty Larrabee for a genuine shrunken head." " Night, Jim-Bob." " Night, Ben." "English"