"Mama, Daddy, guess what!" "David and I are getting married." "If you planned this reception in my honor," "I'm afraid I'm not prepared with a speech." "Well, in that case, why don't you just tell us who you are?" "Name's Curtis Willard." "I'm your new doctor." " How is she?" " Weak." "Hey." "Easy does it." "I'm trying." "The road won't cooperate." "On Walton's Mountain, our family ties were strengthened by hardship." "The walls of our house protected us from wind and weather, and we managed, somehow, to survive grief and illness and disappointment." "Who, then, could have believed we would find ourselves so defenseless against romance?" "Our music is coming to you tonight from the Edgewater Beach Hotel on the beautiful lakefront of Chicago." "Melodies for your dancing pleasure." "Imagine being able to hear what people are doing clear up in Chicago." "Wish you were there?" "Can't think of anything to beat this." "I'll get the radio." "I'll leave one light on for Mary Ellen." "Let's go tell them." "Now?" "Mama, Daddy, guess what!" "David and I are getting married." "Aren't you going to say something?" "I think we could've prepared them a little better than this, Mary Ellen." "When did all this happen?" "Tonight." "Not that I haven't asked her before." "Whoa." "Whoa, now." "Aren't you two moving a little fast?" "We've been at school together all year." "Sir, we're in love." "Yeah, well, we think very highly of you, David, but isn't Mary Ellen a little young for all this?" "No younger than you were, Mama." "What about your career, your nursing school?" "You worked awful hard to get in." "We don't want to see you waste it, honey." "Oh, it won't be wasted." "I can always find some kind of practical nursing job." "How about you getting to be a doctor?" "I'll be through interning in six weeks." "We want to be married then." "Six weeks?" "Aren't you kind of rushing into this?" "That's the way I am, Mama." "Well, the way I understand things, doctoring is not easy." "What are you two gonna live on?" "My father wants me to join him in his practice in Richmond." "I can provide for Mary Ellen." "Our minds are made up." "We want to be together." "Mama, please try to remember how it was with you and Daddy." "I remember." "I guess I do, too." "Thank you." "Thank you." "See, I told you." "They are getting married!" " I knew it!" " I don't believe you." " See?" " Oh, my God!" " Wow." "Congratulations." " Congratulations." " That's wonderful." " Congratulations, brother." "What kind of a three-ring circus is going on down here?" "Looks like we're gonna have a wedding, Grandpa." " Good Lord!" " Whoopee!" "Congratulations." "It's wonderful." "Picnic!" "Picnic, Esther." "Oh, Jim-Bob," "I asked you to give them bushes a haircut, not to harvest them." "Esther, where do you want these sawhorses for the picnic table set up?" "Well, we don't want the company to roast, so put them there, over by the path." "It'll get shadier there." "I'll bet the Spencers don't have to put a table together with sawhorses and boards." "We can just throw one of your pretty tablecloths over it." "They won't know the difference." "Well, I'll know, and I'm somebody." "And I'll just bet they have enough chairs they don't have to borrow from the church." "And I suppose they won't set down outdoors unless they got French Chippendale chairs under 'em, huh?" "I'll get the tablecloth." "Hoity-toity." "You'd think the Queen of England was coming, instead of Mary Ellen's in-laws-to-be." "Come and give me a hand with these chairs, boys." "I have to get my music ready." "The boys are coming over to practice." "Wish I had talent." "Gets you out of a lot of work." "You got talent, son." "A strong back, just like me." "Put these up in the porch." "You get those glasses nice and shiny." "Bad enough they don't match." "Nobody's gonna mind that but you, Grandma." "Yeah, well, I just want everything to be just right." "It's not the engagement party I'm worried about." "I just hope Mary Ellen knows what she's doing." "Oh, she's in love, Mama." "Seems like she made up her mind all of a sudden." "Yeah, well, sometimes it happens like that." "You should remember that, Livie." "I do." "But I also know it's got to be strong enough to tide you through when the moonlight fades and you find yourself with a sick baby and a pile of bills on your hands." "Yeah, well, I don't think Mary Ellen will have to worry about money." "I just hope she learns to feel at home with that well-to-do family in Rich..." "Look at that." "Will this be okay, Mama?" "It'll make a lovely centerpiece." "Oh, good." "We'll put it over the hole." "Come on, you help me set the table." "How come Mary Ellen isn't doing any of the work?" "And it's her party." "She's the guest of honor." "Well, how can you be a guest of honor and still part of the family?" "Bushes are all trimmed." "Those are for the party." "It's time to get ready and put on your best clothes." " My best clothes?" " That's right." "And try to look like you're enjoying yourself." "All this engagement business is a waste of time." " Congratulation, David." " Thank you." " You, too, Mary Ellen." " Oh, thanks, G.W." "Mrs. Brimmer, did you see my ring?" "Oh, it's beautiful, Mary Ellen." "It's almost half a carat." "Mary Ellen let me try it on." "I'm her maid of honor." "And Elizabeth will be my flower girl." "David's gonna take me sailing on the James River when I visit them in Richmond." "I built a raft on the river once." "Had a sail on it." "Well, you'll have to visit us sometime with Erin." "Oh, it sounds like everybody's gonna live happily ever after." "I sure never thought Mary Ellen would be the first one to get married." "One thing you can count on with Mary Ellen is not to count on her." "You remember how she always said she was gonna marry rich, live in a big house, travel all over the place?" "Looks like she's gonna get it." "Could be." " This is a lovely occasion, Olivia." " Thank you, Lillian." "I feel kind of sorry for David coming into such a big family." "He'll probably feel more like an outlaw than an in-law." "He'll fit in." "We're so pleased to meet the parents of Mary Ellen's future husband." "You've raised a fine, high-spirited girl there, John." "Hope you don't mind we're taking her from you." "Got to admit I did at first, but I'm getting used to the idea." "Well, console yourself, John." "You'll have plenty of others when Mary Ellen has left." "That doesn't mean we aren't gonna miss her." "We were kind of hoping that David would take over" "Dr. Vance's practice here on Walton's Mountain." "People are growing weary of going into Rockfish for a doctor." "Dr. Vance's shoes are hard to fill." "David would have been highly acceptable." "Well, I'm afraid I've got other plans for him." "But don't you worry." "We'll take good care of Mary Ellen." "We're looking forward to having grandchildren." "So are we." "A boy." "David W. Spencer Ill." "Mama will get mad if you get your clothes dirty." "Oh, I don't care." "This love stuff gives me a pain." "I'll be glad when the wedding's over." "When the wedding's over, Mary Ellen won't be a Walton anymore." "Mary Ellen will always be a Walton." "She'll be Mary Ellen Spencer." "Well, you'll get married, too, someday, and change your name." "Oh, not me." "I'm never getting married." "Yeah?" "Me neither." "Promise?" "That's kid stuff." "Not if you really mean it." "Jim-Bob and me swear that we'll never fall in love, get married, and never leave the mountain." "I thought you folks might like to see this." "It's Mary Ellen's quilt." "There's my square." "My sister loves gold and russet leaves." "We had quite a time with Mary Ellen over that quilt." "Oh, she fought me tooth and nail." "She said, "I do not want to get married."" "And now, you're going to tell her, "I told you so"?" "Well, it is a temptation." "It's beautiful." "If you planned this reception in my honor," "I'm afraid I'm not prepared with a speech." "Well, in that case, why don't you just tell us who you are?" "Name's Curtis Willard." "I'm your new doctor." "Looks like you got quite a history here." "Never laid claim to being a writer." "This is better than I expected." "Gentlemen, you surprise me." "Yes, sir, even better than I expected." "A little smaller, maybe, but..." "I can knock out a few walls, open it up some." "You say the equipment's part of the deal?" "That's right, Doc." "Well, then, who do I see?" "I'm ready to move in." "You're looking at 'em." "Reverend Fordwick, my son John and myself." "Dr. Vance asked us to find a buyer for his practice." "What he wants is a down payment, monthly installments." "What we want is a reliable doctor." "Then you got one." "Well, actually, we had in mind someone more like Dr. Vance." "Older, settled, a family man." "Well..." "I'm not much to look at, I'll admit." "I've been traveling." "But I'm a good doctor." "Says here you spent some time in Stony Gap." "That's right." "Company doctor in a mining town." "How come you left?" "All my life I dreamed of having my own practice in a place like this." "When I read your notice in the paper," "I figured you must have written it with me in mind." "I've got a cash down payment and I can make the installments on Florence Brimmer's arthritis alone!" "How'd you know about that?" "The Blue Ridge Chronicle." "I admired your editorial about the need for more country doctors." "Thank you." "And Reverend, congratulation on getting those new hymnals." "Well, maybe you'd like to stop by tomorrow morning and try 'em out." "Well, I'm not much of a churchgoer, but I do believe that the doctor upstairs can do more than any of us." "Agreed." "Churchgoin' is not a major requirement." "It's a tough job, needs a young man." "Well, I'd say that any man who reads The Chronicle religiously has got a lot going for him right from the start." "Well, I don't know about religiously, John-Boy, but Dr. Willard certainly has the enthusiasm we need." "Welcome to Walton's Mountain, Dr. Willard." "Doctor." "Congratulations, good to have you." "Hey, marvelous!" "There!" "Oh, Grandma!" "Mary Ellen, are you sure you want to be married in this old thing?" "Well, of course I do." "It was Grandma's dress." "Well, it needs a little mending is all." "Oh, Corabeth, you can't find material like that anymore." "Do you think you can match the thread?" "You know, it used to be considered fashionable to be married in your grandmother's wedding dress." "But nowadays, people just think you can't afford any more." "Well, those "nowadays" people can think anything they want." "Oh, it's a beautiful dress." "Oh, it sure is, but it looks kind of dainty for a robust girl like you." "You're planning to let it out a little, I hope." "I don't think it's any of your business, Dr. Willard." "Well, why not?" "Didn't I drop in on your engagement party?" "I just don't appreciate being insulted is all." "Sorry, I was trying to pay you a compliment." "Put this on my bill, Ike." "I'm off on a couple of house calls." "Okay, Doc." "That's the third time he's been in here this morning." "And that's the third time you let him get away without paying!" "Well, I'm just giving him a little credit while he's getting settled." "And what's even worse, while he helps himself to our goods, he feels free to tell us how to store our meat and vegetables so they won't spoil, as if we didn't know!" "Young smart aleck!" "Giving everybody advice." "Well, I could give him some." "At this rate he's not going to be very popular around here." "Here, how's that?" "A perfect match." "Five cents, please." "Yeah, well, I hope the thread's not as old as the material." "You say the attack began this morning?" "Yes." "You didn't need to fetch him, Ben." "A man ought to be allowed to die in peace without some quack doctor poking him." "Doctor, it was right after breakfast." "He said it was like a mule hanging on his chest." "The old ticker just pooped out." "I couldn't hardly draw a deep breath." "What'd you have to eat?" "I ate hearty." "A bowl of chili and a couple of biscuits." "You got any left?" "Over on the stove." "Help yourself." "Ben, see to it Sissy gets any of my belongings she wants." "And the rest are yours." "Make sure my pets get a good home." "Yancey, you're not gonna die." "When a man's time is come, it's come." "No sense in messing with what has to be." "What did you put in this?" "Little of this, little of that." "I may have seasoned it a bit heavy this time." "Your socks in the sink?" "That way I know where they are." "I've seen coal mines cleaner than this place." "Is that any way to talk to a man who's facing his maker?" "A man whose heart has attacked him?" "There's nothing wrong with your heart." "You've got indigestion." "You mean I ain't dying?" "Only by some miracle." "What I can't figure out is why you don't have TB, botulism and bubonic plague." "You better get things cleaned up around here, mister." "You can use that chili for disinfectant." "Oh, oh!" "Now you're going too far, Doc." "It's one thing to attack the way that I live, but when you start to badmouth my red devil chili, you've gone too far!" "Okay, Yancey." "Only when you have to call me back to treat you for the mange..." "Mange!" "...don't say I didn't warn you." "Tiger!" "Attack!" "And if you don't clean up this yard, you're gonna have flies as big as chickens." "The county ought to close you down!" "Get off the property!" "Go on, get!" "Easy, Tiger." "I got half a mind to stick Tiger on you." "Easy." "Easy, Tiger, easy." "Five, $3.80, one, two... $3.85." "It's not enough." "We're just gonna have to think of another wedding present for Mary Ellen." "Yeah, but we already decided on the radio." "So she can think of us when she plays it." "And David, too." "Imagine the two of them listening to the radio, holding hands and looking deep into each other's eyes." "Yeah, but $3.85 just isn't going to do it." "We all have to think of other ways to raise money." "I don't know how to raise money." "There's a fellow at the Dew Drop who always hollers for requests." "Think I'll hit him for a tip tonight." "You better hit him for more than one." "Dr. Willard, I certainly appreciate you coming by." "It'd be the end of me if I had to go down to your office today." "The arthritis in my feet is killing me." "Is that why you wear those slippers?" "I spend 12 hours a day on my feet looking after my boarders." "How's your appetite?" "Everyone says I eat like a bird." "Is that true?" "At the table." "But at the stove it's different." "Every good cook has to taste as she goes along, you know." "Dr. Vance always gave me something for the pain." "Is this a prescription?" "No." "It's a diet." "A diet?" "I want you to lose 20 pounds and get yourself a pair of shoes with arches." "What about the pain?" "The pain will go away when this does." "Dr. Willard, you are forward!" "Mrs. Brimmer, you are fat!" "Hiya, John." "Hey, Doc." "What are you doing up here on a Sunday morning?" "Just out walking the hills." "I saw the smoke." "We're a little short of honey, though." "Let me give you a hand." "You smoke, I'll scoop." "All right, Doc, careful you don't get stung, now." "Don't worry." "The secret is to stay calm." "That's it." "Right." "There you go." "Watch 'em." "All right." "Easy, Doc." "Go ahead, go ahead." " Go ahead, Doc." " All right." "There you go." " I thought you said to stay calm." " Yeah." "But you gotta tell that to the bees." "Look out." "Hurry up, Doc, come on." "Looks like our Blue Ridge honeybees got through that thick skin of yours." "Bent their stingers, though." "Doc, how about staying for supper?" "I'm sure Liv can come up with another drumstick." "I'd like that if you're sure she won't mind." "Hey, Doc, I'm plumb out of alcohol, rubbing and otherwise." "Yancey has got stashed away here some of his white lightning." "Do you think that'll do?" "Must be Yancey's health secret." "I wonder if it's up to par." "Pa." "Looks like you got some explaining to do." "Maybe I'd better not stay after all." "You're staying, Doc." "Yes, to explain to the ladies the medicinal value of white lightning." " Your bee sting still hurt?" " Nope." "Not anymore." "When I get stung I put creek mud on." "Oh, no, a piece of ice is the best thing." "Well, those are just home remedies." "I don't know, those old home remedies can be pretty good sometimes." "I remember when I was little, I was stung by a big old bumblebee." "Grandpa took three different kinds of weeds and he just kind of rubbed 'em on there." "The sting went away." "I suppose there is some kind of medical value in home remedies, but I'd just as soon rely on modern methods." "And these new miracle drugs that are coming along look very promising." "That's fine for you city doctors, but up here in the hills, we still have facilities like horse-and-buggy days." "Well, Dr. Vance certainly made do." "And he didn't insult people, either." " Mary Ellen." " Well, it's true." "Mrs. Brimmer's having a fit because he said she was so fat." "I'm afraid that I'm used to treating working men, and when they get sick they want to know what's wrong, so I tell them." "Anyway, I never did get good marks in bedside manners." "That's why I need someone who knows the area to help me get started." "Would you be interested, Mary Ellen?" " In what?" " Working with me for a while." "You could..." "You could tell me how to sweet talk the folks hereabouts." "I'm a nurse, Doctor, not a miracle worker." "She's also engaged." "David?" "If you have the time and you want to, why not?" "You could always work part-time." "It's money." "Yeah, that'd be enough to help me figure out that cockeyed filing system Dr. Vance used." "What's wrong with the filing system?" "A moron could figure it out." "A moron must have set it up." "I set it up, Dr. Willard, and I wouldn't work for you if you were the last doctor on earth!" "Sure am off to a great start at Walton's Mountain." "What are you doing here?" "What are you doing here?" "Remodeling." "I want my patients to have a comfortable waiting room." "Dr. Vance thought it was enough to practice good medicine." "Well, I don't need all this space for my own living, so I'm going to expand the examining room, too." "Come on, I'll show you." "See, someday, I..." "I'm going to put in a pharmacy right back here, maybe, set up an operating room, put in a few hospital beds." "You've rearranged everything!" "Sure." "It's more convenient this way." "Well, there's nothing wrong with the way it was." "You disapprove?" "Dr. Vance certainly would." "What did you stop by for, anyway?" "I thought you wanted a nurse." "I thought you weren't interested." "Well, I changed my mind." "Well, what makes you think that I haven't?" "Is anybody here?" "Good Lord, a patient!" "Bring her in, Nurse Walton." "Miss Mamie, Miss Emily." "Why, Mary Ellen Walton, what a pleasant surprise." "We expected to see the doctor." "Won't you come in?" "Dr. Willard, this is Miss Emily and Miss Mamie Baldwin." "Good morning, ladies." "Please make yourself comfortable." "We do apologize for calling without an appointment, Dr. Willard, but my sister's having so much discomfort in her chest and the doctor in Rockfish doesn't seem to be available." "I see." "Sit up here, ma'am." "Here." "When did the pains begin?" "They came on quite suddenly last evening." "Well, we'd better see what's causing them." "Pray, Doctor, what do you intend to do?" "What?" "What do you intend to do?" "Just check your breathing, ma'am." "But, sir, we are perfect strangers!" "I'm also your doctor." "Would you mind unbuttoning your blouse?" "May I point out that Dr. Vance was our doctor for 30 years and" " sister never unbuttoned her garments!" " Unbuttoned my garments." "This is the only way I'm going to find out what's wrong with you." "I'd die first!" "That's about the most unreasonable thing that I've ever heard." "If modesty is unreasonable, then we best find ourselves another doctor." "Come, sister." "Now see what you've done." "You've offended my sister and she's very delicate." "I doubt if you'll ever see us again." "Goodbye, Mary Ellen." "Well, you certainly know how to handle people." "Okay, tell me how Dr. Vance would have handled it." "Well, the Baldwin ladies are left over from another century." "They have to be treated very gently." "Miss Emily holds the stethoscope." "You're kidding." "No." "I can see that you're going to be very useful, Nurse Walton." "Just do me one favor." "What's that, Doctor?" "Don't tell me how Dr. Vance used to do things." "Good Lord!" "What are you doing?" " This is 1937." " What?" "Esther, do you know this is 1937?" "I've known it since January the first." "Twenty years ago, it was 1917." "You remember what we were doing in 1917?" "Of course I don't remember." "In 1917, Esther, you and I went over to Charlottesville, to the bank, and we bought ourselves a Liberty Bond on the same day that John went into the Army." "Now, it is matured by now and we can cash it in." "If you'd just remember where you put it." "Now, where did you hide it?" "Where did I hide it?" "Now I remember!" "You hid it!" "You said that you were going to put it away for our old age." "What do you want it for?" "Well, since I don't intend to get old and you never will," "I thought we ought to give it to Mary Ellen." "A dowry?" "Oh, Zeb, that's a fine idea." "She's gonna be a rich doctor's wife and she should have a dowry." "I'm glad you agree with me for once." "Now, we can cash it in if you just remember where we put it." "Where we put it?" "Where you put it." " You had it in your hands many a time." " I did not." " I never had it in my hands." " You wanted to take it and cash it in long before it became mature." " I remember that distinct, Esther." " You took it!" "Are you trying to tell me that I forgot where I put it, if I did?" "You did!" "You're trying to accuse me of being absent-minded." "Elizabeth, Jim-Bob, I have a surprise for you." "Patsy, I want you to meet some friends of mine." "My niece from Baltimore is staying with me while her daddy is working down in Panama." "Maybe you could show her around." "Patsy Brimmer, this is Elizabeth and Jim-Bob Walton." "Hi, Jim-Bob, Elizabeth." " Hi." " Hi." "I think Patsy's in your grade at school, Jim-Bob." "Maybe you'd come by in the morning and show her the way?" "Well, you know, it's only down the road." "You could practically spit that far." "It would help me to have someone to go with, Jim-Bob." "My name is James Robert." "Well, me and Jim-Bob will come and pick you up." "We always walk to school together." "My name is James Robert." "We're on our way to Ike's to go and get some candy." "Would you care to come along?" "No." "We were told to do our chores." "Well, we'll see you later, then." "See you tomorrow, Jim-Bob." "Jim-Bob, you remember our promise?" "Yeah." "Yeah?" "John-Boy, you busy?" "Oh, Ike, come on in." "I want to talk to you about that new doctor." "Everybody wants to talk about the new doctor." "Well, I've been giving him a lot of credit at the store." "You know, groceries and materials and paints and Lord knows what all." "Is that causing you trouble?" "Well, Corabeth wanted me to check out on his credit." "And Stony Gap claims that Dr. Curtis Willard left town owing money." "His credit rating is zero." "Well, who'd you check with?" "There's only one bank in town." "There's only one Dr. Curtis Willard." "Well, I'm surprised that you and your daddy and Reverend Fordwick didn't check him out better before you invited him to stay." "Ike, it's not unusual for anybody to have bad credit these days." "Well, yeah, but you'd think at least a doctor'd pay his bills." "Dr. Vance couldn't pay his bills." "That's how come he had to leave." "Ike, I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything about this just yet." "Curt has enough troubles as it is." "Okay, John-Boy." "But I'm gonna keep my eye on him." "You can bet your ukulele on that." "That's it." "Doctor, can you come?" "My sister has taken a severe turn for the worse." " She can hardly breathe!" " I'll wash up." "Mary Ellen, get my bag, and you'd better come, too." "I may need you." "I'll be right back, Miss Mamie." "Thank you." "It'll be all right, Miss Mamie." "Just take it easy." "I got to get her to a hospital, and fast." "Mary Ellen, unroll the mattress in the back of my van." "Miss Mamie, we'll need blankets." "Doctor, I will be desolate if anything happens to my sister." "It's about time somebody showed up!" "What kind of an office is this?" "Not a soul in sight!" "You know, a doctor ought to keep regular hours." "That's what I keep telling him." " Well, where is he?" " House call." "Maybe you can tell me how come he's got everybody riled up." "Oh, sure." "He's rude, unpredictable and impossible to get along with." "But he's also a good doctor." "Would you say that reads "sulfanilamide"?" "Yeah, looks like it to me." "Doctor's giving it to Miss Emily." "He says she's got a fast-moving case of pneumonia." "What?" "We got to get her to the hospital right away." "I don't understand how it could come on so suddenly." "We'll get there as fast as we possibly can, Miss Mamie." "Dr. Willard seemed to know right away what was wrong." "Well, he's worked on a lot of coal miners." "I have a feeling he knows a lot about lung disorders." " How is she?" " Weak." "Hey." "Easy does it." "I'm trying." "The road won't cooperate." "Twenty-six miles of this won't do Miss Emily any good." " How's Miss Emily?" " She's holding her own." "Dr. Willard's doing a fine job." "He's a good man." "He's not the easiest man to work for." "That's because you got spoiled around here." "Ike's gonna tell 'em we'll be home late." "What's the news?" "That ride from Walton's Mountain was pretty rough on Miss Emily." "Miss Mamie." "Miss Mamie." "Your sister's stronger than we thought." "She's gonna be all right." "She wants to see you." "You know, my grandma almost died because we're so far away from the hospital out there." "You know how I feel about that." "We have got to find a way to take care of our own people." "Yeah." "Right there on the mountain." "Grandma." "Grandma." "Must have dozed off." "Miss Emily's gonna be fine." "It's a miracle." "Get your shoes off the table." "Sulfanilamide." "Sulfanilamide." "It's a new drug." "Dr. Willard used it." "I'm glad he's good for something." "Why don't you go to bed?" "Where's Mary Ellen?" "Curt's driving her home." "John-Boy, do you realize it's after 5:00?" "She's an engaged young lady and he's a single man." " Now, that's just not right." " Grandma, she's his nurse." " Well, I don't like him." " Well, I do." "I think he's got some good ideas." "We were talking over some plans for a new clinic." " New what?" " A new clinic." "He wants to use the Vance house." "Turn it into a clinic where he can handle emergency cases." "I think it's a good idea." "Well, I understand he can't even pay his bills as it is." "Now, where's he gonna get the money?" "We're gonna raise money." "Raise money, in these hard times?" "That's the whole point." "We're gonna have a "hard times" party." "To raise money." "Refreshments, dancing, prizes." "Use The Chronicle to advertise it." "Any money we take in will go to the clinic." "And Miss Mamie and Miss Emily Baldwin said that any money we make, they'll match it." " They will?" " Yep." "Curt says he knows where he can get good laboratory equipment half-price." "I think it's a good idea." "I think we can do it." "Well, I just wish it would come at a different time, with the wedding and all." "Grandma." "I'm too sleepy to stay awake, I'm too tired to go to sleep." "Well, let's make some breakfast." "Rough night, Doctor." "Rough night, Nurse." "Did your car finally give up?" "No." "I just stopped to soak in a little mountain beauty." "Guess when you live in it, you don't appreciate it." "You would if you'd grown up where I did." "Where was that?" "The other side of the tracks in Wheeling." "How'd you get to be a doctor?" "A lot of kicking and scratching." "And a certain amount of slick dealing." "What made you decide to go into nursing?" "I like taking care of people." "Pretty soon you'll be serving them tea." "How come you're not married?" "I never found the right girl." "I know someone you should meet." "Miss Nora." "She's the county nurse." "Where's she been hiding?" "She spends a lot of time tending people in the back country." "I'll introduce you next time she comes down from the hills." "Come on, let's get back." "Well, I sure hope she's easier to get along with than you are." "I wish we could have had these invitations engraved like Corabeth's book says." "I bet that's what David's family is used to." "Well, there's nothing wrong with a handwritten note." "Besides, your handwriting's much prettier than engraving." "Mary Ellen, are you gonna have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?" "I hadn't even thought about it." "Well, this dress is old enough." "Oh, look at that tear." "Now, that's where your grandpa stepped on it the day we were married." "Well, there's another one up here somewhere." "The white gloves that Mama got you could be something new." "And I'll let you borrow my lace handkerchief." "What about something blue?" "I have a blue yo-yo." "Elizabeth, somehow I get the feeling you're not in favor of this wedding." "She wants you to marry G.W. and stay on the mountain." "Now I'm stuck with him." "Oh, what's wrong with G.W.?" "He's another one of your hand-me-downs." "Yeah, well, don't you burn any bridges." "G.W. might well be a pillar in this community someday." "Who wants a pillar, Grandma?" "Oh, everyone, listen to this." ""Mr. and Mrs. John Walton request the honor of your presence" ""at the marriage of their daughter Erin."" "What's Grandpa doing up in the attic?" "I expect he's looking for that old suit to wear at the hard times dance." "He couldn't find his head if it wasn't fastened on." " Where you going?" " Out to exercise Blue." "Well, then how come you're all slicked up?" "I'm not all slicked up!" " Well, I'll go with you." " No, you won't!" "You look real nice, Jim-Bob." "Ever since that Patsy Brimmer came to town," "Jim-Bob spends more time in front of the mirror than Erin!" "Come on." "Come on, Elizabeth." "Who came to town?" "Hi, Jim-Bob." "I've been waiting for you." "Hi." "I see you brought your sister along." "It wasn't my idea." "I don't mind." "We can all go for a ride." "All right, hop on." "Will this be all right, Jim-Bob?" "Sure." "Come on, Blue." "Here, listen to this." ""I think of you every minute of the day, every moment of the night." ""I cannot live without you."" "Which one of your moon-faced beaus wrote that awful piece of drivel?" "Might have known you didn't mean it." "I did?" "Oh, well, I'm sorry, Esther." "I just can't get my mind off that Liberty Bond, where we hid it." "Well, we tore this place apart." "Just might as well kiss that Liberty Bond goodbye." "Oh, dear." "Oh, dear." "I know where it is." "I remember." "It's in John's picture." "John is in John's picture!" "In the back of John's picture!" "Here, here." "You know that time you wanted to cash it in," "I decided to hide it where you'd never find it?" "You see?" "You were hiding it." "Maybe I was so awful sorry and ashamed of what I did that I forgot about it." "And aren't you glad that I did?" "Yeah, well, that depends on if it's in here." "Zeb, it is." "Oh, Esther." "It looks almost brand-new, don't it?" "Twenty years." "Don't that take us back a while!" "1917." "I remember it was to be put aside for the future." "Well, it is, isn't it?" "Well, what do you think of it, Dr. Willard?" "Great day in the morning." "I didn't think I'd be in church this Sunday, but here I am, in a cathedral." "Well, I thought you'd like it." "There's an even better view over here, Curt." "Here, let me do that for you." "Thank you." "I do admire a man with good manners." "I just don't want a corn worm to jump out and bite you." "You're sweet, Jim-Bob." "You going to the hard times dance?" "Probably." "You taking anybody?" "I don't know." "I haven't really thought about it." "If you did, who would it be?" "I don't know." "You, I guess." "Why, James Robert Walton, are you asking me to have a date with you?" "Yeah, I guess I am." "Well, then, I'd be pleased to accept, James Robert." "Thank you." "Hardly seems like a Sunday dinner." "The family feels kind of shrunk to me." "The things people do on the Sabbath these days." "All the more dinner for yours truly." "Elizabeth, you set the silver kind of lopsided." "Your mind wandering?" "Well, it's just it's hard to know where to put the knives and the forks when everyone's gone." "Kind of makes you the onliest child, huh, Elizabeth?" "I still don't know why I couldn't go to Mrs. Brimmer's with Jim-Bob for supper." "Elizabeth, why don't you say the blessing?" "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this food on this table that Mama and Grandma made for us, because we know that it's better than what" "Jim-Bob is getting at Mrs. Brimmer's." " Amen." " Amen." "I can understand why you enjoy the back country, Nora." " Beautiful, isn't it?" " Yeah." "You had the start of a good bird's nest here, Doctor." "I still have." "What are we all sitting around here for?" "Let's go for a walk." "Okay." " You ready?" " Yeah." "Okay." "Left, your right." " Yeah." " Okay, steady." "No!" "Grandma thought they'd be good chaperones." "They're the ones who need a chaperon!" "I don't get it." "First of all, you practically push Miss Nora on Curt, now you don't want him to have a good time." "You just work for him, Mary Ellen, you don't own him." "Oh, David, I wish we didn't have to wait." "I wish we could get married right this minute." " Mary Ellen not in yet?" " Haven't seen her." "I thought I heard David's car leave." "Over here, Mama." "I'll be glad when the wedding's over." " Are you having second thoughts?" " No." "Well, I hate to see you go away, but if you're sure that you and David are going to be happy," "I'm almost willing to let go." "Mama, will I feel any different the next day?" "I think you will." "Well, I guess the romantic part doesn't matter much after you've been married as long as you and Daddy." "At your age, it must seem so." "David is steady and reasonable." "I don't think it'll be hard to live with him." "Are you sure you're not trying to talk yourself into something?" "No, I'm just counting my blessings." "Sometimes it seems too good to be true." "I think I'm gonna go for a walk." "I want to get off a ways and look back at the house." "I'm not going to be living here much longer." "Find Mary Ellen?" " Did you fix the iron?" " As good as new." "She all right?" "She's just got a little case of the jitters." "When did you start wearing glasses?" "Yesterday." "Got them at the five-and-ten-cent store." "I didn't know there was anything wrong with your eyes." "Gonna have a married daughter soon, gonna be a grandfather before you know it." "They're just for reading and working." "You know, there are an awful lot of young men been around here lately, and every one of them could learn something from you." "Be careful, Liv, you're steaming up my glasses." "Mary Ellen says being romantic doesn't count at our age." "Is that so?" "Oh, you devil, you." "Oh, Mary Ellen, I've just had the most marvelous news!" "Dr. Willard has informed Sister that she's well enough to attend the benefit dance on Saturday evening." "Perhaps you could tell us what we should wear to a hard times ball." "Is it like a cotillion?" "Not exactly, Miss Emily." "You're supposed to wear old clothes." "Old clothes?" "Well, I do have that old black dress, Sister, but it's got a moth hole in it." "Well, just put a red patch on it, wear your old bedroom slippers, and you'll win first prize." "Oh, Doctor..." "Oh, Doctor, you are so droll." "Indeed, you are." "Now, you come along, Sister." "You mustn't tire yourself." " Dr. Willard, Mary Ellen." " Goodbye." " Goodbye, Mary Ellen." " Goodbye." " Doctor." " Bye." "You're improving." "Well, I've had a good teacher." "It's a dirty trick, you quitting just to get married." "That other doctor doesn't need you as much as this one." "You won't have any trouble finding another nurse." "No, maybe not." "But it's the secretary and decorator that I'm worried about." "I've kind of gotten used to having you around." "Hi, Curt." "Hi, Mary Ellen." "Well, looky who's here," "Miss Nora Nightingale of the Blue Ridge Mountains." "What are you making Mary Ellen do now, you slave driver?" "No wonder she's planning to quit." "Nurse Walton is just doing a little plastic surgery for me." "Come on in." "I want to show you the plans for the clinic." "I'll talk to you later, Mary Ellen." "Curt's asked me to the dance." "I don't know what to wear." "Any luck, Ben?" "Not much." "Got a dollar advance from John-Boy." "A quarter from sweeping Ike's floor." "Still doesn't give enough for that radio." "Hey." "I've got 25 cents." "I sold my pencil box to Ruth." " Good." " Good." "I played a special request last night for Hubie Noonan at the Dew Drop." "He gave me a quarter tip." "And mark down 30 cents that Miss Fanny gave me for washing her upstairs windows." " How much does that make?" " Great." "That gives us $6.85..." "Call it $7." "And the radio's $9.75." "We're never gonna make it." "Hey, how about you, Jim-Bob?" "You haven't got us any money for the radio." "Well, I got 50 cents." "Where'd you get that?" "You know that practically new headlight for my car?" "I sold it to Buck Vernon." "You're a good man, Jim-Bob." "That gives us $7.50!" "You think maybe Ike would come down on the price of the radio?" " He might." " Not a chance." "Corabeth wouldn't let him." "That's true." "What are we gonna do?" "Two dollars?" "Who gave us those two dollars?" "Thank you, thank you very much." "Appreciate it." "Two, three, that's four..." " That's five." " All right, all right let's see where..." "Look at this." "Halfway there, halfway there." "We wanted to flavor the punch with a little of the Recipe, but..." "But your grandfather didn't want us to spoil it." "The Recipe, that is." "I sure wish I could do some of these new dances, Erin." "Well, we'll just do an old one." "How we doing, John-Boy?" "Oh, we got $25, still bringing it in." "Dad sent this." "It's the Spencers' contribution to a good cause." "Thank you very much." "Ten dollars?" "A ten-dollar bill." "Zeb..." "Hold your horses, old dear, I can't remember where I put it." "On behalf of the entire Walton tribe, we present $10." "Where'd you get $10?" "Shall we dance, old girl?" "Come on." "Jason, Jason!" "Everybody, listen up now." "We've received some more money..." "Oh, Mamie, we'd better get over there." "...and we're now going to announce the final tabulation of the money we've taken in for the fundraising drive of the Walton's Mountain Clinic, and it's been tabulated and computed by Mrs. Corabeth Godsey." "And the number is..." "Well, we've taken in, today, $65.50!" "Which is right up there!" "John-Boy, as we promised, here's our check, all signed." "Ready for you to fill out with the proper amount." "Thank you very much." "As you all know, Miss Mamie and Miss Emily Baldwin have consented to match whatever figure we come up with tonight with their check." "Now, we have their check, and that brings the grand total to" "$131!" " Dr. Willard?" " Yes?" "I believe this is yours." "No, it's yours, for better medical care at Walton's Mountain." "Well, I hate to admit it, but I'm speechless." "I think I kind of got off to a bad start when I first came here." "I..." "I ruffled a few feathers, and I stepped on some toes, and I "gee'd" when I should have "hawed."" "I probably won't be any different in the days to come, because that's the kind of man I am." "But I want you to know that I'm gonna try my best to keep you all well, and you've gone a long way to help me do that with the kind of generosity that you've shown here tonight." "I thank you." "Jason!" "All right, everybody, enjoy yourselves, 'cause the night is young!" "Yancey!" "Congratulations on winning first prize for your costume!" "Sure surprised me." "I thought this was a come-as-you-are party!" "Mary Ellen?" "I thought you'd gone." "I..." "I took Nora home and then I stopped back at the office to lock up the contributions." "I came out." "It got stuffy in there." "I was hoping to have another dance with you." "May I?" " Here?" " Yeah, why not?" "This may be our last chance to be alone." "You're about to turn into a married lady." "People might not understand if they see us out here together." "There's nothing to misunderstand, is there?" "Unless you feel it, too." "Feel what?" "The chemistry." "I don't know what you're talking about." "I never was any good at chemistry." "It's easy." " Is your headache any better, Erin?" " No." " Well, can I get you anything?" " No, thank you." "Okay." "I'd better hurry or I'll be late for church." "Oh, you're a fine one to be going to church!" "What's the matter with you, anyway?" "You've been acting weird all day." "Mary Ellen, hurry up!" "Grandpa and Grandma have a surprise for you!" " Come on." " Okay." "Well, whatever it is that's bothering you, I hope you get over it." "Brighten the corner where you are" "What's going on?" " You ask your grandpa." "He finally found it." " Found what?" "Mary Ellen, your grandma and I have a surprise for you which may partly explain the mystery why the Waltons were able to come up with a donation last night." "Zeb, now, get on with it." "Oh, you always drag things out so." "Hold your horses, Esther, this is a momentous occasion." "Twenty years ago, your grandma and I purchased a Liberty Bond on the same day that your daddy went into the Army." " You cashed it in, Grandpa?" " I did." "Which now explains why our eldest granddaughter is able to be hitched up in proper style with a dowry, and something left over for us." "How much is it?" "Twenty-five dollars!" "Not bad!" "That's terrific!" "Oh, my." "Now, let's take some of this joy and this happiness on to church with us." "Come on." "Livvy!" "Well, where's Erin?" "Oh, she's got a sick headache." "Well, you tell your daddy to look in on her." "Go on." "You tell your mama to come on." "Mama, we're leaving!" "I can't go to church, Esther." " Why?" " I can't find my collar." "What's that?" "It's a blue jay's nest." "Still got an egg in it." "You can't put that thing on the tree." "It's full of mites." "And that old rotten egg'll smell bad." "The egg is not rotten." "Who wants a nasty thing like that on a Christmas tree?" "I do, and it's not nasty." " You're such a crazy..." " Oh, turn blue, Erin." "Thought you said you wanted practice." "Well, where's your mitt?" "Not baseball, dancing." "What's that?" "Ricky-Mae's movie magazine." "She loaned it to me." "Look, that's what I want for us." " Mary Ellen..." " Okay, now take me in your arms." "Are you gonna take me in your arms, or am I gonna wham you?" "Closer." "Okay, now relax." "One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three..." "I know how you feel." "It's hard, isn't it?" "Wanna walk me part way to church?" "You're awful quiet." "I was just thinking." "The next time I go to church, it'll be to get married." "I'd be scared." "What makes you think I'm not?" "It seems to me you were a lot more excited about this whole thing before Curt Willard came on the scene." "Jason Walton, what a thing to say!" "Oh, I don't know, it's just that, you know, when I'm up there on that bandstand every night, I get to studying people." "And after a while, you can kind of tell when a man and a woman are really right for each other." "You don't think David and I are right for each other?" "Well, I did, until I saw you dancing with Doc Willard last night." "There's something between you." "He called it chemistry." "What are you gonna do about it?" "I can't build a life on chemistry." "Come on, I'll race you home." "Mary Ellen?" "In here, John-Boy." "Is Curt here?" "I was gonna take that money down to the bank for him." "I don't know where he is, John-Boy." "His van isn't here and some of his clothes are missing." "The money for the clinic was here." "Operator." "Hold on, John-Boy." "Superintendent, Stony Gap Mine." " I'm ringing, John-Boy." " Thank you." "She's trying to get through." "Can't figure why he'd run out without telling anyone." "I believe we should give him the benefit of the doubt until we know more." "Well, I don't know what to tell his patients." "Yes, Erin?" "The Superintendent is a Mr. Bradley, but he isn't in right now." "But his secretary, Miss Lynch, is on the line." "All right, I'll talk to her." "Hello, Miss Lynch?" "Hello, this is John Walton, Jr." "I'm trying to get some information on Dr. Curtis Willard." "I think he resigned from your company a couple of months ago." "Well, I wouldn't say Dr. Willard resigned, exactly, but he did leave." "I don't understand." "I'm not authorized to give out that kind of information on the phone." "Miss Lynch, this is a very important matter." "Do you have any idea where Dr. Willard might be right now?" "I..." "I'm sorry." "Mr. Bradley makes all the decisions here." "That's all I can tell you." "Do you want me to try her again?" "No, thank you, Erin." "Well?" "Well, Curt didn't resign, which means he was probably let go." "Or just plain fired." "It's a fine time to find that out." "We didn't really check on him, did we?" "You know, I think she knew a lot more than she was willing to tell me." "You know what I'd like to do?" "If we don't hear from him by tomorrow," "I'd like to go down and talk to that Mr. Bradley myself." "Probably the only way we're gonna get to know anything." "Okay, take the pole." "Okay, move it through the water nice and slow." "That's it." "Did you ever kiss a girl, James Robert?" "Sure." "Where?" "Oh, out behind the swings at school." "No, silly." "I meant, where?" "On the cheek or on the lips?" "Both." "Really?" "Supper's ready!" "Come on, everybody, sit down." "I still don't see why John-Boy has to be the one to go traipsing off after Dr. Willard." "The wedding rehearsal is Wednesday night." "He may not have to go, I'm just warning you it could happen." "Yeah, Curt could show up any time." "Mary Ellen, are you going to help or not?" "I'm helping." "Stop that!" "Mama, Elizabeth's not coming down to supper." "I don't know what's wrong with her." "John, would you go up and get her, and bring the boys down, too, please?" "All right." "Into each life some rain must fall..." "Elizabeth!" "Elizabeth!" "...so wear your smile for an umbrella." "Who wrote that?" "What's this about you not coming down for supper?" "I don't feel like it, Daddy." "How come?" "Well, because Jim-Bob broke his promise to me, and this afternoon I pushed him and Patsy in the lake." "You did, huh?" "How come?" "Well, you see, me and Jim-Bob have this promise that we'll never fall in love, get married, or leave the mountain." "Well, he was kissing her." "You know, Elizabeth, everybody's got to grow up someday, make new friends outside the family." "Not me." "Oh, yes, even you." "I'd like nothing better than to keep you for my little girl forever, but that can't be." "Jim-Bob's gonna be having a lot of girlfriends in the next few years, but you're always gonna be his little sister." "Someday, you'll be having boyfriends, too." "Boyfriends!" "That's right, and lots of 'em." "When that happens, you want Jim-Bob tagging along after you?" "Maybe not, but I'll have to think about it." "All right, you think about it." "Grandma says supper's on the table, and if you wanna eat, come now or go without." " Let's go." " Jim-Bob?" "I'm sorry about pushing you in the lake, but I'm not sorry about pushing her." "Well, let's just not talk about it anymore, okay?" "How come you don't want to talk about it anymore?" "Well, I think I'm in love." "How's it feel?" "Awful." "Serves you right." "Pa, would you say the blessing, please?" "A good, strong one." "O Heavenly Father, we thank thee for the food on the table, for the roof over our head, and for our family's being here together." "Help us to remember that a family is for growing up in, for going away from, and for coming back to." "It is for loving concern, helping each one of us through the happy times and the sad ones." "With Your blessing, O Father, our family will always be together in our hearts and in our memories, permitting us to live our own lives, be our own persons." "Amen." "I am surprised Curt didn't leave word with you about his patients, Mary Ellen." "Or at least a message for you since you two were so close." "Curt's a lot of fun, but he's not for me." "We don't know much about him." "I do know he hated his job at the mines." "That's where John-Boy headed first." "He left this afternoon." "Thanks for the supplies, Mary Ellen." "I really appreciate it." "Oh, hey!" "Benjamin, can you hammer a nail?" "Why, sure." "Then I implore you to see what you can do with this one." "It has resisted my every effort to go into the wall." "Okay." "No, up a little higher." " Higher?" " Yes, a little higher." "Is that okay?" "Make sure it's even." "Is it even?" "Does it look even to you?" "That's French for "Thank you."" "Oh, I know." "John-Boy speaks it sometimes." "Would you like to make a purchase?" "Why, yes." "I had my eye right on that radio right here." "This one." "Oh!" "Well, that is a splendid instrument." "It has a fine, clear tone and it's beautifully made." "You have very fine taste, Benjamin." "The trouble is, it goes for $9.75." "Well, but for an instrument of this quality, that's a reasonable price." "I'm sure it is, but so far, all we could do was scrape up $7.50." "And who is "we"?" "Well, that's Jason, Jim-Bob, myself and the girls." "See, we're getting Mary Ellen and David a wedding present." "You know, I believe Mr. Godsey has made an error." "This is on sale, and he has simply forgotten to mark down the price on the tag." "It should be $7.25." "Corabeth, you aren't doing this just because it's a present, are you?" "Benjamin, are you accusing me of losing my business acumen by the wave of romance that is sweeping the country?" "I guess not." "Would you like it gift-wrapped?" "You know, Corabeth," "I'm gonna take back everything I ever said about you." "I'm sure that that is very generous of you." " Miss Lynch?" " Yes?" "Miss Lynch, my name is John Walton." "I spoke with you Monday regarding Dr. Curtis Willard." "I was wondering if Mr. Bradley was in." "No, he's not, Mr. Walton, and I don't believe he'd want to talk to you or anybody else about Curtis Willard." "Now, if you don't mind..." "Ma'am, did you know Dr. Willard?" "He had a way of making himself known." "I had a feeling you knew him." "What do you want here?" "Well, I want just what I said I wanted on the phone." "I'd like to know where he is." "I was wondering if anyone here could answer that question." "I'm very lucky to have this job, Mr. Walton." "Most of the miners down there are lucky to be working, too, even though a disaster could snuff out their lives or they could die a slow death from black lung." "Curt knew that." "He went down in the mines with them." "He helped some, he lost others." "But he couldn't beat the system." "Neither can I." "I can't even afford to try." "There's nothing I can tell you, Mr. Walton." "Miss Lynch, I really need your help and if you help me out, no one would know about it, I promise you that." "Bureau of Mines, State Capitol Building." "There's a hearing in progress." " Now please leave me alone." " Thank you." "Will you just believe me?" "The radio's in John-Boy's office." "Sure it is, Ben." "Why didn't you tell us at supper so we could see it?" "Because Mary Ellen and David were there." "You know that." "Oh, there you are, children." "Now, attention, everyone." "Now, we have a great deal to do, so let's get this rehearsal underway." "Now, John, you and Mary Ellen can take your places there." "You gonna let her take over?" "She is a little high-handed, but at least she'll get it right." "Now, Jim-Bob, Ben and Jason will usher the guests to their places, friends of the groom on the right, friends of the bride on the left." "Jim-Bob, will you please stand up straight?" "Now, the bride's family sits in the first pew on the left." "Zeb, you will follow Jim-Bob, who escorts Esther." "Then Ben brings Olivia down the aisle." "Will you take these places, please?" "That woman should be in the Army." "Now, David, you will stand here, next to the Reverend." "Reverend." "He will signal you at the appropriate time to take your place." "Oh, now, girls, we want to get your entrances just right." "Now, with the music." "Step and hold, step and hold..." "And then I will say to you, "Do you, David," ""take this woman to be your true and lawful wife?" ""And do you promise to cleave unto her, and her alone," ""for as long as life shall last?" And you will say, "I do."" " I do." " Good." "Now, then I will say to you, Mary Ellen," ""Do you, Mary Ellen, take this man to be your true and lawful husband?" ""And do you promise to cleave unto him, and him alone," ""for as long as life shall last?"" "And you will answer, "I do."" "Mary Ellen?" "Mary Ellen?" "Mary Ellen?" "Mary Ellen?" "I don't understand." "Oh, David, neither do I." "Part of me does love you very much, but I know now it's not enough." "Something's missing." "You'll feel differently tomorrow." "That's what I keep telling myself, but I know I won't." "We'd end up hating each other." "Mary Ellen, you don't know what you're doing." "Oh, yes, I do, David, and it's the hardest thing I've ever done." " Do you want some breakfast?" " No, thank you, Grandma." "I have to hurry or I'm gonna miss my ride, Mama." " Then take an apple to eat on the way." " Thank you." "Do you think Mary Ellen will be all right?" "Mary Ellen knows her own mind." "Well, see you later, everybody." " Bye, Son." " Bye, Jason" "I don't know why everybody is so upset." "I didn't want Mary Ellen to leave in the first place." "Elizabeth, don't start that again." "Thanks, Mom." " Bye, Daddy." "Bye, Mom." " Bye-bye." "Bye, honey." "Erin, you'd better have some breakfast." "No, thank you, Mama, I'm not hungry, and I still don't want to go to school." "School goes on no matter what happens to Mary Ellen." "Everybody will know about it by now." "You're getting too wrapped up in this thing." "Let her lead her own life." "Mary Ellen is a silly, fickle girl, and she'll regret this for the rest of her life." "Guess I gotta go, too." "You know, I was thinking about that radio." "I don't know what to do with it." " Bye." " So long." "Well, personally, I'm just as happy that our oldest girl will not take the vows." "It was all just too, too perfect." "The girl don't know what she wants." "Guess she found out what she didn't want, Grandma, and I've got a fair idea what changed her mind." "And who." "Well, look." "A friendly face." "Or is it?" "I've been looking all over the county for you." "Didn't Mary Ellen tell you about my letter?" "She never got a letter." "I left word where I was going and how she could reach me, and I told her what to do about my patients." " And you took the money." " Sure!" "I got some great bargains in equipment while the hearing was in recess." "Oh, boy." "Everybody thinks I walked out on 'em." "Well, I have to admit, the idea crossed a lot of people's minds." "What's this hearing all about, anyway?" "Well, when I was company doctor for the mine," "I tried to get them to clean up the working conditions." "The timbering was bad, and the ventilation was terrible." "The men needed new equipment." ""Couldn't afford it," they claimed." "So, I turned them in to the Bureau of Mines, and I got myself fired." "They held my pay, and they've been trying to give me a bad name ever since." "Why didn't you tell us about this?" "Because it's my problem." "It's not yours." "You think you're gonna be able to clear yourself?" "I could use some help." "Well, first, I better call home, tell them I found you." "In fact, in my opinion, I would call him downright malicious." "And in support of that statement, I should like to point out that Dr. Willard, owing money to the company store and elsewhere in town, completely disappeared." "He was hiding out in some remote area so that he could not be questioned by our lawyer or pay his debts." "Well, these are hardly the actions of what you would call a truly ethical or professional man." "I thereby request, Mr. Chairman, that your examining board refuse to accept Dr. Willard's testimony on the grounds that he is not a reliable witness." "Dr. Willard, you have a right to respond to these charges." "Thank you, Mr. Chairman." "I would like to point out first that my whereabouts were not unknown, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to call me last Sunday so that I could attend this hearing." "Also from that "remote area" where I've been "hiding"" "is the publisher and editor of The Blue Ridge Chronicle." "He can tell you what I've been up to." "Mr. John Walton, Jr." "Mr. Chairman, I..." "A couple of months ago, about two months ago," "Dr. Willard came to the community." "And..." "Well, he's a pretty outspoken man." "I guess you all know that." "I might even say sometimes he's a little too honest for his own good." "Anyway, since he came to the community, we've had very good medical care from him, and I think underneath it all, he's a good person." "Also, Dr. Willard has helped us to establish our own clinic in the community, and that's going to greatly improve our medical service." "I really don't know anything about this mine business, here." "I don't really know anything about it at all, but if Dr. Willard told me that the safety rules had been broken," "then I'd bet he was right." "And if there was any way that he could save lives," "I'd bet my bottom dollar that Dr. Willard would be found trying." "Thank you." "I'm awake, Mama." "Then how about some breakfast?" "I don't deserve it, after I caused everybody so much trouble last night." "Well, believe it or not, the sun came up this morning, the cow got milked, and the flowers are blooming in the garden." " Come see." " I feel so awful." "Embarrassing my family like that." "Mary Ellen, it took courage for you to do what you did." "I want you to know I respect you for it." "Thank you." "Eat." "She must be in John-Boy's room." "I guess." "Here she is." "Hi, I wondered where all of you were." "Mary Ellen, we all put in together to buy you this present." "Well, I'm sending back all my wedding presents." "Well, this one you can keep." "We want you to have it." "To cheer you up." "I'm not seeing very well today." "Here, let me help you." "Thank you." "All of you." "It's all right, Mary Ellen." "We all understand." "I'll show you how it works later." "Hope you like it." "Mary Ellen..." "I have to tell you something." "I did an awful thing..." "Well, that makes two of us." " It's Dr. Willard." " It sure is." "Look at him, returning like some kind of conquering hero." "We've been to the capital and turned 'em upside down." "Boy, you should have heard him." "He made a speech like Mark Antony at Caesar's funeral." "He had me looking so good, I had to win." "I don't think it was what I said." "It was the fact that every charge you made against the mine company turned out to be true." "As far as the money's concerned, he made the best deals you could get in the country on medical supplies." "We got a whole truckload coming tomorrow." "Well, if it isn't Dr. Willard." "Nice of you to return." "Would have been even nicer if you'd let us know you were leaving." " Mary Ellen..." " Dear, sweet, gentle Mary Ellen." "It sure is great to be back," " and I did let you know." " Mary Ellen, I've..." "He left a letter, last Sunday morning..." "I didn't want him to come between you and David..." "So I burned it." "Oh, Erin!" "It's okay, it's all over now." "You stay out of this, Curt." "How could you do that, Erin?" "I didn't want the wedding spoiled." "I saw you kissing last Saturday night." "It didn't mean a thing!" "Well, I hope it did, Mary Ellen, because I'm going to marry you!" "I suppose you call that a proposal!" "It's the best one you're gonna get from me." "Well, I wouldn't marry you, Curtis Willard, if you were the last man on Earth!" "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the presence of this company, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony." "Marriage is an honorable estate, instituted by God and blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ." "It is not, therefore, to be entered into lightly or unadvisedly, but reverently, soberly, and with the fear of God." "Who gives this woman in marriage?" "I do." "Do you, Curtis, take this woman to be your true and lawful wife?" "And do you promise to cleave unto her, and her alone, for as long as life shall last?" "I do." "And do you, Mary Ellen, take this man to be your true and lawful husband?" "And do you promise to cleave unto him, and him alone, for as long as life shall last?" "I do." "What token do you give as a symbol of your affection and of your sincerity and fidelity?" "A ring." "You will place it on Mary Ellen's left hand and speak the vow of the ring?" "This ring I give thee, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love, with this ring I do thee wed, and with all my earthly goods I thee endow." "And Mary Ellen, do you wish to answer with a vow from the Old Testament?" "Entreat me not to leave thee, or return from following after thee." "For whither thou goest, I will go." "And where thou lodgest, I will lodge." "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." "And now, by the authority vested in me as a minister of the gospel by the Old Dominion, and in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," "I pronounce you man and wife." "Therefore, whom God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." "Congratulations." "We would always remember that day when our friends and neighbors gathered on the Mountain at the site of the first Walton homestead." "It somehow seemed fitting that the days leading up to Mary Ellen's marriage had been filled with turmoil." "All of us who knew and loved her had learned to expect the unexpected." "I can't go to sleep, Mama." "They're still outside, Elizabeth." "Put your head down and count to a hundred." "She won't use her pillow." "She's afraid she'll smash her piece of wedding cake." "I'll come in and eat it." "No you won't, Jim-Bob." "I've made a wish on it." "All right, everybody, go to sleep!" "It's getting late!" "Good night, Elizabeth." "Night, Erin." "Good night, Mama." "Good night, Daddy." " Good night, everybody!" " Good night." "Good night, Mary Ellen." "English"