"Sheriff, why is he questioning those people?" "Judge Thornbury is up for reelection, you know, Son." "Well, I don't think you can ever go wrong by telling the simple truth." "If you're going to use that newspaper to disgrace and humiliate my family," "I want everybody to know that I am in no way party to it." "And if you don't move it," "I will find me a sledgehammer and I will personally batter it to pieces." "I believe that, in our family, all of us children were sparked to do our best, whatever we tried, for two reasons." "There was the personal satisfaction we felt, of course, but, just as important, we knew that the whole family would take pride in the success of any one of us." "But then a day came when I had to face the fact that a goal I had set for myself was threatening to disgrace and divide the family." "Hey, Sheriff." "John-Boy." "How long you going to be on that cane?" "Oh, not as long as it's gonna take to fix the motorcycle." "Listen, you know I'm publishing that paper now, and we're getting ready to put out a first edition." "I sure would like a grabber story for that front page." "Yeah, you tackled a big job with that paper." "Never been so fired up about anything in my life." "I'd appreciate a good headline." "Well, how about, "Sheriff Reports County Crime Rate Decreasing"?" "Good news." "Listen, if you think of anything, you let me know, all right, Ep?" " All right, John-Boy." " Thank you." "Hey, Ben!" "Well, hey." "We're going over to Ernie's." "Oh, I'm supposed to be selling ads right now." "Sell them later." "Come on, let's go shoot some pool." "Okay." "Judge Thornbury." "You all right, Judge?" "Well, I don't understand." "One minute I was going along just fine, and..." "I just don't know what happened." "Judge, you better not move around for a little while." "No, no, no, I'm all right." "I'm perfectly all right." "Was anybody hurt in there?" "Lucky nobody was sitting at them front tables." "Well, now, what happened, Judge?" "Did you try to avoid a car or what?" "No, Sheriff." "He just ran smack into the soda shop." "You were sitting there." "Didn't you see it, too?" "Well, something must have gone wrong with the steering." "Well, we'll have to check that out, Judge." "Do you know how much that window set me back?" "And don't worry about any damages." "I'm gonna take care of everything." "Sheriff, I do feel a little wobbly." "Maybe we could go into your office." "Oh, sure." "Sure." "Come on." "Now, don't worry." "Nobody's going to be out a single penny." "Let's just congratulate ourselves nobody was hurt." "Mrs. Brimmer, where were you standing when all this happened?" "Right over there." "And believe me, I saw it all." "It seemed to me he dozed off." "Sheriff, why is he questioning those people?" "Well, that's John Walton." "He's starting a new paper, The Blue Ridge Chronicle." "When they backed the judge's car out of the soda shop, there wasn't anything wrong with the steering." "Well, I figure he just dozed off for a second or two." "I figure maybe he had a little too much to drink." "Oh, no, not much." "'Course, with some people, it doesn't take much to set them off." "But I got some coffee into him and I..." "I walked him home." "I don't think it'll ever happen again." "Scared him pretty bad, you know." "You going to put all that in your paper?" "Sure." "It's something people want to read about." "Well, I wouldn't go too rough on him." "I don't intend to be rough on him." "I just intend to tell what happened, fair and factual." "Well, that's about all you can do." "Of course, I guess the judge has a lot on his mind." "You know, big decisions and all." "I'd hate to be in that position, wouldn't you?" "Ep, you wouldn't say a bad word about the devil." "I wouldn't want to take that chance." "Anything else, Olivia?" "Ten cents' worth of cloves." "Okay." "Did you want any other spices today?" "No, just cloves today." "Well, it appears that Corabeth has moved the spices again." "I may have." "Well, would it trouble you too much to tell me where you hid them this time?" "Mr. Godsey, may I politely suggest that you don't take that tone when you address me?" "All the time I've run this store," "I've kept the cloves right here, all the spices." "That is the malady which troubles this little general merchandise store and you." "In a rut and proud of it." "And when I try to make improvements," "I am humiliated in front of my family and friends." "We can do without the cloves today." "Livie, we can't pickle without them." "Excuse me." "Here are the cloves." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Half the time these days, I don't know what I'm saying or doing." "Could you possibly share a cup of tea with me?" "That'd be very nice, Corabeth." "Livie, we've got 100 chores waiting for us at home." "I'll put the water on." "Tea-partying in the middle of the day?" "Oh, I thank you so much for accepting Corabeth's invitation." "She's been so edgy lately." "She'll come in here laughing, just fitting to bust, and then before I can find out what's so funny, she's crying her eyes out." "I know you must think I've taken leave of my senses." "Well, you do seem edgy, more than usual." "Maybe you've been trying to do too much, the house and the store and all." "Oh, no." "No, not that, far from it." "Well, it's something I've just been bursting to tell someone, but I've held back." "Well, you don't have to tell us." "I'm going to have a baby." "Good Lord." "You don't believe it." "Well, I didn't believe it at first, myself." "I mean, I was afraid to believe it." "My age and all." "I mean, Mr. Godsey's age." "But now I'm..." "I have to believe it, and I'm sure of it, and I..." "Well, I'm really very happy about it." " Have you been to see Dr. Mclvers?" " Oh, yes." "And he didn't say it was 100% official, but he said right off it was probable, and now I'm sure of it." "Have you told Ike?" "Oh, no." "You two are the first to know, besides the doctor." "I want to just keep it as my little secret for a while." "Ike's going to be mighty happy." "I'll be pestering you with all kinds of questions." "I've had a little experience." "Can you believe I envy you?" "Well, now, you take care of yourself." "You always have been high-strung." "Yes, we've got to go." "Would you please tell Mr. Godsey that I have something to tell him?" "You mean to say you're going to splatter over the first pages of your paper a headline, "How Sober Is a Judge?"" "No, I'm not going to say any such thing, Grandpa." "But he had been drinking." "I mean, not enough to get himself arrested, but he shouldn't have been driving a car." "Judge Thornbury is up for reelection, you know, Son." "Yes, I know." "I think he'd just as soon forget about the whole matter." "Well, I'm not going to forget about it." "This is news." "Now, I went to school with Graham Thornbury." "Known him since I was a boy." "I hope you got your facts straight." "Daddy, I got three eyewitnesses who saw the whole thing." "I'm just going to write down what happened." "It's going to lose him a lot of votes, Son." "Well, I can't help that." "This is a newspaper." "I've got to print the news." "You're carrying a mighty big gun, John-Boy." "Hope it doesn't go off and shoot somebody by accident." "Well, I don't think you can ever go wrong by telling the simple truth." "That's the way you raised me, isn't it?" "Let's cut wood, Pa." "Simple truth." "Anyone thinks that the truth is simple has got another think coming." "Someone's been messing around with this type." "I was practicing my spelling." "I missed so much out of my review of the concert, it doesn't make any sense at all." "I told you, Jason, I only have 3.5 inches for you." "Well, I don't write by the inch." "I write by the word." "Yes, but some of the words you use are an inch long." "You'd have to be a Doctor of Music to understand what you're talking about." "I showed it to Professor Thaxton." "He thought it was most discerning." "We're writing for home folks here, Jason." "I want you to write it so Elizabeth thinks it's discerning, so she knows what I'm talking about." "Elizabeth?" "How about Reckless?" "John-Boy, if I sell the paper for three cents, can I keep a penny?" "Reckless, will you get out of here?" "Will you get the dog out of here, please?" "A year's subscription is 52 issues," " and that's only 75 cents' worth." " Do we have bigger type?" " No, that's the biggest type we got." " That's the biggest type?" "Fifty-two papers for 75 cents is less than a cent and a half per copy." "So if I subscribed to the papers I'm selling," "I'd be making a cent and a half per copy." "That's more than what you offered to pay me." "Jim-Bob, you are giving me a headache." "My name's James Robert!" "Can't you remember that?" "John-Boy, we have to get some bigger type." " There's no bigger type." " I said we have to get some!" "Don't ask me about bigger type, man." "John-Boy, here are my notes for School and Church." "Oh, great." "Great." "Thank you." "Can I be on the front page?" "Erin, do you realize what's happening in the world?" "In Chicago, they're fighting with the strikers, and the Japanese are firing on US gunboats." "We got a local story involving a judge in an automobile accident." "I mean, this is good news, honey, but it's not going on the front page." "You know, it's just like a real newspaper." "It is a real newspaper, Elizabeth." "But I promised Joe his name could be in the paper." "John-Boy, he is the captain of the baseball team!" "Are you gonna print that she likes him, too?" "John-Boy, I promised Mr. Gebhardt" "I'd give him the biggest type there is for his ad." "If I have to tell you one more time..." "John-Boy, can I sell the paper for a cent and a half?" "Why don't you just go outside and sell subscriptions?" "And take the dog with you!" "Reckless, go on, get out of here." "These type are so small I can't even see them, Ben." "Well, I told you we needed bigger type." "Ike and Corabeth taking care of a baby." "I just can't imagine it." "In six months' time, any smart baby will be taking care of both of them." "It's the best thing that could've happened to them." "Yeah, sure be rough on that baby, though." "I think Corabeth will be a good mother." "Can't you see Ike just crowing and strutting around?" "They've got a new infant care course over at the nursing school." "Maybe Corabeth would like to take it." "Those lucky Rockfish girls are sure in for a treat tonight." "You look like an ad for some kind of hair oil." "Are the Rockfish girls coming over here?" "No, I'm going over there tonight." "It's okay, Daddy, isn't it?" "Don't you think you should have asked that question first, Son?" "John-Boy's going to let me use his car." "Seems to me you've been spending an awful lot of time in Rockfish lately." "It's a bad influence for a boy your age." "Well, what's wicked in Rockfish?" "I been trying to find the answer to that question for over 60 years." "Well, I promise to be home early." "Next time you ask permission." "I will, Daddy." "Thank you." "Car keys." "Oh, yeah." "Listen, you take it easy, will you?" "Yeah, and I promise to put 50 cents' worth of gas in tonight." " All right." " Goodbye." "Man, that boy's sure growing up fast." "Too fast, if you ask me." "Can't believe the amount of space he sells for the newspaper." "At that rate, there won't be room enough for news pretty soon." "Judge Thornbury will be glad to hear that." "I think I got a quote for the masthead of The Chronicle." ""To Search for the Truth." It's from Marcus Aurelius." ""To search for the truth by which the good man never yet was harmed."" "How do you like that?" "I like it. "Search for the Truth."" "Of course, finding truth, that's another matter." "Oh, well, they can't shoot me for trying, can they?" "Well, we'll see about that." "Pa!" "Hey, looks like we're getting ourselves some fancy company." "Figured it was time for old Thornbury to come by." " Judge Thornbury." " Afternoon." "Good afternoon, sir." "So this is the home of The Blue Ridge Chronicle." "Yes, it is." "Well, I know you're busy getting out your first edition, but I hope you can spare me a few minutes." "Hello." " Good afternoon, sir." " Gladly." "I apologize for the cramped editorial room." "Putting out your own newspaper is quite an ambitious undertaking for a young man." "Yes, well, I hope to earn a little as well as learn a little." "Well, I am delighted to find out you are not only ambitious but also practical." "That's a combination usually makes for success." "The practical John Walton undoubtedly has already decided not to waste any space on my little mishap." "Well, I wouldn't exactly call that wasted space, Judge." "It really would be beating a dead horse." "I've arranged to pay all the damages and the matter is settled." "Well, I hate to disagree with you, Judge, but it is a news story, so I think it rates a place in the paper." "But you must have more important news to print." "A minor traffic accident, who's interested?" "I think the readers are interested." "I think they're interested in any unusual occurrence, especially when it concerns a prominent person like yourself." "A boy crusader whose strength is the strength of 10 because his heart is pure." "John..." "John, you're taking yourself and your paper much too seriously." "You're not representing The New York Times or even The Charlottesville Progress." "You're a little county newspaper." "Judge Thornbury," "I'm very well aware of the fact that I'm not in the same league with any of those newspapers in many ways, but I like to think I have something in common with them, and that's a little bit of integrity." "Ah, yes, yes, integrity." "The vocabulary of the very young." "I'll check your position in 10 or 15 years." "John." "John, I would take it as a personal favor if you did not use that story." "And I don't forget people who do me personal favors." "Judge..." "Let me put it to you this way, Judge." "If you had..." "If the person who had caused this accident had been a farmer, would you be complaining to me now?" "Sorry." "John?" "Howdy, Graham." " Hello, Zeb." " Hiya, Judge." "That's a very bright young man you've got there." "Takes after you." "In lots of ways, he does." "He's also a Baptist, though, like his mother." "Yeah." "He should do well in the long run." "Of course, right now he seems to be suffering from the delusion he's gonna change the world." "I know what you mean, Graham." "One of the drawbacks of being young, I guess." "And this story that he's so determined to print, John, well, it can't do him or anybody else any good, and it might cause me some embarrassment." "John, I'd appreciate it if you could persuade him to substitute something else." "I'd like to help you out, Graham, but it's out of my hands." "I'm sure I could find some way to show my appreciation." "Yeah, well, you see, Graham, when it comes to that newspaper," "John-Boy is the owner, publisher and editor." "But, John, you are his father." "That's right." "What kind of a father would I be, Graham, if I wouldn't let him print what he wanted to in his own newspaper?" "Zeb, how do you feel about this?" "I'm sorry, Judge." "Our family hangs together on things like this." "I just had to try on this maternity smock." "I've never seen you look prettier." "Well, in my day, pregnancy was more than a time to wear fancy clothes." "Well, I have gained a little weight." "Well, maybe you've been eating too much." "Dr. Mclvers should put you on a diet." "Well, likely he will when I see him next week." "I get the test results and everything else then." "The first weeks are very important." "And I have paint and new curtains for the nursery, and I spend hours poring over catalogs, looking at cribs and baby buggies and highchairs." "Oh, come see what I've done to the nursery." "Come on, Grandma." "...and what do you know, here I am getting ready to be a father, just like you or anybody else." "Have you picked out some names?" "Oh, yeah." "That's the way Corabeth and I put ourselves to sleep every night, thinking of names." "Let's see, now." "If it's a girl, it's gonna be" "Gwendolyn Godsey, or Lucy or Mary or Ginger." "Corabeth, one of her favorites has always been Miss Ginger Rogers." "How you fixed for boys, Ike?" "Well, let's see." "How about Lance or Tyrone or Ralph?" "You don't like Ike Junior?" "Well, that's my favorite." "The girls shouldn't be much longer." "Well, I think it's nice, Mary Ellen and Erin double-dating." "It's right handy for you boys." "You can do all your waiting in one place." "You driving John-Boy to Boatwright?" " Yes, Mama." " You going to wait for him?" "Well, I thought that I'd go to Rockfish afterwards." "Don't you ever get tired of Rockfish?" "Well, it's something to do." " We better get going." " Yeah, I think so." "See you later, fellas." " Have a good time." " Yep, have a good time." "Erin, you know Wally." "This is Joe." " Hi." " Hi." "Have a good time." " We will." "Good night, Mama." " Night, Grandpa." " That's right." " Good night, Grandpa, Grandma." " Night, girls." " Good night, Daddy." " Night, Daddy." " Good night." " Good night." " Night." "They seem like nice boys." "Too talkative." "Why does everyone get to go out Saturday nights but me?" "I have to stay here with you old people." "Your time will come, Miss Elizabeth." "Daddy, why do you have to keep calling me Miss Elizabeth?" "It's so babyish." "Well, aren't you my baby anymore?" "Sometimes I like it and sometimes I don't." "Well, your time will come." "By then I'll be too old to enjoy it." "When's the last time you had a hucklebuck?" " Daddy..." " Come on, come on, come on." " Hey." " Hey, Ben." "What are we gonna do?" "Play some pool." "You always win." "How about poker?" "Sounds okay to me." "Where?" "Not at my house." "Well, don't look at me." "You know my mom." "What are we supposed to do, play on the sidewalk?" "I got an idea." "You know, the Garretsons are away on vacation." "So how does that help us?" "Well, I look after their yard, and I know how we could get into the house." "Not for me." "Why not?" "We just borrow their dining room table for a few hours." "I don't know." "Going into someone's house when they're away..." "We wouldn't be hurting anything." "Oh, look, if Mrs. Garretson was here, she'd say yes in a minute." "We'd have a great game." "Come on, Ben, don't be a wet blanket." "Okay." " All right." " Let's go." "Why are you so quiet tonight?" "Guess I'm feeling a little bit like Elizabeth." "All the children away." "Could be worse, you know." "Some husbands go out on Saturday night, leave their wives home alone." "Why?" "Well, you know," "I never figured that out." "Meet me at the side porch." "Come on, now." "Thanks, Ed." " Sheriff?" " Yeah." "Have you seen Ben?" "No, but I think I got a story for you." "I just got a call." "Do you want to ride along with me?" "I sure do." "Thank you." "Looking nice." "Bright, colorful." "Since I didn't know whether it'd be pink or blue," "I decided to use both." "You know, you been at this a long time tonight, and you mustn't overdo." "Oh, don't fuss, Mr. Godsey." "Corabeth, would you do me a favor?" "Depends on the favor." "Would you call me Ike?" "We don't want the baby calling me Mr. Godsey." "I suppose I could do that," "Ike." "Thanks." "You know, you're supposed to be getting extra rest." "Honestly." "You'd think nobody ever had a baby before." "We never did." "All right, boys." "Just come along quiet." "We haven't done anything." "Breaking and entering." "Hey, you in there." "Come on out." "Well, I'm not saying I believe their story or not." "The fact remains, the boys broke into somebody's house." "That's right." "That's a felony, and that can earn a man one to five years in the state penitentiary." "Look, I know I was wrong." "Daddy, I have no excuses." "As far as I can tell, nothing was disturbed, nothing was taken from the house." "Look, we didn't take anything." "Just a minute." "Supposing when the Garretsons get back, they tell me there's money missing or silverware or what have you." "Who do you think is going to be blamed?" "All right." "You boys wait outside." "Now, John, if you want to sign these papers," "I'll release him in your custody." "All right, Ep, I'll sign." "Ben, that is the stupidest thing you've ever done in your whole life!" "You realize the trouble you got us into?" "I'm the one who's in trouble, not you." "We're both in trouble, Ben!" "I gotta put this thing in the newspaper!" "Why didn't you think before you did this?" "It just didn't seem like a big thing at the time." "Well, it will when Mama hears about it." "Wait till they hear about this at school." " Sheriff put the handcuffs on you?" " Were you thrown in jail?" "What I want to know is, did you win any money in that poker game?" "Jason, this is no laughing matter." "But it's funny, though." "Your brother has broken the law, been arrested and thrown into jail like any low, common criminal in the county." "Now, if you think that's funny," "I'm as worried about you as I am about him." "Now, all of you children, off to bed." "Mama!" "We can sleep in the morning." "We're going to church." "Can I go up, too?" "You may not." "We're gonna get a few things straight around here." "I still can't believe that one of my children would do such a thing." "You've all been brought up to obey the law and respect other people's property." "Now, how could you do such a thing?" "I told you, Mama, I don't have any excuses." "I just went along." "You've got a mind of your own, haven't you?" "A conscience that tells you right from wrong?" "I'm sorry, Mama." "It'll never happen again." "It certainly will not, because from now on we're going to have some strict rules around here." "You're to come straight home every day after school." "You are not going out on school nights." "And if we do let you go out on the weekend, it'll be only when we know where you're going and who you're with." "Well, if I'm not allowed out of the house, how am I supposed to sell advertising for John-Boy's paper?" "You're not going to sell any more advertising." "Mama, I really need his help on that." "Well, you'll just have to manage on your own." "It's that newspaper of yours that's brought us to this." "Giving your brother an excuse to loaf around pool halls and break into other people's houses when they're not home." "Mama, that's unfair." "You can't blame John-Boy for some dumb thing that I did." "Mama, I was giving him a chance to earn some honest money, and he was helping me out at the same time." "Things haven't been the same in this family since that printing press was brought in." "I'm as upset about what happened to Ben as anybody else in the family, but it's unreasonable of you to blame me or the newspaper for it." "Ben, you will have your freedom back when we're satisfied you know how to use it." "Now get upstairs." "Yes, Mama." "Corabeth!" "What in the world are you doing?" "Oh, John!" "It's so terrible!" "It's so humiliating!" "Now, Corabeth, you shouldn't be carrying this heavy suitcase in your condition." "Oh, John, what in the world am I going to do?" "First off, why don't you get in the truck and let me take you home?" "To your home." "Is that where you want to go?" "I have to see Esther and Olivia." "All right." "Corabeth, are you feeling better now?" "I've never been more miserable." "Oh, Corabeth." "It's past my bedtime." "Will you come to the point?" "I thought I knew what it was like to be unhappy before, but I never knew until now." "Has there been a misunderstanding between you and Ike?" "I'm not pregnant." "Oh, Corabeth." "There never was a baby." "I never was pregnant, and I never will be pregnant." "I'm barren." "It was a false pregnancy." "Corabeth, that often happens with women your age." "I couldn't face Ike." "I slipped out Dr. Mclvers' the back way, and I managed to get home through the fields." "I packed a few things in that suitcase, and tomorrow I'm gonna take the bus home back to Doe Hill." "Now, Corabeth, you just wait till you settle down." "I'm of no use to him or anybody else." "I just want to live out my life without anybody expecting anything from me." "Olivia." "If that's Ike, I don't want to talk to him." "I won't talk to him." "Olivia." "Doc told me, and I just figured she'd be here." "She's taking it pretty hard, Ike." "Could I talk to her, please?" "Ike..." "Guess it's just not the time, huh?" "Four juveniles were arrested by Sheriff Ep Bridges." "The break-in at the Garretson house was reported by a neighbor, Mrs. Jessica Noble." "One of the young suspects, Louie Fry, had been caring for the yard while the Garretsons were visiting in Charlottesville." "The other suspects, all released to the custody of their parents, were Ben Walton, Chuck Wilson and..." "Is that it?" "Is that the story you're writing about this family's disgrace?" "Mama," "I pledged myself and I pledged my newspaper to search for the truth." "Now that I've found it, I can't just be blind to it because it involves a member of my family." "There's plenty of truth you can write about without shaming Ben and the rest of us." "That's not the point, Mama." "Don't you tell me what the point is." "The point is your brother's good name." "The point is if I make an exception for Ben Walton," "I have to make an exception for somebody else, and before you know it I'm gonna compromise myself right out of business." "That's what the point is." "John-Boy, if you are bent on using that press in such a destructive way, you can just move it right off this property." "You don't mean that." "Oh, yes, I do mean it." "If you're going to use that newspaper to disgrace and humiliate my family," "I want everybody to know that I am in no way party to it." "And if you don't move it," "I will find me a sledgehammer and I will personally batter it to pieces." "Now, you think about that." ""Garretson Home Entered."" "Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben." "Ike?" "Oh, good morning, John-Boy." "Did you spend the whole night here?" "Yeah." "I wanted to stay close to Corabeth." "I'll see if anybody's up and around yet." "Morning." " Hi-yo." " Morning, Son." "Ike Godsey spent the night on the front porch." "Looks like he could use some breakfast." "Ike." "I'll go fetch him, Esther." "You look a bit frazzled yourself." "I've slept better." "Ike!" "Get yourself in here for breakfast!" "There's biscuits!" "Esther, is anyone in the bathroom?" "Looks like more than one spent a restless night around here." "The girls are still upstairs." "Can't get them down this morning." "How come you're not milking, Son?" "I've been in the press room." "What's going on around here?" "Nobody's doing any chores." "I had to go get the eggs myself." "I'm sorry to put you folks to all this trouble." "Morning, Ike." "Don't be silly, Ike." "Sit down and have some food." "Come on." "I guess a cup of coffee will chase the chill out of the bones." "Here." "In case you change your mind," "I'll set the biscuits right by you." "Thank you." "Has Corabeth been up and around yet?" "Haven't seen her this morning." "She asked me to take her to town this morning." "Wants to take the 10:00 bus back to Doe Hill." "I sure would appreciate it if you could persuade her to change her mind." "Well, when she says she's going to Doe Hill, she means it." "She's going." "It's not our place to try to persuade her, Ike." "No, I know that." "It's my place." "But how can I do it if she won't see me?" "How's John-Boy's newspaper business coming?" "He's still having a few problems, Ike." "Well, I guess it's..." "Nothing's worthwhile that comes easy." "Yeah." "I never want to see Mr. Godsey again in my entire life." "Corabeth, I know the hurt and the loss you're feeling, and I don't for a moment question the truth of those feelings." "What I do question is the way you're treating Ike." "Not everyone is as strong as you are, Olivia." "We are talking about someone you love and someone who loves you." "There isn't a thing in the world that Ike wouldn't do for you to make you happy." "Don't you think you ought to give him a chance?" "I just don't want to hurt anymore." "And I don't want to hurt anyone else." "And you don't think leaving Ike is going to hurt him?" "For a little while, maybe." "For a long, long time." "He's going to be hurt and alone." "And you." "What about you?" "Don't you remember how lonely you were living on Doe Hill before you and Ike got married?" "What earthly good am I to him?" "The man wants a child." "I have nothing to give him." "I'd just be living off his charity." "Corabeth, when you and Ike got married, you agreed to share." "The good and the bad." "Don't you think sharing is what Ike needs right now?" "Shall I tell him to come up?" "You can go up now, Ike." "Thank you, Olivia." "Well?" "Is she staying or going?" "We didn't get that far." "Well, now, this is sure a lowdown, hangdog lot around here this morning." "Sure is." "It's all my fault." "I wish you'd quit feeling that way, Son." "You did something wrong." "I hope you learned something from it." "We're not going to keep reminding you." "Come on, have a biscuit." "Come on!" "Come on, Ben." "Keep on passing them biscuits along." "Thank you, Mama." "Anybody want some eggs?" "Corabeth, I..." "I wish you'd look at me." "I'm sorry about the baby." "I know it meant a lot to you." "Well, it meant a lot to me, too." "But at least we've still got what we had before." "I know it wasn't perfect, but it wasn't so bad, either, was it?" "We could always try to make it better." "Don't go back to Doe Hill." "I don't think I can face being all by myself anymore." "Come on, Pa, let's get some work done around here." "Daddy, I'd like to speak with you and Mama a minute." "All right." "Pa, I'll be right along." "I've been thinking a lot about what you both said yesterday." "I'm sorry I shouted at you, John-Boy." "It's just that I was all stirred up about Ben, and..." "And then it looked like you were going to make things worse, and..." "I know." "You're his mama, and you told me what you felt." "I understand that." "I appreciate it." "But as a newspaperman, I have to say I think you're 100% wrong." "So I'm going to go halfway with you on it." "Mama, I love Ben." "You know that." "I wouldn't do anything in the world to harm him." "But I got to print these stories." "I thought you said you were going to meet me halfway." "I am." "I'm going to put Ben's story and the Thornbury story on the back page." "I'm going to bury them." "But you're still going to print them?" "I have to, Mama." "What do you think?" "I think you ought to put your conscience into that press and see what comes out." "John, you know how strongly I feel about this." "Why didn't you back me up?" "Honey, we have raised our children never to hide the truth, to be honest even if it hurts." "You can't turn around and tell them something different now." "No, come on, come on, let's go for a walk." "Come on." "This family has been through fire, pestilence, drought, a civil war and a world war." "I don't think some little story in a backwoods newspaper is going to finish us off now." "What are you doing?" "I'm doing a test print on the front page." "We haven't got a front page." "Yes, we do." "What?" "Those stories are going in the back, Ben." "John-Boy, I really think they should be put on the front page." "Yeah?" "You really think so?" "John-Boy, if I wasn't your brother, they'd be on the front page." "Well, it looks pretty good, doesn't it?" "Look at that type, all laid out straight." "Good man, Ben." "Let's get to work." "In spite of all the obstacles and handicaps, my brother and I finally did manage to put the first edition of The Blue Ridge Chronicle to bed, as they say in the newspaper business." "With the publication of that first edition," "I embarked upon a whole new adventure in my life." "As usual, I had the help and support of my family." "They shared my pride and my sense of accomplishment." "But, most of all, we shared the knowledge that, rather than dividing or estranging our family, the conflict we had just come through seemed to give us a new respect for the different ways each of us could work for what all of us wanted." " Daddy?" " What is it, honey?" "I'm thinking about next Saturday night." "Fretting about being the only one with no place to go?" "Tell you what." "Maybe you and me and your mama could go into Rockfish for an ice cream soda." "Would that help?" "Oh, yes, Daddy." "And there's one other thing." "I wish all the other children would stay home while I get to go out." "You're going to have to speak to them about that, honey." "Good night, Daddy." "Good night, Elizabeth." "English"