Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983): Season 3, Episode 4 - Little Girl Lost - full transcript

All right, children.

Today we're going to begin
our study of entomology.

Can anyone tell me
what that is?

Yes, Mary?

Is that the study
of the earth

and how mountains and
rivers and caves were made?

No, that's geology,
but that was a good try.

Grasshoppers.

That's right.

Entomology is the
study of insects,

and now that
spring is here



and the insects are
starting to hatch,

we're going to be able to see
our little friends all around us.

Friends? They
eat the crops.

Yes, but most insects
are man's friend.

You never got caught in
a swarm of bees before.

Oh, did you,
Carl?

You bet.
I got stung plenty

before I could even
get to the pond.

Well, I'm sure they were only
trying to protect their queen.

I got stung once
on the outhouse.

All right. Can anyone tell
me how a bee helps man?

Laura:
They make honey.

That's right,

and they also
pollinate the flowers.



Nellie: What does that mean?

Well, when the bee goes
about collecting the nectar

from the flower
to make his honey,

he carries the pollen on his
legs from flower to flower,

and that way,
it makes more flowers.

So, you see,
he really is man's friend.

All right.

Let's look at this diagram
of the grasshopper,

and we can learn the different
parts of the insect's body.

This is the head,
of course.

I'm sure that's easy
to remember.

This part is called
the thorax.

Let me hear
you say that.

Children: Thorax.

Right.
And this part is...

It's the behind.
That's where the bee stung me.

Willie, go stand
in the corner.

Now, the reason I'm having you learn
the different parts of the insect's body

is that I want you to
start collecting them,

all different kinds,

so we can compare them and
see how they're different.

Miss beadle, can we
collect butterflies?

Absolutely.

Miss beadle,
what good are butterflies to man?

They make the
world prettier.

Morning,
Ingalls.

Mr. Loudy.

Is Mr. Hanson
around?

Yeah.

What are you doing here, loudy?

Oh,
Mr. Hanson.

I came to see
you about a job.

Look,
we've been over this before,

and the answer is no.

Please,
Mr. Hanson.

Things are different.
I've changed.

I haven't had a drop
in weeks.

I told you
before, loudy.

I don't want to have anything
to do with the likes of you.

Now, get.

Please, Mr. Hanson.
I've looked everywhere.

I've just got
to have a job.

- Not here.
- It's been over 20 years!

I don't care if
it's 100 years.

It's because she married
me, isn't it?

Because
she married me?

The truth.
The truth, hanson!

Because you
killed her!

And nothing will ever
change that... Or you.

Mr. Loudy:
You're right, hanson.

Look! Nothing has changed!
Nothing!

You all
right?

Yeah.

When I see him,
I remember,

and I...

It's not because
she married him.

He was with
the railroad...

A construction
engineer...

And, uh, good
money, good job,

and I was
just beginning.

She was
a beautiful woman.

Don't you think he's
suffered enough?

The fire was
an accident.

It wasn't
his fault.

He saved himself and
his little girl...

But he left her in
that house to die.

He saved himself,
but not my Ellen.

You have work
to do, Charles.

Hi, ma.

Mary: Hi, ma.

Hello, girls.
You're home from school awfully early.

We walked
fast.

Because we got to get
started on our homework.

Laura, what are
you looking for?

We need
two jars.

What for?

For our
homework, ma.

We're studying
ento... Entomo...

We're studying bugs, ma.

Yeah.

Here's
two.

Can we use these two jars?

Oh, Laura, I'm running
awfully low on canning jars.

We'll bring
them back.

All right.

Caroline: I suppose I can
boil them out afterward.

Thanks, ma.

Mary: We need something to
catch butterflies with, too.

Uh, let's see.

You'll find some
cheesecloth in the drawer,

and I'm sure there's
some wire in the barn.

I'll get the wire.

I want to go with them.

Caroline: Don't you want
to go into town with me?

I want to catch bugs.

Caroline:
Ha ha ha!

All right.

Oh, ma, does she have to go?

You have to be real
quiet to catch bugs.

I'll be quiet.
I promise.

But we're going all
the way to Willow lake.

She wants to
go so badly.

Oh, all right.

If we don't get any
bugs, you'll know why.

Come on,
Carrie.

Keep an eye on her,

and be home in time
to help with supper.

Yes, ma'am.

I'm going
to catch bugs.

Good day,
miss beadle.

- Oh, Mrs. Ingalls, how are you?
- Fine.

My children just raced off
on their homework assignment.

Oh, I have the feeling
that, by tomorrow,

my classroom is going
to be literally buzzing.

I'll make sure they don't
bring anything that bites.

Oh, well, I guess
I'd appreciate that.

Have a nice day.
Bye-bye!

- Miss beadle!
Miss beadle: Yes, Willie?

Look at my
collection.

Uh, well, it's
very nice, Willie,

but I think you're supposed
to get your own collection.

I did. I got it from
behind the counter.

No, Willie.
What I mean is,

all the
other children

are going to go a long
way to find their insects.

A long ways? Ha!
Look on the back.

"Made in england."

None of the other kids are
going that long a ways.

I'll see you in school
tomorrow, Willie.

See you.

Laura: Get him, Mary!
- I'm trying!

Laura: Just...
- Oh!

Laura: Just
swoop it down.

Where'd he go?

Get him!
Get it.

Laura: Get him!

I'm trying.

Mary: Oh!

Grab him!

Mary:
Got it.

Don't
squeeze it.

I won't.

Where is he?

Careful, don't
hurt its wings.

See his big eyes?
And there's his feelers.

How many
we got now?

Let's see... we got
ants, a caterpillar,

a grasshopper,
and some ladybugs.

I hope they don't
eat each other.

They won't.

They're too worried about
being caught to be hungry.

Laura: We got a whole
bunch of them, Carrie.

Laura: Can I put them
in the jar for you?

Mary: No,
I can do it.

The top's
gone!

All the bugs
are gone!

Carrie!

Carrie, why did you do that?

I don't know.

Now, you
listen to me.

You sit here with
Jack and don't move.

Understand?

Yes.

Come on,
Laura.

Let's start
all over.

Laura: You stay there, Jack.

Aah!

Oh!

Charles?
You about ready?

Yeah, just got
to shut her down.

Climb aboard.

Hello,
Mr. Hanson.

How are you,
Mr. Hanson?

Charles: Unh!
I'm hungry as a bear.

What's the matter
with Mr. Hanson?

He didn't even
speak to me.

Oh, Wendell loudy
came by today.

Oh...

I felt sorry
for him.

It's never going to
change between those two.

Hyah!
Come on, Judy.

Hey, look at
these big ants.

Jack:

Jack, you were supposed
to stay with Carrie!

Be quiet, Jack.
You'll scare all the bugs away.

Be quiet!

Mary, he's acting
awful funny.

He always
acts funny.

No,
I mean it.

I think we'd better
check on Carrie.

We've come an
awful long way.

Yeah, I guess
you're right.

All right,
come on.

Jack:

Charles,
look.

Stay here.

Mr. Loudy?

What?

What do you want?

You all right?

Leave me alone.
You were there.

You saw me...
Begging for a job.

Yeah, well, I'm not the one that hires.
Hanson is.

Hey, come on.
Let me help you.

I don't need
your help!

Let me tell you something
about your friend,

the almighty Lars hanson.

After it happened and
I started drinking,

it was hanson who told the
god-fearing people in this town

to tell the judge to
take away my little girl.

They left me
with nothing,

and I ain't ever
going to forget.

Why don't you
come home with me

and take supper
with my family?

Supper? What do
you want from me?

Don't want
anything, I just...

Go on home with your family
and choke on your food.

I don't want it.

Suit yourself.

Ingalls?

You have children?

Yeah, 3 girls.

3 girls.

My little girl's...

A grown woman now.

I haven't seen her
in all these years.

But she wrote
me a letter.

She's coming
to see me.

After all
these years,

she's coming all this
way just to see me.

I'd rather be dead than
have her see me like this.

Then don't let her
see you this way.

What can I do?

I need a job,
some clean clothes,

and a decent
place to live.

It's no good for a man to
look good on the outside

when he's rotting
away on the inside.

Hey, come on,
take some supper with us.

Caroline, you know Mr. Loudy.

Certainly.

Charles: He's going to
have supper with us.

It won't be fancy,
Mr. Loudy,

but we've
got plenty.

Thank you.

Carrie?

Carrie, where are you?

Jack:

Something
is wrong.

Show us,
Jack.

Laura: Carrie!

Carrie!

Carrie?

I hear her.

Can you see her?

No, but she's close.

Laura, get pa!
Hurry!

Carrie, it's all right!

Pa'll be here!

Pa! Pa!

Pa!

Charles,
something's wrong.

Mary and Carrie
aren't with her.

Laura,
what's wrong?

It's Carrie.

What about her?
Where is she?

Where are
your sisters?

Carrie fell.

She fell down a hole...

In the field
by Willow lake.

Get in the wagon.
Show us.

Charles: Hyah!
Hyah! Hyah!

Charles:
Whoa!

Mary, how is she?

I don't
know, pa.

Carrie!

Caroline and Charles:
Carrie!

Carrie!

Carrie?

Carrie: Mama.

How deep do you
figure she is?

I can't tell.

Take a hold of me.
I'll see if I can reach her.

Try not to loosen
too much of the dirt.

Charles:
I'm stuck! I'm wedged in!

Force your way down.

Charles: I'm trying!

Charles: Hey, I can
almost reach her!

Charles:
I can see her!

Charles:
Just a little more.

Charles: Carrie!

Charles,
what happened?

Charles: Pull me up!

Charles: Pull!

I could almost reach her, and she
slipped away further down the hole.

What are we
going to do?

I got a shovel
in the wagon.

Ingalls, wait!

Ingalls,
listen to me.

I got to get my little
girl out of there!

But not
this way.

For every shovelful
of dirt you take out,

another will
fall on Carrie.

It won't take long
to Bury her.

We'll have to dig
a second shaft.

A second shaft?

A rescue one.

I used to be an engineer.
I know.

We'll dig alongside the well
to a level below Carrie,

then move up
through the well

and bring her up through
the second shaft.

We'll need more men and
equipment, though.

You ride into town.
I'll stay here and start digging.

We'll need picks
and shovels and rope

and the biggest
bellows you can find

and some
lengths of pipe.

- I'll get a bellows from the blacksmith.
- Good.

And a bottle.

Get me a bottle.

I need it.

Hyah!

5 pounds
of brown beans,

a tin of baking soda,
and a sack of whole-wheat flour.

Anything else I can
get you, Edwards?

Well, better get me a
plug of chewing tobacco.

One thing about working
at the lumber mill,

you can't light
many matches.

Charles: Nels! There's
been an accident.

I'm going to need
some equipment.

Edwards: What
kind of accident?

It's Carrie.
She fell down an old well.

It's all caved in.
There's no way to get her out.

I'm going to need picks,
shovels, rope, lanterns.

Anything you need.
Take it out of the storeroom.

Go ahead.

Willie!
Willie!

Sound the
alarm bell.

Tell every man that you see to
get over here as fast as he can.

Hurry up, now!
Come on!

Whoa!

Did you get everything
I asked for?

Any help
coming?

Charles: Yeah, I got everything. Oleson
and hanson are rounding some more men up.

Mr. Loudy: Good.
Grab a piece of that pipe.

I'll give you a hand with this.
And the rest of you, start digging.

I keep talking to her,
but she doesn't answer.

Mr. Loudy: Don't dig any closer
to the well than about 6 feet.

The soil's awful dry.

We don't want the wall
breaking in on her.

Get that pipe
down there slow.

I'll tie it off.

Slow.

Tie it off.

Talk to her.

I said talk to her!

Carrie.

Carrie, it's mama.

Caroline:
Your pa's here.

Caroline: Carrie,
it's going to be all right.

Caroline: Carrie,
can you hear me?

Talk again.

Tell her to
answer you.

Carrie, honey...
Answer mama.

Please.

Caroline:
Answer mama!

Carrie:

I can hear her.

I know it's
dark, honey...

Caroline: But we're
going to get you out.

We're going to
get her out.

Caroline: We're going
to get you out, baby.

Tell her
to be still.

We don't want
her to slip more.

Carrie,
listen to me.

Caroline:
Be very still.

Caroline:
Don't move at all.

We're coming
for you.

Mr. Loudy: Let's get
this thing hooked up.

Laura, get some
lanterns ready.

It's going to be
dark real soon.

Grace: I'll help.

Loudy: Mrs. Ingalls,
you and Mary start pumping this real slow.

She's going to need
some air down there.

Let's get
to digging.

Right.

Charles,
how's Carrie?

Well, we can
talk to her.

She's scared,
but I don't think she's hurt too bad.

Ah, let me
take a look.

Oh, this is good.
You've got air going down to her.

How deep
is she?

30 feet.

I ran a length
of rope down.

Loudy.

Wendell's been
a big help to us.

This was all his idea... the
air pipe and the rescue shaft.

Yeah, but why
the shaft?

Maybe she could take
hold of a rope...

Loudy: She's
wedged tight.

Besides, if she moved,
she could fall further.

All right, so let's see
what needs to be done here.

I want to shore up the walls
of this shaft as we go deeper.

I don't want anybody else
to be buried alive here.

Hanson: All right,
we've got lots of work to do.

Need two fresh
men in the hole.

All right, bring
me lumber, come on.

Come on, we need to
shore up the sides here.

Yeah,
that's good.

Get it
wider there.

You ready
for this?

Dr. Baker: Send
another light down.

Man: More rope.
Send more rope down.

Dr. Baker: We need a longer
rope for these buckets.

Ed, Jack, come here.

I want you fellas to
go back to my store

and get a whole lot more kerosene
oil, all right?

- Oh, Mr. Oleson.
- Yes, ma'am?

We're running a little
short of coffee, also.

Yes,
miss Edwards.

Ed,

pick up a couple of 10-pound bags
of coffee off the shelves, too.

It's going to
be all right.

They'll have
her out soon.

It's my fault.

I left her.

Why did I get
angry at her?

All she wanted to do was
play with the little bugs.

Carrie.

Carrie, honey,
answer me.

Carrie!

Two more feet, I think.

Then we can dig
through and get her.

Still
nothing, huh?

No.

Caroline just
tried again.

We haven't heard her
voice for two hours.

Man: We passed 30 feet!

Hanson: Good.

You come on up now.

Edwards, you
take over now

and you start
tunneling through.

Right.

Caroline...

You rest for
a while now.

You been at
it for hours.

I have to be near
my baby, grace.

I talked to her,
but she didn't answer.

Grace, why didn't she answer?

Let me take over
for you for a while.

No!

She's asleep.

That's why she
didn't answer.

She's asleep.

Caroline.

Honey, let
grace help.

Come with me.

Come on. We'll sit by the fire.

She's asleep,
Charles.

She... it's
very late,

and she's asleep.

She's asleep.

Reverend.

Yes, Charles?

Take Caroline by the
fire, would you?

Oh, certainly.

Go on.

No! I have to be
with my baby!

Caroline!

Why did
this happen?

Tell me why.

Tell me...

I just heard.

You...

You did this.

You sent them
out here.

Caroline,
there is no one to blame.

There is!

She sent them
out here!

They should have
been home with me.

Carrie should
have been...

With me.

Oh, my god.

I let her go.

Oh, god!

Oh, god.

I let her go.

Forgive me.
Forgive me.

Forgive me.

I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.

It's all right.

It's okay.

Shh.

Hanson: We need two
fresh men in the hole.

Edwards: A couple more
feet to tunnel through.

It's getting loose down there.
Be careful.

I'll be
careful.

How much longer?

Not much further.
A couple of minutes.

Dear god, let her
be all right.

Now, look, doc's going to
be right there with her.

Now, you see, she'll
be all right.

Now, come on.

It'll be all right.

Dr. Baker:
I've broken through!

Dr. Baker:
The lantern went out.

Send another one down.

Dr. Baker:
She's not here.

She must have
slipped down further.

Hanson: Hold the
lantern further down.

Can you see her?

Dr. Baker: No! Black
as pitch tar down here.

Throw down a rope.

I'll see how much
further she slipped.

Doesn't reach!

That's a
30-foot rope.

All right, we've got
lots of work to do.

Hanson: I've got to keep
those buckets coming.

Come on.

Dr. Baker:
Need another plank.

Hanson: All right,
you two come up here.

Dr. Baker: Need another
lantern down here.

Man: Need a shovel.

It's coal.

This is coal.

Ingalls!

It's coal,
don't you see?

Mr. Hanson, I've got something
very important for you.

Not now,
loudy.

Loudy: Listen to me.
You've got to stop digging.

You are
drunk.

Listen to me,
you pigheaded fool.

That's not a well the
little girl's fallen into.

It's a ventilation shaft
for a mine... a coal mine!

If you don't
stop digging,

you risk collapsing the
wall and burying her.

You are crazy.

There is no coal mine around here or
any other kind of mine for that matter.

It could have been
dug years ago.

If she is in a ventilation
shaft, we can find the mine

and work our way
towards the shaft

where it turns
into the tunnel.

I can smell the
liquor on your breath,

and the only mines around here
are in your drunken imagination.

Couldn't you be wrong
for once in your life?

No!

Come on, let's get this
lumber down the tunnel.

That hole is too
narrow and too deep.

We thought the
sides had caved in.

If they had,
it couldn't be that deep.

There's got to be
a mine around here.

Carl: There is
a mine around here.

Where is it, son?
Where is it?

Well,
I ain't been there in the dark,

but I'm sure it's just
over the Ridge a ways.

Do you think
you can find it?

I think so.

Hanson: Man coming down.

Man: Get some
light over here.

Man 2: We need some
more timber down here!

I just don't
understand.

I was sure it was
right along here.

Charles: You said it
was all boarded up, huh?

Yes, sir. Boarded up,

and it had a bunch of brush
growing in front of it.

It'll be hard to
find in the dark.

Loudy:
Over here.

Carl: Yep, this is it.

Mr. Edwards: How'd you
ever get in there, boy?

Carl: I used to board
it back up when I left

to keep out the
animals and things.

All right, we can
slip through now.

All right,
stay here, boy.

I paced off 1,200 yards from the
shaft to the top of the Ridge.

Allowing for
a crooked tunnel,

I figure Carrie to be about
2,000 yards from here.

Let's go.

Charles: Which way?

Loudy: Carrie's got to
be to the south of us.

Back that way.

Hanson: All right, you
two, out of the shaft.

I need two fresh
men down there.

Who's the
strongest here?

You and you.

All right, now,
take it easy.

This is it!
It's the air shaft.

Ingalls, it's not
the right shaft.

We haven't
come far enough.

But this has to be it.
We're at the end of the tunnel.

We haven't come far enough.
It's the other tunnel.

Mr. Oleson:
How far have we dug?

Hanson:
About 30 feet.

Man in tunnel: It's getting
even looser down here.

Hanson: Start
to tunnel across.

Ingalls!

Boost
me up.

You all right?

Charles: I can see her!

I can see her foot!

It's caving in from
all that digging.

Those timbers
are going to go.

Hurry up,
Charles!

Charles: I got her! I got her foot.
She's wedged in!

Hurry!

Charles: I can't
get her loose.

Man in tunnel:
Get us out!

Come on!

Mr. Oleson: Hold on.
Hold on. Come on.

What happened?

The whole
thing caved in.

It... it's
no use.

Charles: Caroline!

Caroline!

Loudy...

You were right,
and I was wrong.

Thank god.

You were right
about something else.

It was because
she married you.

I...

I loved her so...

We both did.

If you're still
interested in that job...

Thanks... lars.

I sure could use it.