The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 5, Episode 6 - The Nightwalker - full transcript

What's that?

There's something!

Elizabeth!

Well, we know of every
living soul on this mountain,

and there's no one near here
that goes stalking in the darkness.

Ladies, I found that
under a tree outside.

So I think maybe
you'd better be sure

all your doors and
windows are locked.

Storytelling was
an art in our family.

It was not only entertaining,

but a way of
preserving family history,



local legends and
a few tall tales.

Stories of ghosts and nameless
things that moved in the night

were told by my grandfather

in the warmth of the fireplace.

But they lived only
in our imaginations,

until one quiet, moonless night,

it seemed that something
was watching us.

There's something
stirring the animals.

There's someone around the barn.

What's all the racket?
Let's go find out.

Why don't we turn
on a light? Shh!

See anything?

I saw a man. He was standing
right over there under that tree.

Who would it be
this time of night?



I don't know. Looked
like he was tall.

Wonder why Reckless didn't bark.

Some watchdog.

She usually barks her head off
when anybody comes around.

Let's take a look.

All right. I'll go over here.

Nothing missing in
the mill or the barn.

Something was out
there, that's for sure.

The animals don't carry
on like that for nothing.

John-Boy said it
was tall and scary.

Your brother's got more
imagination than he needs.

Yeah, whatever it was, it must've
scared Reckless. She didn't even bark.

Probably just some tramp
trying to find a place to sleep.

Oh, no.

Tramps don't get out
this way very much,

those knights of the road,

but during the
Depression, you know,

when folks hit rock bottom,

they're likely to take
to the open road.

You find anything in the barn?

Nothing missing.

Saw any footprints,
anything like that?

Lots of footprints, mostly ours.

Listen, will somebody
tell Jason to hurry up?

You can blame the Depression

on that man in the White House.

Now, Esther, the Depression
started under Hoover

and Roosevelt's just
fixing up the unemployment.

I got my own
unemployment problem.

Thelma's closed the Dew
Drop Inn for a couple of weeks

and gone to Florida.

I'd call that a mixed blessing.

Oh, uh, hurry up.

Hmm?

John-Boy said to hurry up.

With all that going-on last
night, nobody woke me up?

Well, it couldn't have been much
of a to-do, 'cause I slept like a log.

Ben, tuck your shirt in.

You boys go straight to school.

Jim-Bob? He has to
go to the junkyard first.

I have to find some
parts for my car.

You can do that some other day.

I want you to point
yourselves at school

and don't you stop
till you get there.

Bye-bye. Bye, Mama. Bye, Dad.

There you are! I've been
waiting for you all morning.

All morning? Five minutes.

It's not my idea. Mama says we
have to walk to school together.

I don't want you
girls walking alone.

You stay together.
And stick to the road.

No short-cutting
through the woods.

Well, I don't want to go if there's gonna
be some thing out there to grab me.

Nothing like that's
gonna happen.

Just watch out for strangers.

Ah, Daddy, I've got to go.

♪ You take the byway
and I'll take the highway ♪

Bye, Grandpa. So long, honey.

Hey, Ike!

Hey, John-Boy, Jason!

Got any mail for
us in there, Ike?

No. Not a thing. No?

Well, I guess you guys pulled up
here 'cause you want some gas, huh?

Yeah, about three
gallons ought to do it.

Hey, you know, you guys
could do me a big favor.

You need something delivered?

No, but if you could spread
the word about my hall.

I got it all cleaned up.

Oh, is that what you've been
doing over there? Looks good.

Yeah. It's got new
plumbing and electricity.

And I spent almost $75 on it.

Lot of money.

Yeah. I'd appreciate it if
you'd spread the word around

and tell everybody about
it 'cause it's big and clean,

and the rent's reasonable, too.

That's three gallons.

$1 bill. Out of a dollar.

Come here.

I got an idea.

Yeah? Yeah.

Why don't you get together with
a couple of your musician friends,

rent this place
and give a dance?

Me? Yeah.

You crazy? Why?

You could make a nice
piece of change off of it.

Sure, if I was a
millionaire to start with.

You don't have
to be a millionaire.

What am I gonna do for
money to rent the hall?

You don't have to
pay him in advance.

You pay him from the
money you get from the tickets.

Pay Ike, pay the musicians,

and then maybe you get
a nice profit for yourself.

It's that "maybe" in
there I'm worried about.

Jason, take a chance.

I took a chance
on a printing press.

I guarantee you
one thing for sure,

you have a dance
here, everybody'll come.

Mark my words.

Here's your change. Thank you.

Now listen, I want you to tell
everybody about my hall, huh?

Talk it up. I'd rather you took
an ad in The Chronicle, Ike.

Ike, how much did you
say that hall rents for?

$3 a night during the
week and $5 on weekends.

You know, that's a bargain, too.

Zack Roswell
charges $6 for his barn.

Why? Do you have
somebody in mind?

I just might. Yeah?

I'll let you know.

Will you tell them it's got
electricity and running water? Huh?

And it's sparkling clean.

Sure.

Hey, and I also... I also
put the wax on the floor, free.

Let you know.

And it's got its own heat!

Jim-Bob, you looked
through all that junk yesterday.

I know, but I thought I saw a
headlight in here someplace.

Only Jim-Bob would
build a car out of junk.

Well, if we wait for him,
we'll never get home.

We're going on, Jim-Bob.

A whippoorwill?

Never heard one in here before.

No, they're usually
down by the pond.

I wonder why it makes
such a lonely sound.

Spooky!

You know, Grandpa says a whippoorwill
has a drop of human blood in its body.

Let's go home.

What's that?

There's a man in there.

There's something.

Elizabeth!

I came by about two minutes
afterward and I didn't see anybody.

Elizabeth, honey,
where was that exactly?

Elizabeth, what did you see?

Well...

It was sort of
past the junk pile.

Where the woods and
the road are together.

First we heard a whippoorwill.

And then we heard a noise,

sort of like an
animal in the bushes.

Well, could have been a deer.

They come down to
drink that time of day.

Wasn't a deer.

It was following us,

right alongside, in the bushes.

Well, we know of every
living soul on this mountain,

and there's no one near here
that goes stalking in the darkness.

Could be an outsider, Ma.

Could have been your
imagination, Elizabeth.

It wasn't my imagination.

Could have been a bear.

You know, lot of bears still
up on Walton's Mountain.

Not very likely, Pa.

How long's it been since we've had
a bear come down here this close?

Mmm, maybe four year back,

but that's possibly just
what that bear thought.

Says, "Oh, goodness gracious,

"I haven't been down there to
call on them Waltons for a long time.

"I'd better mosey down there and
see just what those Waltons been up to."

Or maybe it was
a prehistoric man

who's been frozen in a cave for a
million years and he just got thawed out.

No. No, I know just what it was.

From around here.
Old Tall-Paul Tucker.

It was his ghost!

He hung around here between
Drucilla's Pond and the graveyard.

Oh, I recollect seeing him around
here many, many times in the old days.

You never told us about him.

No? Old Tall-Paul Tucker?

Oh, he was a fearsome fellow.

Why, if you swung
an ax handle at him,

he'd bite it right in two.

And he could pull
up a barbwire fence

and balance the fence
pole right on his nose.

Oh, it took a lot of fellows from
over Skylar to help catch him.

We finally did.

We hung him out
there by the barn, there,

by that old black locust tree.

Why'd they do that, Grandpa?

Why, because he was killing
all the cattle around here.

The last cow he devoured,
ate it up hide and all.

Nothing left but maybe
a hoof or a horn or two.

Zeb, there's not a word of
truth in that and you know it.

Well, I believe it.

You'll believe anything.

Come on, Pa. Help
me check the animals.

John.

I'd feel a lot easier if... if Erin was
safe home from that telephone office.

She'll be all right, Ma.

She said she was gonna call
me as soon as she got off duty

so I could go pick her up.

I'm just worried
because of that prowler

we had around
the house last night.

Why, I don't blame you one iota.

If I had a daughter her age,

why, I wouldn't want
her sneaking around

with some nameless
individual out there in the dark.

The girls thought they saw
him again this afternoon,

walking home from school.

Oh, Mr. Godsey, I do
hope that you will make sure

that all the doors are securely
fastened before we retire tonight.

I'm gonna call. She
should have called by now.

Miss Fanny, this
is John-Boy Walton.

Is Erin there?

A long time ago? She
was supposed to call...

Okay. Thank you.

It is sort of strange
she hasn't called.

Well, I could start driving
towards Rockfish right now,

but I know she's too smart
to walk home in the dark.

What's the matter with you?

Why didn't you call me
like you were supposed to?

I thought I'd save you the trip.

Just as I got off the switchboard,
the Baldwin ladies came by.

So they brought me out.

We're certainly relieved
that you're safely home.

Well, I'm sure the
family's worried, too.

We better get on home.
Thank you very much.

Good night,
John-Boy. Good night.

Good night, Erin.

Please make sure that
the doors are locked.

Sometimes that bolt doesn't
go all the way through.

Honey, you can rest assured,

it will be as tight as a drum.

Oh, I know I won't get
a wink of sleep tonight

with that marauder
roaming around the area.

Honey, folks are always
seeing and hearing things,

but it's mostly in their mind!

I know, but...

Nevertheless.

What is it?

It was peering in the window.

What?

A face!

A face?

Pray, where are you going?

I'm going to call the sheriff.

And leave me at the mercy
of this marauding maniac?

Corabeth, come with me!

You in the middle of something?

I'm just getting some
typos off the front page.

Well, if we talked
to you for a minute,

would it throw you out of gear?

Well, it probably means
the paper won't get out,

and then Fanny Tatum won't see
her sister's marriage on the front page

and she'll come
after me with a stick.

I was telling Ben your
idea about having the dance

at Ike's hall. Oh, yeah?

We could make a
lot of money out of it.

See, I figured I could get
this little band together.

Boys from school.

And we wouldn't
play music all the time,

like Bobby Bigelow.

We'd play regular dance music,

like the bands on the radio.

You know, like Stardust and
Music Goes Round and Round

and things like that. Yeah.

Well, that would sure beat
another square dance, wouldn't it?

How much you figuring to charge?

Twenty-five cents a person.

That's reasonable.

Well, that's 50 cents a couple,

and the first 10 couples
will pay for Ike's hall.

Oh, you could get 50
couples in there easy,

no trouble at all.
That's $25 right there.

Don't forget Ike's hall. And
we need to pay three musicians.

I'll figure it out. Let
me figure it out here.

What, you got the hall,

then you got the
musicians. The musicians.

$5 and $6... $5 and $6 is $11.

$5 and $6... Okay, the hall
and musicians cost you $11.

Mmm-hmm.

And you're gonna need tickets.

That's right! Oh, tickets.

You gotta have tickets.

You need tickets and an ad
for the paper to get people there.

And don't worry about it. I'll
give you the wholesale price.

Let's see. Tickets and
an ad would be, um...

$4. How's $4?

That's good. That's good, yeah.

Okay, so that's $11 and $4.

You got $15.

$15. We gonna
have anything left?

You'll have something
left. How much did you say?

Well, I said $25 for 50 couples.

Well, that's 15,
that's $10 left over.

That's not bad for one night.
That's good. That's good.

We can easily
round up 50 couples.

When's it gonna be,
next Saturday night?

Okay, why don't you
come in tomorrow, Ben,

and set up an ad for it,
all right? And, uh, then I'll...

Wait a minute. You don't
have a name for this band.

What are you
gonna call this band?

I can't think of anything.

Jason and the Squirrels. No.

Jason Walton and
the Rhythm Kings.

That's not bad. I
like that. That's good.

You know, this could really be
the beginning of something big.

Don't forget to
tell Ike tomorrow.

Yeah, I'll do that. Okay.

Good.

Thanks for the idea, John-Boy.

Oh, my pleasure.

It sure is dark out there.

You go first.

My brave brother.

Well, what if there's
something out there?

Something out there, huh?

Get out there! Hey! Good night.

Night.

Oh, man.

Back to work, back to work.

Jason Walton and
the Rhythm Kings.

Sister, I fear we're
becoming set in our ways.

I was not aware of it.

Well, I do believe we are.

In fact, I'm sure of it.

What leads you to
believe this, Sister?

Well, for example,

the way we turn out the
lights when we go to bed.

Is there some other way?

Well, I mean, first
we turn out this light,

then that one, and
that one is always last.

Now, suppose we
turned out that one first,

then that one,
and then this one?

What an interesting possibility.

Sister, you've always
been a free thinker.

Let's do it.

That explains why we've
always done it the other way.

Now we'll never find
our way to the hall.

Sister?

What is it?

I think there's someone
in our backyard.

Oh? Who could it possibly be?

Perhaps someone who has
come for some of the Recipe.

Perhaps it's Papa's ghost.

Oh, I wouldn't think so, dear.

I've always been convinced that Papa
would come back from the other side,

should the opportunity arise.

There's someone at the door.

Miss Mamie.

Oh, come in.

Thank you.

Miss Emily, good evening.

I hope I haven't
disturbed you ladies.

Oh, not at all. We're
delighted to see you.

We thought it might
be someone else.

You must be cold.

Would you accept
a sip of the Recipe?

Oh, no, thank you very much.

Actually, this isn't
really a social call.

I was just working late,

and I got to thinking about you
two ladies over here by yourselves,

and, uh, I just wanted to
make sure you were all right.

Oh, we are. Aren't we?

Oh, yes, quite.

Well, the reason I
came over to ask is that...

I don't want you to be
afraid, now, or anything,

but there's been
some talk lately

about a... a stranger sort of
wandering around the neighborhood.

It's nothing to be afraid of.

What a coincidence.

Just before you rang our bell,

we thought we saw
someone in our backyard.

I think I'll check
outside, all right?

Oh, uh, John-Boy,
through the Recipe room.

It's faster.

Okay.

Perhaps we should get Papa's
pistol out of his desk drawer.

Oh, I am more
terrified of that pistol

than I am of any stranger.

I don't mean we should fire it.

We could simply
point it at the prowler

and assume some
threatening pose.

Oh, no.

Those things often
explode automatically,

and one or both of us might
easily be mortally wounded.

Then I'll just get a hatpin.

I didn't see anyone.

Is this yours?

No. At least, I don't think so.

It's a sack full of apples.

We always use the basket.

It's a little wicker basket

that Papa brought back
from the Philippines.

Ladies, I found that
under a tree outside.

So I think maybe
you better be sure

all your doors and
windows are locked.

Oh, we will.

We surely will.

It was very nice of you
to stop by, John-Boy.

You sure you gonna be all right?

Yes. Yes.

'Course we'll be all right.

Okay. Well, I guess I
better be going, then.

Thank you, John-Boy. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Good night, ladies.

Good night,
John-Boy. Good night.

Sister, don't leave
me here alone.

Lorin!

Lorin!

Lorin?

Ma'am?

Ma'am, could I give you a lift?

My name's John Walton.

Did you see anybody on the road?

No, no one except for you.

Can I give you a lift somewhere?

Ma'am?

Lorin!

Lorin!

There's enough
firewood back there

to hold you for a
while, Miss Emily.

Oh, thank you, John.

Oh, Sister, John Walton brought
the firewood for the fireplace.

Oh, how nice, John. How
much do we owe you?

$1 should take care of
it, Miss Mamie. Oh, fine.

Would you like to
share our tea with us?

All right. Oh, good.

Good.

What did we want to ask John
Walton, Mamie? We had a question.

Oh, it was about the chairs,
Sister. The wicker chairs.

They broke, you know.

And you would do us a very great
favor if you'd look at them, John.

All right. Papa was
very fond of them.

Fixing wicker furniture
is a little bit out of my line.

Whatever it costs
is perfectly all right.

Papa would want only the best.

Well, I'll have
to think about it.

Oh! Well, look who's here.

Ladies. BOTH: Hello.

John, I figured it was
time we looked into

who's doing all this
night prowling up here.

I saw this apparition right
outside our window last night,

and there were two
sacks of cornmeal

missing from the
shed this morning.

Why, I was terrified.

So was Mr. Godsey.

Neither one of us
got a wink of sleep.

I brought Corabeth up here.

I thought we could
all compare notes

and get some idea of
what this fellow looks like.

That's gonna be
kind of hard to do, Ep.

No one's actually seen him.

Well, now, if it's
the same phantom

that was in our backyard
last night, he is tall.

Very much like Papa.

Erin and Elizabeth had
a kind of a look at him,

but he was in the shadows
down by the river road.

What'd the girls say?

He was wearing overalls,

seemed to have dark,
curly hair, barefoot.

Sheriff, unless you discover
the identity of this person,

not a living soul on
Walton's Mountain

will dare venture
out after dark.

The piano goes with
the rent, you know, Jason.

It's a marvelous instrument.

There's one key that
sticks, though. It's...

Yeah. E-flat above middle C.

Yeah. But it loosens up
after you play it a little while.

It'll be fine. Mmm.

I really like what you did, Ike.

It's nice.

You did a good
job of fixing it up.

Thank you. Thank you.

What were you planning
on using it for, Jason?

Gonna have a piano recital?

No, a dance.

Oh, a dance. Mmm-hmm.

What night were you
planning on reserving it?

Saturday, maybe.

Maybe? Mmm.

Oh, well, I'd have
to know for sure.

Because this afternoon,

I might be booked up
for the whole weekend,

and then I'd be
forced to raise prices.

Oh, come on, Ike,
that's a lot of baloney.

No, no, no, there are a lot of
folks that are interested in it.

How many?

Well, uh... I tell you what.

You take it Saturday night,

and, uh, and I'll
furnish the balloons.

Balloons, huh?

Well, I'm gonna need
some refreshments.

How about you
furnishing the lemonade?

Okay. Corabeth's lemonade.

All right, and I'll
bring the doughnuts.

Is it a deal? It's a deal.

Okay. Saturday night it is.

Saturday night.

Elizabeth, if you had to
make something for school,

why didn't you pick
something easy,

like a table mat?

'Cause I wanted a birdcage.

You couldn't have
picked anything harder.

When I was in your grade and
Mrs. Fordwick gave us weaving,

I made a table mat.

Who wants a dumb old table mat?

Well, at least I finished it.

I'll finish this.

When you're 100 years old!

Any time, now, you two can
stop picking at each other.

Where are you gonna find a bird?

I'll catch one.

When I went to school,

we learned how to read
and to write and to add sums.

I don't know what's in Rosemary's
mind, weaving birdcages.

Grandma, Elizabeth can weave
a mousetrap if she has a mind to.

Hey, everybody, Jason
has some great news!

Tell them about the deal, Jason.

I'm renting Ike's
hall for Saturday.

I'm giving a dance.

I'm handling the
tickets and advertising.

Ben, this sounds like
one of your schemes.

Did you put Jason up to this?

It was John-Boy's idea.

I thought it was
a real good idea,

and it'll help me pay
for my tuition at school.

Sounds exciting.

I think I'll get myself
dressed up fit to kill,

and then I'll meet
some handsome boys.

Jason Walton and
the Rhythm Kings.

Sounds pretty nifty, huh?

Mama, I was wondering
if maybe you and Daddy

could act as
chaperones on Saturday.

I'll talk to your father.

I expect we'll be there.

Thanks, Mama. How
about you, Grandma?

Well, I don't think you could
keep your grandpa away,

so I'll just go along to
keep him out of trouble.

All right.

Great.

You children are born dancers.

Well, Daddy says
we got it from him.

Well, I'll give him some of
the credit, but not all of it.

Daddy and Grandpa
are missing all the fun.

Where are they, anyway?

They're hunting
up on the mountain.

To get some food to
feed this crazy bunch.

Come on, Elizabeth.

Looks like that deer
heard us coming, Pa.

Well, we still could go way over to
that burnt out area there by the oak tree

and maybe get us a turkey.

What, you spot something?

Looks like some smoke over
the old Montgomery place.

Oh.

Looks like somebody
set up housekeeping, Pa.

Sure does.

Got a fire going in the chimney,
she's got her laundry out.

Hello? Anybody home?

Afternoon.

Afternoon, ma'am.

What do you want?

Well, we was just hunting
up here on the oak ridge

and didn't know anybody
was here in this place.

Well, I wasn't expecting
any company, either.

I'm John Walton, ma'am.
This is my father, Zeb.

We live down below.

I'm Zeb Walton.

And what might your
name be, ma'am?

Eva Hadley.

You buy this place?

Sarah Montgomery
was my mama's sister.

Oh! That's fine stock, yes.

It must be kind of
lonesome for you,

living up here all
by yourself, hmm?

I get along.

Well, if you should
happen to need anything,

you just slide on down the
mountain to the Waltons' place.

We'd be glad to help you out.

I'm not planning on it.

Fine baskets you
got there, ma'am.

They was here when I come.

No telling who made 'em.

Well...

Well, I guess we'd
better be getting along.

We'll go on down by the... the
ridge road. Afternoon, ma'am.

Afternoon, ma'am.

Did you get the feeling that there
was somebody out in the back, there?

I sure did, Pa.

Well, that should
bear some looking into.

Come on, let's
get us a turkey first.

Into the peaceful,
unchanging pattern of the days,

the presence of the
stranger moved like a cloud,

casting a shadow of
fear across the village.

The people drew
away from each other,

and not knowing
when or from where

the menace might appear, they...

Sorry, John-Boy.
You writing your novel?

No, actually,

I'm working on an
idea I had for a story.

Had this idea about a small town

with some kind of sneaky
prowler sort of wandering around

and getting everybody all upset.

How does it end?

We don't know yet, do we?

Don't you ever just sit
around and do nothing?

Oh, yeah, all the time.

I just try not to let anybody
catch me at it, that's all.

This the new one?

Hmm? Yeah.

Are the tickets
really going fast?

Well, I don't know
if they're selling fast,

but they sure are
going out of here fast.

Well, I hope they sell.

People are so afraid to
go out after dark anymore.

Yeah. I'd say it's
pretty nice of you

to be so concerned
for your brothers.

Oh, I'm not concerned
for my brothers.

What do you mean?

Well, if they don't
have the dance,

how am I gonna meet anybody?

Hey, Ike, you think
people can see that?

See it?

They can see it clear from
the top of Walton's Mountain.

Good. That ought
to bring them in.

Uh, how many
tickets you sold so far?

Well, it takes a little time
for people to hear about it.

How many did you sell?

Two or three.

But once the paper's
out, business will pick up.

People will hear about it.

Come on, Elizabeth. Coming.

You know, looks like
a pretty good post.

Yeah. A post is a post.

You know, maybe we
should hang some on barns.

Nobody'd see it
but cows and goats.

Yeah. But, you know, there
are lots of signs on barns.

Yeah, but that's just
for chewing tobacco.

Here, use another one.

How many more
posters we got left?

Two, but there are
probably more at the house.

Okay.

There we go.

Yeah, looks okay. Hurry up.

Okay, let's go.

Grandma, do you think this dress
is too faded to wear to the dance?

Looks nice.

As long as it's clean
and it covers you,

that's all that matters.

But I want to wear
something nicer

than one of Mary Ellen's
old hand-me-downs.

Maybe I'll wear a
bright red sash with it.

Dressing in red is
for fancy women.

Well, maybe I'll
be a fancy woman.

And maybe I'll just put you
over my knee and spank you.

Well, you're not too tall yet.

Mmm! What's baking?

Oh, doughnuts.

Esther.

Oh, Esther, your beauty is
exceeded only by your doughnuts.

Where's John? He's
out plucking the turkey.

You know, we could
smell your doughnuts

clear alongside
Walton's Mountain.

Grandpa? Yes?

Do you like ladies in red?

Oh, yes. Oh, yes. I do.

♪ The lady in red
♪ The lady in red

♪ The boys are all crazy about
the lady in red ♪ Zeb, stop that.

Will you stop it? Hmm?

I thought when you got
older you'd get more decent,

but you just get worse.

Oh! Why, thank you, Esther.

♪ The lady in red ♪

Oh, Esther.

I was about ready to send
the boys out to look for you.

We got us some
fine bird here, Ma.

Tough time flushing it out.

It's a beauty.

Yeah, we also found us a new
neighbor up on the mountain.

Yeah? Whereabouts?

Up at the old Montgomery place.

Yeah. She called herself Hadley.

Gave us to believe
she lived alone.

I don't know.

Seemed to me somebody
else was around.

Yeah, she was
downright unfriendly to us.

Yeah.

Things going on around
here I don't understand.

Strange things.

Like the devil himself
has come to the mountain.

What's the matter with you?

I'm just worried.

I can't sell any
tickets for that dance.

Nobody wants to go out at night.

All they wanna do is
buy locks for their doors.

I don't blame them.

People are scared of
what they don't know.

Imagination.

Well, would you let the girls walk
down to the store alone tonight?

Well, would you?

Hey, let's put it right here.

This looks like a good place.

Hurry up. I can't
hold it all day.

Okay.

That's the last one.
Let's go home, I'm hungry.

Hmm.

It's him!

Come on.

Mama, we're going down
to Ike's to decorate the hall.

I don't want you children
walking through the woods

after what happened to
Elizabeth and Jim-Bob.

Well, I don't like it either,

but I thought it would be
safe with the three of us.

I'll see y'all later. I'm
going into Rockfish.

Take some passengers
along and drop them off at Ike's.

- All right, come on.
- Thanks, John-Boy.

You children wait for a
ride to bring you home.

We will.

Come on, let's go.
I don't have all day.

The woman sure
picked a lonely place.

I figured she doesn't
live here alone, Ep.

Well, let's find out.

Is this her work?

Don't know.

Get off my property!
What do you want?

Ma'am, this is Sheriff Bridges.

We'd like to talk
to you a little.

What did you bring
the sheriff here for?

I haven't done anything.

Ma'am, you living here alone?

My boy is here with me.

Is he close by?

He's out hunting.

Could we talk to him?

You leave him alone.

Miss Hadley, we didn't come
here to bring you any trouble.

We'd just like to know a little
more about you and about your son.

There's nothing to know.

We come here from
Buckingham County.

Well, ma'am, would you mind

if we wait around
and talk with your boy?

He'll be gone all day.

Now you go on
and get out of here.

Go on and leave me alone!

Well,

guess we'll just have
to look for him ourselves.

Well, I must say I have
presided at livelier meals.

A little quiet is
good for the soul.

You and Ep find
anything up at that cabin?

Mrs. Hadley has a son.

Did you see him?

She's hiding him.

What's Ep gonna do about it?

How Ep Bridges ever got
to be sheriff, I'll never know.

He's so slow that you have
to look twice to see him move.

He has no cause
to arrest anyone, Ma.

Did he chase you, Jim-Bob?

We didn't give him the chance.

We got out as fast
as we could. Yeah.

I'm the one that ought
to have him locked up.

It's on account of
him I'm not selling

any tickets to the dance.

Well, if you don't have it after all
the work we did decorating that hall,

I'll hate you, Jason.

I've got to have
it. I promised Ike.

I promised three
musicians from school

who are coming here
tonight to practice.

And I've only sold four tickets.

Well, I tried, Jason.

I've been all over.

I'm gonna be in debt
for the rest of my life.

I have 37 cents you can borrow.

Oh, great. You can
come and see me

when I'm in jail for bankruptcy.

Oh, why don't you stop?

Nobody's going
to throw you in jail.

Somebody's gonna
throw me someplace.

Yeah.

Oh, great. That's
the fellas in the band.

I wish you'd never come up
with this dumb idea, anyway.

There was nothing
wrong with the idea.

And don't holler
at me, all right?

Jason, where are you going?

Out to the barn to practice.

We can't play in here.

Last week he was
sitting on top of the world.

Hey, Jason, how're we gonna
practice out here without a piano?

Oh, I'll just fake it on guitar.

We'll have a piano when
we get down there, though,

so it'll be all right.

Okay. Yeah.

Uh, Shuffle Off To Buffalo?

Okay. Let's take
it from the top.

A one, a two, a one, two, three.

I'm sorry about that.

That was a little,
um, a little off.

Yeah.

Let's try it again from the top.

Everybody ready? Got
your high hat adjusted?

Yeah. Okay.

A one, a two, a one, two, three.

Hey, that's him!

Hey, I want to talk to you.

Hey! What's going
on? Who is that?

Jason?

Why don't you say something?

What's going on
here? Who are you?

What's the matter,
can't you talk?

He hasn't said anything.

You're scared to death.

This boy wouldn't hurt anybody.

Grandma, he can hear you. Oh.

Cookies and milk.

Come on, sit down.

So that's your vicious
night-stalking monster.

Where is he?

He's in there.

Lorin, did you
get yourself hurt?

We're truly sorry, Mrs. Hadley.

Lorin startled the boys
and they chased him.

Had to happen sooner or later.

He's all I got.

His daddy run off somewhere.

Eighteen years old now.

Mute from the day he was born.

They treated him
bad in Little Creek.

That's why we
come to the country,

to get away from the torment.

To find some peace.

Living's been hard.

If he stole food,

I'll try the best I
can to repay you.

That's the onliest thing
he knows how to do,

is weave

and make the sound of birds.

I know a couple of wicker
chairs he could do wonders for.

Remarkable. Truly remarkable.

Sister, if Lorin would be
willing to repair them all,

we could furnish this
whole room with wicker.

Oh, I do love wicker.
It's so comfortable.

Oh, and it has
such style. Uh-huh.

Don't you think so, Lorin?

Oh, Caruso liked that.

And you thought this dance
was going to be a big failure.

Well, the word sure got
around. Everybody's out.

Aren't you lucky to
have a smart brother?

Well, I always told you
that Jason was smart.

I was talking about me.

I know you were.

Where are all those handsome
men you were talking about?

Well, I'm dancing with one.

Oh, well. Thank you very much.

You sure we're welcome?

Of course.

Welcome.

No charge. It's on
the management.

I'm glad you could come.

Lorin Hadley became a valued
member of our community,

and his skills supported his
mother and himself from that day on.

Jason didn't get rich from
that dance at Godsey's Hall,

but it did provide an
unforgettable milestone

in our memories of those
lean but wonderful years.

Why do girls like
dancing better than boys?

Because girls are more romantic.

Well, is a boy supposed to

talk to a girl when
they're dancing?

You're supposed
to whisper in her ear.

Nobody does that.

Oh, Daddy does.

- He does not.
- Yes, he does.

What does he say, Mama?

Good night.