The Waltons (1971–1981): Season 8, Episode 1 - The Home Front: Part 1 - full transcript

I can't believe
I'm finally home.

Well, let's get you settled,
then maybe I'll believe it.

I got a call from the
Army this afternoon.

It seems that Tommy
Satterfield's gone AWOL.

I didn't know Tommy was
old enough to be in the Army.

There's only one place
for him up in the hills.

- I ain't going back, Mr. Walton.
- Stay right where you are, boy.

You can't hide out, Tom.
They'll come get you one day.

There's not much breathing
room in them prisons.

If anything happens
to my boy, John Walton,

it'll be on your head.



Liv, I was the one
who drafted him.

I sent him off, or
he'd be alive today.

I hate this draft
board job, Liv.

I can't stand playing God
to my neighbors' sons.

You're gonna be sorry for the
day you took my boy off to die.

- You and your local draft board.
- I know how you feel, Calvin.

Drinking isn't
gonna do any good,

and taking it out on me isn't
gonna bring Tommy back.

That depends on
how I do it, I'd say.

I'm gonna make
you a trade, Walton.

You'll be paying for the life of my
son with the life of one of your own.

You hear me?

It was one spring da y during the
war that our mother came back to us,

and with her arrival it seemed that
everything began to look brighter.



In Europe and North A frica, the
Allied forces were gaining strength,

giving new hope to those
of us on the home front.

There were dark
da ys still ahea d,

but for now it was
peaceful on the Mountain,

and m y family rejoiced
in being together again.

- I'd forgotten how beautiful you all are!
- Welcome back, Mama.

Elizabeth. My, how you've grown!
What have you been feeding him?

Jason. Jim-Bob, you're so thin.

Erin, you're a young
woman. Elizabeth, you too.

- Mama, this is Cindy.
- Mrs. Walton.

So pretty.

I can't believe
I'm finally home.

Well, let's get you settled,
then maybe I'll believe it.

Jim-Bob, get the bag.

Wait till you see
the living room.

I hope you haven't
changed things all around.

- Daddy wouldn't let us.
- Not us, we painted a little bit.

I was so anxious to get your
mama home, and I was halfway here

before I realized we'd left the
luggage on Aunt Kate's front lawn.

That was the longest part of
the trip, going back for them.

Grandma's gonna be
sorry she went visiting

when she hears
you're home, Mama.

She needs a vacation, knowing how
well you all behaved while I was gone.

Oh, Mama, here.

It took us a week to save up
ration points to get that roast.

In that case, I'll
have another piece.

That's all right. You eat up
now. Keep your strength up.

Nothing wrong with my strength.
The doctor says I'm good as new.

Somebody else is coming
home, Mama. Aimee Godsey.

That's good news. It seems like
she's been at boarding school forever.

Yeah, Elizabeth's been
marking the days off the calendar.

Boys don't understand about
friends. All they know how to do is pow!

- Pow?
- Pow.

You're gonna notice a lot of
changes on the Mountain, Mama.

Oh, Mama, it is almost impossible
to get stockings around here.

I'm down to my last pair.

What you ought to try
and find is a new spare tire.

Mama, there's a lot of
new people around here.

Zuleika's boarding house is
filled with defense workers.

Mostly women. All the
men are being drafted.

I hired Mary Ellen last month.

She is the official resident
nurse of the Pickett Defense Plant.

John Curtis hardly recognizes
me without my uniform on.

Aw! He's a sweet baby, and we all love
him extra hard when his mama's gone.

That'll be good experience for you,
Cindy, when you have your own baby.

I'll get it.

That'll be Corabeth coming over
to give us all the latest gossip.

- This is good.
- Yeah, it's very good.

- Elizabeth, is your daddy home?
- Sure, come on in.

- You can use a little gossip, Jim-Bob.
- Oh, it's Ep!

- It's good to see you home, Livie.
- It's good to be here, Ep.

- Pull up a seat, join the celebration.
- No, John, I can't stay.

And I apologize for breaking
in on you folks like this,

but, I tell you, I got a call
from the Army this afternoon.

It seems that Tommy
Satterfield's gone AWOL.

I didn't know Tommy was
old enough to be in the Army.

They're drafting them
at 18 these days, Mama.

There's only one place
for him up in the hills.

No, I just got back from
there, talked to his daddy.

He claims he hasn't set eyes on him. Of
course, I don't believe that for a minute.

But, John, you were
pretty close to that boy.

If you run across him,

I wish you'd tell him that
his outfit's shipping out,

and if he isn't in Norfolk by 6:00
tomorrow night, he's in trouble.

All right, Ep, I'll do that.
Thanks for coming by.

I gotta go. Sorry to interrupt
your homecoming like this.

- I'll see you folks.
- So long, Ep.

Bye, Ep. SHERIFF: Bye.

It's a pretty serious offense,
going AWOL in wartime.

Mr. Satterfield didn't even want
Tommy in the Army in the first place.

I guess I'll have to get up there and
try to find that boy, have a talk with him.

Good luck. They sure don't welcome
people nosing around up there.

John, I don't understand.
What has this got to do with you?

Liv, I'm the head of the
draft board. I drafted him.

It sure was nice having
you next to me last night.

I didn't hear you come out.

How could you, the way
you're standing here staring off?

I was thinking about
Tommy Satterfield.

How he's gonna sail across
an ocean to fight a war,

and he's never
even seen an ocean.

It's a wonder more of
them don't run away.

We sure are lucky having
Jason stationed nearby.

He's been coming home
most weekends, you know.

I wish John-Boy were as close.

At least the Army has him writing
about the war, instead of fighting it.

Doesn't matter. He's
still in the thick of it.

I don't want to think
about it just now.

Aren't you two ever
going to get over that?

Not if I can help it.

It's your Mama's fault. She
can't keep her hands off me.

- Bye.
- Did you forget what you came down for?

Well, you weren't in your room.

I wanted to make sure
you were somewhere.

I was afraid I'd come home
and nobody'd need me.

Hut, two, three, four.
Hut, two, three, four. Hut!

Stay in step, Lapinsky.

Hut, two, three.
To the rear. Hut!

Two, three, four.
Hut! Stay in step, men.

To the rear, hut!

By the left plank, hut!

Stay in step there.
By the left plank, hut!

Detail, halt! Right hut!

You're daydreaming again,
Lapinsky. Snap out of it.

Sir, I'm sorry. I get mixed up.

Don't you know your
right from your left?

It depends on what
I'm doing already.

Like, I shake hands with my right and
I signal for a turn with my left, like so.

Sorry, Harry.

But, for the marching,
I forget which is which.

Let me see if we can give you
something to help you remember.

Put this in your
right hand, Lapinsky.

- Your other right.
- Oh, yeah.

Walton! I want to see you.

At ease, men.

Yes, Sergeant?

You'll never be a DI, Walton.
You're too soft on those dummies.

- It's not easy for them, Sergeant.
- We know that, Walton.

That's why they're in
the awkward squad,

while the rest of their
outfit's going on with basic.

They're getting better, I think.

We need good tough drill
instructors around here, Corporal.

Now if you have any ideas
about making your third stripe

and staying on here at Camp
Rockfish, you better shape up.

And get that goon
squad shaped up, too!

I'm doing the best
I can, Sergeant.

Well, maybe your best
just ain't good enough.

You got to chew them out.

Blister their eardrums. Blast
the cobwebs out of their skulls!

- You get what I'm driving at?
- Yes, Sergeant.

Then get going, Walton.

All right, you dog-faced
goof-offs. Let's get with it.

Right face!

You notice anything, Lapinsky?

I dropped my rock.

- Morning, J.D.
- Morning. Good morning.

Oh! Erin, you're just the
person I'm looking for.

Looks like you found me, J.D.

Harvey Jenkins has quit,

gone off to California to
work at some airplane factory.

- He didn't give you any notice?
- Sure he did.

He sent me a telegram on
his way out of town last night.

What are we gonna do for
a new assistant manager?

I'm off to Charlottesville
right now to recruit a new man.

I may have to go all
the way to Richmond.

While I'm gone, Erin, you
keep an eye on things for me.

But, J.D., I hardly have time to keep
things up in the Personnel Department.

Well, get Mary Ellen to help you.
Maybe that'll keep her out of trouble.

Last time I came back
from a business trip,

she had all my lady
workers wearing slacks

and looking like that
Rosie the Riveter.

J.D., the workroom is drafty.

Letting the women wear slacks has
cut down on your absenteeism by 20%.

Don't you confuse me
with figures, young lady.

Erin, I'm putting you in
charge. See you in a day or two.

Do you think we'll ever win
the war with J.D. on our side?

I doubt it.

- Morning.
- Calvin?

Calvin.

If you've come out here
looking for my boy, John Walton,

you're wasting your time.

I haven't got the power
to take him, Calvin.

Then what you doing here?

Just want to talk with him.

I already told the Sheriff,

I ain't seen him since that
day you sent him away.

The Army doesn't take
kindly to deserters, Calvin.

He's gonna be in trouble if
he doesn't show up in Norfolk.

You had no right to make
him go in the first place.

I didn't want to do it. I
was just following the law.

We make our own way
around here, our own laws.

That war is thousands
of miles away.

I know how you
feel, Mrs. Satterfield.

There's no use him hiding.
He'll just be in trouble in the end.

You best get off
my property, John.

Tommy, I've come
alone. You can trust me.

- Now.
- Calvin, just take it easy.

- I ain't going back, Mr. Walton.
- Stay right where you are, boy.

It's okay, Pa.

Mr. Walton, you took a
powerful chance coming up here.

Tom. The Army didn't
put much weight on you.

It's no kind of life for me.

Too many rules and not
enough breathing room.

You can't hide out, Tom.
They'll come get you one day.

There's not much breathing
room in them prisons.

A feeling come over me.

If I get on that boat tomorrow,

I ain't never gonna come back.

I know how you feel, son.

I felt the same way 25 years
ago when I was shipping out.

I had a wife and a son, and I thought
maybe I'd never see them again.

I wanted to run, too.

Why didn't you?

Because I felt I owed something
to my country, my family,

most especially to myself.

I knew if I didn't go, I'd never be able
to look another man straight in the eyes.

Mr. Walton, you're getting
the boy all mixed up.

You were one of the best
men in my logging crew, Tom,

quick, smart, hard-working.

I had high hopes for you.

Thought maybe you'd get
out of these hills, go to school,

make something of your life.

All right, John. You said
your piece. You can go now.

Tommy, you went through
basic training with a lot of men.

They're all gone.

None of them want to fight
this war, but they're going.

For the rest of your life, you're gonna
think about how you let those men down.

I won't tell anybody I saw you.

Mr. Walton, wait.

I'll go get my uniform and you
can give me a lift to the station.

Son,

are you sure?

He's right, Ma.
It can't be helped.

It's something I gotta do.

If anything happens
to my boy, John Walton,

it'll be on your head.

Sure would be a
good day to go fishing.

- You got a favorite spot?
- Sure do.

A shady hole down
along Pickawillow Creek.

There's this big old catfish
who lives in the pondweed.

You could eat
off him for a week.

I've been trying to catch him
every summer since I was 15.

If he's that smart, he'll still
be there when you get back.

It ain't that I was
running away, Mr. Walton.

I ain't scared to
fight if I have to.

It just seems like this war
has nothing to do with me.

Tommy, a lot of people felt
that when Hitler first got started.

What he was doing and saying
had nothing to do with them.

Until, all of a sudden,
it was too late.

It wouldn't be so bad if I
knew where I was going,

but they won't
even tell me that.

They can't tell you, son.

The Army has got to keep
troop movements quiet.

Will you look in on my
folks while I'm gone?

Yes, I will.

I don't know when I'll
be seeing them again.

You're doing them right proud,
son. You're doing us all proud.

- You should be wearing gloves.
- I'd miss the feel of the dirt.

- Can I help you?
- You sure can.

I'm weeding.

Not that I have anything against
weeds. Some of them are very pretty.

I just want to keep them on
the other side of the fence.

The trouble is, I don't think
that I can tell the difference

between the vegetables
and the weeds.

This is lettuce. Those are beans.
Anything in between is an intruder.

You must like the garden.

You've spent a lot of time out
here since you've been back.

The newspapers are
so full of war and killing,

I like to remind myself
that things still grow.

Grandpa used to say that

you could almost hear a
garden breathe in the springtime.

I feel like that
myself this morning.

Mrs. Walton?

"Mrs. Walton" sounds so formal.
Is it hard for you to call me Mama?

Well, it just seems like there's a
lot of people already calling you that.

Then call me Olivia.

How long was it before you knew
that you were expecting John-Boy?

About two years, but
everybody's different.

You're not worried
already, are you?

- Well, Ben wants a baby very much.
- Do you?

I don't know anything about
babies, but I want what Ben wants.

The doctor says that I'm just fine,
but it seems like it's taking so long.

You can't rush nature. You
and Ben are young and healthy.

You'll find out you're pregnant
when you least expect it.

Here, better take care of
that pretty young skin of yours.

- How many more deliveries today, Daddy?
- One more, late this afternoon.

I sure feel funny with
those GIs around here.

You shouldn't. You're doing the
same kind of work they are, son.

I know, but maybe us so-called "essential
workers" should get some kind of uniform.

Then we wouldn't be
thought of as slackers.

Now look, the same draft board that
gave them 1-A gave you a deferment.

Now, I didn't have anything to do with it.
I didn't talk for you and I didn't vote.

I know that, but when I'm
wearing civvies, people don't.

Would you stop worrying about it?
You're gonna be in uniform soon enough.

Cindy and I have been thinking
of starting our own family.

That's nice, Ben. In times like
these, men often do that. I know I did.

Trouble is, it seems like it's taking
Cindy a lot of time to get pregnant.

I wouldn't worry about it.

Just keep working at
it. Before you know it,

we'll have another grandchild
running around here.

And it'll be the first
one named Walton, too!

What do you mean, "it"?

You mean he'll be the
first one called Walton.

I'll drink to that.

Hey, Elizabeth, what do you want
me to do with these cans of grease?

Just stick them over
there on that counter.

I still don't see how saving bacon
grease can help the war effort.

They use it to make
explosives, that's how.

Where are some tacks?
I'll help you put this up.

Yeah, right there.

- You alone here?
- Yeah.

Ike and Corabeth
went to pick up Aimee.

- Do you think she'll like this sign?
- Sure. Why not?

It's not as good as a
brass band, but it'll do.

- Hey, here they are.
- Help me clean off that counter.

Well, here we are,
Aimee. Welcome home.

Not the same sort of estate
that some of your friends

at Miss Holcomb's Finishing
School for Girls are accustomed to,

but home nevertheless.

You see the sign
Elizabeth made for you?

How sweet.

- Hi, Aimee.
- Hi, Aimee.

How wonderful to
see you, Elizabeth.

I thought you'd never get here.

Well, what do you think, Jim-Bob?
She's really grown up, isn't she?

Jim-Bob? For a moment
I thought you were Jason.

- You look so much older.
- It has been a long time, hasn't it?

Let's get you settled in and then
you and Elizabeth can have a nice visit.

Everyone at school's
been asking about you.

Mama says I can have a
slumber party and invite all the girls.

I'd rather not, if
you don't mind.

I've had enough of life in
the dormitory for a while.

Besides, I don't think I'd have much
in common with those girls anymore.

Aimee, you're talking
about your friends.

Why don't we get together,
Elizabeth, just the two of us?

- How about a picnic?
- Anytime.

- Maman?
- Oui, ma petite, viens a vec moi.

Of course, Jim-Bob would be
welcome to come, too, si vous voulez.

- What's that mean?
- "If you like."

Yeah, I'll think about it.

- Elizabeth, you want a ride home?
- Sure.

Okay, I'll gas up and meet you
out front. 50 cents' worth, Ike.

Okay. Thanks, Jim-Bob.

Well, Elizabeth, thank you
very much for watching the store.

Sure. Aimee's changed a lot.

Yeah. But she sure has
learned how to talk French.

She and Corabeth were
jabbering all the way home.

I couldn't understand
a word they said.

It's probably just girls' talk.

- Bye-bye, Ike.
- Bye.

All right, General. Thank
you. Goodbye, General.

And keep them flying!

Freddie? I hope that Air
Corps shipment goes out today.

Yes, ma 'am, so do I.

- See that it does, Freddie!
- Yes, ma 'am.

If J.D. would spend less time
trying to find an assistant manager

and more time
tending the business,

I wouldn't be stuck doing all
these things he should be doing.

On the other hand, if he did it
himself, things would go a lot slower.

- I should ask for a raise.
- Don't ask for one, demand one.

Erin, here are some government forms
I haven't had a chance to take care of.

Look them over for me, will you?

Well, I hope this has our request
for more gasoline this week.

- We can't meet deadlines without it.
- Well, you can handle it, Erin.

You know how to wrap those bureaucrats
right around your pretty little finger.

I'm meeting a man in
Charlottesville right now

who just might turn out to
be our new assistant manager.

Check with you later.

You shouldn't
just ask for a raise,

you ought to be the
new assistant manager.

Mary Ellen, J.D.
would never hear of it.

I'm too young, and
I'm also a woman.

You know the whole operation.
You'd be crazy not to try for it.

- Are you serious?
- I give up on you, Erin.

You've been told
you're pretty for so long

that you've forgotten
that you've got brains, too.

Your phone's ringing.

When sha dows fall

and trees whisper da y is ending

My thoughts are
ever wending home

When crickets call

m y heart is forever yearning

Once more to be returning home

Don't stop, please.

Come in, Lapinsky. Have a seat.

I thought all you guys
went to the post movie.

I didn't want to go with...

I was trying to write some
letters. Heard you singing here.

- Where you from?
- Albany Park, Illinois.

Chicago's one of its suburbs.

I guess you're wishing you
could be back there right now.

Where else?

All the guys are probably
down at Fat Irving's,

checking out the girls and eating
the best hot dogs on the North Side.

It sounds great.

I guess I'm kind of lucky, being
able to go home on a weekend pass.

I just finished writing
Mama about you,

how you kind of took it easy on us
and didn't holler like the other non-coms.

Who else is back
home in Albany Park?

Well, there's Papa. He
runs a deli and we live over it,

and my three sisters, crazies
like you wouldn't believe.

I might. I got three
sisters of my own at home.

That song, Uncle Morris had
a record of it on his old Victrola.

He came to live with us
after Aunt Minnie died,

and he played it all
the time. Took me back.

- You want to finish it maybe?
- Sure, if you'll join in.

Why not? I sing in the shower.

When the hills
conceal the setting sun

Hide the setting sun

Stars begin a-peeping one by one

Peeping one by one

Night covers all

And though fortune
ma y forsake me

- Sweet dreams will ever take me home
- Sweet dreams will ever take me home

Hey, Ike, glad you're open. Just
had another draft board meeting.

I've got some more
greetings for you to send out.

- Yeah. Sure be glad to, John.
- Something the matter, Ike?

Corabeth, I didn't see you.

What's wrong?

We got word late this evening.

The troopship carrying
Tommy Satterfield to England

was fired on by a
German submarine.

He was killed by
a shell fragment.

It seemed like only yesterday he
was here asking for bubble-gum.

You've been working
on that clock for a week.

What makes you think you're
gonna fix it in the middle of the night?

- What are you doing out of bed?
- Worrying. Grieving. Same as you.

I think I've figured out what's
wrong. I just can't find the right tool.

We're in a war.

Our boys are gonna go
on getting killed till it's over.

Liv, that boy trusted me.
I sent him to his death.

There's no way you could
know that would happen.

You see, he said he had
a feeling about this thing.

He said he didn't want to go.

If I hadn't gone to his house
that day, Tommy'd still be alive.

He'd be out hunting
possum. He'd be...

He'd be sitting on his front
porch listening to the bullfrogs.

He'd most probably be in jail, and
you'd be blaming yourself for that, too.

Liv, I was the one
who drafted him.

I sent him off, or
he'd be alive today.

I hate this draft
board job, Liv.

I can't stand playing God
to my neighbors' sons.

Let's go to bed.

We'll pay our respects to
the Satterfields in the morning.

- You heard about Tommy, Mr. Walton?
- Yes, we did.

I'm truly sorry. I wish I
could have gone in his place.

I mean that.

I baked this morning. I thought some
fresh bread might taste good to you.

This here's my
married daughter, Pearl.

She come over from Hickory
Ridge soon as she got the news.

It's a help to have loved ones
near you at a time like this.

Ma's gonna miss
Tommy something fierce.

Tommy never even
got to fight in the war.

He died before he got there.

It seems like such
an awful waste.

I know it's small comfort, but at least
Tommy never had to take another life.

So many of our boys are coming
home scarred in ways we can't even see.

I wouldn't care how he
came back, Mrs. Walton.

Can I get you folks
something? A glass of cider?

Some other time, Pearl.

You ever come after
my Joe, Mr. Walton,

I'm gonna hide him so deep in the
woods a hound dog couldn't find him.

Calvin around?

I ain't seen him
since early morning.

He took the news hard.

I'd like to have
a talk with him.

You'll have to come back, then.

Sometimes he goes off
two, three days at a time.

Would it help to have us stay
and keep you company for a while?

No need. Pearl'll stay
long as I need her.

She's a good girl.

I wish there was something we
could say, something we could do.

There ain't nothing.

The Lord giveth
and he taketh away.

I just hope you never have to
find out what the taking away is like.

Boy, every time I read this newspaper,
I wish I studied geography a little more.

Where the heck is Tunisia?

I don't know. Today I don't care.
Aimee and I are gonna go on our picnic.

- Tunisia is someplace in Africa.
- That I know.

There's a whale of a
battle going on right now.

Marshmallows. Hot dogs.
Where'd you get this stuff?

They're fringe benefits. You
forget, sometimes I work for Ike.

I also remember Aimee
invited me on this picnic, too.

She was just being polite.

Besides, we want to be by
ourselves. We got a lot to catch up on.

I'll be happy to leave you alone

after we're done roasting
the marshmallows.

What are you talking about, Jim-Bob,
tagging along with all these little girls?

Aimee's not so little anymore.

Besides, Tanya started going out
with soldiers from Camp Rockfish,

so I thought I'd get
myself a younger woman.

You and Errol Flynn, huh?

If you're gonna force yourself
upon us, you might as well carry that.

With pleasure.

Bye.

- Hi, Cindy. How you doing?
- None of your business!

What's the matter?

I'm just getting tired of people
wondering whether or not I'm pregnant.

Jim-Bob only wanted to
know how you're feeling.

Well, it isn't just family
anymore. Now it's friends.

You know what Ike said to me?

He wondered when we would be
getting ready for a little stranger.

I could throw up, only
he'd think it was a symptom.

Ike didn't mean anything by it.

Cindy, people around here,
they care for each other.

They wanna share things,
like marriage or having a child.

They expect to share it.

If it makes you feel uncomfortable,
I'll talk to Ike and tell him to lay off.

Well, I might not
resent it so much if...

Ben, I want so much to have your
baby, but what if it doesn't happen?

Then I'll have
you all to myself.

Stupid J.D.! I have
to do everything!

I have to run the
Personnel Department.

I have to make sure
the machinery's running.

Get the shipments out on time.

Listen to everybody's gripes.
Cut government red tape.

I end up doing everything,
and I don't even get a raise!

Well, that felt good.

It's all right, ladies. Erin's
filing system is efficient, if noisy.

- Feel better?
- You bet!

Well, then, march
right into J.D.'s office

and tell him you want
that job and a big raise.

- I wouldn't know what to say.
- I just said it.

- J.D., I want that job and a raise.
- A big raise.

J.D., I want that
job and a big raise!

- Erin...
- Stronger!

J.D., I want that job and a
big raise! Do you hear me?

They heard you all over Rockfish,
Erin. Of course I heard you.

Well?

- What job?
- Assistant Manager!

You? Assistant Manager?
My right-hand man?

- Come on, J.D., she's doing the job now.
- And I appreciate it.

But it's only temporary,
till I find the right man.

J.D., how can you say that?

I've been finding the right women
for this plant for months now,

that's why you've
stayed in business.

But you're not like them, Erin.

You're too young and pretty to
take on that much responsibility.

It's not her looks and her age

that have anything to do with
running this tin-plated plant.

It's her ability!

You don't have to insult
Pickett Metal, Mary Ellen.

We've got enough bossy
women around here as it is.

Now, I will consider
a raise for you, Erin,

but you taking that job
is out of the question.

Oh yes, file these, will you?

Mr. Godsey, I want
you to listen to this.

"Dear Diary, I have found
that life back here at home

"will not be as
dreary as I had feared.

"Though Elizabeth seems rather young
and quaint now, her brother, Jim-Bob,

"has grown into a handsome
and sexy young man."

Jim-Bob? Sexy?

You're not reading
Aimee's diary?

It's quite all right. Aimee has gone to
a picnic with Elizabeth and Jim-Bob.

But that's supposed to be
private. For her eyes only.

I know.

What else does she say?

She is obviously very
interested in Jim-Bob!

But Jim-Bob's got to be
three years older than she is.

Girls develop so much
quicker than boys.

I'm sure that Aimee's IQ and social graces
are far more advanced than Jim-Bob's.

I wish she'd use her charms on the
customers that come into the store.

Now, Mr. Godsey, let us not undo a
whole year's training in the social graces

by exposing her to these clods
in this backwater community.

Well it's those clods that make it possible
for her to go away to a private school!

Please, Mr. Godsey, do not remind
her that she is of the mercantile class.

Now, I myself may have to live out a
life of drudgery in the business world,

but my daughter is
going to rise above it.

She will have every opportunity
to experience everything in life

that an educated
young lady should.

Like reading other
people's diaries?

Well, I wouldn't expect
you to understand.

I'm doing this for her own good.

One can't be too careful in guiding
a young girl into womanhood.

- How else would I know her thoughts?
- You could ask her, Corabeth!

And embarrass us both? Really!

Look out.

I hope everyone's had
enough marshmallows.

It was a feast, Elizabeth.

"I cried for madder music
and for stronger wine

"But when the feast is
finished and the lamps expire

"Then falls thy shadow,
Cynara! The night is thine."

- Who's Cynara?
- She was the poet's mistress.

He had a lot of affairs, but
he always came back to her.

What do they teach
you in that school?

The classics, mostly. Etiquette.

How to behave when a
boy asks you out for a date.

Might come in handy
in a couple years.

I've saved all your letters.

I've saved all yours, too,

along with the ones I got
from Lieutenant Channon.

You got letters
from a lieutenant?

There was a military school
on the other side of the river.

Lieutenant Channon
was one of the students.

We met at a dance,
and afterwards,

he used to leave letters for me
under a board on the footbridge.

- Was he cute?
- He sort of looked like Jim-Bob.

My friends said he
was too old for me,

but I've always believed
that age really isn't important

when two people are
drawn to each other.

Let's go wading.

- Hey, what are you doing?
- Red ant. I didn't want it to bite you.

Doesn't anybody
want to go wading?

Oh, yeah? Red ant, huh?

This old table always looks better
with lots of places set around it.

I've always envied big families.

That's good, considering
where you've ended up.

- When did Jason call?
- He didn't.

But we're setting
a place for him.

Just call it woman's intuition. Or
maybe mother's wishful thinking.

Besides, it saves
on the phone bills.

Looks like it still works.

Hi, Mama.

Sure makes a difference knowing
you're here when I'm coming home.

I know you're close by,
but you seem so far away.

- How's it going?
- Okay, I reckon.

You gonna get to stay
on at Camp Rockfish?

I hope so. I'm still not very good
at doing things the Army way.

You gotta be real tough to get a
bunch of recruits through basic.

I know. I raised a
family, remember?

Shut up, shape up or
ship out. You hear me?

Yes, sir.

That's all there is to it. Now,
why don't you try it, Jason?

Come on, Ben. I get
enough of this all week.

You want to be a
sergeant or what?

- Yeah, come on.
- Come on.

All right. All right.

Not that hard.

Detail.

Attention!

Right face!

What's the matter, Lapinsky?
You've got a right hand and a left hand.

- Don't you know the difference?
- Lapinsky?

You gotta know the difference
between your right and your left

in this man's Army!

Now get with it. And wipe
that silly grin off your silly face!

Hey.

- Jason, you're never gonna make it.
- Cut that out!

You're wrinkling my uniform.

Oh, yeah? All right,
you're never gonna make it.

You guys are going to the brig.

If they wanted to get rid of me,

they'd say, "Let's
play blind man's bluff,"

and then they'd tie a
handkerchief around my eyes,

spin me around,
and they'd run off.

I mean off. They'd
just ditch me!

Big brothers can sure
be mean sometimes.

It wasn't big brothers. It
was Mary Ellen and Erin.

It's nice, us being
together like this.

- Most everyone, anyway.
- I wonder what John-Boy's doing tonight.

He's probably wondering
what we're doing.

John Walton, I want to see you!

It's Calvin Satterfield,
Walton. Are you coming out?

Calvin sounds like he's
had a lot of mountain dew.

- You be careful, John.
- Don't worry.

Here I am, Calvin.
What can I do for you?

Stay right where you are.

You can hear what I've
got to say right from there.

I'm real sorry to hear
about Tommy, Calvin.

It tears me up for sure.

It's gonna hurt you even more.

You're gonna be sorry for the
day you took my boy off to die.

- You and your local draft board.
- I know how you feel, Calvin.

But drinking isn't
gonna take it away,

and it won't bring Tommy
back to take it out on me.

That depends on
how I do it, I'd say.

I'm gonna make
you a trade, Walton.

You'll be paying for the life of my
son with the life of one of your own.

You hear me?

- Calvin, you're drunk.
- Stay where you are.

There won't be no changing me.

Not when it comes to an eye for an
eye and a son for a son, you hear?

Stay down!

English -SDH