All language subtitles for The.Waltons.S04E05.The.Boondoggle.WEBRip.x264-ION10

Of all the people
who visited Walton's Mountain

during my
growing-to-manhood years,

I remember one especially.

Come on, Elizabeth.

He was a man who brought new
ideas to an old way of life.

For a brief time, his presence
stirred the Walton household

and threatened
the time-honored traditions

of our quiet community.

-Do you want a ride?
-Sure.

Let's go to Ike's store!

-Let's go to Charlottesville.
-Come on, Erin.

John-Boy, you're giving us
a ride home?

That's exactly where we're
going, home.

John-Boy, I don't
want to go home.

Now you can start
your chores faster.

-I'll see you later, John-Boy.
-Alright.

Come on, Elizabeth.
There you go.

Reckless!

We're not getting out
until you take us for a ride.

-This is a sit-down strike.
-Come on, Reckless.

-Get out of the car, children.
-Not till you make us.

Reckless!

Alright, fine.

Watch out! Watch out,
Ben! Hurry up!

Hurry up! Come on!
Hurry up, hurry up!

-There you are.
-Thanks.

Grandma, can I do
my chores later?

I wanna sell some fish that
I caught this morning.

You can do that after
you do your chores.

I gotta get into town. Come on!
Stop playing around with me.

Mary Ellen,
you're absolutely crazy!

-I gotta get into town.
-What are you up to?

Would you tell Ben
to do my chores?

I gotta do a job
for Professor Parks,

I gotta get into town.
I gotta get cleaned up.

Catch me!

Hey, Elizabeth.
There's Mr. Bingly.

Zeb, you got that drain fixed?
Abel Bingly's here.

We'd have had an electric ice
box years ago

if he hadn't been
an old beau of yours.

Yeah, well, you notice
we get larger chunks, don't you?

-Hi, Mr. Bingly.
-Hi.

Where'd you learn
how to do that?

Well, I used to travel
with Admiral Byrd.

I picked the ice off the South
Pole so he could discover it.

Mr. Bingly,
can I have some chips?

I have some fish I wanna keep
fresh while I do my chores.

Gonna take it in your pockets,
or are you gonna get a bucket?

Thank you.

I'll be home in a couple
of hours, Grandma.

John-Boy, aren't you going
to tell us about your job?

Well, I'll tell you who's coming
to town, Porter Sims.

He's a reporter,a few years ago,
he covered

the Scopes trial
down in Dayton, Tennessee.

That trial when they tried to
prove we come from monkeys?

Well, now, what kind of trouble
is this man coming up here...

No trouble. He's gonna
write a book.

He's a friend
of Professor Parks',

I'm gonna be showing him
around the area.

Where's he gonna stay?
Not here, I hope.

Oh, no, no. I got him a room
at Mrs. Brimmer's.

You think it'd be alright
if he came for supper?

I don't think he'd like
our plain cooking.

Oh, he'd love it.
He'd love it.

John-Boy, what kind of book
is he gonna write?

It's a guide book
to the State of Virginia.

-And where is he from?
-New York.

Well, what's a writer from New
York know about Virginia?

Well, he's with the Federal
Writers' Project.

Sounds like government to me.

Well, it is. It's Works
Progress Administration.

I'll see you in a few hours.
Bye-bye.

That's the WPA!

John-Boy! He knows how I feel

about those government
shenanigans!

If you had your way,
Herbert Hoover

would still be president.

A measurer, get a measurer.

That's it, it's his game.
Come on.

Throw them again.

-Cheater.
-Whatever.

-That's great.
-Come on, mister.

Excuse me.

Excuse me, son.
Let me finish this game here.

-Too bad, huh?
-Excuse me, sir.

You're that young writer fellow

that Professor Parks
sent over to pick me up, huh?

-Porter Sims.
-You're John Walton?

Well, I was expecting you
on a later bus, sir.

I thought I'd take an early one
and just look the town over.

-Fine. My car's right over here.
-I'm gonna play one more game

and be right with you.

-Sure.
-Let's go.

Alright, here I go.

So you figuring on
putting us on the map

the way you did
with Dayton, Tennessee?

What do you know about that?

You couldn't have been
more than nine or 10.

Well, truth be told,
I'm not just a student.

I'm a stringer on the Jefferson
County Times.

When I learned you were gonna be
coming out here,

I went into some of the issues,

I read the articles
on the Scopes trial.

They were really something.

Yeah, we stirred things up
down there in Tennessee.

Made a few people mad, too.

That's good. I like the way you
dug into those characters.

That picture you painted
of Bryan was really something.

I had no idea
he was that kind of a man.

You really think
he just took that case

-to get back in the public eye?
-Yeah, I do.

-That's something.
-Son, as a writer,

you should know better than to
take everything at face value.

A writer's gotta look
behind what people say.

I can see that.

Every town's got something
people don't want to talk about.

While you're here, I'm gonna
be with you most of the time.

Of course, understand there are
times, I have to go to class.

I manage very well
on my own, thank you.

I should be with you
most of the time.

The people around here
are friendly and all,

but, well, you never can tell.

There are people who
won't appreciate a stranger

asking them all sorts
of different questions.

Xenophobia.

Huh?

Fear or mistrust of strangers.

Well, Yeah, you might
run into a little bit of that

xenophobia here,

and I think I ought to tell you
about my grandma

before we go to supper
at the house. She...

Well, she doesn't exactly
see eye-to-eye

with President Roosevelt
on his WPA deal.

She sort of feels it's a waste
of the taxpayers' money.

-Bet you've heard that before.
-Yeah, I have.

The trouble is there's just
not enough work

to go around, you see.

I've been all over this country.
I've heard every argument

there is against
Mr. Roosevelt's programs,

and I'll tell you,
this Federal Writers' Project

is one government program
we can all be proud of.

See, trouble is...

that this country has lived
with falsehood for so long

that some people just don't want
to hear the truth.

If I have my way, this state
guide is gonna tell the truth.

Well, good.

-Mrs. Brimmer.
-Hi, John-Boy.

I'd like you to meet
Mr. Porter Sims here.

This is the gentleman
that I reserved the room for.

-Mr. Sims.
-How do you do, Mrs. Brimmer?

And this is my younger brother
Jim-Bob here.

Well, hello, Jim-Bob.

What...Oh, that's a nice mess
of fish you got there, Jim-Bob.

Wish other folks thought so.

What's the matter,
nobody buying today?

Well, when I have fresh-caught
fish nobody wants them.

When I don't, they do.

That's the old law
of supply and demand.

-What's that?
-Supply and demand, that's...

That's when people
want something

at the exact moment
you've got it to sell.

Well, it doesn't work
very well with fish.

-Come earlier next time,
-Okay.

See you at supper time.

Mr. Sims, I have a nice room
at the end of the hall,

right next to the bathroom.
Would you like to see it?

Your home comes highly
recommended, Mrs. Brimmer.

-I don't think I have to.
-Well, good,

then I'll get your bag
out of the car.

Elizabeth, why don't you change
out of your school clothes?

Mama won't like it
if you get muddy.

You should've, too.

What are you doing?

-This is my ocean.
-An ocean has salt in it.

Okay, this is my pond,
like Drucilla's Pond

except it's a little one.
Elizabeth's Pond.

What good is it?
It doesn't have any fish.

I wish it did have fish.

Hey, Elizabeth,
I think I got an idea.

Are you crazy or something?

Come on, you have to help me
get these rocks up,

dam it up.

Well, last time
I sat around a table like this,

I was no bigger
than Jim-Bob there.

Well, Jim-Bob's a big
businessman now.

Yeah, only it's a fishy
business.

Well, at least
it's an honest venture,

not nearly as fishy
as some I could name.

Alright, we have watermelon for
dessert. Let's have it outside.

-Alright.
-I'd love one.

Mrs. Walton, if you're referring
to my business here,

you're certainly entitled
to your own opinion.

Well, it seems to me the WPA
is just a giveaway program

for people
that don't wanna work.

Trouble is there's just not
enough work, honest or not,

to go around these days.

What kind of historical spots
you gonna show him, John-Boy?

I thought tomorrow we might take
a walk down to the cemetery

and the old bridge,
the schoolhouse...

I'll take a look
at your landmarks,

but it's the people
I really wanna get to know.

I wanna talk to them, get a feel
of their lives. Thank you.

Well, that's a good idea,
John-Boy.

Why don't you introduce
Mr. Sims to some local folks?

Sure. We got some interesting
people around here.

In fact, if you like, there's
a couple of real interesting

old ladies you ought to meet.

I wouldn't poke my nose
in too many closets.

Skeletons might
come falling out.

I think he ought to meet
the Baldwin sisters.

Couple of sisters live down
the way in a beautiful mansion.

I think a better idea would be
to take you up the...

Farther up the mountain,

the site of our old homestead
before it burned down.

The one your father built.

Without help from anyone,
Mr. Sims.

Who are these Baldwin sisters
you mentioned?

Couple of old ladies, come from
a real old Virginia family.

No, all the way
up the side of the mountain,

there are trailing arbutus,
and above it, the white dogwood.

I can show you where the white
tailed deer come at moonlight.

That sounds interesting, Mr.
Walton, but about these sisters.

Anyway, their daddy was a judge,
Judge Baldwin.

John-Boy will be far too busy
to conduct you personally.

It's a far better idea

if I were to be the leader
in these expeditions.

Pa, we got work
to do around here.

This place don't run
itself, Zeb.

This is old dominion stuff
for us old folks.

I'll meet you at Mrs. Brimmer's
at noon, during our lunch hour.

I would think twice before I got
mixed up in this boondoggle.

-Did I hear boondoggle?
-What's a boondoggle?

I'll tell you about that.

A boondoggle is when your daddy
gives you five cents

to do an hour's work
cleaning up the henhouse,

and you only work 20 minutes.

You mean like when Ben rewrote
that book report of John-Boy's

and turned it in
without reading it?

Exactly.

Like, when Erin gets headache
when she's to do the dishes?

Or when you borrow
my sweater without asking?

Boondoggle! Boondoggle!
Boondoggle!

-Boondoggle. Boom-bah!
-Alright.

Boondoggle! Boondoggle!
Rah! Rah! Rah!

Easy! Alright! Alright!

-Alright, alright!
-Boondoggle! Boondoggle!

-Look what you started.
-Easy, everyone!

I'm gonna take Mr. Sims
back to the boarding house.

I was just gonna offer you
another piece of melon.

John-Boy's right.
Got work to do tomorrow,

-But it was a lovely dinner.
-Come on, Jason!

I'll meet you
at Mrs. Brimmer's at noon.

-Good luck, Mr. Sims.
-Thank you.

I declare, this is the most
exciting thing

to happen in a month of Sundays.

This Recipe, one of our most
treasured possessions,

was left to us
by our dear father.

Thank you.

What a lovely home.
I feel history in every brick.

-John-Boy?
-Oh, a wee bit, yes. Thank you.

To the success
of your venture, Mr. Sims.

-Thank you.
-Hear, hear.

Ladies, that is superb.

You are a man of taste,
Mr. Sims.

-Won't you sit down?
-Oh, thank you.

It has been our good fortune to
know only the finest gentlemen.

There was once
a young university student...

Your appreciation of the Recipe
merely confirms

our first impression.

His name was Ashley...

How do you like
Walton's Mountain, Mr. Sims?

...Longworth.

John-Boy has been a first-rate
guide, but I must say

that I have seen nothing
that impresses me more

than what I see right here.

Until this moment, Mr. Sims,

I thought gallantry
had gone out of this world.

-Yes, with Ashley Longworth.
-Sister.

He was a suitor
of mine some years ago.

He took liberties,
don't you know,

and Papa told him to leave

and never to come back.

Your father sounds
like a wonderful man.

I would like to have known him.

-Oh, but you can, Mr. Sims.
-He can?

Sister, see if Mr. Sims would
like a more of the Recipe.

-John-Boy, would you help me?
-Of course.

-Mr. Sims?
-Thank you.

Are you comfortable
at the boarding house, Mr. Sims?

It's not the Ritz, but then
I'm not John D. Rockefeller.

Oh, you.

Sister, what are you doing
with Papa's portmanteau?

We've never allowed anyone
to examine Papa's portmanteau.

It contains all his letters
and his journal.

In fact, we haven't read
all of them ourselves.

And his most private papers.

We feel that we know a gentleman
when we see one.

And since you were
brought to us by John-Boy,

-if my sister agrees...
-Well, I don't know, Mamie. I...

...we would like you
to do us the honor

of going through
them for your book.

You will treat them
with great care?

And perhaps you'd like
to see Papa's room

and the desk where he did
most of his writing?

Oh, well, I certainly would.

That sounds marvelous. The only
problem is that I have classes,

and if I don't leave now,
I'll be late, so...

John, why don't you
go right ahead?

I've got just enough time
for this little tour

before I have to meet
with your grandfather.

Can you find your way back
to Mrs. Brimmer's?

-Oh, no problem at all.
-Well, good.

Thank you for coming
by, John-Boy.

Oh, thank you for the sip.

-Goodbye.
-Bye.

And we can even show
you the citation

that General Lee
himself gave to Papa.

But first, another
drop of the Recipe?

Oh, yes.

Here's a bite for you,
Little Mermaid.

Get away, Gilbert.
You've had your share.

There's room for you, Kitty.

Yes! I think I got one.

That about does it.

-Does a hook hurt, I wonder.
-Let's see. Three perch.

Jim-Bob, does a hook
hurt, I said.

Why don't you ask the fish,

seeing as how you can
talk to them?

Well, they don't talk back
too good.

Well, you're not supposed to get
friendly with the inventory.

-The what?
-The inventory.

You know, like Ike's store.

Everything he has
to sell is inventory.

It's alright here for anybody
who wants to place an order.

After we sell them
are they "outventory"?

Come on, we gotta
go find some customers.

Bye.

How was your tour
of the mountain?

Wasn't any tour.

-Why not?
-Sims never showed up.

Watch it, Pa.

I sat around Flossie Brimmer's
all during my lunch hour

-and he never came around.
-Well, I don't understand that.

When I left him, he said
he was planning to meet you.

You went ahead and took him over
to the Baldwin sisters,

left him there snooping around,
asking questions?

I told you I was gonna take him
over to the Baldwin sisters.

He's a reporter.
He's doing his job.

Well, there's a difference
between writing a guide book

on the State of Virginia
and snooping around

into people's personal lives
like he did in the Scopes trial.

I don't understand why you're so
suspicious of the man.

What, are you afraid
he's gonna write an expos

on the Recipe or something?

No, I'm not talking
about the Recipe.

In any old house around here,
there's a lot of history,

and most of it shouldn't see
the light of day.

I can tell you one thing.

Porter Sims is a man
with a great integrity,

and I'm gonna find out
what's going on.

Integrity.

I just don't see
how you can sell fish, Jim-Bob,

when you don't seem
to have any with you.

I'm keeping them in a holding
pond so they'll be fresh

when you want them.
This is my inventory.

Well, that seems
like a right smart idea.

I could use some of those perch,

if you have any,
for my Saturday supper.

Although the way things are
going lately, I never do know

how many boarders
I'm gonna be feeding.

Okay, Mrs. Brimmer,
four perch for Saturday.

Do you want a down payment,
Jim-Bob?

I don't reckon so,
Mrs. Brimmer. Thanks a lot.

-Hi, business is booming.
-Well, I'm glad to hear that.

Mrs. Brimmer, have you seen
Porter Sims?

About an hour ago, when he moved
out bag and baggage.

-Moved out?
-To the Baldwins', that's where.

As if they needed
a boarder and I don't.

Oh, I'm sorry about that, ma'am.

I guess I better go over there
and see what's going on.

All that fancy gent
wants is free board

and a bed next
to the Baldwins' Recipe room!

John-Boy. Come in.

I'm glad you've come. We have
a most pleasant surprise.

Oh, I know all about that,
ma'am.

Nothing stays a surprise
for too long around here.

John, these good
and lovely ladies have insisted

that I move into
their guest room.

It seemed only fitting since
Papa will undoubtedly emerge

as a central historical figure
in Mr. Sims' book.

We've made some exciting plans.

We're going to have
a picnic at the spring

and a genuine fish fry...

And a musicale around
the phonograph.

That is, if Sister
can remember where she put

Mr. Caruso's records.

Would you care to join us
for supper, John-Boy?

We're going to eat
by the French doors

so we can look out
and watch the sun go down.

-That was Papa's favorite view.
-Thank you very much, ladies,

but I think my mom
is expecting me for dinner.

Oh, John, look, please,

tell your grandfather how sorry
I am to have missed him.

Well, we were having
such a wonderful time,

I completely forgot
about our appointment.

It won't happen again.

Well, he was a little
upset about it.

Oh, dear. I do feel responsible.

Perhaps he would accept a jar

of the Recipe
as a token of our regret.

Well, I'm sure
he'd accept it.

I'm just not too sure Grandma
would let him keep it for long.

I'll see you here
in the morning then, right?

Fine, John. Fine, fine.

-Here?
-Oh, right here.

-Good. Goodnight.
-Goodnight.

John-Boy, I don't know
if you've noticed,

but Sister's quite taken
with Mr. Sims.

-We'll see you in the morning.
-Alright.

Goodnight, now, John-Boy.

Elizabeth, get
the dishes on the table.

When I add up the orders
I took today,

almost all my inventory
is spoken for.

Zeb, will you get your finger
out of the mashed potatoes?

-Just tasting.
-Aren't you going to wash up?

I said, almost all
my inventory is spoken for.

Oh, that's real good, Jim-Bob.

Did you sell Gilbert?
Is he spoken for?

You know, Gilbert,
he practically

comes up into my hand
when I feed him.

Well, I told you not to give
them names, Elizabeth.

-Oh, and Kitty, she has babies.
-They're not babies.

They're just minnows that swam
through the chicken wire.

Okay, then she adopted them.
I don't care.

Oh, is Kitty spoken for?

You knew we couldn't keep them
when we put them in there.

Who'd you sell them to, Jim-Bob?

Mrs. Brimmer, Corabeth,
the Baldwin sisters.

The Baldwin sisters
ordered the most.

Mr. Sims moved in with them,
and they're planning fish fry.

-What?
-Mr. Sims?

I thought he was staying
at the boarding house.

Not anymore.

How did he get over there?

-Everybody.
-John-Boy.

Grandpa, I spoke with Porter
Sims today, he said to tell you

that he's sincerely sorry
about missing your tour stuff,

but he got involved
in some very important research

over at the Baldwin house.

Researching the Recipe,
you can count on that.

What is this about him moving in
with the Baldwin ladies?

They're gonna let him
use some of the family's

historical papers
and manuscripts,

and so he's gonna be staying
there while he does his work.

Don't be surprised
if his work stretches out

for quite a spell
while he's there.

Honest to goodness,

I don't understand
why you're acting this way.

I brought the man for dinner
as a guest the other night,

and you all were so rude
to him I was embarrassed.

Furthermore, he stood me up.

I can't say
as I blame him for it.

Jim-Bob, tell everybody
to wash up for supper.

Truth is, not many of us
know this Porter Sims very well.

I know him, and I trust him.

Makes a good impression alright.

The Baldwins,
those sweet, innocent ladies,

should be left to their sitting,
sipping and rocking.

We just don't want
to see them hurt, John-Boy.

I just don't understand why
everybody's looking for trouble,

that's all.

Because a man who'll
live off the government

won't have objections to living
off a couple of maiden ladies.

I'll take the responsibility
for whatever happens, alright?

Okay, I'll just be responsible
for whatever happens.

I'm sorry what I said before.
Just that when they were here...

You know perfectly well they
should not be at that house.

How can I become a great writer
if I don't know how to spell?

"Xenophobia."

It took me some time finding
the word in the dictionary

since I never expected it
to start with an "X."

It's taking me time
getting used to the idea

that Grandma has a low opinion
of someone I respect very much.

Even Grandpa seemed reluctant

for Mr. Sims to explore
the Baldwin history.

I believe, like Porter Sims,
we must probe deeply into life

and write honestly
about what we discover there.

John-Boy, will you have
some coffee? A little toast?

No, thank you very much.
I had breakfast at home.

Is Mr. Sims about ready to go?

He should be.
Sister took him a coddled egg.

I insisted. He never
eats breakfast, he says.

That's just because he's never
had anyone to look after him.

What plans do you
have for Mr. Sims today?

Maybe we'd go down the creek
to the old battlefield, and...

-Well, good morning.
-Morning, John.

-Did you sleep well, Mr. Sims?
-Oh, like a baby.

-It must be the mountain air.
-And the Recipe.

Yes, quite possibly, Miss Emily.

Hey, John, you know,

I've been going over Judge
Baldwin's papers here.

This house has more interesting
history than I first realized.

-Told you.
-Sister, do you hear?

There's one that shows during
the War Between the States

this house sheltered...

-General Lee.
-President Davis.

...Union soldiers.

-What?
-See, that's a find, John.

This is what I want
in that guide book.

Facts that hadn't been prettied
up for history books.

-Oh....
-Oh, Sister.

This is a conjecture
that you arrived at from the...

No, no, no. There it is,
documented right there, you see?

What? Papa would never
have allowed such a thing!

Oh, well, if he
hadn't allowed it,

there wouldn't have been treason
charges brought against him.

-Treason charges?
-Against Papa?

-Mr. Sims...
-Surely, you must be mistaken.

No, it's spelled out right
there, and you knew about that.

-You said you'd read his papers.
-Not all of them, Mr. Sims.

Oh, Sister, surely
there's been a mistake.

Well, surely you've reached
the wrong conclusion.

Don't you think you might have
made a mistake, Mr. Sims?

Yes, quite possibly. Let me
have the paper back, Miss Mamie.

Papa's papers are very old.
You've misread them.

Oh, dear me!

"For harboring Yankee
soldiers...

"Charges against..." Oh, my!

"Captain Matthew Baldwin,

"charged with treason
against the Confederacy."

-Can it be true, Sister?
-Now, now.

Don't you jump to conclusions
like that, Miss Mamie.

-You just take it easy.
-Yankee soldiers?

Yankee soldiers in this house!

Oh, Sister!

I am wounded
to the very core of my being.

John-Boy, in the Pembroke table,
the smelling salts.

Oh, yes, yes.

Is there anything
I can do, Miss Mamie?

You can tell Sister
it was all a joke, Mr. Sims,

a cruel Yankee joke.

I wish I could, Miss Emily.

-Here.
-Oh, Sister.

There, there.

That's better.

-I'd like to go to my room.
-Yes.

Sister.

Just to think that Papa would
be accused of such doings...

You're not well, Sister.
Come lie down.

Thank you, John-Boy.

They gave me
their father's papers.

I thought surely
they knew about this.

They gave you the papers
'cause they thought

the state guide's
gonna make him a hero.

Well, it can, John-Boy,

a most colorful
historical figure.

Mr. Sims, this is Virginia.
What you have told those ladies

puts a blemish
on their daddy's memory forever.

They idolize their daddy.

He brought them up to've a sense
of family pride and honor,

and you've told them
he violated the very things

that he taught them
to believe in.

John! Now, you said
you admired my writing.

Would you still admire it
if I falsify the story?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I admire your writing, and I've
admired reading the things

that you've written
about other people

and other skeletons
you've rattled,

but these are two ladies
that I love very much.

I don't know if I agree
with you about this.

-Then what do you propose?
-I don't know what to propose.

I just know that you can't just
publish an accusation like that

about a man who has no chance
to defend himself or anything.

I mean, how do you know
how the trial turned out?

Alright, John, let's go find out
how the trial turned out.

Throw that awful thing away.

Of course, dear.
No doubt, it's a forgery.

No doubt.

Still, I wonder why Papa
would've kept it.

Would you close
the draperies, please?

The light makes my head throb.

John-Boy's car is still here.

I wonder,

should we have him take
Mr. Sims back to Mrs. Brimmer's?

No!

Indeed, we don't want him to
talk with any of our neighbors.

If the rumor gets out, Sister,
we're in extreme disgrace.

You're right as usual, Mamie.

Is this all there is?

Well, it's everything
except his personal letters.

There's not
one scrap of paper here

that says whether he was
convicted or acquitted.

The answer is that the war ended
before they had a trial.

Oh, that's great.
So the accusation stands.

I'm looking
for the headache powders.

Sister always kept
some down here

so she wouldn't have
to climb the stairs.

Can I help you look?

Odd.

Sister always could put her
hands right on them

whenever I took a spell.

How is she, ma'am?

I fear she's
in a decline, John-Boy.

She says it hurts right here,

and her head pounds
so she can scarcely

stand her own breathing.

I think I better go get
Doctor McIvers in, alright?

Oh, no, John-Boy. No.

Sister and I have agreed.
Not a soul must ever know

what Mr. Sims found
in Papa's portmanteau.

-You must promise me.
-If that's what you think.

Since the headache powders
seem to have taken wings

and flown away,

I believe I'll make Sister
a little hot tea

and put some Recipe on it.

Why don't you let me do that?

I seem to be responsible
for what's happened.

Well, perhaps.

After all, she was fond of you.

It may comfort her to know
that you're being helpful.

I'm feeling rather
poorly myself.

Would you mind
fixing me a little, too?

Certainly not.

Well, this seems to be
the end of the road here.

Well, those papers aren't gonna
tell us what we need to know,

but I can think of someone
who might be able to.

I'll get on back to the house
and be back in the morning.

-Come get me if you need me.
-Okay.

Grandpa, what are you up to?

Oh, Esther claims
there's worms in the cabbage.

Can I talk to you
about something?

What's up?

Well, I think I've a pretty good
idea why you didn't want Sims

to do too much research
over at the Baldwin house.

-Dug up something, huh?
-What do you think?

Oh, I told you there's all kinds
of secrets in old houses.

He's sort of been going through
Judge Baldwin's old papers.

-Found out.
-What do you think he found out?

Treason.

-That's it.
-Oh, Methuselah! Knowing him,

he'll be letting
the whole world know about it.

The thing is that the papers
that we saw don't say anything

about how the trial turned out.
So I thought maybe you'd know.

Was he convicted? Did they let
him off? What happened?

Oh, so far away and long ago,
the war ended.

The military kept it a secret.
Think it never came to trial.

Oh, great.

I know if it ever gets
to be common knowledge,

those ladies won't
be able to live with it.

I know.

You keep your eyes on that Sims.

If I went over there, I wouldn't
trust what might happen to him.

I'm going over there
first thing in the morning.

You're not gonna say anything
about this to anyone, are you?

No. Shh.

Miss Emily?

Miss Emily?

Yes?

It's me, John-Boy.
May I come in?

I'm sorry, John-Boy, but Sister
and I aren't receiving.

Neither of us
slept a wink last night.

-Is Mr. Sims here?
-Perhaps he's in his room.

I haven't seen him,
and I don't care to

since he brought
disgrace to our family.

Sister says

perhaps it would be best
if we'd close our doors

and never come out again,

like Miss Havisham
in Great Expectations.

Never come out, John-Boy.

Miss Emily.

Miss Emily, I'm gonna go get
my mama and my grandma.

I've implored Sister
to take some nourishment,

but even the Recipe
has lost its flavor for her.

Good.

My chicken broth will be a sight
better for her than that Recipe.

Let's cheer up this place
and open those curtains.

No, no, no.

Please, Mrs. Walton.

I vowed never again
to see the light of day.

Now, Miss Mamie,
you don't mean that.

You gotta hurry up and get well.

Jim-Bob told me you're gonna
have a fish fry for Mr. Sims.

I'm afraid Sister
will never get well

if you talk
about Mr. Porter Sims.

Livie, let her rest.

-How are they, Mama?
-They are not good.

Something's going on around,
and I'd like to know what it is.

I think it has
to do with that Mr. Sims.

He's been drinking
that Recipe, hasn't he?

Come in.

Come in.

John. John.

Boy, I was really passed out.

Yeah, looks to me like
you'd have good reason to be.

Recipe, huh?

No, no, I had a nightcap
about 5:00 this morning.

Mr. Sims, I'm gonna have
to ask you to leave here.

John,

not long ago, some reporter was
trying to describe a WPA project

that didn't make sense to him,
so he called it a boondoggle.

You know what that really means?

It's just an expression
that the pioneers used.

It simply means

anything that's made up
out of leftover scraps.

Mr. Sims, what you're doing here
may or may not be a boondoggle,

but I've known Miss Mamie
and Emily Baldwin

ever since I was a little boy,
they've been very kind to me.

Their lives may not seem to you
to be as real as yours and mine,

and they may be made up
of scraps of memories

and some Recipe
and a little bit of fantasy,

but their feelings are real.

And when they feel hurt,
and when they feel shame,

that's real.

You still don't want me
to write about their father.

-This isn't the Scopes trial.
-I know that, John.

I also know that I'm not the
hard-nose reporter I was before.

I've grown quite
fond of those ladies.

Then what value
could you possibly attach

to this one scrap of information
about Judge Baldwin?

The value of honesty.

Even if being honest means that
you're gonna hurt these two?

Look, John, from here,
I go to another community.

I look into more of this
glorious past of Virginia.

Now, what would
you have me do, John?

Falsify every
bit of information I get

just to protect the vanity
of the people involved?

Is that how you'd like this...

This panorama of history
painted for Virginia?

What would you do, John?

I'll pick you up in the morning
and take you to the bus depot.

Okay, John.

John.

I'm sorry it turned out
this way, for both of us

and certainly for them.

So am I, Mr. Sims.

Bye, Little Mermaid.

Bye, Gilbert.

Bye, Kitty, take care
of the little ones.

Elizabeth, what are you doing?

What'd you do that for?

I couldn't let
you sell my friends.

You knew what we'd do
in the beginning.

Yeah, well, that
was before Kitty adopted

those little fishes
that came through the fence.

Fish don't adopt fish.

Well, Kitty did.

And I got to thinking
about Mama and us kids.

What would we do if someone
took Mama away

from Walton's Mountain?

Well, the least you could do
is help me tell the customers.

You're gonna get it
when we get back.

Come on, Reckless.
Come on.

You sure look mad.

What's the matter with you?

You look like the bottom
fell out of the fish business.

Got no fish to sell.
Elizabeth let our stock loose.

Oh, I see.

She'll probably make somebody
a wonderful mama someday, so...

I guess.

Problem is we haven't been able
to tell all our customers.

Nobody's home.
Mrs. Brimmer, the Baldwins.

Wait! What do you mean,
the Baldwins aren't home?

Wasn't anybody there?
Wasn't Porter Sims there?

I'm supposed to pick him up
in half hour.

We knocked on the door,
but nobody answered.

Door was open, though.
It was really strange.

Well, thank you.

Daddy! Grandpa!

I think something's wrong
over at the Baldwin place.

Let's get over there.

Miss Mamie, Miss Emily?

John Walton.

Hello?

Miss Mamie?

Miss Emily?

It's John Walton.
Is everything alright?

John Walton,
I'm so glad it's you.

I was afraid
it was that Mr. Sims again.

He's been trying to tell us
more lies about Papa.

-May I come in?
-Of course.

But you must forgive Sister.
She's had a terrible shock.

Where is this Sims fellow?

-Wouldn't put it past him...
-Shh.

Hiding out somewhere.

He's gone.

Probably down in the Recipe
room, swilling away.

-He left me a note.
-What?

He's going
to the Rockfish bus depot.

-Where?
-The bus depot.

Well, that's good riddance.
I'll go tell the ladies.

Wait a minute.

Ladies, there's something
I think you ought to know about.

I guess Grandpa told you
Porter Sims is gone.

Well, he worked
all night on this thing,

and he went through some
of your daddy's old letters,

and he found something
pretty important.

He wrote what he thinks ought
to go into the state guide.

I think the ladies have heard
quite enough about Porter Sims.

Grandpa, I think
they ought to hear this.

Mamie.

-Well, if you say so, John-Boy.
-Good.

"In the battle of Rockfish Creek

"during the War
Between the States,

"a gallant young Confederate
officer, Capt. Matthew Baldwin,

"later a distinguished
Virginia judge,

"performed a most heroic
and unselfish deed

"that nearly
brought him disgrace.

"Recuperating at home from
his own serious battle wounds,

"Captain Baldwin made his way

"to the nearby battlefield
to help the wounded.

"He brought back to his house
the injured of both Confederate

and Union forces.

"Having been seen
helping Union soldiers,

"the Captain was later
mistakenly charged with treason.

"However, many survivors from
both the North and the South

"wrote letters to thank him
for what he had done.

"These letters were to have been
used as evidence in his behalf,

"but the war ended
and the trial,

"which undoubtedly
would have exonerated him,

"was never held.

"Perhaps Captain Baldwin's
humanitarian act

"symbolized the healing
of the deeper wounds

"that the nation had suffered.

"His stately house
and proud daughters

hold honored positions
in the community."

Sister, I do believe
your color is coming back.

Well, I'd like to see that.

You are indeed yourself again.

A great burden
has been lifted from my heart,

and I have you
to thank for that.

Porter Sims, too.

Oh, most assuredly.

I fancy that had
we met in a shower

of swirling autumn leaves...

-But you didn't.
-Quite true.

Mr. Porter Sims.

Rather a fine name, isn't it?

Oh, Sister.

Alright, ladies, I'll be seeing
you after school tomorrow.

Mamie, congratulations.

Oh, thank you, Mr. Walton.

Goodbye.

Their family honor restored,

the Baldwin ladies returned
to their happy yesterday world,

cherishing the memory
of another

gallant gentleman caller.

The guide books
for all the states

have become valued
historical references,

and when Walton's Mountain
was mentioned

in the volume for Virginia,

Grandma never again referred
to it as a boondoggle.

John-Boy, who would want
to read a book about Virginia?

Well, a lot of folks
would, Elizabeth.

People who are coming
to visit here

anybody who wants
to know about the state.

And, of course, we'd
all like to have Santa Claus

read the Virginia State guide,
now, wouldn't we?

Alright, Grandpa, why would
we like to have him read it?

Well, that way we could say,

"Yes, Santa Claus,
there is a Virginia!"

Night, everybody.