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Must be his wife.

Is she dead, too?

Yeah.

Wonder how it happened.

I don't know.

Reckon something must have spooked the horses,

broke the tree, wagon came tumbling down.

That-that road's icy.

Were heading for high country.

Wonder who they are.

I don't know.

Look around, see if you can find anything to identify them by.

Right.

Joe, see if you can find a shovel.

Yeah.

Hey, Joe.

What is it?

It's a kid's little toy bear.

Maybe we better have a look around.

Hey, Joe.

Hey, Joe.

Honey, honey, honey.

- Let me... let me go. - We don't want to hurt you.

- We're gonna help you, baby. - Leave me alone.

Honey...

Oh, she's blind.

I've already talked to Sheriff Coffee about this,

but I was wondering if-if when you got back to the town,

perhaps you could look around and see if you could find

- any relatives of hers. - I'll do that.

I guess she's our responsibility.

Good night, Ben. Boys.

Thank you for coming out, Doctor.

Thank you.

Little gal has a lot of spunk, Pa.

She fought like a wildcat this afternoon

when I grabbed ahold of her.

What do we do now, Pa?

That's a good question.

I don't know how to take care of a little girl,

particularly one who's...

Well, it isn't gonna be easy.

Don't be frightened, darling.

No one is gonna hurt you.

Get you back into bed here, hmm?

There we are.

Now, you know, my name is Ben Cartwright.

My sons brought you here, and...

brought you to our home.

Mama?

Papa?

Now, don't you worry about anything, darling.

Everything's gonna be real fine.

They're dead, aren't they?

I know they're dead.

I heard Mama scream.

Then the wagon fell.

Now, darling, please don't cry.

Yes.

Only little girls cry.

That's right.

And you're not a little girl, are you?

I'm almost 12.

Almost 12.

Why you're... you're getting to be real grown up.

Say, do you know something?

I don't even know your name.

It's Gabrielle.

Oh, that's such a pretty name.

Gabrielle?

Can you tell me where you and...

where you and your parents were going?

To the mountain.

To the mountain?

To find Grandfather.

Poor Papa.

He wanted so badly to see him.

For us all to be together on Christmas.

Now I have to find him.

Gabrielle, I'm so tired.

Is it night out?

Yes, darling.

♪♪

Honk, honk.

Hey, look out!

Hey, look out.

Look out.

You all right?

Yes, I must have spooked him.

Yeah, I reckon you did a little.

I know you.

You do?

You brought me here.

That's right.

How'd you know that?

Because you're so big.

Yeah, I reckon I am.

What's your name?

Hoss.

Horse?

No, no, just plain Hoss.

H-O-S-S, not H-O-R-S-E.

And your name is Gabrielle.

I was bringing breakfast down to you, but...

How'd you get out here anyhow?

I walked.

Yeah, looks like you did, at that.

Come on, let's go get some of that breakfast.

Just walk in front of me.

I can hear your footsteps.

Feeling better?

Why is everybody standing around?

I suppose we want to see that you're enjoying your breakfast.

You're probably wondering what you're gonna do with me.

Now, Gabrielle, last night when we were talking,

you-you mentioned your grandfather

living on a mountain.

Yes. Will you take me to him?

Well, of course I will.

You promise?

I promise.

Now, about your grandfather.

Um, do you know where that mountain is?

I'm not sure.

Papa knew.

He hadn't seen Grandfather for the longest time,

ever since he went to prison.

Your grandfather went to prison?

But then they found out he didn't do anything wrong

to be put in prison for, so they let him go.

Gabrielle,

you never did tell me your last name.

Now, would it happen to be Wickham?

How did you know?

I've heard of your grandfather.

Will you take me to him like you promised?

Well, that doesn't leave me much choice then, does it?

Hop Sing?

Why don't you take Gabrielle into the kitchen

and give her one of those plum cakes

that you've been making.

Joe, she don't need no help.

She likes to follow.

Hop Sing, just walk along in front of her.

She don't like to hang on.

Was that you, Hop Sing?

I bump into chair.

You better watch where you're going.

So, her grandfather's that old hermit

up on Mount Davidson, huh?

Yeah, I'm afraid so.

What's this about prison, Pa?

Well, you were just a boy at the time.

Joe wasn't even born yet.

Now, they, uh, they put him away in Yuma Territorial Prison

for murder.

How did he get out?

Well, he...

he spent about 21 years in that hole of human misery,

and then they found out he wasn't guilty.

Boy, I'd have come out of there with blood in my eye.

No wonder he hates everybody.

Well, first things first.

Adam, I want you to ride into Virginia City

and buy her some new clothes.

Me?

What kind of clothes?

How do I know?

Whatever kind little girls wear.

And you two, you keep an eye on her all the time.

I don't care what you do... Talk to her, read to her,

walk around with her... but don't let her out of your sight.

This is one of our new little colts.

He sure kisses nice.

He likes you.

I guess he thinks maybe I'm his mama.

Yeah, well... He... he ain't got no mama.

What I mean to say is, you see, when he was born, his mama...

It's all right, Hoss.

He'll learn to get along by himself.

Papa said everyone has to learn that.

That's old Blacky in there.

He's really feeling his oats today.

I'll bet he's short-barreled and he has real strong legs.

That's right. How'd you know that?

I can hear him.

I bet he's good for climbing hills.

Dad-burnit, I can tell you sure know something about horses.

I can ride, too.

Papa taught me how to tell the direction by the sun on my face.

That's west.

And there's a mountain there, all covered with snow

and great trees.

That's where my grandpa is.

"The beautiful bird sits no longer

"singing in the nest.

The cat has got it and will scratch out thy eyes as..."

Go on, Little Joe.

"Rapunzel is lost to you.

You will see her no more."

May-Maybe you better go to sleep now, Gabrielle.

You need plenty of rest if you're gonna go

up to the mountain and look for your grandfather tomorrow.

Will you come and visit me at my grandfather's?

Yeah, sure I will.

Now, look, I don't, I don't want you to get your hopes up

too high about finding your grandfather tomorrow.

There's a lot of wild country up there.

He'll be there.

Papa said he was the kind of man who could live off the land.

It's very important to you to find your grandfather, isn't it?

Yes, Little Joe.

He's all alone.

I don't want to leave him alone.

Look, I want you to go to sleep, okay?

Will you read the last part to me?

The part that goes,

"And when Rapunzel's tears touched his eyes..."

"And when Rapunzel's tears touched his eyes,

"they became clear again.

"And he took her to his kingdom,

"where he was received with great joy.

And there they lived long and happily."

Okay, put you up on the horse.

Okay, up you go.

Now, you hang on tight, Gabrielle.

Thank you, Mr. Cartwright and Adam.

And don't worry, we'll find Grandfather.

You'll see.

Careful, now.

Bye, Gabrielle.

Bye.

Bye, Pa.

Yeah, Hoss.

Careful, now.

Whew.

You sure this is the only way up there?

The only way, little brother.

I told you, the last two miles afoot.

The old man don't like company.

It's not that I don't trust you as a guide,

but I think I'm gonna have a look around.

Don't be long.

Hoss, what happened?!

I heard a shot.

Get out of here!

Is, uh, is your name Wickham?

Devil take you, it ain't none of your business what my name is.

Get away from here, or I'll blast you to kingdom come.

Now, hold on, old-timer.

Just a minute.

We've come a long ways to talk with you.

If your name is Wickham,

this little gal here is your granddaughter.

Granddaughter?!

I ain't got no granddaughter.

Get out of here!

If you come beyond that point, I'll kill the lot of you!

We did all we could, Pa.

He just didn't want to have anything to do

with us or with Gabrielle.

Wildest looking thing you ever saw, Pa.

He had long hair hanging down like this and a big beard,

and meaner than all get out, too.

He kind of looked like Rip van Winkle just waking up,

- didn't he, Joe? - Yeah.

What about her? What did she say?

Well, she got pretty angry at us

when we wouldn't let her go over and talk to him.

She was kind of quiet all the way home.

Excuse me.

Gabrielle...

Why did he say I wasn't his granddaughter?

Why?

Didn't he want me, Mr. Cartwright?

Well, you mustn't think of it that way, darling.

It isn't that he didn't want you.

You see, he-he's been living a...

well, a strange kind of life.

Hoss and Little Joe should've let me talk to him.

Well, I don't know how much good that would have done.

But I'm his granddaughter.

He should love me.

Even if he doesn't love anybody else.

Yes, darling, that's true.

But, you know...

you can't make someone love you if they don't want to.

You're grown-up now, Gabrielle.

You have to understand that.

Now, you, you just lean back and have a nice rest.

You've had a long trip.

How is she?

Well, you know, she's hurt.

There is one thing though about her:

she has an amazing amount of fortitude.

Yeah, what do we do now?

I really don't know.

Pa, you figuring on keeping her here?

Hoss, she's-she's an 11-year-old girl.

She's blind.

Look, Pa, we could do it.

Sure we could, Pa.

I'll keep an eye on her.

I will, too.

We can't just throw her out.

You said we accepted the responsibility.

Well, glad to hear that's the way you feel,

but we're not equipped for it.

She needs a home... The right kind of home...

Place where she can be taken care of properly.

Yeah, but where you gonna find that?

Pa, there ain't-ain't an orphans home nowhere around here.

There's got to be somebody who would, who would take her in,

give her the proper care and the kind of love

her own parents gave her, maybe even adopt her legally.

How about the Pastors?

The livery stable owner?

We've know them for a long time.

They're marvelous people.

And they-they have a boy about a year or two older than she is.

Didn't they have a daughter once, too?

Yeah. And that's just it.

They lost her when she was, uh, just a little baby... typhoid.

I think the Pastors would be very happy

to take Gabrielle into their home.

I'm gonna get her some milk and cookies.

That's the story, Dru.

A little girl, all alone, nowhere to go...

Nowhere to go?

Ben Cartwright, you bring that child right here.

You've known us long enough, Ben.

You should have brought her with you.

Well, Everett, there's one thing I didn't tell you.

Gabrielle is blind.

Blind?

Oh, the poor child.

That's why I didn't bring her along with me.

I thought I'd better tell you all about her,

so you'd have a little time to think it over.

Ben, there's nothing to think over.

She's all alone, isn't she?

Well, no, not exactly alone.

She-she has a grandfather.

M-Maybe you've heard of him.

Zachariah Wickham.

Wickham.

You mean that wild hermit up on Mount Davidson?

Yeah, that wild hermit up on Mount Davidson.

You know, Hoss and Little Joe took the little girl up there,

thinking that maybe the sight of her would have

some affect on him, you know, make him change his way

of living so that he could take care of his own granddaughter.

Didn't change him one bit.

Ben, you weren't thinking of leaving the child with that man?

Why, I heard that he just shoots at anybody

or anything that comes up there.

Well, that's true, but he is her grandfather,

and she has no one else.

She has us.

Now, you go right back to the Ponderosa

and bring that child here, and I don't want to hear another word.

Well, Dru, if-if you're sure now.

I've never been surer of anything in my life.

Well, I've got a million things to do before she gets here.

Come on, Jeremy, don't just sit there, boy.

Now, you go out and get the extra linen out,

and open the window in the back room.

You see?

Ben, we're just what that girl needs.

And, well, she's just what we need.

Now, get along with you and bring her back.

Now, Gabrielle, you'll have a lovely home there.

- You'll have everything... - I don't want to go there.

Well, you'll have everything you could possibly want.

The Pastors are wonderful people,

and you'd be so happy with them there.

But I want to be with my grandfather.

Gabrielle, your grandfather wouldn't be able

to take care of you any more than we could.

He lives in, well, he lives in a man's world... so do we...

And just not the right kind of place

for a little girl to grow up in.

He's all alone.

I could help him.

I could cook for him, and I could feed the goat,

- Gabrielle... - and I could sew for him.

Gabrielle, will you please listen to me?

Do you trust me?

Yes.

Well, then will you please do as I ask?

Give the Pastors a chance.

They'll be very good to you and...

Well, try it, for a while.

For how long?

Well, uh... until Christmas.

Now, is that fair enough?

- Yes. - Good.

Now, we'll come and visit you most every day,

and-and we'll be together at Christmastime and...

How would you like to have the most wonderful Christmas party

that's ever been given on the Ponderosa, in your honor?

Now, wouldn't that be a wonderful party?

Yes.

If only Grandpa could be there, too.

Come in.

- Well... - Ben.

Here we are.

I'm Mrs. Pastor, Gabrielle. I'm so glad you're here.

This is going to be your home now

for just as long as you wish.

I'm Mr. Pastor, Gabrielle.

You don't have to worry about a thing anymore.

We're going to take good care of you.

This is our boy Jeremy.

Hello.

You're, uh, you're real welcome.

Thank you.

We're going to have supper in a few minutes, Gabrielle.

I hope you like chicken pie.

Good.

Jeremy, why don't you take Gabrielle into her room

so she can put her things away, hmm?

Come on.

Well, she's a little shy right now,

but, oh, she'll, she'll feel right at home very soon, I know.

I'm sure she will, and I think she'll be able

to talk to Jeremy easier than to us old folks.

Yeah.

Boy, I, I just don't know how to begin to thank you...

Oh, now, you boys are going to stay to supper, aren't you?

Well...

Yes, ma'am, we'd be happy to, Mrs. Pastor,

if you think you got enough of that chicken pie left.

Well, of course I do, Hoss.

I knew you were going to be here, didn't I?

Smells awful good.

May I have your coat?

Yeah.

It ain't much, but it's clean.

Ma made me scrub the floor twice.

I'm sorry you had to go to all that trouble.

Oh, it wasn't too much trouble.

You want me to put that stuff in a drawer?

I can do it.

I don't mind.

All right.

I guess you'll be going to school with me, huh?

The kids are real nice, you'll like 'em,

and Mr. Hanley... He's an old bear.

Well, I've never been to school.

Never been to school?

How'd you ever manage that?

Oh.

I'm sorry, Gabrielle.

You don't have to be.

Have, uh, have you been blind long?

All my life, but I don't mind.

You don't miss something you've never had.

You're, uh, you're sure a pretty girl.

Gabrielle, we'll drop by and see you a couple of times a week

just to see how you're getting on,

and I, I just know you're gonna be very happy here.

Don't you forget that Christmas party.

It's going to be a real fancy shindig.

It sure is.

We'll have a good time.

Thank you very much for a very, very nice supper.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- Night. -Bye, bye. - Bye, bye.

Gabrielle!

Gabrielle!

Gabrielle, how'd you get out here all by yourself?

I walked.

Don't you think I can walk?

I was worried about you.

Ma and Pa told me not to let you out of my sight

until they got back.

Everybody treats me like a baby

just because I can't see.

That's why I want to go live with my grandfather.

Why are you always talking about going to live with him?

Because he needs me.

I want somebody to need me

instead of it always being the other way around.

Well, you wouldn't like living with him.

I've heard about him.

He sounds terrible.

He isn't terrible.

Sure he is.

He's just an old hermit with a dirty beard.

Hey, what'd you do that for?

He isn't just an old hermit with a dirty beard,

and I can prove it to you.

How could you do that?

You just take me up to the mountain.

I'll show you.

I couldn't do that.

You're scared.

I ain't either.

It ain't that.

Yes, it is.

You're scared of an old hermit.

That's all you are... Just plain scared.

I'll show you who's scared.

♪♪

♪♪

What is it?

It's a cabin.

I think it's your grandfather's.

Take me there, Jeremy, please.

Gabrielle, let's go back.

No.

Do you see Grandfather?

I don't see anyone, Gabrielle.

I think we'd better start back.

Listen, goat bells.

Grandpa must be here.

Get out of here!

Go on, get out.

No.

Come on, Gabrielle, let's go.

But I don't want to go.

Go on, get out of here, or I'll skin the hide off you.

Ain't you got ears?

I told you to get out of here.

Grandpa, I can't see where to go.

Grandpa.

Well, you can stay here and freeze for all I care.

Grandpa.

Grandfather?

Is that you, Grandfather?

What do you want here?

We were on our way to find you.

Mama and Papa were killed.

Why did you come back?

I told you to stay out of here.

You're my grandfather.

I wanted to come.

Grandpa, it's so soft.

Is it muskrat?

Beaver.

Sounds like you're getting a cold, Grandfather.

Onion syrup is good for that,

and I can make a tea out of wild cherry and dogwood bark.

I'm taking you out of here.

But I don't want to go.

I don't want you here, you understand?

I'm staying, Grandfather.

Your shirt has a hole in it.

You see, Grandfather, you need me.

♪♪

Hey, Joe, them's my best socks.

Yeah, well, I needed the biggest sock I could find for Gabrielle.

Come on, you two, let's go pick out that Christmas tree.

Yeah, make sure it's the finest one on the Ponderosa, too.

Ben.

Well, Everett, what is it?

Jeremy took Gabrielle up the mountain,

up to her grandfather's.

- Up the mountain? - Grandfather's?

- What in tarnation for? - Well, she teased him

about being afraid to take her up there.

He didn't think it would hurt anything.

Well, you mean she's still up there?

Yeah, she's still up there.

Jeremy tried to get her to come back with him,

but she wouldn't budge.

Ben, I feel terrible about this, but, well, he's just a kid.

It's all right, Everett.

Uh, go saddle the horses.

Everett, you go back home, take care of Drucilla.

Look, Grandpa, I mended your shirt.

Papa told me so much about you...

How you used to take him fishing in the mountains,

how you read to him from this book.

He told me how they sent you away to prison

even though you didn't do anything wrong

and how he tried so hard to see you, but they wouldn't let him.

He loved you, Grandpa.

This is my favorite book.

I'll read to you, Grandpa.

I know most of the stories by heart.

"There once was a man and woman

"who had long in vain wished for a child.

At length God was about to grant her wish."

I don't want you reading to me.

Maybe you are just an old hermit with a dirty beard.

♪♪

♪♪

If that old buzzard's hurt that little gal...

Easy now.

Grandfather, is that you?

Gabrielle, it-it's the Cartwrights.

Are you all right, darling?

Grandfather went away!

He went away!

What do you mean, Gabrielle?

He doesn't want me.

He went away.

He's been gone all day, hasn't come back.

Gabrielle, you'd better come back home with us.

I mended his shirt.

I know he needs me.

Why doesn't he know that?

Gabrielle, honey, this ain't no place for a little gal.

But I don't want to go back.

I tried so hard.

I've got to stay here.

Hoss, you'd better pick her up.

Pa, don't you think maybe...?

Put this hat on her, and pick her up.

I don't want to do this any more than you do,

but she'll be much better off with the Pastors.

- Come on. - But I don't want to go.

Please. I don't want to leave Grandpa.

Maybe if I called to him once more.

Grandpa? Grandpa!

Jeremy.

Gabrielle, I...

I know how you feel, and I...

I know how much you wanted to be with your grandfather,

but... well, you see, we... we just didn't think

that he was the kind of man you should be with.

But maybe if I had stayed with him longer,

he would have changed.

Well, I'd like to believe that, but...

well, we just couldn't leave you up there all alone.

I read to Grandpa out of the book.

All about Rapunzel, Little Joe.

I think I lost the book.

You have a wonderful home here, Gabrielle,

and people who love you,

and-and you have friends, and...

We are your friends, aren't we?

Yes.

I have lots and lots of books, Gabrielle.

Be glad to read to you any time.

Yeah. I'll teach you a couple of things about horses

I'll bet you didn't know, too.

Gabrielle, you can have a wonderful life with us

if you'll just give us a chance.

You can have anything you want.

I just want to be needed, Mrs. Pastor.

We need you, Gabrielle.

We need you very much.

But my grandfather needs me more.

Now, you promised me

that you'd give the Pastors a fair try

until Christmas, remember?

Now, tomorrow night...

Tomorrow night, we're going to have the biggest Christmas party

the Ponderosa's ever had.

And I want you to take that scowl off your face

so you can enjoy it, do you hear me?

Come on now. How about a little smile, hmm?

Come on.

Hey, here they come.

Come on, let's-let's get ready, huh?

I'm gonna... I'm gonna sing a bass.

Just sing on key, will you?

- All right, boys. - Right.

One, two, three, four.

♪ Joy to the world, the Lord is come ♪

♪ Let earth receive her king ♪

♪ Let every heart ♪

♪ Prepare him room ♪

♪ And heaven and nature sing ♪

♪ And heaven and nature sing ♪

♪ And heaven and heaven and nature sing ♪

♪ Joy to the world, the savior reigns ♪

♪ Let men their songs employ ♪

♪ While fields and floods ♪

♪ Rocks, hills and plains ♪

♪ Repeat the sounding joy ♪

♪ Repeat the sounding joy ♪

♪ Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. ♪

Oh, that's wonderful, wonderful!

Merry Christmas... Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas, Jeremy.

- Oh. Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.

- Ooh, oops! - I'll go ahead and take this for you.

- How you doing? - Ben, Merry Christmas.

- Hi, Adam. - Merry Christmas to you.

Come on over here now. Merry Christmas, everyone.

You know, it took us over two weeks to decorate this room.

You know, I think every pinecone

from the Ponderosa is right here in this very room.

That's right. Now, here's the tree.

You know, it's so tall it goes all the way to the ceiling.

Does it have an angel on top?

The most wonderful angel you could ever imagine.

Yeah, with pink wings and a golden halo.

And over here is a feast fit for a queen.

Mm-hmm! We have turkey and cranberry sauce

and apple pie and dumplings.

I hope you brought your appetite with you.

I'm not very hungry.

- Well, I sure am. - It looks wonderful!

- Well, you all are. - Look at that.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!

And a merry Christmas to all.

Well, look who just came down the chimney.

Somebody came special to wish you merry Christmas.

Who is it?

St. Nicholas himself.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!

And what would this sweet little girl like

for old Santa to bring her for Christmas, huh?

Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!

I know who it is. It's Hoss.

Hoss? I don't know no Hoss.

I'm Santa Claus.

You can't fool me, Hoss.

It's just like Grandpa's beard.

Well, let's have a little music here and liven things up.

How about a couple of carols before supper?

All right, Ben.

♪ Oh, come all ye faithful ♪

♪ Joyful and triumphant ♪

♪ Oh, come... ♪

Welcome to the Ponderosa, Zachariah.

Don't hand me no welcomes, mister.

I don't want no part of your world, you hear?

Well, then, what do you want?

You stole something from me.

Stole something from you?

You know what I'm talking about.

My granddaughter.

I aim to speak to her.

Grandfather, where are you?

Grandpa!

I'm so glad you came!

There's food inside, Zachariah,

and a warm fire.

We'd be mighty pleased... And Gabrielle would be, too...

If you came in and joined us.

Please, Grandpa. Please come in.

It ain't no place for me, child.

My home's up in the mountain in the wind and the snow.

But you just have to see the beautiful Christmas tree.

It's got an angel on top with a golden halo.

It's the very most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

You've ever seen?

You can't see nothing, child.

But I can, Grandpa.

Somehow I can.

Inside... I can see.

Can you see me?

Yes, Grandpa, I can see you,

and I love you, Grandpa, very much.

I'll go and look at the tree.

And maybe stay for a little while?

I'll stay with you a little while, Mr. Cartwright.

This has been a color presentation

of the NBC Television Network.