Little House on the Prairie

Ha!

Whoa. Whoa, whoa.

Oh. He's got the fever bad.

His clothes reek of smoke.

Got ashes all over them.

You think he's a reverend?

His clothes say so.

Notes on his next sermon.

$1.87.

Spent the rest philandering, no doubt.

No money belt.

I'll tell you one thing, Mattie,

he's been mighty close to a fire.

Hmm.

"To the reverend Robert Alden from his congregation

at walnut grove."

Pleased to make your acquaintance there, reverend.

You know, I'd say he's mighty close

to knocking on the pearly gates.

We may be the saving of him, Mattie.

Oh, I hope so.

You know, I bet he'd want to be paying us for all of our trouble,

doctoring him, feeding him, taking care of him.

But I'd be ashamed to take money for a kindness,

wouldn't you?

Indeed I would.

Especially $1.87.

Good-looking watch. You know, I believe that's real gold.

Caleb, no!

He's a man of god.

Boy, you sure got religion all of a sudden.

I'll go unhitch his team.

- Ho! - Hey, Edwards!

Didn't expect you back this early.

Didn't have no load coming back from sleepy eye.

How come?

Don't know for sure.

Supposed to have been a load coming in from gray's corners.

Never showed up, though.

Old man car swell said that he heard

something bad happened up that way.

A tornado, do you think?

Well, don't know.

Reverend Alden's due in today. Maybe he'll know.

- Is he going to stay with you? - Yeah.

That's why I got to get back.

Got a jug of mash hid out in the barn.

Just my luck he's going to stumble onto it.

Well, you better get back, unless you want to sit through a two-hour sermon.

Yeah.

Not that you don't deserve one.

Now, you know I only drink that mash

for medicinal purposes.

Well, if that's the case, you've been sick

every day since I met you.

Ha ha ha!

Well, I'll let you know what reverend Alden says

about gray's corners. Come on, horses!

All right. Take care.

Well, look who's ready for breakfast.

Better just sit still there awhile, reverend.

We had to wrestle the death angel all night long for you.

Who are you?

I'm Caleb hodgekiss. And this is my missus,

Mattie, for short, we call her.

And you are?

Robert Alden.

Where is this?

Well, I'd say you're somewhere between

15 and 20 miles from nowhere.

More or less, right, Mattie?

Yes.

Am I near walnut grove?

No, you're a half a day's ride from walnut grove.

Oh. Here.

It's honey and warm milk.

It'll soothe the coughing.

I have to get there.

Oh, you will, but next week.

No.

Today. I have to.

Gray's corners was burned out by a prairie fire.

Their wheat crop's gone.

I can't tell you how many farmhouses.

The people are living in the church

and in the livery stable.

And you were out to get help for them?

Well, I was planning on collecting donations at walnut grove.

Food, clothes, money.

Well, now that's a mighty burden

you've laid on yourself, there, reverend.

You're not able to do that, you know. You're a sick man.

I have to. They're desperate.

Why do you have to?

Why can't the people of walnut grove

do the collecting for you?

How about the elders of the church?

Why can't they take up the collection for you?

How could I get word to them?

You're looking at him.

Give me the names of the people

that you want to do the collecting,

and I'll go see them.

God's blessing on you, brother hodgekiss.

Oh.

Now, don't lay more of a burden on me

than I can handle, all right?

Mattie, write down the names for me.

And I'll get my horse and be on the way.

Caleb?

Well, bless you, my good woman!

Oh! Ha ha ha!

Hey, Mattie, didn't I tell you that he was sent?

Caleb hodgekiss.

Oh, brother hodgekiss, please.

Remember what the reverend said.

Oh, mercy!

Why are you dressed like that?

Hey, Mattie.

You know, I always figured I ought to be doing the lord's work.

And here I go picking up a collection for him.

Oh, you're not, Caleb.

Oh, yes, I am.

You know, I think he meant

for folks to be kind and generous.

And I'm the one they're going to be kind and generous to!

Caleb, you're going to get in trouble again.

And this time,

they won't let you go.

Trouble, trouble?

Doing the work of the lord?

Picking up a collection for the needy?

Trouble? Just as long as I don't tell them

we're the needy.

You promised me when we came out here

we were going to have a new life.

That's what I aim to do.

You said it was a sign, an honest life.

When you found the shack, it was a sign, Caleb.

It was a place to keep warm in, Mattie,

a place to hide, a place to wait

until something better come along, that's all.

It's not what you said then.

Well, then is then, and now is now!

Mattie, I'm not going to have you gripping out a living

in this place for the rest of your life.

I'd be willing.

Well, I'm not.

But to take from them that's needy, Caleb.

That's cruel.

You take what you can when you can get it

or it gets taken away from you.

And that's the way the world is.

Now, you took down the names of them folks that are

going to help with my good work at gray's corner,

and how I can find them?

Now, you keep the reverend here until Saturday,

then send him off to gray's corner, tell him I've gone

there to help with the collecting

and I'll meet him there.

This is the last time, I promise.

Don't promise.

Beside her husband and baby

tonight she sleeps on the cold, cold ground

beside old black Jack David

black Jack David come around through the woods

singing so loud and merry

voice kept a-ringin' through the green, green trees

spied a fair-haired maiden

would you forsake your husband, dear?

Would you forsake your baby?

Would you forsake your fine, fine home

go with black Jack David?

And go with black Jack David?

Well, good day, young lady.

Good day.

I thought I had ridden through

the pearly gates and seen an angel.

I'm brother hodgekiss.

Pleased to meet you. I'm Mary Ingalls.

Ingalls.

Are you the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ingalls?

How'd you know?

The reverend Alden gave me some names.

Would you show me the way to your house?

Sure.

Care to climb aboard? She sways a little bit in the middle,

but I don't mind if you don't.

There you go. Okay?

You a friend of reverend Alden?

Oh, yes, I am. He's a fine man.

You might say we're both cut from the same cloth.

Giddy-up.

Black Jack David come around through the woods

singing so loud and merry

voice kept a-ringin' through the green, green trees

spied a fair-haired maiden

he spied a fair-haired maiden.

More coffee, brother hodgekiss?

Oh, yes. Thank you.