Original subtitles

Good evening.

As you can see, I'm in training for a pie -eating contest.

I take all athletic matches seriously. I've been practicing for some weeks now

and have myself honed to a razor -sharp edge.

Furthermore... I do not expect to have any trouble making the weight.

This evening, in addition to a pie -eating contest, we are presenting a

entitled Where the Woodbine Twined, or, as our network insists on calling it,

WT2. Where the Woodbine Twined is about a little girl who had some

imaginary playmate.

This would not seem to be a very serious problem, but it was.

It was.

We now have a different kind of competition, an endurance contest. The

is, how many of you can endure the next 60 seconds?

Almost 400 years ago.

And a time to every purpose under the heaven.

A time to be born.

And a time to die.

A time to plant.

And a time to pluck up that which is planted.

A time to kill.

And a time to heal.

A time to break down and a time to build up.

A time to weep.

And a time to laugh.

A time to mourn.

And a time to dance.

time to get.

Want to see your room, either?

Come on, honey.

I'll show you.

Jesse, give me a bag.

I'll carry it, Miss Miller. I'll carry it.

Poor baby.

Fix me a cup of coffee, Suze.

Yes, Captain.

I'm awfully sorry, Captain King.

I sure admired Amos. Thank you, Jesse. Thank you.

My room's through there.

Right next door.

This used to be your daddy's room.

Once upon a time.

Do you have me, Eva?

Yes, Aunt Nell.

He's never coming back, is he?

Even if I pretend he'll never come back.

Even if we all pretend.

Look at all the bumblebees out in the garden.

Do bumblebees die?

Yes.

Am I an orphan?

Who told you that?

I heard someone at the church say I was an orphan.

But they didn't know what was going to become of me.

can come with me.

Am I going to die?

Not for a long time. You're going to live here with me and we're going to

very nice life.

Is it dark where Daddy is?

I hope not.

I don't know.

Mingo knows.

Mingo says it's brighter than day.

They have bumblebees there, too.

Well, who's Mingo, honey?

A friend of mine.

Zeus will make his son.

But I want to put the sugars in myself.

$71. $25 to burn off the back lot.

The funeral will be at least $7 .50.

You just make out the checks. I'll sign them.

They're all made out.

I'm just bringing it up one more time.

And I'll never mention it again.

Now you just listen.

Absolutely sure you want to keep Eva here?

I could take her with me in the morning and leave her with the mother's people.

She's Amos' child.

I know you'd have wanted me to take care of her.

Big job taking care of a six -year -old.

Things aren't going to be as quiet around here.

I'm aware of that.

I'm even looking forward to it.

I've been too quiet around here for a long time.

You're not doing this out of a sense of duty, are you?

I don't know.

I never thought about it like that.

But it'd make no difference if it was.

And I think... Well, I suppose... We do a lot of things out of a sense of duty.

I never asked you to stay here and manage this house.

Never kept you here for one minute. I never said you did.

But someone had to stay with Mum until she died.

And Amos was so busy.

Going to school, getting married.

Nell. I'm sorry, Father.

I haven't been able to cry about Amos yet.

And I need a good cry.

I'll be fine.

What time will you be leaving in the morning? Nell.

I have to tell Suze what time to pick up breakfast.

What time?

What time?

Here we are.

All washed and ready for bed.

Come, give your old grandpa a big hug goodnight.

Because he'll be way down river before you wake up in the morning.

Want to come go to New Orleans with grandpa on the boat?

I want to stay here with Aunt Nell.

You'd better get to bed.

Aunt Nell won't want a cranky little girl on her hands. You'll be cranky if

don't get to bed.

I'm afraid of the dark.

Will you stay in my room?

Yes, tonight I will.

Yes.

I'll be glad when Mingo comes so you can meet her.

I'd like to meet her very much.

Of course.

She's not very big.

How big?

She's big enough to live in a bird cage, but little enough to have a frog for a

horse. I see.

Leave it on a little bit more.

Not the frogs.

Now, by the river.

Croak, croak, croak.

That means that Mingo's coming.

She'll be here sometime tonight.

Good to see you, Peter.

Can I turn out the light now?

No.

Do you believe me about Mingo?

I think you're a very sweet girl with a wonderful imagination.

That means you don't believe me.

I knew you wouldn't believe me when I told you.

into bed either.

Why?

My mom had to wash my mouth out with soap so I'd talk back and forth like

You're not my mama. My mama's dead.

Mingo saw her.

Mingo said her eyes were open.

She said she saw Daddy and Mama dancing together down in the ground.

You mustn't make up things like that.

It's not made up.

But Mingo says it's so.

Mingo brought her whole family with her. Because her house caught on fire.

Peppercorn is her father.

He has a beard very much like the way Grandpa used to wear on his chain.

Except, Mr. Peppercorn's is red.

Same color as his eyes.

Damn it, Popo. Hey, look, Mr.

Peppercorn.

Hmm?

Well, they all live here under the davenport.

Are you helping, Eva?

Eva?

What?

I said it was nice to see you helping.

Oh, she's lots of help, Miss Nell.

They don't like Aunt Nell.

see her coming.

I keep telling them that she's really very nice down inside and that they

mustn't be afraid of her.

which we can let some folks say.

talking to either.

Have you heard me?

Tell me the truth.

To my friend, Mingo, Mr.

Peppercorn, Sam.

Oh, Eva.

Yes, ma 'am?

There's no one in this parlor but you and me.

You never believe me when I tell you things are real.

They aren't real.

They

It's not the truth.

They are.

They are not.

They are, too. You don't know.

Either. They are, though. They live under the Davenport.

Oh, either.

They're little.

Well, you just show them to me.

No, they don't like you.

Well, that's just too bad, because I want to see them.

No. Why not?

You just can't. Because they aren't there.

We'll see about that.

No! No! Leave them alone! No! Leave!

Leave them alone! Don't do anything bad! No!

There's nothing. No!

You see, there's nothing there.

Nothing.

They're gone.

They're gone?

Because they were never there.

You did it.

Look away.

They're going.

You did it.

You're an awful, snippy old maid.

I'll rinse your mouth with soaps of hot. It'll make your head swim.

You...

Not since breakfast.

She better come on.

Have you looked out under the puzzle tree?

Eva?

Jesse? Yes, ma 'am.

Have you seen Eva?

No, ma 'am. Not since breakfast.

Oh, you better get the car out of the garage now. I don't want to be late.

Yes, ma 'am.

Well, she kept crying because she didn't get to see the boat and meet her

grandpa.

It's her own fault.

I'm not playing hide -and -seek with her.

We're going to have raspberry cobbler baked ham, corn on the cob, fresh

and spoonbread.

Everything the captain's fond of.

There's Jesse with the car, Miss Nell.

I hear you.

Where'd you put the ham, Jesse?

What ham?

I asked you earlier to get me a ham out of the snow cow.

You didn't ask me?

Jesse, I told you the first thing this morning.

Not me. We need anything from town. Just about out of cornmeal, Miss Nell. You

didn't tell me Dooley Doo bought no ham.

I told you before I poured you your coffee.

Come on, come on. We'll be late.

The captain'll be waiting on the dock.

I'll remember if you told me, Suze.

Never mind.

I'll get it myself.

Who's in here?

Is that you, Eva?

No.

Your Aunt Nell's been looking high and low for you.

I know.

You miss going down to the dock and seeing your grandpa coming on the boat.

I know.

Didn't you want to go?

Why didn't you answer then and make your wet box known?

I couldn't.

Why not?

Because Mr.

Peppercorn came.

And I couldn't be rude to Mr.

Peppercorn.

He came back on a butterfly for just one minute to tell me something.

You better come on, get out from there before you break your neck.

Just look at them hands.

And that face.

And you smell like a piece of smoked meat.

I was pretending I was a string of peppers.

Oh, yeah?

Well, we're just going to have to throw you in the tub and clean you up before

they get back.

What are you grinning about, young lady?

I promised not to tell.

You better stop that. You're going to make yourself dizzy.

Now, come on. Come on.

Come on.

Captain King! Captain King!

How's my girl?

I'm fine.

Jessie, hand me the big box on the front seat.

All right, Captain.

I got something here for you.

Put

me

down, Grandpa. Put me down.

Numa. What did you say, Eva?

Now, don't mumble.

Thank your grandpa nicely now.

Oh, you think I haven't taught you one shred of manners.

she be coming?

But I wasn't sure it was Grandpa bringing her.

Mr. Peppercorn said... Oh, Eva.

I don't want to be a tattletale, Grandpa.

But Aunt Nell made them all go away.

She took an umbrella and poked at them.

But this morning, Mr. Peppercorn came back for just one minute.

She said when she poked at them, she broke Sam's foot. And that none of them

would ever come back with her in the house.

No matter how much they loved me, they were sending me an oomah instead.

She's just like he said.

Take it all and go to your room, Eva.

Eva, take it all and go upstairs. You heard me.

Yes, Aunt Nell.

Grandpa for bringing me mugs.

You're very welcome, I am sure.

I want to talk to you.

Talk to me over a nice mint julep.

I've been almost out of my mind all summer long.

It just doesn't talk.

There's a whole community of them living under the Davenport.

They all rode frogs.

It's not too funny.

She's just a baby, Nell.

I know, but it's all she talks about, all she thinks about.

She never lifts a finger around the house.

When I was her age, I made myself very useful.

Now, you know I did.

Yes, you did.

A mama'd have taken a switch to me if I'd acted the way she acts.

You aren't sorry you took her in, are you, Nell?

She's Amos' child.

You're not answering my question.

No, I'm not sorry.

But I intend to do something about it.

A child must learn to live with the reality of the world.

Sounds like something you said to me once upon a time, doesn't it?

Sounds familiar.

I'd be grateful if you'd brush up that particular lecture.

It was pretty effective, as I remember.

I'll go get her.

You might also tell her that I'm not a sippy old maid, an impossible older.

in here with you.

There was someone in here with you.

I distinctly heard two voices.

Who was it?

Now you answer me.

You never believe me when I tell you things are real.

Now you tell me the truth. You hear me?

improve each shining hour.

Some say by injecting a station break in the center of it.

I shall allow you to judge for yourself before rejoining us for the second half

of Where the Woodbine Twined.

What does Numa say today, Eva?

Today Numa says that he misses Grandpa and that he's sorry he had to go away so

soon.

And that she'll be glad when he comes back up the river.

Yes.

And that summer's just about over.

Mm -hmm. And life is very hard.

Oh, yes.

Life is hard.

That's what Numa says.

I'm on my way to choir practice. Isn't there a need?

You look pretty, Miss Nance.

We're just about out of cinnamon.

Do you want to come into town either?

Can I bring Mama with me?

I don't want everyone in town to see my niece walking around talking to a doll.

Then I'd rather stay here and play.

Where's Jesse?

I'll get him.

Jesse,

Nell's ready to go. I will.

I'll put her to work, Miss Nell.

I'll see that she sweeps the porch and she can help me make pie crust and I'll

see that she makes a bed.

Tonight is missionary meeting.

I'd like an early supper.

Yes, ma 'am.

Let me sift it some.

All right.

Numa says if Aunt Nell ever made her go away like she did the others, she'd take

me with her.

And where would that be?

Where the wood behind Twine is.

Where?

Where the wood behind Twine is.

I don't recollect ever hearing of that place before. How far from Cleeside's

landing is it?

I don't know.

But I expect it's far away. So far away you never come back.

Never come back where the wind finds time. It's never come back.

Don't do that, honey.

We don't just always talk.

Sometimes we get tired of that.

What we do, we just play.

What do you play?

She puts you in that box?

playing with one of those children from down by the river. Where did she go?

There was no one here but me and Numa.

Now, don't you set out to aggravate me.

I suppose you're going to tell me that it was Numa I saw.

You never believe me when I tell you things are real.

Well, we'll put a little stop to this nonsense right now.

No!

Numa!

Numa! Numa!

Now, you behave yourself.

When you tell me who you were playing with just now, not before.

I hate you.

Don't you talk that way to me.

Shut up.

Don't you sass me.

Oh, Ava.

You better not bite me.

I'm going to. You just do. And see what happens, Miss Lady.

Please. Stop it, Eve.

Stop that.

Miss Nell.

Put her to bed.

But she hasn't had a supper, Miss Nell. Put her to bed.

Yes, ma 'am.

Come on, babe.

Come on.

I finally found out what was wrong.

It was just that old spring that needed tightening up real tight.

Well, thank you, Jesse.

I'm sure glad it didn't happen when Suess was in here cleaning up.

She'd have climbed right up that wall.

Thank you, Jesse.

You're welcome, ma 'am.

Yes, ma 'am.

I'm going now. You sure you don't want Jesse to drive you? It's just over to

Foster's. You taking that up to Eva?

Yes, ma 'am. It's all right. She didn't have any dinner either.

You think I've been too strict, don't you?

Don't ask me, Miss Nair.

She talked back to me.

That's not to be allowed.

No, ma 'am.

I'll be home early.

Have a nice evening, Miss Nair.

Chicken and dumplings and a glass of milk and a big piece of pie.

I'm not hungry.

Well, I'll just leave it anyway in case you get hungry.

I don't want you knocking on my door in the middle of the night and waking me up

and looking pitiful.

What you mad at me for?

Jesse?

Jesse!

Oh, that old pianola spring done got untied again, Mama.

I thought I had it fixed for sure.

Well, I see what I can do about it this time.

Jesse!

Seuss!

You home already, Miss Nell? What is it, dear? Where's Eva?

Up in her room, I reckon.

Well, how'd the parlor door get unlocked?

Who locked it? I did.

Well, that wasn't locked, Miss Nell. It wasn't locked at all.

You want to play anytime you want to play it.

The Jets are the stars.

You're the child who's been sneaking up here to play with Eva.

Now, Scat, you're going home.

Go on.

Go on home.

Go on.

Scat.

You're going home where you belong.

from me. You hear me?

If you... If you know what's good for you, you'll...

That concludes tonight's story.

Next week we shall return with another.

Until then, good night.