All Mine to Give

Don't cry, Janie. Don't cry.

You'll be all right soon.

Come on, Janie, don't cry.

Kids think nothing

ever happened before they were born.

But what happened to all of us...

...began the day my mother and father

got off the steamboat...

...in Eureka, Wisconsin.

It was September, 1856.

Oh, heh, I wonder, uh, could you direct

a body to the house of Will Jamison?

Oh, heh, for... Forgive me

for not introducing myself.

My name's Robert Strong Eunson.

And I come from the Shetland Isles.

My wife's uncle Will Jamison

wrote us a letter inviting us to America.

Will never mentioned it.

Well, that's the Jamisons for you.

Closemouthed, eh, Mamie?

Excuse me, this is my missus.

- Mister?...

- Bradley, Harry Bradley.

Well, we're pleased

to make your acquaintance, Mr. Bradley.

- This is Howard Tyler.

- Pleased to meet you, Mr. Tyler.

I'm afraid you folks

must prepare yourself for a shock.

- Oh?

- Will Jamison's dead.

His house burned to the ground

three weeks ago.

Now, lass...

...you hadn't seen your uncle

since you were a wee one.

Don't grieve.

We work and slave

and pinch our pennies for the journey...

...with the family telling us

how foolhardy we are.

Aye, lass, aye.

But we wanted the baby

to be born in the New World.

Hello. Hello there.

Whoa, whoa, boy.

Well, come on, Lela.

We heard that you young folks

had come out here.

Harry Bradley should've had

better sense than to let you.

I'm Dr. Delbert and this is my wife.

Oh, how do you do, doctor?

Mrs. Delbert? This is my missus.

- How do you do?

- How do you do?

- You're coming straight home with us.

- Oh, no. No, thank you.

We have money to pay

for a night's lodging at the inn.

Oh, no. I'm afraid there isn't any inn

this side of Oshkosh.

We're certainly

not going to let you go to the stable.

- Thank you, but we couldn't be a bother...

- No bother at all.

Come along, dear.

You can have the girls' room.

They'll sleep on the parlor floor.

They've done it before.

Rob, where are you?

Right here, lass.

There, jo.

There, there, there.

Jo.

It wouldn't be pains you're feeling,

would it?

Oh, would you?...

Would you like a tumbler of water?

Oh, jo, there, there, now.

You're not to fret.

Tomorrow we start back to Fair Isle.

With me like this

and only $45 in your belt?

Well, then...

You remember Green Bay...

...the city on the water

where we purchased the nanny goat?

I'll find work to do there

in one of the sawmills or grist mills...

...and work.

Couldn't you find?...

Couldn't you find work here in Eureka...

...and we'd be put?

Not flying off hither and thither

to that Blue Bay or this Green Bay.

Well, the men on the riverboat,

they were talking of the logging camps.

No.

A man cannot leave his wife

to fend for herself and a newborn. No.

Don't worry about Robbie and me.

Robbie?

Then you've named the lad? Hm?

If it does not displease you.

Not if you think you can stand

having two Roberts underfoot.

Whoa.

- Well, how are you, Mrs. Runyon?

- Fine, fine, thank you.

Well, that's good. Good to see you.

Well, what's that?

Hm? Oh, that's a pump.

Well, I know it's a pump.

But inside the cabin?

- Aye, Mrs. Runyon.

- Why, I never heard of such a thing.

Neither did I.

But with the baby coming next month

and myself in the woods all winter...

...well, a man don't want his missus

digging her way through drifts...

...to the pump each morning.

Well, folks will think it's queer,

you being immigrants and all.

Well, uh, ma'am...

...I don't know

why folks would think it queer...

...for a man to want

to ease a burden on his missus.

You've only been here two weeks.

Does Mrs. Eunson think

she's better than other folks?

Mrs. Runyon...

...in the words of our great poet,

Bobbie Burns:

It's hardly in a body's power.

To keep at times from being sour.

Giddap! Giddap!

Uh... Don't worry.

Where's that boy?

Where's that lad? Where is he?

- I can help you with the lower logs.

- In your condition, I won't allow it.

But it's because of my condition

you've got to hurry.

I still don't see how you

and just one young lad...

...can get the cabin up in time.

Beggars cannot be choosers.

When you're poor

and got no money...

...you gotta make do

with what the good Lord sends you.

I got help.

We'll have her up by sundown.

Oh, lad, lad,

you shouldn't have done that.

I've got no money

to pay grown men's wages.

You wouldn't be offering us money,

would you?

No, but a man is worthy of his hire.

But not on the Lord's Day

and not if it's your neighbors.

Come on, everyone, let's go.

And only a fortnight ago,

we didn't have one friend in all America.

Uh...

I don't know what to say.

Well, don't say a thing.

We were glad to do it.

Would you hand me the yeast?

Thank you.

We're proud to have you as a neighbor,

Mr. Eunson.

Look, Mrs. Delbert.

I brought you a setting

of buckwheat yeast.

Tend it, replenish it and keep it warm,

and it will live as long as you do.

Good night.

Come on, everyone, let's go.

I wanted to make a speech.

The well's run dry.

Oh, has it? I doubt that.

Here.

Ah, Rob, you should have married

a practical woman.

Well, there was a woman on the mainland

had her cap set for me.

And her name was?...

Oh, the name is of no importance.

But naturally,

she could cook and bake and fish...

...and, naturally, prime a pump.

And why didn't you marry this cooker

and baker and fisher and pump-primer?

Because she was as homely

as a peat bog.

Now, now, is this the time and place

for a respectable married wom?...

The soup.

Dear me.

What a mess.

Pump-primer.

- Rob.

- Mm?

What day is it?

Today is Sunday, October 12th.

Why, jo?

To remember the baby's birthday.

Oh.

- You mean the time's upon you?

- I think so.

Are you warm enough?

Would you like a spot of broth?

- I'm going to have a baby.

- Baby.

- Now, there's only one thing for you to do.

- Aye.

- Go and find the midwife.

- Aye.

October 12. October 12.

Why, that's the birthday of Columbus.

The man who discovered America for us.

Mrs. Pugmister, hurry, please.

- Please hurry, Mrs. Pugmister.

- There's no rush, Mr. Eunson.

- It's the first one.

- No rush?

No rush, you say.

Mrs. Pugmister, she's in mortal agony.

- Call out if you need me.

- I'll not be needing you.

But there might be something

a man can do.

You've already done it.

Mrs. Pugmister,

what are you making that racket for?

Let the folks know what we've got.

We've got something then?

Might I ask what it is we got?

I ring this bell when it's a boy.

I blow this whistle... when it's a girl.

So the night I was born,

Papa went off to the woods.

He walked all night...

...and it was daylight

when he got to Cullen's logging camp.

Come on, men. Move.

Good day. Now, I want

a lot of work out of you.

All right, the rest of you men,

come on out here.

- Could you tell me where Mr. Cullen is?

- Cullen.

Come on, boys, move on.

Or it'll be over before we get out there.

- Why don't you look where you're going?

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