Carousel Page #8

She's got a lot of grit, Billy.

Come along, children.

Mr. Snow. Children.

- Morning, Mrs. Bigelow.

- Morning, Mrs. Bigelow.

Well, it's so nice to see you.

Won't you come in?

Thank you, no, Mrs. Bigelow.

Afraid we haven't time.

Just came by for my wife.

We have to stop at the minister's house

on our way to the graduation.

I tell ya.

- Carrie, Carrie, we're waiting.

- Coming. I heard you.

You'll be to the graduation, won't you?

Well, of course I will.

Louise is graduating too, you know.

- Carrie.

- Oh, I'm coming, Enoch. What's the rush?

I was telling Julie about that musical

extravaganza we saw in New York.

I'm a tomboy

Just a tomboy

I'm a madcap maiden from Broadway

We also saw Julius Caesar.

Ain't that a better show to tell her about?

Not for me. Why, I took one look at them

men in nightgowns and went right to sleep.

Good-bye, Mrs. Bigelow.

Come along, children.

- Good-bye, Julie.

- Pa, can I stay and talk to Louise?

- No.

- Just five minutes.

- Let him.

- Very well. Five minutes, no more.

Still lollygagging.

You'd think a woman with nine children

would have more sense.

If I had more sense,

I wouldn't have nine children.

Oh, Louise,

your graduation dress is finished.

You won't forget to come in

and have it fitted.

I won't forget, Mother.

Did you have a good time

in New York, Enoch?

Oh, yes. We went to the top

of the Statue of Liberty.

We went to the aquarium.

We went to all the theaters.

- Enoch. Come here.

- Huh?

- Can you keep a secret?

- Sure.

What's the secret?

I'm gonna be an actress.

There's a troupe coming

through here next week.

I met a fella. He says he's the advance

man or something.

- And he says he'll help me.

- You mean run away?

Shh.

I won't let you do it.

Well, how will you stop me?

I'll marry you. That's how.

- Will you, Enoch?

- Sure.

Of course it'll be a little hard persuading

Papa to let me marry beneath my station.

- But I'll do it.

- Beneath your station?

Don't bother persuading

your papa about anything.

I wouldn't have that stuck-up buzzard

for a father-in-law

if you give me a million dollars.

You're a fine one to talk about my father.

What about your own?

A cheap barker on a carousel.

He even beat your mother.

You get out of here,

you sneaky little la-di-da. I'll kill you!

If I want her to see me, she will?

Little girl.

Louise.

Who are you?

How would you know my name?

Somebody...

Somebody told me you lived here.

I, uh...

- I knew your father.

- My father?

And I heard what that little pumpkin head

said, and it ain't true, none of it.

It is true, all of it.

Did your mother tell you that?

No, but every kid in town knows it.

They've been throwing it up at me

ever since I can remember.

I wish I was dead.

What did your mother tell you about him?

Well, she's told me a lot of fairy stories,

about how he died in San Francisco.

She's always saying

what a handsome fella he was.

Well, he was.

Was he really?

Well, he was the handsomest

fella around here.

You really knew him, did you?

And he was handsome?

What else about him?

Do you know anything else

good about him?

He used to tell funny jokes at the carousel.

And he made people laugh.

Oh, did he? What else?

Look, I wanna give you a present.

I can't take presents from strangers.

My mother wouldn't like it.

I don't mean you any harm, child.

- I just wanna give you something.

- Don't you come any closer.

You go away. You scare me.

Don't send me away, dear,

I... I just wanna give you a present.

Something pretty. Something wonderful.

Psst.

What's that?

A star.

- Go away.

- Please, darling. I just want to help you.

Don't call me darling. Let go of my hand.

Please, dear.

I just want to make you happy.

- Take it.

- No.

- Please.

- No.

- Please, dear.

- No!

Mother! Mother!

Failure. You struck out blind again.

All you ever do to get out of a difficulty

is hit someone you love.

- Failure.

- Where is he?

- I don't want her to see me.

- Then she don't.

She looked like she saw me

before I said that.

Oh, he's gone.

I didn't make it up, Mother. Honest.

There was a strange man here,

and he hit me hard.

I heard the sound of it, Mother.

But it didn't hurt. It didn't hurt at all.

It was just as if he kissed my hand.

Go into the house, Louise.

What's happened, Mother?

Don't you believe me?

I believe you.

Then why don't you tell me

why you're acting so funny?

Oh, it's nothing, darling.

But is it possible, Mother?

For someone to hit you hard like that,

real loud and hard,

and not hurt you at all?

It is possible, dear,

for someone to hit you, hit you hard,

and it not hurt at all.

Julie.

Longin' to tell you

But afraid and shy

I let my golden chances

Pass me by

Now I've lost you

Soon I will grow in the mist of day

And you never

Will know

How I loved you

She took it, took the star.

Seems like she knew I was here.

Julie would always know.

- She never changes.

- Nope, Julie never changes.

But my little girl, my Louise...

- I gotta do something for her.

- So far, you ain't done much.

- I know, I know.

- Time's running out.

But it ain't over yet.

Look. I want an extension.

- I gotta see the graduation.

- All right, Billy.

Enoch Snow Jr.

Miss Louise Bigelow.

Our speaker this year is the most popular,

best beloved man in our town,

Dr. Seldon.

He reminds me of that fella

up there, that star keeper.

Yep. A lot of these country doctors

and preachers remind you of him.

It's the custom

at these graduations

to pick out some old duck like me

to preach at the kids.

Well, I can't preach at you.

I know you all too well.

I brought most of you into the world,

rubbed liniment on your backs,

poured castor oil down your throats.

I only hope that now I got you this far,

you'll turn out to be worth

all the trouble I took with you.

I...

I can't tell you any sure way to happiness.

I only know that you've gotta go out

and find it for yourselves.

You can't lean on

the success of your parents.

That's their success.

- And don't be held back by their failures.

- Listen to him. Believe him.

It makes no difference

what they did or didn't do.

You just stand on your own two feet.

The world belongs to you

as much as to the next fella.

So don't give it up.

And try not to be scared

of people not liking you.

Just you try liking them.

And just keep your faith and your courage

and you'll turn out all right.

It's like what we used to sing every

morning when I was a boy at school.

Maybe you still sing it.

"When you walk through a storm

"hold your head up high. "

You know that one?

And don't be afraid of the dark

Believe him, darling. Believe.

At the end of the storm

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song

Of a lark

- I loved you, Julie.

- Walk on through the wind

Know that I loved you.

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams

Be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart

And you'll never walk

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