Rascal Page #6

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What's going on?

-Looks like you're in trouble.

MAN.' Yeah.

Donnybrook's on his last lap.

Donnybrook, let's go!

Come on, Donnybrook,

you can do it!

Congratulations, Garth!

-Rascal, you did it!

You're my fuzzy darling!

You can have anything

your darn heart desires!

Corn till it

comes out your ears!

Eggs anytime, day or night!

The lid'll never be

on the marshmallow jar.

And as for municipal code,

section fourteen...

And so Rascal

was the hero of the hour...

and back in everybody's

good graces.

Everyone's

but Walt Dabbett's maybe.

That most wonderful summer

of my life...

was about to come to a close.

And before we knew it,

it was Thanksgiving...

and time

for Theo's homecoming.

Um, Norman, about Papa...

I want you to be forewarned.

Honey, don't be nervous.

You've explained all about him.

I couldn't have.

Nobody can explain my father,

you've got to meet him.

Well, I'm looking forward

to it.

Thing is,

l... I want you to like him.

All right, I'll do that.

I'm glad you told me.

I mean, I want him to like you.

Ah, now that may be harder.

Norman, you are hopeless.

Just remember, I warned you.

OK, I'm warned. Now relax.

Oh, I've got to drop those

figures off back to my office.

Do you suppose

there's a place in town...

I could send a telegram?

Be right back.

-OK.

Mrs. Satterfield!

Hello.

I'm Theo North.

We talked last spring.

Oh, to be sure.

You caught me

at a disadvantage.

How are things going?

I'm been meaning

to write to you...

but Sterling's

been filling me in, so...

Very satisfactorily,

I would say.

A touch of arthritis.

Oh, well, I meant

with Sterling and Papa.

Seems to be fine.

Of course, they march

to a different drum...

as the saying goes.

Well, I really must be going.

A lot to do today.

Thanksgiving and all, you know.

Wait a minute,

we can take you home.

It's only a two-seater, but

I'm sure we can manage somehow.

Here, let me help.

I wouldn't want to take you

so far out of your way.

Nonsense... out of our way?

I'm clear over

on the other side of town...

on Menomene Avenue.

Mrs. Satterfield...

who is minding the store?

Store?

Yes. Who's keeping house

for my father and Sterling?

So far as I know, nobody.

As I said, they march

to a different drum.

A tom-tom, if you want

to be honest about it.

Well, happy Thanksgiving.

Well, Theo!

Nice to have you home.

Where's your young man?

Later, Mr. Jenkins.

Theo!

Theo, where are you going?

Theo!

Ahh, you must be

Theo's young man.

Well, I thought I was.

Holy cow.

Holy cow. She wasn't

supposed to be here until...

Papa!

Sterl...

Oh, hi, Theo. You're early.

You remember Rascal, don't you?

Bet you're surprised

to see how much he's grown.

Sterling North,

how could you do it?

Do what?

Oh, you mean my canoe.

Well, it's all finished now...

and me and Pa were going

to haul it out to the garage.

I'm not talking

about your canoe!

How could you hoodwink me like

this about Mrs. Satterfield?

It wasn't a lie, exactly.

Not a black one anyway.

Gray. Dark gray, Pa says.

Where is he?

At the butcher's getting

the turkey for tomorrow.

Oh, Theo, you've got to see it.

Thirty pounds! The biggest

turkey in the whole...

Sterling, stop trying

to change the subject.

A fellow

owed Pa some money, see?

Sterling North, answer me!

...McQuade.

It was my fault.

I should have told you.

We just couldn't do it.

Why not?

What is so difficult

about hiring a housekeeper?

Sterling, I'm talking to you.

What's so awful

about Mrs. Satterfield?

She's a perfectly nice,

clean, respectable lady.

What is so wrong with

having your meals on time?

And your socks darned.

Maybe the furniture

polished once in awhile.

Tell me!

-OK. OK, I'll tell you.

Because she wouldn't

be anything like Mom.

Or you, even.

That's what's wrong.

Well, Sterling, Mama's gone,

and I've got a job.

OK, so you've got a job.

It's easy for you

to sit in Chicago...

and write your letters.

But what about Pa and me?

Pa's gone half the time.

Mrs... Ga Satter...

Mrs. Satterfield...

Do you know the first thing

that she wanted to do?

She wanted to kick out

Wowser and Rascal, too.

That's right.

Just... just... she hates animals.

She wanted to kick them out

like they were nothing.

Like...

like they didn't even matter.

I see.

Soon as she came in here,

she was walking in...

putting her finger

all over mother's furniture...

saying, "Kick 'em out.

Animals aren't people."

Well, maybe they're not...

but they're not just animals

to me, Theo.

They're... they're...

Yeah.

I'm not gonna let anyone

kick them out.

Not anyone.

Hey, Sterling...

I'm sorry.

Gotta finish cleaning up.

Wait a minute.

Theo?

Over the river

and through the wood

Theo?

Hello, Papa.

Look, I know

just what you're going to say.

Mea culpa.

That's Latin for

"I know the house is a mess...

"daughter, but you got here

three hours early."

Papa...

I know. Just give Sterling

and me some working room...

and we'll have

the whole thing shipshape...

before you can say

Jack Robinson.

What do you think of that?

-Just fine.

I pulled off

a real transaction.

You know, there's a fella

down in Illinois...

Named McQuade. He owes you

real estate commission.

Gave you

the pick of the flock...

and that just happens

to be the biggest turkey...

in the state of Illinois.

Right?

I forgot I told you that.

So where's your young fella?

Down at the telegraph office.

Why don't you be a love,

go down and pick him up...

take him out to Koshkonong...

and watch the ice boats

or something?

Ice boats? The water won't

freeze over for a month.

Fine.

Take him out there and wait.

Now, what was that?

Nothing.

Why don't you just

come right out and say it?

Do your heart good.

I have said it all, Papa.

I'm out of words.

Just go down and fetch Norman,

tell him I'm sorry...

and that I wasn't

thinking too clearly.

Look, don't you think

you're making...

an awful lot out of nothing?

Nothing?!

We're just living the way

we want to live.

Is that so bad?

Papa, you've always lived

the way you wanted to live.

Well, what's wrong with that?

What is wrong with it, Papa...

is that somebody else

has to pay the price.

Now, see here, young lady.

You just hold on.

What is most particularly wrong

at this moment, Willard North...

is that I've just made up

my mind I can't marry Norman.

Theo!

Because I haven't the heart...

to let Sterling

grow up in a vacuum...

while you're off

chasing rainbows.

Because you are

too eternally selfish...

to act like an adult

responsible human being...

and give that boy

the father he deserves.

Now, you just wait a minute...

Papa, I won't wait!

This has got

to get said for once.

Look, Papa,

for every fun-loving...

happy-go-lucky free spirit...

for every charming,

rollicking pixie...

somebody has got

to pay the price.

Somebody is seeing

that the bills are paid...

and the checkbook balances...

and the kids are dressed

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