Wild River Page #3

but I just couldn't concentrate.

So I came back.

And I've been here ever since.

Certainly you have a fellow

somebody who cares.

Yes, I've got a fellow.

Well, then?

What's that supposed to mean?

If you do have a fellow...

Yeah, a fellow solves everything.

I gather you don't care

too much about him.

I'm going to marry him.

But you don't love him?

My children...

Everything is so confused,

I don't...

I can't wait much longer,

he's getting impatient.

If you don't love him,

I wouldn't marry him.

You wouldn't?

You're a real romantic,

aren't you?

I'll walk you to the ferry.

Come on.

You can't let a tough break

ruin your whole life.

I know you can't.

Just like they say,

you gotta snap out of it

and take an interest in things.

I know you do.

The most dangerous erosion

is not the land,

but your capacity

for living.

What you looking at, Sam?

Just measuring, Miss Carol.

The water won't rise until

they close the gates.

How they get the electricity?

Is it in the water all the time

or do they squeeze it out somehow?

No, Sam, it's the fall of the water.

The force of water

coming down the mountain.

If you come down to the dam

I'll show you, okay?

Yes, sir.

What will you all do when the water

starts covering the island?

- Let the white folks worry.

- We all gonna drown?

Of course not,

but you've all got to get off.

Who's gonna look after us?

Who does that now?

Mrs. Ella, she looks after us good.

Wouldn't you rather

look after yourselves?

I've got an idea.

Can all of you come down

to the TVA office tomorrow?

We can talk about it.

Mrs. Ella won't like it.

Think about it.

I'll be in there all morning.

I want to thank you, Mrs...

I don't know your name.

Carol.

Okay, Carol.

Don't worry.

Everything will be all right.

Will it?

Sure.

If we help a little.

There we go!

Do you mind if I come with you?

No.

Do you mind?

Do you mind?

No.

I haven't talked to anyone

in so long.

I know.

The current will carry us

across. Slowly.

Slowly.

What's that song?

It's just an old hymn.

And he walks with me.

And he tells me

I am his own.

And the joy we share

as we tarry there,

none other has ever known.

I think it might work.

What?

What you was talking about.

Come with me?

I want to show you something.

Sure.

Would you get me the key?

Oh, my...

You all right?

I'm all right, thanks.

This is...?

is this the first time

you've been back?

My, oh my.

I had someone straighten up

a few weeks after, but since then...

There's that river out there.

Granma loves that river.

Maybe she could come here,

sit here and look at it.

How come you never suggested it?

I just thought of it.

You never thought of it before?

I never thought I'd come back.

You really loved your husband,

didn't you?

Jim.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Can I ask you something?

When I told you

about Walter...

About who?

Walter Clark.

The man who wants to marry me.

Yes?

You said that I shouldn't

marry him if I didn't love him.

Yes, I said that,

but as a sort of general rule.

Is he a nice person?

Yeah!

Well...

And I like him,

but...

Maybe I'd get to love him,

after I was married to him awhile.

You think it ever

happens that way?

No.

If I married Walter, I could

come here and live with the children.

And then,

maybe Granma come.

But she won't, I know she won't,

she'll never leave that island.

I don't know what to do.

I don't, I don't.

I just don't know.

It's getting dark out.

Don't go.

Please don't go.

Don't go.

And he walks with me

and he talks with me,

And he tells me I am his own.

And the joy we share

and we tarry there

none other has ever known.

I don't understand. You're behind

on clearing the fields

and yet, here you have

12 able-bodied men who want jobs.

They want to work!

- I also said...

- Tom.

Not now, Jack.

I also said that we can't hire

Negroes. The whites would quit.

That's a chance we have to take.

Let's go out back.

You think if you take

all the Negroes off the island

the old lady will be stranded

and will have to leave too?

It might work out that way.

You're heading into trouble with

the townsfolk. Our customs is...

Look, this is TVA.

We're new,

we don't have any customs yet.

I'm going to hire those men

and every man, black or white,

gets paid the same.

Mr. Glover, I predict your next

visit will be from Mr. Moore.

We'd like a few words.

My name's Sy Moore.

Mr. Moore...

Come on in.

What can I do for you?

Thank you. Now Mr. Glover,

we've come here to help you.

- Mr. Todd is President of our bank.

- Just fine.

And Mr. Thompson,

he's our undertaker,

also runs a furniture store,

very highly respected.

I'm just a plain business man.

Won't you sit down?

I tell you this so you'll know

who you're talking with.

You might say we're the responsibles

of the town.

I see and you're here

to tell me that

if I hire Negroes

the whites will quit, is that it?

Why, not at all.

What makes you think that?

Sorry.

Just have to keep them

in separate gangs.

Keeping them...

In separate gangs.

All right. I will do that.

We were sure you would.

Now Mr. Glover,

how much you planning to pay them?

You're not planning

to pay them the same as the whites?

The jobs are the same.

- You look like a reasonable man.

- You do.

So just think,

after this project is over

we can't go on paying them

as much as the white man.

Would ruin our whole economy.

The Federal Government

can't make such distinctions.

Still, we prefer that you pay

their usual wage.

How much do the whites get?

Five dollars a day.

You surely don't intend to pay

these darkies five dollars?

I'll go out myself

for five dollars a day.

I'll get you the biggest,

strongest

best-looking bucks in this country

for two dollars a day.

We're all for the TVA

and we want to help you,

so if you'll cooperate on this point,

everything will be just fine.

If I don't go along with you?

As I said, we're the responsibles

of this town, but...

- There are other type of men here.

- Yes there are.

Men who aren't so responsible.

We can control them only to a point.

- Bailey's a good example.

- He runs the gas station.

He's a very good boy

and he wanted to come too.

In which case the conversation

would've been different.

We said to Bailey,

"Let's go over and talk to him. "

- "Give him a chance".

- And that was all right with him.

We made it all right with him.

- We want to help you, but Bailey...

- Hard boy to reason with.

Yes. he is.

And there's a whole lot

like him in this town.

Really.

We want you to know

how we feel about it.

I understand your feeling.

I'd like to think it over.

Betty,

would you ask them to come in?

You all come on in.

I'll be right with you.

Hi, Sam.

Here we are, boys.

Jerry, this ought to do

for you and your family,

until you find something

of your own.

Boy, oh boy,

who ever thought of that?

Yes, sir. We'd have trouble

coming through mud tonight.

I'll say.

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