Little House on the Prairie S05E15 The Craftsman

You little violent scapegoat! I'll show you! You little scamp! I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget! I'm gonna thrash you with an un-inch of your life! You little scamp! Calm down, Mr. Brower! Calm down! What are you getting so excited about? You see what he done? The little vomit made me break my cane! So? A new cane you can always get. But the little boy, you're frightening him. He deserves it! He's got no respect! Come on, Mr. Brower! Thrash him! When you were a boy, you never made me stiff. Please let him go. Even the holy books say, if you must beat a child, use a string. All right this time. Bomb! Come back here! You were 100% right! You bet I was! If you catch that bomb again, give him a good clap for me! Here come the heaves. Hold your nose and hang on to your wallet. Didn't you think that was funny? All I know is that old Isaac does the best woodwork in Hero Township. There's nobody that can touch him. However, Mr. Larrabee, the only reason that we let the old Jew into the store in the first place is because he does make very good coffins and we do stock coffins. But God forbid that you should ever need one. Lem! Zeke, let's take a little walk. We'll be back, Mrs. Olsen, as soon as the air clears. May all his teeth fall out except one. And in that one he should get a toothache. Good news, Papa? Remember sweet cousin Rachel? The homely one with the mustache? I remember. She got married! To a medical student, no less. That's good news, Papa. But what about a girl? What's wrong, Papa? Did someone die? No one died. My brother Ezra and his wife have found a girl for you to marry. Really? What does it say about her? What does she look like? It says she's an attractive girl from a good family. Her grandfather was a famous scholar. Does she have a good figure? Am I her tailor? How do I know whether she has a good figure? Here, read it for yourself. They want me to go back there as soon as I can. Why? Is she so old she can't wait a while? Please, Papa, don't be angry with me. I have to go. There isn't a Jewish girl for 500 miles. Angry? Who is angry? Go! I'm not stopping you. Well, you're certainly not making it any easier on me. You think it's going to be easy for me? Then come with me. No one's forcing you to stay here by yourself. You know I can't. Mama is buried here. And I will not leave her. I've decided not to go to New York. I want to stay with you. Impossible. You must go. But I'll leave you. And I don't want you to go. But you've got to think of yourself. When I die, I have you to pray for me. But if you don't marry and have children, who will intercede for you in heaven? I don't care. Yes, you do. Besides, it is written in the Zohar, a man is not a man until he is united with a woman. Papa. Did you finish packing? No, not yet. Well, finish. You leave first thing in the morning. You'll be all packed already. I stay here with Mama a while. You go on. Don't forget your socks. Come in. I'm Charles Ingleson. He sent me over with this money for you. For the chair you made. Well, thank you very much. I guess you're kind of busy. I best be going. See you. Wait, young man. Don't go so fast. I don't even know your name. It's Albert. Albert? I was about to have some tea. Can I offer you something? An apple, maybe? Sure. What kind of wood is this? Oak. It's a beauty. What kind of knife do you use to carve her? No knives. Chisels. Many different kinds. Here. This is a woodcarver's chisel. Boy, I sure could have used that when I was carving. You work with wood? Not really. I just whittle some. Can I see what you made? Well, you might laugh. Why? Does it tell jokes? Albert, never be ashamed of any work you've done. Only of what you haven't done. Let me see. Here. Say, this is very nice. You like it? Certainly I like it. But what is it? It's a whistle. You blow it. Tell me, Albert. You have an interest in woodwork? I like to learn how to make stuff. You know, I was thinking about hiring a new apprentice. Would you be interested in working with me? You bet I would. But I'd have to ask my Pa's permission. Ask him. Now, let's eat. Hey, Albert. Hi, Pa. Can I talk to you for a minute? Sure. Well, Mr. Singerman asked me to be his apprentice. And I'd like your permission to work with him after school instead of doing chores. You sure you know what you're getting into? Being an apprentice to a craftsman, that's pretty serious business. I know. But I still want to do it. Why come to a sudden interest in woodwork? I thought you were pretty set on being a farmer. Well, I am. I just thought it wouldn't be bad to learn another trade. That's good thinking. You could learn from better men. Yeah, I know. And, well, with the sun going back east and all, I kind of thought that... You kind of thought you might be yearning for some company for a while. Yeah. There's just something about him, Pa. All right, you can do it. But I don't want your homework separate. It won't. Thanks, Pa. Okay. How's everything by you, Mr. Brower? Fine. Still breathing. You? Just fine. Heard that kid of yours ran off to New York City. Oh, he didn't exactly run off. He went to get married. I know that story. Raised five young'uns myself. And not one of them ever comes to see me. In our village, there is a saying. One father can support ten children. Ten children can support one father. Amen to that, brother. Mr. Brower. I notice you have an extra bucket. And I need one very badly. Would you be willing to trade for this cane? Workmanship ain't bad. You say you want to make an even swap? That's right. Well, I guess it'll be all right. Okay, it's a deal. Thank you, Mr. Brower. It'll be well. Same to you. I don't get it. How come you're trading in that great walking stick for this piece of junk? There's a Jewish word, rachmonis. It means in English, compassion. Life without rachmonis is not worth living. He's a poor man. He needs a new walking stick. Then why didn't you just give it to him? Why trade him for a rusty old bucket? Because our faith says when you give charity, you must give so the person receiving the charity feels no shame. I want to work with you, Ingalls. What can I do for you, Laramie? Nothing. I thought you might like to know your boy's hanging around with that old Jew. He has my permission. Excuse me, I've got to go. I don't know what you're trying to prove, Ingalls. Ain't no decent family wants their kids mixing with thieves. Whole Ingalls family's going Jew crazy. Ain't nothing wrong with being prejudiced against Jews. It's self-defense. I kind of agree with you, Laramie. I'm prejudiced myself. You are? Against who? Against short, rednecked farmers. How's little Jew lover doing today? Going to see a cheap old Jew friend this afternoon? Why don't you two just shut up? Why don't you try making us, Jew boy? Yeah, well, maybe I will. Why do you keep calling Albert a Jew boy? We're not Jewish. You're not, but Albert could be. His parents could have been Jews. Maybe that's why he's so attracted to them. Albert's not Jewish. How do you know? Maybe I am. I sure don't seem a whole lot worse than anybody else here. Albert ain't no Jew. Everyone knows that Jews have horns on their heads, like the devil. Does Mr. Singerman have horns on his head? I don't know. He never takes off his hat. Sure is hot today, isn't it, Mr. Singerman? Yeah. Why don't you make yourself comfortable and take that hat off? No, I'm all right. I'm fine. Boy, that sure is a nice hat you got there, Mr. Singerman. What do you call it, a derby? Well, why don't you take it off and look at the label? There is no label. Mr. Singerman, have you got horns under that hat? What? Horns. Some people told me Jewish people have horns on their head. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Well, do you? Ha, we have no horns. We cover our heads to remind us that man is no big shot. There is something above him. Horns. I mean, she goes. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. And I was scared at first when he wouldn't take off his hat. I was just sure he had one. Just like the devil, huh? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Mr. Singerman laughed, too, when I told him. I don't see why you have to spend so much time with that old man. Well, I like him, that's why. Well, you seem to be the only one that does. Nobody likes Jews. Ephraim, what kind of talk is that? Well, it's true. And I get made fun of, too, just because I'm his sister. So then rather than being made fun of, you go along with the rest of them and dislike someone just because they're a Jew. I don't dislike him. Ephraim, if you don't speak up to people, bigots, then you know better than they are. Worse, in fact, because you know that it's wrong and you allow them to think that you feel the same way they do. Finish your supper. I'm sorry about what I said last night. Yeah, I know. It's just that you hear what other kids say, and... You don't have to explain. Thanks. For what? For not hating me. Oh, hate is for people like the Laramies. I got better things to do. Me, too. Hey, there's Nellie. Come on, I want to tell her something. Nellie! Nellie, really! Nellie, I want to tell you something. What do you... Well, I just wanted to tell you. Willie was right. I was? About what? Mr. Singerman, he does have horns. He does? Yep, only they're not little ones. They're great big ones. How does he get his hat over them? Oh, well, that's the scary part. He didn't hear me come into the workshop the other day. He had his hat off, and I couldn't believe it. He was polishing his horns. They must have been that big. You're a fool! Nope. And when he went to put his hat back on, they shrank down to little points. Wish I could have seen. Well, you can. Come out to Mr. Singerman's place after school. I'm too scared. Me, too. Well, I'll be with you. Laura, are you going? No, she's not going. She's too much a fraidy cat. But I know you're not, Nellie. All right. I'll go. Come along, Nellie. What was that all about? Will you help me? With what? Something to scare the pants off Nellie. Oh, you bet I will. You sure he won't see us? No. His eyes aren't too good. Besides, we could run fast. All right, let's go. if we used nails. Never. Nails are an abomination to a true craftsman. Still, it would have saved a lot of time. Time means nothing. Praise means nothing. Competing with others means nothing. What matters is only the task in front of you. You must give it everything. Everything. Mr. Singerman, why are you crying? I cry because my father cried and his father cried. It's part of making a coffin. But no one even died yet. This one's for the mercantile. It does not matter. Some men don't cry because they fear it's a sign of weakness. I was taught that a man is a man. Of course he can cry. I'll show you something. Albert, craftsmen must strive not to be a snurrer. A snurrer is someone who takes and takes and never gives back. God provided us with trees for our livelihood. So we must plant some in return. Mr. Singerman, are you all right? Yes, yes. I'll be all right. I'm fine. Are you sure? I'm fine. All I need is some rest. You should be getting home now. Maybe I should walk back to your place with you. Nonsense. I'm fine. Except for the fact that you're standing on my foot. I'm sorry. Go home now. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay. See you tomorrow. Hey, look who's here. I mean this little Jew boy. He's trespassing. We've got to teach him a lesson. What happened to you? Nothing much. Just had a little run in. Who with? All our big boys. What, both of them? What made you do a fool thing like that? My legs. They weren't fast enough to get away. Your legs. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. Hey, you're nuts. He was out of there. Hey, you missed me by a mile. You're lying, you Jew lover. Shut up. Hey, looks like the Jew boy wants another beating. Okay, let's give it to him. Hold it, both of you. I've already hit two home runs today. You want your head to be the next one? Hey, why don't you stay out of it? Because I'm a Jew lover too, that's why. Now, unless you want me to knock enough wind out of you to fly a kite, you better get back. Come on, Zeke. Leave him be. He ain't worth getting your head broke for. Thanks. You're welcome. You were out, you know. I know. Come on. Your face tells me that you either have bad news for me or you're suffering from indigestion. Which is it? Your heart's in very bad shape, Isaac. So? This I know for a long time. But it's gotten worse. You've got to stop exerting yourself. Quit working. Quit working? Better I should eat a pork chop. You want me to sit and rock in a chair? You'll live longer. Thank you, doctor. You should live and be well. I love you. I love you too. What are those candles, Mr. Singerman? The flame represents God's light. On the Sabbath, we ask God to come into our lives and illuminate the darkness we live in. Yeah. Well, I'm not too sure about God himself. Why, you don't believe in him? No, I believe he's up there. Just I've been kind of mad at him lately. Mad at God? Why? Well, because he lets bad things happen. Albert, don't blame the Almighty for all the evil men do. God gives us the freedom to choose between good and evil. Is it his fault if some people choose to follow the evil? I reckon I never thought of it that way. Some things are so hard to understand. What's it all about, Mr. Singerman? What's it all really mean? You mean the world? Yeah. The sun and the stars. People. It's all gotta mean something, don't it? Yes, yes. I'm afraid I don't know the answer to all those questions. I don't guess anybody does. People say it's impossible, but none of those things. Impossible? I don't agree. If human beings can ask such questions, then there must be answers. Keep asking. Keep searching, Albert. You'll find the answers. I just received an urgent order for a new coffin. From the mercantile? No. Dr. Baker is going to lose one of his patients. That's why we bring cut lumber from your father. It will save time. And in this case, time is important. Did the doc say who was dying? No, he wouldn't tell me. He only said it is a very wonderful person. And this one will do it. Boy, you sure are particular about your wood. It's one of the pleasures of the old. Squeezing the produce, picking out the largest eggs. It helps you to establish in your own mind that you know more than the young, at least about something. I know what you mean. How much do I owe you? Just put it on your bill. No, no, no. I'm closing out my bill. No reason for that. I have a reason. I'm going on a trip. Hey, well, congratulations. About time, Mr. Singer. Are you going to see your son? Older relatives first. My son, eventually. I'll bet they'll be surprised. Yeah. Let's see. All together, that's $3.02. Make it $3 each. There. How's Albert working out? He was a godsend. He's a very special boy. You should be proud. I am, sir. Thank you. Goodbye, Mr. Ingalls. Goodbye. Have a good trip. Albert, let's go. See you in my home. Right. In Pripyat, a fire is burning. And the house is hot. There's a little boy sitting there. He's learning to walk. Look, little boy. Mr. Singerman! Mr. Singerman? I'd like to see you now. Sit, Mr. Ingalls. Be comfortable. I'm very fond of you. I'm going to ask of you a favor. You will dress her. You will find a letter. My prayer shawl. Please, would you send him to my son in New York? He was my own. Will you send him in to me, Mr. Ingalls? I will be in very good company. It isn't fair. It is fair. A man should not be a snurrer with life either. I've had many good years. My body is tired. It's enough. But you aren't going to be here anymore. Albert, the time I leave behind has nothing to do with me. It isn't mine. Just like the time before I was born wasn't mine. You remember I told you. If human beings keep asking questions, then there must be answers. Well, now I go where I will find some of those answers, you know. Now we still have work to do. I will stay with you. No, a craftsman doesn't leave a job half finished. I'm depending on you, Albert. You must finish our work. It's for a very nice person to remember. Albert, no nails. No nails. because I knew that long after I was gone, it would still be there, watching over Mr. Sickerman.