Mr. Edwards quotes from Little House on the Prairie

I find this whole thing amazing. A boy like Matthew is able to say more with his heart than most of us can ever say with our mouths. I guess today, this boy was judged to be unstable, not normal. See, um, I haven't had a whole lot of schooling, so I don't quite understand what that means. Maybe somebody can explain it to me. Laura? Doc? (both of them are silent) Maybe I'm not normal. You know what I wanted that boy to do yesterday? I wanted him to run away with me. He refused. You know why he refused? Because he didn't want his friend to get into any trouble with the law. Maybe you could tell me which one of us was acting normal. I mean, how many of us fit that description? John, I recall you helping Almanzo plow his field after working in your blacksmith shop all day long. A lot of people called you crazy for that. Nels, two years ago, when we had the drought, you extended credit to every man in this room. I mean, half of them haven't even paid you back yet! That ain't normal, Nels. Not normal at all. How about you, Reverend? What do you get for all the things you do for us besides an invite to Sunday supper, and the right to hear all our problems? And Doc, you took care of this boy. You gave him your best medical care. Your best! You know what you ought to do, Doc? You ought to wander around this room and gather up all the money that everybody owes you. But you won't do that, will you? You just accept a dozen eggs or a basket of turnips. And Laura, do you know that you taught a wild boy how to speak with his hands? Honey, that's crazy. Crazy! I'll tell you what we ought to do. [walks over to Jenny] We ought to take this little girl right here and send her right along with Matthew, because she met this boy, this "unstable," this "not normal," this "wild boy," and she made a friend! A friend, Judge! You ought to just get a rope and just hitch it around this whole building, and pull us all along with Matthew, because we don't act any more normal than that boy over there! There's something wrong here, something terribly wrong! I love that boy. I'm sorry for taking up your time, Reverend. I'm through. [walks out]

No peekin'! Can't stand for no peekin'!

Charles, uh...I was just gonna have a drink, Charles. With what everything that's happened, you could probably use one as much as me.

Charles

My son could lose his leg because of your drinking.

It was an accident, Charles. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Charles

Isaiah, what's happened to you?

What's happened? I lost my son, my wife. Grace sent me on my way. Says she don't want me near her or the children.

Charles

Why?

Because I drink. I drink! I can't find whiskey, I drink cough remedies. I drink.

Charles

Then why in God's name don't you stop?

Because I can't. Don't you understand that? I can't!

Charles

All I understand is that your drinking cost you your family and almost cost me my son's life. [walks away] Go away, Isaiah. I don't want you near me or my family again.

Charles

I'm sorry.

Don't be.

Charles

It's just that I made so many friends here. The best friends I ever had in my life. It's hard leaving them.

You say that like we're never gonna see each other again. We will. We're kind of like a bad penny, always turning up.

Charles

Watch over my family, will you?

You know I will. I'm proud you asked me.

Jenny

[about Matthew] Well, Doctor? What's wrong with him?

I think Matthew's suffering from morphinism. It's a condition that affects normal behavior due to the extended use of morphine. I saw quite a bit of it after the war.

Well, how would he have gotten that way?

My guess is that McQueen has been using his elixir to keep the boy sedated.

I'm sorry, Doc, I don't see the connection.

Isaiah, that elixir that McQueen is peddling probably has a morphine base. I'd have to test it to be sure. Anyway, all he had to do was give the boy large doses of the elixir and he was able to control his moods.

You mean, that's why the boy was acting crazy?

Exactly. When he wants the boy to go wild, all he has to do is withhold the solution, just long enough for the boy's need to bring on the violence.

Jenny

How could anybody do that to a boy?

Oh, Jenny. That and worse may have been done to him. I examined Matthew's throat. At some point in his life, he swallowed some lye, and that's why he can't speak. I hope to God it wasn't done deliberately.

These are my sign language books. They can teach you to talk with your hands.

They can?

It's the way deaf people talk.

Matthew can hear just fine.

But he can't talk, can he?

That's right, he can't. Trying to understand that boy is about as easy as scratching your ear with your elbow!

Well, I can change that. I can teach Matthew how to talk with his hands, and I can teach you and Jenny how to understand him.

Jenny

Wouldn't that be wonderful?

You think you can? I'm kind of a bonehead.

[laughs] I know I can.

Charles

[about Albert] I just keep wondering where I went wrong. A man couldn't have asked for a better son than him.

It's hard to say. He just got caught in a bad crowd.

Charles

But it all happened so fast. Granted, I worked late every night, and I didn't spend the time with him that I should have.

Oh, now, don't be blaming yourself for working hard. The boy should have understood that. You've got no reason to feel guilt. You know what I think? I think we go about raising kids all wrong. The minute they get old enough to work, then the father ought to just quit and go off and lay in a hammock somewhere! Right? Let the kids take over. The man's done his share.

[about Matthew] I don't understand. What is he--

It's called sign language. He can't talk no other way.

But there was nothing wrong when he was a child. He was already beginning to talk.

Seems somebody at the workhouse wanted to teach Matthew a lesson, so they forced lye down his throat.

Caroline

Mr. Edwards! What a wonderful surprise!

Yeah, well, you know me, like a bad penny, always showing up.

[to Caroline] You tell me something, ma'am. Tell me why God let my wife and daughter die. Well, I'll be gone before you get back from Church tomorrow. I hate good-byes, so it's better all around if I'm just gone.

Caroline

Mr. Edwards, do you understand what you're doing? You're punishing God! And if you go on punishing him for what happened in the past, you're not going to have any room for the future. I'd feel so sorry if you did that.

Charles

[about Caroline after the baby's death] She's got a lot of strength, that woman.

That she does.

Charles

Laura's the one I'm worried about. She's taking this a lot harder than the rest of us. I try talking to her about it, but she just avoids it.

Well, it's only been a few weeks. Time takes care of everything.