08x06 - To Bloom for Thee

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Bonanza". Aired: September 12, 1959 - January 16, 1973.*
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Set during and after the Civil w*r, "Bonanza" is the story of Ben and his 3 sons on the family's thousand-acre spread, known as the Ponderosa, near Virginia City.
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08x06 - To Bloom for Thee

Post by bunniefuu »

(fanfare plays)

BARBER: How does that look, huh?

(sputtering) Yeah. It's fine.

(barber laughs)

Hey, how's about a bottle

of this nice lavender
water, Hoss, huh?

Ah, thank you, Tony.

I don't need none of that stuff.

Well, Little Joe, he use this.

Yeah, but if I smelled as
bad as Little Joe, I would, too.

(laughing)

It's absolutely catnip, huh?

(Tony laughs)

You can spark all
the ladies with this.

Thank, you, Tony.

(sputters)

Palace Hotel's
across the street.

Need any help with
your bags, ma'am?

No.

HOSS: Hey, Clint,
how'd things go?

Oop! Excuse me, ma'am.

Hey... come with me.

Hey! Put me down!

You drunken man...!

Put me... down!

Drunken... fool!

Okay, Gil, that's enough.

(grunting)

(woman shouting)

(townsfolk clamoring)

Having trouble with
the pen, ma'am?

Number 17, Miss Attley.

Top of the stairs, on your left.

May I help you with
the bags, ma'am?

No, thank you.

Hey, Hoss, long as you're
being a Good Samaritan,

your lady friend forgot this.

Yeah?

Reckon I might as well
take it over there to her, huh?

Sure are a hog for punishment.

Here you are, Sir Galahad.

♪♪

(theme song playing)

Who is it?

(muffled): My name's
Hoss Cartwright, ma'am.

I... I got your hatbox.

I reckon you just sorta
walked off and forgot it.

Thank you for troubling.

Oh, ma'am, it wasn't
no trouble. I was...

well, I was on my
way back over to the...

Thank you.

That collar would fit you
just like a glove, Hoss.

Yeah.

Better fit Old
Nelly like a collar

or I'm gonna hang
it on you, Frank.

(Frank laughs)

Hang on to it a few minutes,
I'll come back and pick it up.

♪♪

MAN: Come on.

(birds chirping)

(birds chirping)

Oh, Mama...

Mama...

I'm so sorry.

I want to promise you something.

I want to promise you that...

that I'm gonna take...

whatever time I've got left...

and I'm going to try and be...

what-what I should've been.

(Carol sniffles, sobs)

Oh, I didn't want
you to die alone.

(sobbing)

Oh, I wanted to be here
when you needed me.

(sobbing)

(sniffling) I came
back too late.

Everything's too late.

Ma'am... it ain't
never too late to...

to cry over somebody
you... you love.

(sobbing quiets, sniffling)

(crying)

Ma'am, I... I don't mean
to be intruding, but...

I'd like to be of
some help, if I could.

I know Virginia
City pretty well.

And I reckon it's pretty obvious

that I know all the
good eating places.

I do a pretty fair job of
handling a horse and buggy, too.

Giddyup.

Go on.

(sighs heavily)

Well, I got most of
the wood chopped...

HOSS (in distance): down
here, back in the back.

HOP SING: Yes, sir, today
I put no starch in the collars.

HOSS: Oh, great...
(continues indistinctly)

Hey, listen, how about...

HOP SING: That tie, straighten
the bow a little bit more.

Listen, hey, listen...

Yeah, how about
my shirt in the back?

HOP SING: Very good. Very
good. You look very handsome.

I get the buggy
all polished today...

Hoss? Hey, I wanted...
I wanted, I wanted

to talk to you a minute.

- Ah, smells delicious, Hop Sing!
- I want to talk...

- I want to talk to you a minute.
- Yeah, yeah.

- About... I want to
talk to you - Yeah!

About me doing your chores!

Yeah, oh, yeah, thanks
a lot for that, little brother.

- HOP SING: Good-bye!
- LITTLE JOE: Oop!

Is that you smells
like lavender water?

Oh, no, sir.

It's Mr. Hoss.

He bring home
whole bottle last night.

Put in bathtub, put in
hair, put in everything.

Whoa, whoa, whoa...
What's he got in the basket?

Fried chicken, ham,
potato salad, loaf of bread,

cake... uh, roast beef,
little thing like that.

What's he going to do, feed
the whole Virginia City militia?

He not tell you what he do?

No, he didn't tell me.

Wh-What, What's he gonna do?

Well, then, I not
tell you either.

(laughing, speaking Chinese)

(laughs weakly) Thanks a lot.

BEN: A confidence is
a confidence, Little Joe.

Look, confidence
or no confidence, Pa,

I'm getting, I'm getting
tired of doing double chores,

and it's breaking my back.

I didn't mind it for a little
while, but I been working

- Hold on, hold...
- and working and he doesn't...

Wait just one second.

I recall a number of occasions

when Hoss did all your chores

- when you went calling on a girl.
- Oh...

Well, Pa, that... Hey, what...?

He's doing all this for a girl?

No, no.

What would a girl have to do

with getting dressed
up every day,

and dowsing yourself
with lavender water,

and going on picnics
and polishing the buggy?

(Little Joe laughs)

And listen, young fella.

- Yeah?
- Don't kid him about it.

No, no, I won't kid him.

Hey, I wonder who she is?

A girl.

Oh, one more thing.

Yes, sir.

Go finish your chores.

Yes, sir.

What's the matter?

Something wrong?

- Oh, hi, Sheriff.
- Hoss.

How are you? This, uh...

This is Miss Carol
Attley, Sheriff.

This is Clem Foster,
our sheriff, Carol.

How you do, Miss Attley?

How do you do?

You're new in town, aren't ya?

- I, uh...
- Yes.

Hope you find Virginia
City to your liking, ma'am.

Hoss.

So long, Sheriff.

Git up.

What do you think of it?

(laughs) I never saw
anything so pretty.

♪♪

It's hard to
believe that a place

as beautiful as this
didn't even exist once.

How do you mean, didn't exist?

When all the earth was granite.

Before the sun shone on it.

It reminds me of...

of something I read once.

"Rain beats on
lonely granite sheets

"that have not felt the sun.

The silent air has not been
moved by cries of sorrow."

That was from a...

a book that was
once very close to me.

I don't remember
how the poem ends.

Do you come here often?

- As often as possible.
- Mm.

See that little
stream out there?

It's chock plump full of trout.

Hey, would you like
to try to catch one?

(laughs) What
about a fishing pole?

And bait.

Just happened to be around.

Hoss.

Is it possible there still are
people like you in this world?

Let's go catch a fish, come on.

Come on.

I'll bait your hook for you.

All right.

Now...

Now, I'll put it in there,
and then I'll let you have it.

- All right?
- Okay.

There.

Now, hang on.

And watch your cork.

- Watch my cork.
- Yeah.

And when you see
that cork bobbing,

then you know you got
a fish, don't you see?

- Oh.
- Keep your eye on it.

No, you got him up too high.

That's it, now keep the end
of the pole out of the water.

There you go.

Now, no, look here.

Keep your cork right
down there on the surface.

Carry it around just a
little bit, see, and tease him.

Make that bait look more alive.

Yeah.

Here, you're doing real good.

Just keep an eye on that cork.

- Oh!
- You got a nibble, hang on.

- I think so.
- Hang... just be patient.

CAROL: All right.

HOSS: Now he's got it.

- Now he took it, now pull it!
- Ooh, ooh.

Hang on! You want me to get him?

No, no, no, I want to.

- Well, be careful.
- I will.

- Ooh, ooh, I really...
- You got him.

You got a
granddaddy of them all.

HOSS: All right, be
careful of the bank there.

- Carol, bank!
- (shouts)

Carol? Carol?

You all right? You all right?

I'm fine.

(laughing)

I didn't even catch him.

(continues laughing)

♪♪

Hoss, I-I just don't
know what to say.

I mean, I-I'm... I'm
so goldarn delighted.

And what are you
delighted about?

Don't tell me my big
brother finally decided

to go back to work.

I'll tell you what.

We're gonna have a
wedding in the family.

Hoss, here, tells me he
intends to get married.

What?!

That's right, I'm
gonna get married, Joe.

Just as soon as I can get
some things taken care of.

LITTLE JOE: Why,
you son of a g*n.

- Congratulations.
- (laughing): Yeah.

Hey, I-I'll bet you
I know who it is...

- Betsy Sue.
- No, no.

- Mary Jane? -No, no.

You don't even know
her, you never met this girl.

Her-her name's Carol Attley,

and she just got into
town four days ago.

Four days ago?

That's, uh, that's pretty
fast. (laughs uneasily)

Yeah, that-that's why
I fixed this thing up

so we could all have
dinner tonight at the hotel,

and everybody get
kind of acquainted.

Hoss, let's have dinner here.

No, Pa, I'd rather
do it at the hotel,

so we can do it
up right, you know.

I'm gonna go up and get
dressed, see y'all after a while.

Okay.

I'll be doggoned.

How about that?

Hey, I'm gonna be an uncle.

(laughing)

Wonder what's keeping them.

BEN: Will you relax.

What do you mean, relax?
How am I gonna relax?

It's not every day a fellow
meets his sister-in-law

- for the first time.
- (laughs)

We must have been
sitting here for 20 minutes.

BEN: Oh, th-there
they are, there they are.

She's kind of pretty, isn't she?

Yeah.

Carol, I want you to meet
my pa and my little brother.

Joe and Mr. Cartwright.

This is Carol Attley.

Howdy.

It's a pleasure, ma'am.

BEN: Carol.

You're as lovely as
Hoss said you'd be.

You're very nice.

Well, why don't we
all sit down, huh?

Here.

Well... (chuckles)

Well, I-I reckon we
might as well start, huh?

- LITTLE JOE: Sounds good to me.
- BEN: Good idea.

Martha?

I think we're ready.

- Right away, Hoss.
- Yeah.

BEN: Carol?

In your family, do you have
two brothers like these two fellas?

(laughs) I hope not.

(laughs)

No.

Any sisters?

No.

Any family?

I'm quite alone.

I'm sorry.

Well, you won't be
for long, that's for sure.

Oh. No, you sure won't.

We're gonna put a
change to that right quick.

Well, Carol, we've
been looking forward

to meeting you and
getting to know you.

After all, it's not every day

that a man's son
decides to get married.

Of course not.

- (Ben laughs)
- MARTHA: Excuse me.

Thank you, Martha.

Hey.

Boy, that soup looks delicious.

BEN: Yes.

LITTLE JOE: Mm-hmm,
thank you, Martha.

Boy, it's got everything in it.

BEN: Thank you, Martha.

Well, reckon we might
as well dig in, huh?

You haven't been in Virginia
City very long, have you?

Uh, just four, uh... five days.

Whereabouts you from, back East?

Yes. Yes.

What town you from?

Oh.

Thank you.

Something wrong, Carol?

LITTLE JOE: Carol?

I was just asking what-what
town you're from back East.

I've lived so many places.

Well, what was the
last place you lived in?

Uh...

What, is it some kind of secret?

Joseph, have your soup.

I'm not feeling very well.

Will you excuse me.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry to spoil your dinner.

Thank you for inviting me.

Well... Carol, you-you'll have
dinner with us tomorrow night.

At our house.

Yes.

Little Joe.

Good night.

I'll be back after a while.

I wonder what
that was all about.

Well, you know when a
girl meets her future in-laws,

I guess she has a
right to be nervous.

Yeah, being
nervous is one thing.

But she-she was on her guard
from the moment she came in.

Yes.

I feel sorry for Hoss.

He had this whole thing planned.

Bet he's disappointed.

Yeah.

Well, let's, uh... let's eat.

Now, Carol, you listen to me.

You unlock that door and go
in that room and lock me out.

Catch the next
stage out of town.

Do whatever you like.

But that's not giving us
much of a chance, is it?

What chance have we got?

I'll tell you what kind
of a chance we've got.

So long as I've got you,
Carol, you've got me.

All of my strength.

Everything that I own.

It'll work.

No, Hoss.

It wasn't your brother, it
wasn't your father tonight.

It was me.

They have every
right to know about me.

Who I am.

Why I'm here.

You must wonder why I
can't answer normal questions.

You must wonder why

I've never told you
anything about myself.

Yes, I... I have wondered.

But... Carol, I trust you.

I believe in you.

Most of all, I love you.

I love you as much as any
man can a woman, and...

and I think you love me.

I do love you, Hoss.

I wish I could marry you.

Carol, what is it?

I can't.

But... why?

I have no right.

Oh, Carol, don't do this.

I k*lled a man.

It was an accident,
but I k*lled him.

He was... a cheat,
a liar, a brute,

a drunk.

But I didn't know that
when I married him.

Mother and I were
alone and we were...

poor, we were very poor.

And he made a lot of promises.

Well, I was young,
I... He was much older.

He'd lived, I was...
drawn to that.

But not Mama.

She hated him.

She saw right through him.

But I wouldn't listen to her.

I left her and I
ran away with him.

And I never saw my
mama alive again.

(crying, sniffles)

Carol... go on.

I want to hear the rest of it.

Well, when he
was drunk, he was...

he was violent and
he used to beat me.

And then, one night,

he came home and
he was very angry.

He'd had... he'd had some
fight with another woman.

And he had a g*n.

He threatened me
and I fought with him,

and the g*n went off.

And then I... I saw him fall.

And he was dead.

I... I wasn't held for it,

but I-I can't forget it.

I can't... I can't
ever forget it.

(crying)

Carol.

I told you once, I'm
gonna tell you again.

I love you.

And I want you to be my wife.

I want you forever.

Oh, Hoss...

Please say yes.

Please, Carol.

Please.

Look.

Do you remember that...
that poem that I read to you?

I tried to recite it,

but I couldn't
remember the ending?

Well, uh... I kept the book.

And after you asked me
to marry you, I looked it up.

"Rain beats on
lonely granite sheets

"that have not known the sun.

"The silent air has not been
moved by cries of sorrow.

"Then one bright sun
sh**t one bright ray,

"bursts forth a flower...

"and with it, day...
To bloom for thee."

Hoss... to bloom for thee.

Carol, does that mean
the answer is, "yes"?

Yes.

And that's... that's
the whole story,

or all there is to it.

(sighs)

I'm sure glad she didn't
keep it locked up inside her.

It would have always
been between us, I reckon.

(softly): Oh.

Joe, I think it might
be a good idea

if you and I visited Carol.

Showed her the whole
family's behind her.

Right.

Yeah, I... I think
she'd like that, Pa.


Well, I got to get into town
first thing in the morning.

I got all them wedding
plans to take care of.

We'll take care of your chores
and we'll see you there later.

Yeah. I guess that
shouldn't bother you

too much, should it, Hoss?

Not a bit, little
brother. Not a bit.

You know, this getting hitched,

it's a full-time job.

You know, I think Pa should
have warned you about that.

(Ben chuckles)

Yeah.

Well, you might as
well say good night

and good morning to me right now

'cause first thing, bright
and early in the morning,

I'm taking off.

And tonight I got
to get my sleep.

Good night.

Good night, Hoss.

Good night, brother.

Well, if I'm gonna have to
do his chores and my chores,

I better turn in, too.

See you in the morning, Pa.

Good night, son.

Whoa, whoa.

This is going to be

the most beautiful
wedding dress in the world.

And I'm going to
talk to the preacher

and we're going to
have the most beautiful

and the biggest wedding
the Ponderosa ever heard of.

- (giggles)
- I'll be back as soon as I can.

Make it very soon.

Carol, I guarantee you

nothing's gonna keep me
any longer than possible.

- Bye.
- Bye.

Giddup!

Would you check my bag?

Uh, where could I find the
sheriff's office in this town?

Well, there's the
sheriff, right over there.

Well, thank you.

Sheriff!

Sheriff!

- There's a man following me.
- What?

A man has been trying
to force himself on me.

If he comes in here,

you tell him that I
am not registered.

Well, certainly, Miss Attley.

I never heard of you.

Just got into town, Sheriff.

What can I do for you?

Harry Demers, U.S.
Marshal, New York.

You're a long ways from home.

Do you recognize this woman?

Why, yes.

I believe her name
is Carol Attley.

She arrived in town
a few days ago. Why?

I'm here to arrest her for
the m*rder of her husband.

Are you sure Carol Attley
is the one you're looking for?

Carol Andrews, Sheriff.

Attley was her maiden name.

Where can I find her?

Hotel, maybe.

If not, most likely she'd
be with Hoss Cartwright,

out at the Ponderosa.

Ponderosa?

What's that?

That is the biggest spread

in the territory, Marshal.

You can rent a rig
at the livery stable,

get you out there.

Thanks.

DEMERS: Mr. Cartwright?

Yes.

Harry Demers.

I'm a U.S. Marshal
from the East.

So how can I help
you, Mr. Demers?

I understand you
have a son, Hoss.

Yes.

I'd like to talk to him.

Well, he's not here
right now, and...

What's this about?

I'm trying to locate this
woman, Carol Andrews.

You might recognize
her as Carol Attley.

What do you want with her?

The government wants her

for the m*rder of her husband.

Well... I understood

that her husband's
sh**ting was accidental.

Two b*ll*ts through
the heart is no accident.

Come in, Mr. Demers.

♪♪

(knocking on door)

Who is it?

BEN: It's Ben
Cartwright, Miss Attley.

May I come in?

Just a minute.

I was just trying on
my wedding dress.

It's, uh... very lovely.

Come in.

Thank you.

I was going to ask Hoss
to marry me right away.

Today.

Miss Attley, uh...

Carol.

Would you sit down?

(clears throat)

Uh... I had a visitor
at the Ponderosa,

from the East.

Mr. Demers.

Carol, is what he says true?

What does he say?

He said that you...
left your husband,

went off with another man.

And when your
husband came after you...

you k*lled him.

Is that true?

Is that true?

(sighs heavily)

That isn't what you told Hoss...

is it?

No.

Mr. Cartwright...

my husband
wasn't fit... to live.

I had tried to leave
him... many times.

But he'd always stop me.

When my mother was dying...

he kept me from
going to her... forcibly.

The night that he was
k*lled, we'd had an ugly fight.

There was another man.

He'd offered to help me.

To give me money to go
to my mother if I would...

I went to him.

And my husband followed
me there and broke in.

He called me a tramp...

and he began slapping me around.

The other man
tried to... help me.

But my husband just beat
him to the floor, senseless.

Then he came after me again.

And I saw a... a g*n.

It was lying in a case.

I picked it up and
I aimed it at him,

and I told him to stop.

But he kept coming closer.

And then I k*lled him.

If I hadn't k*lled him,
he would've k*lled me.

And that's the whole story.

Do you believe me?

I don't know.

Would you tell Hoss
what you just told me?

How could I tell Hoss...

what I've been...

what I've done?

I love him so much.

If you love him so much...

how can you lie to him?

Because I don't
want to lose him.

I can't lose him.

Are you gonna live a lie
for the rest of your life?

What about... Demers?

What about the
warrant for your arrest?

I don't care.

I came here to...
to bury myself...

but I found a life instead.

I didn't ask to meet
Hoss... but I did.

I love him.

And he loves me.

And he's g... he's
gonna find some way to,

to keep Demers
from taking me back.

He won't let Demers
take me back.

(sighs heavily)

If that's your idea of love...

to ruin the person you love...

Because, if it is...

then I sure feel
sorry for you, Carol.

I sure feel sorry for you.

Hoss won't believe you!

He loves me.

He'll believe me.

Yes.

He'll believe you.

Knowing Hoss... I
know he'll believe you.

He loves you.

And you'll destroy him.

Get out of here.

For Hoss's sake, and your own...

tell him the truth.

Get out of here.

(door closes)

♪♪

(whistling happily)

CAROL: Who is it?

It's me, Hoss, Carol.

What do you want?

Well, I... I brought
you some more things.

Uh... wa... wa...

(slurred): Oh, just a minute!

Come in, Hoss.

I told you I wouldn't be long.

That's my sweet Hossie.

I knew you wouldn't be long.

I... (hiccups)

Oops.

(snickering)

I'm just having a little
pre-nuptial celebration.

You too, Hossie.

You, too.

You're going to have a little

(laughing):
pre-nuptial celebration.

No, no, thank you, Carol.

I don't believe I care for one.

Bad Hossie.

You said you were going
back to the Ponderosa.

Well, I... I was, but...

I had to pick up these things

and I ran across these flowers,

and I just thought I'd
bring 'em over to you.

Oh... oh, that's sweet.

Oh, that's so sweet.

Oh... (laughs)

you're my sweet Hossie.

You love me better than
anybody in the world,

don't you, Hoss?

Yeah... yeah, Carol,
I love you, but...

don't you think you've
had enough to drink?

No...

MAN: Honey, they send
up the clean laundry yet?

Who is he, Carol?

Who is he?

I guess you might as
well tell him, honey.

He's just who you think he is.

He's just who you think he is!

Carol... Oh, "Carol, Carol"!

Is that all you
can say: "Carol"?

Well, now you know.

What do you want me to do, cry?

Would you like me to
beg your forgiveness?

You, if you'd only stayed
in there one more minute,

we'd have had him hooked.

You would've been married,

and it would have cost
you plenty to get out of it.

Well, what are you
standing there for?!

Carol...

what are you doing?

What am I doing?

(coughing)

I like that.

It was you who foisted
your attentions on me.

You and your stuffy family.

Well, it's a very rich family.

Why shouldn't I have
some of that money, huh?

Did you think I
was doing it for you?

You?!

"To bloom for thee"?

I've used that poem

to hook more yokels
than you could count.

Tell you what I'm going to do.

I'll let you have it.

Here... for sweet!

Get out of here!

You better get out, farm boy.

Well, that takes
care of my end of it.

Now you're going
to be nice and tame,

all the way back to New York,

just like you promised, huh?

Just like you promised, huh?

Better get ready.

That judge and jury

have been waiting
a long time for you.

I'll get my coat.

♪♪

Don't you think we
ought to try to talk to him?

There are some things a
man has to do for himself.

Mourning a lost
love is one of them.
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