Tol'able David (1921 film)
INSPIRATION PICTURES, Inc.
Charles H. Duell,
PRESIDENT
presents
RICHARD BARTHELMESS
in
"TOL'ABLE DAVID"
BY
Joseph Hergesheimer
A FIRST NATIONAL ATTRACTION
Copyright 1921
by
Associated First National Pictures, Inc.
Directed by
Henry King.
Screen Adaptation by
EDMUND GOULDING
AND
HENRY KING.
Edited by
DUNCAN MANSFIELD.
Photographed by
HENRY CRONJAGER.
Behind three great ranges of mountains lay the pastoral valley of Greenstream.
There the Kinemons had long made their home as tenants on the rich farm of John Galt.
Hunter Kinemon kept the biblical tradition of a family united by every tie of love and honor.
Mrs. Kinemon,
mother of a home her tenderness helped create.
David,
the youngest son, was called his mother's boy.
Allan,
the elder son, reckoned the strongest man in Greenstream County.
Rose,
Allan's wife, loved as a daughter of the house.
"It's eight o'clock, and time for bed."
The morning rose serene and pure over the village of Greenstream.
Esther,
the granddaughter of neighbor Hatburn.
"Can you spare us a cup of sugar? I'd fetch it back tomorrow."
"Allan, if you want to stay home with Rose today, I'll drive the hack for you."
"Why, David, you're too young to carry the government mail!"
"But I'll drive the hack when you go railroading!"
"You won't be a man for a spell yet, David, but you're tol'able--just tol'able."
The sun crossing the eastern mountains found Greenstream peacefully awake.
Allan drove the daily hack 20 miles into West Virginia.
John Galt,
storekeeper, village postmaster, and richest man in the Valley.
On such a gentle summer day it seemed that nothing could disturb the peace of Greenstream.
"I'll beat you playing mumble-ty-peg."
"Remember you're not well, Pa, and don't overdo yourself."
But trouble like the shadow of a black cloud hurried across the countryside toward Greenstream.
"Don't shoot! They're across the State line. We're well rid of them."
Iska Hatburn,
chief of a fugitive family.
His elder son, Luke, whose peculiar humor it was to destroy whatever he encountered.
Little "Buzzard" Hatburn, the baby of the clan.
"A cousin of ours lives in here. We'll find him--get something to eat, and lay up a while."
Elbow Barren, the home of Neighbor Hatburn.
"I'll bet there's not a man in the County who can snare a trout like that."
"Yes, David, you're right tol'able--"
"--for a boy."
Neighbor Hatburn.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Are you sure it was the trout you were after?"
"Laugh if you want to, but I'll--I'll bet there's not a man in this County can snare a trout or shoot like David."
"Don't you know us? We're your cousins."
"I thought you were in jail."
"We were. Then we had a little trouble over Tug River way, and came to visit with you till it blows past."
"We won't trouble you--much. We can sleep anywhere."
"Pap, I'm hungry."
"Well, what are you waiting for?"
"We're not ghosts--we got to eat!"
"Who are these strangers?"
"From now on I don't want anybody hanging around here."
"Grandpa says they're cousins from up Tug River, and the Sheriff is after them."
"Shall we go back and lick 'em, Rocket?"
Today Allan drove recklessly--anxious to get home.
"Say, what's the hurry?"
"It's a boy and weighs ten pounds!"
"He's a Kinemon all over, just like you."
"Well, David, you're not the baby of this house any more."
"David must always be my baby."
"You have a lot of time to learn to smoke."
"I'm afraid of those Hatburns."
"When one of them looks at me he--"
"If they get ugly you send for me."
"David, they'd mow you down like a clump of daisies."
"Hey! It's a boy and weighs ten pounds."
With the passing weeks Rose thought her baby became more and more a Kinemon.
"I reckon you won't need a doctor around here for a while."
"Hunter is bothered with that old pain again, and we can't drive him to see you."
"I've been telling the doctor about your bad spells."
A wave of love swept over David--a love for everything and everybody that made his home.
"Where is that dog?"
"Allan took Rocket with him this morning."
"Hatburn, you killed my brother's dog! I have government mail and passengers now, but when I'm through--I'll be back."
"What happened--an accident?"
"No, but there will be if you don't 'tend your own business."
The shadow of the black cloud had crept across the Kinemon home.
"I'd thank you to drive the hack to Greenstream and not bother the Sheriff."
"Allan is helpless for life."
"We can do nothing more now. I'll call back this way tonight."
It seemed to David he waited an eternity for his father to move.
"Hunter, you've been a mighty good husband--I pray God will send you back."
"Us Kinemons can revenge our own."
"Put that gun up and help your Ma."
The realization that death had shifted the burden of the Kinemon honor to him.
"Damn and Damn the Hatburns! I'll kill 'em all."
"You're my little David. You can't go. They'd kill you."
"There's Rose and the baby. You're the only man we have now."
With Hunter Kinemon dead and Allan crippled they were forced to move from the place that held all their past happiness.
"It's hard leaving our old home, Mr. Galt."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Kinemon, but it takes a man to manage the cattle."
How could David let them see the grief that was choking him at the destruction of what he loved most.
"David, is there anything I can do?"
"I hate you and everything that's Hatburn!"
"We haven't left a thing--nothing at all."
In the poverty of a small dwelling in the Village the Kinemons tried to hide their sadness from each other.
"No David, you can't drive the hack. You're too young to be trusted with the mail."
"If I was David Kinemon I'd have fed them Hatburns a dose of hot lead."
To David's unhappy mind it seemed that all the Valley held him a coward.
"I was just telling Rose you'd be better off with me dead."
"David, run down to the store and fetch some soap."
"It's like David blames it on Esther and me, and that's not right, Mrs. Kinemon, it's not right."
"David doesn't mean it, Esther."
"I've made up my mind--"
"You can't drive the hack--"
"But you can start to work in the store tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Mr. Galt. I'll--be here."
Life went on unhindered by individual sorrow and the gaiety of a dance filled the schoolhouse.
"I just had to bring Esther tonight, she wanted to come so bad."
David resolved to meet every obligation of his fully accepted responsibility.
"If you don't aim to ride with me you can walk."
"You're fired for good!"
"You can't fire me. I quit!"
"What'll you do now? I'll miss the through train."
"David, I'll have to let you drive the hack today."
"This has gone on long enough. It's got to stop."
The afternoon was passing from Greenstream with its appearance of old serenity.
"I tell you Sheriff I can't stand them. Something must be done to get them out of my house."
"They'd be arrested now for crippling Allan Kinemon but Court's three months off and the jail wouldn't hold 'em."
"Let him tell at the Village he lost the government mail."
"I guess I'll wait for David with the mail."
He had passed no one on the road but a Hatburn.
"I only tried to clip off his ear, but he moved."
"Don't hinder me. I'm the Government's agent--and David Kinemon too."
"I wonder what's happened---David's late."
"You can depend on David. His ambition has always been to drive the hack."
POST
OFFICE
"It seems only yesterday he was a child and sat on my knee while I read his favorite story of David and Goliath, and now--he's a man and driving the government mail."
"I won't wait for the mail. I must hurry home to Esther."
"David--they've killed him!"
Responsibility, conquering his broken body, drove him on.
In the darkness upon him a single determination lived--he must keep the horses on the road, he must deliver the mail.
"David, you're wonderful!"
"Ma's right. I'm only tol'able--just tol'able."
TOL'ABLE DAVID
THE END
FIRST
NATIONAL
PICTURES
A First National Attraction
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in 1921, before the cutoff of January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1982, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 41 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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