I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away 4/10

Seth is back in town and runs up the hill to the mill. Mr. Garvey is there closing up shop along with everyone else in town. Seth has been in Sleepy Eye the last few weeks so he didn't know how bad things have gotten in Walnut Grove since the railroad strike began. He asks about Mr. Ingalls and Jonathan tells him that he hasn't been in town much recently. Seth wanted to tell Charles about the new livery he opened with his Pa in Sleepy Eye. Speaking of "sleepy eyes", Mr. Garvey decides to break the news about Mary. At first Seth thought he was just referring to her eyestrain, but he looks stunned when Jonathan tells him that Mary is losing her sight. Once Seth processes the news, he runs down the hill.

Later on, Jonathan rides to the Ingalls Tree of Contemplation where he finds Charles, well, contemplating. He lets Charles know that the mill has been shuttered so he won't need to make an extra trip into town. Charles mumbles his thanks and continues to stare down the tree. Mr. Garvey offers to help Charles with anything he might need, but Mr. Ingalls says he doesn't need anything. He goes on to say that if he heard the news about the financial devastation of Walnut Grove a few weeks ago he would have been hopping mad. Instead, it's the least of his problems and he wonders how important those sort of problems actually are. I...guess that's optimism? Silver lining? Sunshine on a rainy day? Jonathan isn't sure how to respond, so he just repeats his offer of helping Charles out if he ever needs it. Charles again says he doesn't need anything and gets up to leave. Jonathan just watches as Charles walks away.

It's breakfast time at the Ingalls house. Laura and Carrie are clearing the table as Pa drinks coffee. Caroline walks in from the bedroom, presumably having just nursed the baby. She takes a seat in the rocking chair and things seem rather idyllic. That is until Mary starts screaming for Pa from up in the loft. All the females freeze in place as Pa races up the ladder. Mary is freaking out, screaming about not being able to see. I could not imagine how terrifying that would be. I mean, my eyes are pretty bad but it's just blurriness instead of darkness. Mary starts screaming about not being able to breathe, so I imagine what she is experiencing is not unlike waking up in a coffin already buried. Unenviable, to say the least. We see Caroline listening to the commotion and looking absolutely mortified. Charles tries to calm his daughter down, but I'm guessing that is going to take a long while.

Some time later, either that day or a couple of days, Caroline pays a visit to Doc Baker. She confides in him that she is at a complete loss in terms of what to do. Mary believes that she is now a burden to her family despite what others say. Doc thinks Caroline may be doing too much in this situation and that Mary will need to learn to cope with her disability and learn how to fend for herself. Charles is in the office also and says that Mary needs their help. Doc Baker disagrees, saying that if they try to take care of everything Mary may just end up as a shut-in. He advises the Ingalls to enroll Mary in a school for the blind. The closest one is in Iowa, which isn't that close when you live in Minnesota in the 1870's. Caroline poo-poos the idea, but Doc Baker says that Mary is living in fear and resentment and the only thing that will help her is proper training. Caroline looks at her husband. Charles ponders for a moment before agreeing with Doc Baker. He asks the doctor to make the arrangements. Caroline looks really sad, but Doc Baker assures her that this is for the best.