Pause To Consider (1964)

hey Ernie how what's up well that's some way to greet a buddy well I'm just surprised to see you that's all I don't know why I spend enough time up here in the middle of the week well you just got to have the right kind of job that's all yeah I guess you sure do listen you got a uh a cabin for a weary traveler in the off season take your [Music] pick come on is that is that that view Ernie what a setup fresh air outdoor life yeah but you're the one that gets to take off like this how long you staying I don't know hey everything okay well I mean I thought maybe uh you and Sher things running smooth there Oh Sherry fine great good well I've got some chores to finish if you need anything holler okay I'll do that and don't be surprised if a moose answers that sort of thing happens around you remember [Music] you notice how it looks almost flesh colored well that's because it contains felspar hey Hal Pastor Kenny I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine Hal Tobias Pastor Brewer is our minister in town Mr deas nice to meet you this Kenny's his son hi am I interrupting anything no I was just launching into a lecture in the properties of granite I think you probably saved me from being a boar say you and Kenny ought to have a lot in common he's been offered a football scholarship to State oh you must be pretty good I'm okay I guess how played football for State 4 years ago no kidding well I can see my campaign to make a nature lover out of him is going down the drain already dad's trying to get me to be a rock hound oh there's nothing wrong with that kenny'd probably rather play football right now well this is the guy that can give you the pointers hello Pastor Hello Kenny hi how is your cabin all right fine fine K good say Ernie would you give me a hand with those logs sure honey hey why don't you tell him about our homecoming game in our senior [Music] year that was Sher Hammond calling oh she wanted to know if Hal was here when I told her she said she was coming up today tomorrow morning oh well what's wrong with that well she seemed upset oh they probably just had a fight she's coming up to iron it out oh I don't know it's odd though she asked me not to tell him she was coming she talked as though she thought he might leave if he [Music] knew Kate to tell you the truth I'm as much in the dark about all this as you are you're in the dark Hal didn't show up at the office yesterday and dad told me to find him he insisted that it was very important do you know what he meant it's probably some business matter and I'll bet it's not nearly as Earth shaking as he makes out my father he's the kind that pushes the panic button if his ballpoint pen runs dry but anyway I called all his friends in the city and then I thought of you and Ernie you know you could have spoken to how long distance that's the funny part I told my father the same thing and he said no calls you go up there yourself and bring him back so here I am you know something Kate I feel a little bit like a member of a posy well come on in and freshen up [Music] Sherry [Music] hi don't I even get a kiss after my journey now before you start asking a lot of questions I'll give you some answers one dad ask me to find you two I love surprises that's for sure three I'm not asking any questions myself I'm here strictly as a message Bearer okay what's the message father wants to talk to you in person about am I taking off well you must admit it's not done every day personally though I think there's more to it more like what you wouldn't say he acted very hush hush you haven't given any secrets to the Russians have you no lately I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Dad's just pulling the mountain mole hill bit again truth is he's a frustrated actor that's probably all there is to the whole business don't you think oh sure sure he's he's probably making something out of nothing I don't know why he had to send you up here though must have been some reason well there were some reports I was supposed to have ready yesterday he probably thinks he can't live without him well the fact is Sher the pressure was just getting to be too much that's all I had to cut out or go crazy you know I'll tell you something about your dad he's a great guy but he's a driver too of course you're his secretary you ought to know anyway the way it looks to me I think he's driving me twice as hard as the others especially since he promoted me just to prove he's not playing favorites probably oh I I know I should asked his permission before I left but I knew what he'd say not a very good way to get in with the bosses how why don't you call him from here and explain no I'll work it out with him when I get back and I'm not about to go back just yet I don't see why you can't telephone Jerry I said no and if he asks you what happened that's exactly what you tell him that I'll disc discuss it with him at the [Music] office Ernie you're looking at the world's biggest heel no no there's a there's a better name for someone like me in Bez what you know why I'm here I'm running running because I've stolen from a [Music] man I've stolen from sher's father $2,000 wow what you do a thing like that for you remember the time you told me I'd get in trouble if I kept betting so heavy on the horses well I'm in it now big trouble I've been stealing little by little from the business and losing every cent the books would do to be audited yesterday and I couldn't go to work all I could think of was get out of there as fast as I could I thought of the mountains the lodge sometimes I think I've been running like this all my life I don't get it you remember when we were kids and I was always running away from home well if I came from the same kind of home you did I might have run too yeah but I'm still doing it you know how I feel right now I'm so scared I'm shaking it's like the first time my old man came home drunk and started Bel my mother around I should have done something I should have stopped him or done something I ran well you were just a kid what else could you do and the next time and the next only I'm still doing it and now look at me that same scared kid only this time it's 20 years later how being scared is one thing but you're not a hardened criminal you've got to stop running cuz sooner or later you're going to have to come back I know but not now not now I've got to have time to think what about Sher you you figure she knows anything about it I doubt it her father must have found out about the money and told her to come up here bring me down why should he tell her no use making her miserable too what do you think he'll do he's got every right to bring the police in on it well from everything you've told me about him he seems like a decent guy you he probably just wants to keep it quiet well even if you're right I've stolen from the man how do I even look him in the face I can't even look Sher in the eye how how I think I know someone who could help you Pastor Brewer listen the only person who can help me is a miracle worker no no no I know what I'm talking about he's helped me not in the same way sure but I know how bug you are in religion and believe me believe me I respect you for it maybe someday I'll try it myself but not now this is too big a jam hi Ernie hi you sure ordered beautiful weather for us maybe you should save it for the busy season oh we've got enough to go around well listen I'll see you two kids later all [Applause] right this Mountain climate take your breath away or aren't we speaking today oh I know I'm not making this a very good vacation for you Sherry I told you you shouldn't stay around here you think you're the only one who can do something on impulse besides dad won't miss me for a couple of [Music] days I wanted to be with you Hal it's as simple as that I want to be with you too H this business with my father there must be something you haven't told me I've told you everything now let's forget it are you and he on the outs for some reason please drop it okay no hell don't you realize that anything that involves you and my father involves me too I realize it this whole misunderstanding or well I don't know what it is whatever it is I'm sure it could be cleared up if you just wouldn't be so stubborn Hal don't you realize how my father feels about you to him you're like a son and you can talk to him like a son please I W you come on back and have it out with him for me I can't I can't [Applause] oh boy would I love to have a heap like this for one night ju uh just to take my girl for a drive you going steady well we're going to we're going to get married soon as I get out of college 4 years plus grad school oh that's a long time to wait guy could go to nuts you'll make it well now you and Miss Hammond you could get married just about anytime you wanted to couldn't you no it's not quite that simple H uh you got a second I want to ask you something go ahead well it's uh it's about that football scholarship to State what about it well uh there's this other college Parkman and uh even though dad doesn't push it I know he wants me to go there have you ever heard of it yeah it's a small school isn't it very good scholastically yeah yeah that's it well it it's not nearly as big or as famous a state but well it's it's tops for chemistry and that's what I want to major in and when I get out of college I want to become a research chemist well what's the chemistry setup at State oh it's all right I guess but well at it's it's kind of a specialty with them you know I mean uh the the Departments won all sorts of awards and things I still want to play football very badly but uh I don't know I just wonder whether I shouldn't go to Parkman and not just because of dad either how what do you think wait a minute I don't know anything about Parkman or chemistry oh no no I didn't mean that I mean about State about playing for the team is it really that great well in my case uh my family didn't have very much money I couldn't even would have gone to college if I hadn't gotten a football scholarship now you had to go that route too huh I don't know being out on that field every Saturday afternoon made me feel like somebody pretty special that may sound rah rah and corny to you but for me it was the greatest but what's right for me may be all wrong for you Kenny can I ask you something that's not about football yeah sure it's about your father's work I've heard that uh ministers sometimes give personal counseling to people in trouble that's right how do they help are uh are you in some kind of trouble how it's too complicated to explain morning Mr Tobias Pastor Kenny thought we were going fishing oh yeah that's right Dad um how why don't you ask Dad about it oh it's nothing no about what well Hal just wanted to know there really isn't anything are you sure positive well anyway uh don't empty that stream save a few for me huh okay thanks for letting me drive [Applause] H Hi H Kate you going honey a little later want to come along yeah sure why don't you go get dressed I'll meet you at the cabin huh right I was about to say I don't see what good the money will do well for one thing it might give him a little piece of mind you see his face he's beginning to look like an old man 2000 it's practically everything we have in savings we'll make out all right you lend Hal the money he returns it to sher's Father do you really think it'll end there for him the money's not the answer not really and I'm not being selfish or miserly hell can have it but you know as well as I the Peace of Mind you'll get won't be very lasting after a while he'll feel guiltier than ever and you talk to him about going to church with us if he could just get straightened out in other ways maybe he'd see that the money's not the answer well I've already tried that but you know how yes I do go on take it Ernie I can't don't give me a hard time this must have cleaned you out a drop in the bucket I'm secretly a multi-millionaire yeah look I'll be hitting you for the same kind of dose someday probably just be sure you remember a friend huh I won't forget how does Kate feel about it she's all for it she must think I'm a leech she probably thinks that's the only reason I came up here in the first place nah you've got it all wrong Ernie why do you let me make a sucker out of you why don't you tell me to pack my bags and get out out of here listen Hal I can't change your opinion of yourself but I can tell you this nobody around here thinks you're making suckers of us my opinion personally I wouldn't lend a penny to a guy like me that's right I stole from your own father what do you think of me now why didn't you you tell me before I don't know I thought you'd walk out on me did you really think that I don't know what I thought I know what I think now though about myself I'm nothing but a parasite who bleeds his best friend's dry imagine Ernie giving me a check for $2,000 you do the same for him and he knows it now this kid Kenny hanging on every word I [Applause] say I have got a real talent for filing people up haven't I well haven't I what do you want me to do Hal condemn you you're doing a beautiful job of that yourself I stole from your father aren't you even angry angry no disappointed yes I suppose you want to break up the engagement now is that what you want I want you to be happy Sherry and I don't believe you can be happy with someone like me how I know what I'm talking about I never told you about my family because it's not a very pleasant subject but I'll tell you now my father was a weakling and a drunkard he ruined my mother's life he was always running to the bottom well I'm not much better I've done some running too before your father hired me I had a dozen jobs and whenever the going got too rugged I ran to the next one or to the track or to the nearest bar like my old man is that what you want what my mother had you're not like that you may have been mixed up before I met you but you're not nearly as bad as you paint yourself Hal if you go back and you tell him the whole story I know he'll understand when he sees how sorry you are it isn't just your father it's me I can't live with myself how do I make amends to a man when I can't even look at my own face in the mirror I want you both to know that I appreciate the check but I couldn't do it I tore it up save your money for something worthy now when I first brought up the idea of giving a check Kate warned me it wouldn't really work she said sooner or later you'd begin feeling guiltier than ever well that's just how I feel even though I did tear up the check why is that have you spoken to the pastor do you really think that would help that's up to you anything's better than what you're going through isn't it [Music] I bet you don't run into many people like me Pastor rotten enough to steal from a man who practically treats him like a son on the contrary I deal with people every day who have problems similar to yours people who done something dreadfully wrong and then then just can't live with the thought of it but they're not like me I'm about as low as they come in a way I'm glad to hear you say that it's a good sign what's good about it shows you're repentant deeply sorry for what you've done and it also shows that you're aware of your need for forgiveness forgiveness even if sher's father could forgive me I know I could never forgive myself well this may come as a surprise to you but even if you were able to forgive yourself you probably wouldn't feel any different from the way you feel right now and you'd still be living under this this terrible burden of guilt I don't understand the the sin that you committed was more than just a sin against sher's father although it certainly was that even though you would never have admitted it to yourself consciously deep down in your heart you must know that what you did was a sin against God as is every moral wrong as surely you know in this case which of his Commandments you violated Thou shalt not steal that's right and since God was involved in what you did he's certainly going to have to be involved in the way you you settle it and if you don't settle it your conscience will never let you rest look Pastor I'm not saying I I buy this whole thing about my sinning against God but if that's the way it is what do I do about it well since you put the question to me so bluntly I'll answer just as bluntly have you ever heard the passage from the Bible Christ died for our sins well now those words mean exactly what they say how God's own son died for the terrible thing that you've done he gave his life in payment in atonement for the sins that you and I commit so that when we come to God trusting in what his son has done for us we stand forgiven in his sight that's what the Bible says says how that Christ died for Sinners just like you so that you could have his father's forgiveness all I can say is there aren't many Sinners just like me well from what I can gather you've been involved in one crisis after another ever since you can remember and never once in any of these crises have you ever turned to God for help don't you think that now is the time to turn to him oh pastor I only wish I could the main thing Hal is to know that God has already turned to you and through Christ you can be sure of his forgiveness and once you have that you've gained something else strength to face your daily problems courage to cope with them instead of always running away that's what you really want isn't it Al more than anything else in the world scared plenty you sure you're ready to go back I think so I'm glad you had that talk with the pastor last night so am I I mean that well I better be going you starting back too I'll be right behind you all the way [Music] [Applause] [Music] la [Music] h [Music]