	In 'The Nurse' Mary Ellen receives a letter from the nursing school that says she has been accepted to make entrance examinations. As she is yelling John Boy and Olivia come from upstairs, where they hid the suitcase they’ve made for her as a surprise, and when John Boy sees his sister he says: Well, there she is, all grown up and ready for the world.. Olivia: I wonder if the world’s gonna be ready for her! After Mary Ellen reads to the letter Elizabeth says on the first impulse: But if you get to stay overnight you got to need a suitcase.. (everyone is silent and looks at her) …or a sack or something. Then everyone prevaricates about the suitcase and John Boy offers Mary Ellen to join him on his trip to Nora Taylor who is nursing mrs. Basham. When they ride to the Bashams on Blue John Boy tells Mary Ellen that college was a lot harder than he thought it was gonna be. She says: I don’t care if it is. I just wanna ride of this mountain down into the rest of the world. John Boy: Well, it’s down there honey, all around everywhere.
	As Mary Ellen is packing her suitcase that evening and prepares herself to leave next morning her father stands outside on the porch lost in heavy thougts. Olivia sees him and asks: Can I help? John: With what? Olivia: I know a worried man when I see one. John: You know Liv, when the boys were testing their wings I used to stay up all night and I’d tell you not to worry, they knew how to take care of themselves. But now it’s Mary Ellen. Olivia: She’s your baby-girl and it’s different. John: She always has been. Olivia: She’s a young woman. She’s strong, capable, sensible. She’s ready to make a life of her own. John: Of course she’s ready. She has been her whole life on Walton’s Mountain protected. Liv, there are thing out there, people out there she doesn’t know anything about. Olivia: Wanna go out there with her? Take her by the hand? Then they look at each other and end up smiling with looks of comprehension..
	The next day Mary Ellen leaves home to make her exams and stay at the nursing school overnight. But there she discovers she doesn’t know anything about algebra and chemistry. Completely disappointed she comes home. There John asks her what’s wrong and Mary Ellen says: That school’s so dumb. They expect you to know stuff and they don’t even tell you. John (holding her tight): Easy, easy.. Mary Ellen: I’m so dumb I couldn’t even take the test. Well they had all these questions about stuff I never even studied. When John comforts her Olivia comes and asks: What happened? Mary Ellen: Well, there were questions about algebra and chemistry, stuff I even heard of. After this she goes crying to her room but later that evening John Boy tries to help her and suggests that she should talk to someone who has taken the test: Nora Taylor.
	Another example of the difficulties John has with Mary Ellen leaving Walton’s Mountain is when he returns from visiting her while she is helping Nora Taylor with the Bashams in return for her help with her study. That evening, while he’s preparing himself for going to bed, he says to Olivia: You should have seen her, Liv. She looked like a regular grown up woman. Olivia: She is. John: In a week or so? Olivia: I imagine it happened little by little, growing up does. John: I just can’t think of Mary Ellen that way. Olivia: I remember when we used to talk about her graduating from high school. Now here it is. John: Liv, why does it bother me so much? Olivia: Just remember: A son is a son until he takes a wife. A daughter is a daughter for the rest of her life. John: Before you know it some guy will be around here asking me if he can marry her. Olivia: Soon that will come too. John: Yeah, he’s gonna have to be some kind of man.
	After Mary Ellen finds out mrs. Basham has died she wakes up Violet to tell her the sad news. This is one of the fine moments Mary Ellen speaks wise and sensitive words..! Violet: It’s a quiet time, a peaceful time. Mary Ellen: Try and remember it that way, Violet. Violet: There’s dew on things this early time a day. Just tiny little waterdrops waiting for the sun. Mary Ellen: I bet your mama told you that. Mothers do that. They tell you all the nice and pretty things when you’re little. And you always remember what your mama tells you. You have it with you your whole life long. And if something happens and your mom has to go away you can remember what she told you and you can bring her back to you. Violet: Is mama gone? Mary Ellen: She tried so hard, Violet but she was tired and week. She didn’t want to leave you. But she just had to. Violet: Is mama still hurt? Mary Ellen: No, and she’ll never ever hurt again. I think your granddaddy needs you now.
	Mary Ellen comes home with John Boy and Olivia welcomes her and says: I was worried about you. Mary Ellen: It was a hard time. Olivia: I figured something was wrong. John Boy: Mrs. Basham died. Mary Ellen was with her. I got the circuit preacher to take care of everything Olivia to Mary Ellen: Are you alright? Mary Ellen: I never really understood before All my life i've heard grown ups say: It's best. She won't suffer anymore. All I could think about was: She's dead. She won't live anymore. And what about the kids? Violet... She's not much older than Elizabeth. She's the oldest now. I'm just tired. John Boy: I saw everything she did, mom. You'd been proud of her. Olivia: I am.
	S C R E A M . . ! Olivia : Erin, is that you? Erin : There is a cricket in my bed, a big fat cricket. Olivia : Jim-Bob, did you put that in Erin's bed? Erin : Jim-Bob! Grandpa laughs.... (watch his eye) Jason : It was Grandpa! Erin : Mary Ellen, I wish I could go away to school with you. Elizabeth : So do I, I have my very own room. John : Everybody go to sleep! Erin : I'm gonna get you Grandpa!

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