Ellen: Good morning.
Ellen: What a wonderful morning!
Ellen: Don't the flowers smell wonderful?
Philip: Good morning, Ellen.
Philip: Yes, they do.
Philip: That's why I'm reading my paper and having my coffee
Philip: on the patio this morning.
Ellen: Ah, it does smell sweet.
Philip: How was your school-board meeting last night?
Philip: You must've come home very late.
Philip: Did you find the sandwich I made for you?
Ellen: Thanks, dear.
Ellen: I was so tired
Ellen: I didn't even finish it.
Ellen: Philip, I've been working on this special project
Ellen: with the school board,
Ellen: and I'd like your opinion about it.
Philip: What is it?
Ellen: I've been trying to find
Ellen: a way to encourage reading.
Philip: Good luck!
Ellen: Well, I think I may have found a way to do it.
Philip: Tell me about it.
Philip: I work with families every day, Ellen.
Philip: I see how people spend their leisure time--
Philip: young and old.
Philip: Mostly watching television.
Ellen: Well, that would be OK
Ellen: if, and I repeat,
Ellen: if people took the time to read.
Philip: I couldn't agree with you more.
Philip: The question is,
Philip: how do we get them to read more?
Philip: I think
Philip: you're going to give me the answer to that question.
Philip: You have that look in your eye.
Ellen: I do have an answer, Philip.
Ellen: Or at least I think I do.
Philip: Well, tell me about it.
Ellen: The plan is a simple one.
Ellen: Involve the entire family in a reading project.
Philip: In the home?
Ellen: Yes, in the home.
Ellen: But first in the school-rooms.
Philip: Hmm, interesting.
Philip: But how do you plan to do that?
Ellen: By arranging with the public schools
Ellen: to schedule one hour a week--to start with.
Ellen: During that time
Ellen: parents are invited to attend--
Ellen: and to read along with the children--their children.
Philip: It can go beyond the school system, Ellen.
Ellen: Really?
Philip: I guarantee you it would go very well in the hospitals.
Philip: My patients--mostly kids--
Philip: would love to read and be read to.
Ellen: You think so?
Philip: I know so.
Ellen: Maybe we can experiment with your patients
Ellen: and see how the plan works.
Philip: I love the idea.
Philip: Would you work with me on it?
Ellen: I would love to, Philip.
Ellen: And that way,
Ellen: we'll spend more time together, Ellen.
Ellen: We just don't see each other anymore.
Philip: You and I are very busy these days.
Ellen: This is true.
Philip: We need to find time to be together more,
Philip: to do things together more--you and I.
Ellen: This would be a wonderful way to accomplish that.
Philip: I have a question.
Ellen: Yes?
Philip: What do we read?
Philip: To the patients in the ward?
Ellen: Yes.
Ellen: Well,
Ellen: let you and I talk about it.
Ellen: What would you like to read to them?
Philip: Mrs. Stewart and I
Philip: will read a poem by Robert Frost.
Philip: It's called
Philip: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
Philip: Would you begin, Ellen?
Ellen: All right.
Ellen: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
Ellen: by Robert Frost.
Ellen: Whose woods these are I think I know.
Ellen: His house is in the village though;
Ellen: He will not see me stopping here
Ellen: To watch his woods fill up with snow.
Philip: My little horse must think it queer
Philip: To stop without a farmhouse near
Philip: Between the woods and frozen lake
Philip: The darkest evening of the year.
Philip: He gives his harness bells a shake
Philip: To ask if there is some mistake.
Philip: The only other sound's the sweep
Philip: Of easy wind and downy flake.
Ellen: The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
Ellen: But I have promises to keep,
Ellen: And miles to go before I sleep,
Ellen: And miles to go before I sleep.
Grandpa: You two belong on stage! That was wonderful!
Ellen: Grandpa!
Philip: Dad ... Robbie. When did you come?
Robbie: We've been listening to you both.
Grandpa: These are lucky kids.
Grandpa: Do you enjoy reading together?
Philip: Well, we may read together aloud at home.
Ellen: You were right, Robbie.
Robbie: I know.