I have seen this episode several times over the years, and I watched it again today on the INSP channel, for the memorable and charming performances by Marriette Hartley and the other cast members. Hartley comes across as a totally believable young woman, on the brink of adulthood, who has grown up in isolation, and has therefore retained her unfettered, childlike view of the world, not yet tainted by society's mores and rules of propriety.
Given that all of the main characters -- Matt, Doc, Kitty, and Chester -- are single, never having raised daughters, the men are all out of their element (especially Matt, with whom she has formed a special attachment), with limited experience guiding a young girl on the brink of womanhood. Through the combined efforts of Kitty, Doc, and Chester, they have some measure of success helping her learn the skills she needs, such as how to dress, eat, read and write, and conduct herself as a lady; yet it is a bittersweet experience, for Matt and Doc especially, as they come to realize that she will have to shed some of her childlike innocence, with its impetuous behaviors, as she masters self control and learns to comport herself in the ways that "gentle society" requires.
In the last scene, as Matt sees her off to live with her aunt, you can see a mixture of emotions on Matt's face, which I interpret as including pangs of regret for some of the sacrifices he had made in his life (due to the nature of his job), such as never having had the experience of raising a daughter, not being able to continue witnessing the rest of Clarey's journey into womanhood, and a measure of sadness (like doc had expressed earlier) which all parents feel at various times as their children grow up -- knowing that her days of running barefoot, splashing in the creek to bathe, sleeping in trees, speaking her mind, and demonstrating physical affection whenever she felt like it, were about to come to an end, and would become a distant memory, eventually even forgotten (as Doc had forgotten about the joy of walking in the mud in your bare feet), as she transitioned into womanhood. Maybe he even felt some guilt for the role he had played in transforming her from a pure, natural, unspoilt child to a cultured woman conforming to the rules of society.
Ir is worth watching the episode to see Clarey's interactions with other the other characters, including Doc, Kitty, Matt, Chester, the men who laughed at her in the restaurant, and the shop lady who tried to make her put on a corset!
