She had said,
"It ain't far from the house here to the spring, sugar. Just stay
in the trail till you hit the branch and turn down left a little
ways."
Then she had skimmed her bony fingers over my face and braids
to find out how I looked. "Ah, Nannie," she said to Mama while
she still had her hands on my cheeks, "I can tell you and Jodie
won't have no trouble a-tall marrying your baby off. She's pretty
as a pink. What color's her eyes and hair?" Miss Dink patted my
head.
"Her eyes are sort of greenish blue, like a gander's. And her
hair's about as yellow as a crooked-neck squash when it's good
and ripe. But that don't matter. If Bandershanks does as well as
she looks, she'll fare fine."
"Just so she ain't got buck teeth. Many's the old maid I've
seen with teeth like a beaver."
"Well, we can't be sure about her teeth yet. She's still got
her baby set." Mama looked down at me.
I kept thinking about Miss Dink's eyes. Mama had told me she was
losing her sight. Poor thing. The minute she said I was
pretty as a flower, I knew she was plum blind, for I wasn't
pretty.
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