All she had was her three grown-up
sons, Casey, Hi-Pockets, and Jim-Bo, and Ginger, and Speedy, her
horse.
Both Aunt Vic and Aunt Lovie told Mama they knew I would be
perfectly safe, but neither one said safe from what. Oh, well, it
didn't matter. Grownups never get around to telling all they
know.
I was glad Aunt Vic liked my long braids. While she was lifting
Ginger, and then me, up into the buggy seat, I looked at her
hair. It had started turning gray on top, same as Mama's and Aunt
Lovie's. But mostly it was still brown, and her eyes were more
brown. Aunt Vic was real pretty. She smiled nearly all the time,
too.
"Bandershanks, let's fold the buggy robe around you and
Ginger," Aunt Vic said as we were leaving the church grounds and
waving good-bye to Mama and Aunt Lovie. "In late fall like this
the wind comes swooping down out of the north and blows right
nippy."
Aunt Vic's lap robe was a lot prettier than ours. Hers had a
long purple fringe. But Ginger didn't like the robe or the
fringe. He squirmed and twisted and stood up on the seat, turning
himself round and round.
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