“But she has got the dropsies, Milly Allen, for a fat woman has ’em where I live, and my papa takes care of her; so don’t I know?”
Milly said no more, for her papa was not a doctor; so what right had she to give an opinion concerning diseases?
The two ladies nodded and smiled in passing. “Oh, how homely!” whispered Flaxie, in amazement; “I mean the other one, not the sister.”
There was no doubt about it. I really suppose Miss Pike was one of the ugliest women in the whole state. Her eyes were small and half shut; her mouth was large and half open; her nose was enormous, and turned up at the end,—and, to crown the whole, it was red!
Milly, who had always known her, did not mind her looks. Indeed, so little can children judge of the beauty of those they love, that I dare say she might have thought her dear teacher quite handsome if she had not heard everybody speak of her as “that homely Miss Pike.”
“We don’t have such looking folks keep school where I live,” said Flaxie, in scorn.
“I can’t help it if you don’t,” returned Milly, slipping her cousin off her lap with much indignation. “God made her so, and my mamma says you mustn’t notice how anybody looks when they have a beautiful soul.”
“Well, you won’t get me to go to school, not if you give me five million thousand dollars, Milly Allen!” said Flaxie; and their loving chat on the doorstep was over for the evening.
Flaxie kept her word, and Milly went off next morning half crying; but little Freddy confided to his mother that he was “glad Flaxie wouldn’t go to school, for the scholars would laugh at her, true as you live.”
It was rather dull, all alone with Aunt Charlotte and little Ken, who was cutting his teeth and cried a great deal; but Flaxie held out for a whole week. This was fortunate, as it gave time for the greenish color to fade out of her face, and her own natural pink and white to come back again as beautiful as ever.