And now I blink and blink till Malachy runs to my mother, talking out
in the lane with Mrs. Hannon, Mam, something is up with Frankie, hes
upstairs blinking and blinking.
She comes running up.Whats wrong with you?
Im making my eyes strong with the exercise.
What exercise?
The blinking.
Blinking is not exercise.
Seamus in the hospital says you cant beat the blink for the strong
eye. His uncle had powerful eyes from the blinking.
She says Im getting odd and goes back to the lane and her chat
with Mrs. Hannon and I blink and bathe my eyes with the boric acid
powder in warm water. I can hear Mrs. Hannon through the window,
Your little Frankie is a godsend to John for tis the climbing up and
down on that float that was ruining his legs entirely.
Mam doesnt say anything and that means she feels so sorry for Mr.
Hannon shell let me help him again on his heavy delivery day,Thurs-
day. I wash my eyes three times a day and I blink till I get a pain in my
eyebrows. I blink in school when the master isnt looking and all the
boys in my class are calling me Blinky and adding that to the list of
names.
Blinky McCourt
beggar womans son
scabby-eyed
blubber gob
dancing
Jap.
I dont care what they call me anymore as long as my eyes are clear-
ing up and I have a regular job lifting hundredweights of coal on a float.
I wish they could see me on Thursday after school when Im on the
float and Mr. Hannon hands me the reins so that he can smoke his pipe
in comfort. Here you are, Frankie, nice and gentle for this is a good
horse and he doesnt need to be pulled at.
He hands me the whip too but you never need the whip with this
horse. Its all for show and I just flick it at the air like Mr. Hannon or I
might knock a fly off the horses great golden rump swinging between
the shafts.
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