The cart had broken down (again), so Pa had gotten mad (again), so here they were up on the bank (again), watching the rest of the caravan go by (again). Pa was sweating, swearing, muffled under the cart, and she and Tea Kettle and Minty were sitting playing cards aroadside.
‘Okay,’ said Tea Kettle, when Pa had finally stormed off, ‘help me up here,’ and Minty had tried to hold the cart while Tea Kettle wormed beneath it. She looked nice, from this angle, thought Smith suddenly (her hair was all atangle).
‘Quit staring, filly, and come help us out!’
aww, it's Minty!
love the effect of the parentheses here, you are always so good at utilizing things like that. it makes the whole thing feel more like i am right there in Smith's mind, even though it's just a literary device, but argh. yes, the staring without realizing she is staring, yes