" I
flamed indignant.
"That's a God-damned lie! and whoever told you so is a God-damned liar,
too! I never had a louse in my life."
"Easy! Easy!... no use gittin' huffy ... if it ain't lice you got, wot
you scratchin' all the time fer? Look in the crotch of yer pants and the
seams of your shirt, an' see!"
I _had_ been scratching a lot ... and wondering what was wrong ... my
breast was all red ... but I had explained it to myself that I was
wearing a coarse woolen undershirt next my skin ... that I had picked up
from the slop-chest, also.
The barber walked jauntily away, leaving me standing sullenly alone.
I sneaked into the toilet, looking to see if anyone was about. I turned
my shirt back. To my horror, my loathing,--the soldier's accusation was
true!... they were so thick, thanks to my ignorant neglect, that I could
see them moving in battalions ... if I had been the victim of some
filthy disease, I could scarcely have felt more beyond the pale, more a
pariah. I had not detected them before, because I was ignorant of the
thought of having them, and because their grey colour was exactly that
of the inside of my woolen shirt.
I threw the shirt away, content to shiver for a few days till we had
steamed to warmer weather ... I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed
myself.... I had, up to now, had experience with head-lice only ..
Pages:
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185