methodically, scouring every inch of him with sand.
While he was doing it he would do it thoroughly, and see
how it felt to be clean. He even scrubbed his head with
sand, and combed what the men called "crumbs" out of
his long, black hair, holding his head under water as long
as he could, to see if he could not kill them all. Then,
seeing that the sun was still hot, he took his clothes from
the bank and proceeded to wash them, piece by piece; as
the dirt and grease went floating off down-stream he
grunted with satisfaction and soused the clothes again,
venturing even to dream that he might get rid of the
fertilizer.

He hung them all up, and while they were drying he
lay down in the sun and had another long sleep. They
were hot and stiff as boards on top, and a little damp on
the under-side, when he awakened; but being hungry, he
put them on and set out again. He had no knife, but
with some labor he broke himself a good stout club, and,
armed with this, he marched down the road again.

Before long he came to a big farm-house, and turned up
the lane that led to it. It was just supper-time, and the
farmer was washing his hands at the kitchen-door.
"Please, sir," said Jurgis, "can I have something to eat?
I can pay." To which the farmer responded promptly,
"We don't feed tramps here. Get out!"

Jurgis went without a word; but as he passed round
the barn he came to a freshly ploughed and harrowed field,
in which the farmer had set out some young peach trees;
and as he walked he jerked up a row of them by the roots,
more than a hundred trees in all, before he reached the
end of the field. That was his answer, and it showed his
mood; from now on he was fighting, and the man who hit
him would get all that he gave, every time.

Beyond the orchard Jurgis struck through a patch of
woods, and then a field of winter-grain, and came at last
to another road. Before long he saw another farm-house,
and, as it was beginning to cloud over a little, he asked
here for shelter as well as food. Seeing the farmer eying
him dubiously, he added, "I'll be glad to sleep in the barn."

[[256]]

p255 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p256w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p257

v?