"
"But," inquired the man dubiously, "don't you have towels soaked in hot
water, and----"
"Towels an' hot water, hell! This ain't no barber shop, an' there
ain't no gin, or whatever they rub on your face after you get through,
either. You just shave an' knock the soap off your ears an' that's all
there is to it."
After much effort Endicott succeeded in smearing his face with a thin,
stringy lather, and gingerly picked up the razor. The Texan looked on
in owlish solemnity as the man sat holding the blade helplessly.
"What you doin', Win, sayin' the blessin'? Just whet her on your boot
an' sail in."
"But where do I begin?"
The Texan snorted disgustedly. "Your face ain't so damn big but what
an hour or two reminiscence ought to take you back to where it starts.
Begin at your hat an' work down over your jaw 'til you come to your
shirt, an' the same on the other side, takin' in your lip an' chin in
transit, as the feller says. An' hold it like a razor, an' not like a
pitchfork. Now you got to lather all over again, 'cause it's dry."
Once more Endicott laboriously coaxed a thin lather out of the brown
hand-soap, and again he grasped the razor, this time with a do-or-die
determination.
"Oughtn't I have a mirror?" he asked doubtfully.
"A mirror! Don't you know where your own face is at? You don't need
no mirror to eat with, do you? Well, it's the same way with shavin'.
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