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Mrs Gaines frowned briefly but outright at her language, but didn’t say anything about it "One would think And they do pick at the sores, which only makes them worse"

"It looks almost like" She peered closer "The crust fro Like blisters that have festered, popped, and dried Mrs Gaines, I assuularly turned over and cleaned?"

The other woro omen extra to come up here and perform those duties But this isn’t a hospital We don’t have staff that’s prepared or qualified to do such things"

Mercy waved her hand as if none of this was relevant to what she was asking "Sure, I understand But could you tell rit also ht, Mercy could see Mrs Gaines redden "Ah, yes Erarments as well I realize the poor souls can’t help themselves, but I do wish I knehat it was, and how to prevent it They’re cleaned daily, I assure you, top towell, bottom But you see how the ernail and got a whiff of so sour and sulfurous, with a hint of human body odor attached Yes She knew that sust

"Irvin," she said "Irvin, I’runted, and tried to look at her through those runny-​egg eyes "Nurse," he said He said it nuss, just like the men at the hospital

She couldn’t tell if it was an observation or a response, so she plowed forward "Irvin, you’ve been taking so that’s terrible bad for you, haven’t you?"

"Sap" The one word came out relatively clear The next did also "Need"

"No, you don’t need it, you silly man You don’t need it and you can’t have it, either But I want you to tell et it?"

He rolled his face away, but she caught hiers well away from his overness, and with all the co about the surly wounded veterans "Where did you get the sap?"

"Friend"

"Where did your friend get it?"

Nothing

"All right Well, tell me this: Do you smoke it like opium, or eat it, or sniff it up your nose?" She doubted that last guess, since the gritty substance also ca it that way

"Sap," he said again Petulant

"Which friend’s been giving it to you? Tell littered as he choked out, "Bill Saunders"

"Bill Saunders!" Mrs Gaines cried "I know the iven him blankets and food for these last few ed his attention once et it? Where does the sap co out the s against his discolored teeth,the word sound wet and possibly venomous "Gets itWest"

Mercy turned to Mrs Gaines to ask if there were any men from the western territories present In the short instant that her gaze was directed elsewhere, Irvin’s head leaped up off the striped pillow and his jaw snapped like a turtle’s, ers