Page:Modern Japanese Stories.pdf/196

Matsudo Yoshizō was emptying cement barrels. He managed to keep the cement off most of his body, but his hair and upper lip were covered by a thick grey coating. He desperately wanted to pick his nose and remove the hardened cement which was making the hairs of his nostrils stand stiff like reinforced concrete; but the cement mixer was spewing forth ten loads every minute and he could not afford to fall behind.

His working day lasted for eleven hours and not once did he have time to pick his nose properly. During his brief lunch break he was hungry and had to concentrate on gulping down food. He had hoped to use the afternoon break for cleaning out his nostrils, but when the time came he found that he had to unclog the cement mixer instead. By late afternoon his nose felt as if it were made of plaster of Paris.

The day drew to an end. His arms had become limp with exhaustion and he had to exert all his strength to move the barrels. As he started to lift one of them, he noticed a small wooden box lying in the cement.