The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-01-23
The Trials OF Modest Man Not Aceus-
toned 10 the Ways of the Country.

Mr.. Prentice MuIford thus writes TO
the san Francisco Chronicle from Wen
ma
After while ! discovered that the Wen
nese who did wash themselves washed them
selves all over at the great public baths and
not in the little pint pitchers of water they
kept in their bedrooms. So i went to pub
lie bath. j did not know what 20 ask for,
but | knew German enough for water i
went in and said, ''Wasser." They took my
meaning immediately, or they might have
seen that needed washing. L declare the
ridiculous amount of water they furnish one
leads to dreadful results. There are two
passages leading into the great five storied
bath barTack-one for males, the other for
females. OF course | took the wrong one,
and was showed back by woman with a
towel. | didn't see that it made much diff
ference, for the attendants on both sides
were females. Marie showed me to my bath
room. Marie was big, brown, black-eyed
Austrian maid, in round short skirts. She
went ahead of me with an armful of towels.
She opened my bath room door. / went in.
She came in after me. / was quite unpre-
pared for this. But she wasn't. She seemed
used to it, and went to work. She spread
sheet on the bottom of bath tub. | don't
know what it was for, but they always do it.
At all events it takes of the rough edge of
the zinc for ones skin. Then she turned on
hot water and waited. / waited also. Out
of regard for the proprieties, ! removed only
lar before Marie The water seemed a long
time running in. 1t generated a cloud OF
steam which gradually filled the small bath
room, and through which vaporiSh atmoS-
phere Marie and / saw each other dimly.
Finally she gave me all the hot water l was
entitled to and left. relieved / sprang to
the door There was no lock upon it. |
hunted in vain for some kind of a fastening.
+ / sat down uneasy. Then | moved my coat
and collar. Then Marie burst in again with
another towel Then she went out. How
: was to battle in peace with that confounded
girl continually intTuding on me- Then /
tried to turn on some cold water and couldn't.
BY this time / had moved many OF my gar
ments, and barTicaded the door with my
. iackknife. Instead of having sensible fau-
Gets, by which a man could regulate his own
flow of water, these require the use of a
f. wrench to turn them. The wrench, | sup
pose, was kept by the attendant outside.
/ did not know any German for wrench, and,
. if | had, daEed not call for one with the pros
pect of the young lady's bringing il. So | sat
: down Oh the chair, which ! had backed up
against the door as an additional security
against Marie, and waited for the water to
cool. 1t takes hot water a long time TO COO
i'm Austria. Finally | got into the tub.
think il could not have been much below
boiling temperature. | got out again pretty
quickly, blushing all over and sympathiZinl
more heartily than ever with boiled Holsters
1t was an uncomfortable bath. / suffered
externally from the water and internally
from fear of that possible Marie. But she
never came again. She left a large pile Of
linen for me- l examined il. There was ont
towel about as large as a napkin, and tive
long aprons, which reached from my head K
my heels. The aprons puzzled me. l util
lied them for towels. friend afterwarC
told me their use. They are to put on, til,
one before and the other behind, on getting
out of the hot bath, and you sit III them ant
ring the bell for the attendant to enter, turn
off the water and let on the cold. Marie al
this time was waiting for my bell, 20 cOmt
and turn on cold water. She never heart
that bell. l put on but one of these aprons
. the forward one. 1t fitted me perfectly
1t would iit anybody. twas splendid dres
for hot weather-sO easy to put on and of
50 loose, cool and comfortable so easy I,
slip out Of, and ii need be, fan yourself will
the IiTI.