The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-01-14
A Modest Mans Trials.

Prentice milford in San Francisco Chronicle
After awhile | discovered that the Wen
nese who did wash themselves washed them
selves all over at the great public baths and
not in little pint pitchers of water they kept
in their bedrooms. So | went to a public
bath. did not know what to ask for, but
knew German enough for water. | went in
and said "Wasser" They took my meaning
Immediately, or they might have seen that 1
needed washing. l declare the ridiculous
amount of water they furnish one leads
to dreadful results. There are two passages
leading into the great fve-storied bath
barrack-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 differ
ence for the attendants on both sides were
females. Marie showed me to my bathroom.
Marie was big, brown, black-eyed Austrian
maid in rotund short skirts. She went ahead
of me with an armful of towels. She opened
my bathroom door, | went in. She came
in after me. was quite unprepared for this
But she wasn't. She seemed used to it, and
went to work. She spread q sheet on the
bottom of the bath-tub. / don't know what
it was for, but they always do it. At all
events it takes off 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 l removed only my hat
l would not even take off my collar before
Marie. The water seemed long time run
ming in. 1t generated a cloud Of steam,
which gradually filled the small bathroom,
and through which vaporish atmosphere
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 fastning.
| sat down uneasy. Then / removed my
coat and collar. Then Marie bursted in
again with another towel. Then she went
out How was to battle in peace with that
COMPOUNDED girl continually intruding on me ?
Then l tried to turn on some cold water and
couldn't. By this time had removed many
of my garments, and barricaded the door
with my jack-knife. Instead of having re-
versible faucets, by which a man could regu-
late his own flow of water, these required the
use ola wrench to turn them. The wrench,
suppose, was kept by the attendant outside.
did not know any German for wrench, and
| if had, dared not call for one with the
prospect of the young ladys bringing it. So
l sat down on the chair, which l had backed
up against the door as an additional security
against harle, anu WdlIeu LOT the WaleI u
cool 1t takes hot water a long time
to cool in Austria. Finally L got into the
tub. / think it could not have been much
below boiling temperament. / got out
again pretty quickly, blushing all over and
sympathizing more heartily than ever with
boiled Holsters 1t was an uncomfortable
bath. 1 suffered externally from this water
and internally from fear of that possible
Marie. But she never came again. She left
a largespile of linen for me. l examined it.
There was one towel about as large as a
napkin, and two long aprons, which reached
from nay head to my heels. The aprons
puzzled me. / utilized them for towels. A
friend afterward told me their use. They
are to put on; one before and the other be-
hind, on getting out of the hot bath, and you
sit in them and ring the bell for the attend.
ant to enter, turn off the hot water, and LET
on the cold. Marie all this time was waiting
for my bell to come in and turn on cold
water. She never heard that bell. / never
put on but one ofthese aprons, the forward
one. 1t fitted me perfectly. 1t would fiji
anybody. 1t was splendid dress for hot
weather; so easy to put on and off, SO loose
cool and comfortable; so easy to slip cut of
and, if need be, fan yourself with the skirt.