Wichita eagle., 1888-05-25
SWEATING IT OUT.
GETTING RID OF ALCOHOL IN A
TURKISH BATHROOM.

A Young Inebriste's Initiation Into the
Mysteries OF the Hot Room"-In the
Land Of Dreams-A Sudden Waking.
Rejuvenated.
A little office under sidewalk; passing
view of a room filed with narrow canvas
cots; few yellow gas flames behind desk
young man whose nakedness is emphasized
by an equator of crash towel; in front of the
desk an inehriate with pale, blinking eyes
and unsteady hands. The inebriate removes
from one pocket roll of greenbacks, from
another revolver, from q third match,
from fourth a handful Of ruined cigars.
de lays these with his scarf pin on the
counter He takes key to the drawer in
which they are placed by the naked youth,
and he walks loosely out through the room
where the cots stand. He staggers a little
and almost goes down in avoiding an obese
foot that sticks from the end Of one OF the
cots. He curses the foot with pathetic pro-
family. The owner Of the foot rubs his sleepy
eyes and sends back a volley of oaths that
blister the stone floor The inebriate stumbles
on around to a room to which an attendant
ID VI LILO yOuLu LA tuc OAiCc-iidS
assigned him. He removes his clothing after
a desperate struggle with his suspenders and
q collar and elbow wrestle with his shirt.
And now he stands nude, and alcoholically
bashful until another equator Of towel is tied
around his blushing form. He is led out to
the hot room.
The future has no terrors for any man who
has encountered the torridity of hot room
in Turkish bath house for men. You could
fry eggs on the floor. 1t is hotter than dog
days in the lower regions. 1t would make
salamander quit in five minutes. The air is
SO full of suspended fire that a red headed
man looks like striking brunette. The in
ebriate lies on couch. He closes his eyes
The air is heavy. He slumberS He dreams
he is O porterhouse steak He is being
broiled. The cook is careless. He wakes
with start. The sheet has been pulled from
under him and the fiercely hot rattan top of
the couch is next to his skin He looks
about him with savage eyes, The man in
the next couch is quietly smoking Two
others, Invested even Of their towels, are
sparring in corner. None of them notices
him. He lies down again and dreams once
more. Suddenly something pricks him like
q needle.
HOTTER THAN EVER.
A sharp pain runs through his back. He
whoops and jumps up. His neighbor is still
smoking. The sparrers are sparring. There
is nothing to indicate the cause of his sud-
den waking except a: thin spray of water
laziiy falling from the cold water faucet.
The inebriate knows that some one has
sprayed him, and he is hotter than ever. He
offers to fight any person in the room. The
boxers say they would be glad to accommo-
date him, but the doctor has warned them to
beware of violent exercise. The man on the
next couch assures him that he promised the
friend who gave him the cigar that he would
smoke it before he killed any one
The inebriate is disguised. He meanders
into an adjoining room There are others
there before him. They are turning on the
steam 1t rises first in a vapor, then mist,
then a fog, now a cloud. The air is filled
W. white light The inebriate is stifed;
he cannot breathe; he can scarcely think; he
moves his hands feebly and crawls out into
the hot room. Then he sweats. He sweats
for keeps He leaks first, then he showers,
then he pours He is standing in pool OF
water that was once himself. He feels bic
legs going; his brain reels; he staggers out,
and in another moment is lying on a marble
slab with soap in his eyes, his ears, hin
mouth, his nose. A muscular young man liz
pounding him as though he were rubber
bag. Soapy and sore he arises from the slab
He seeks the shower He turns it on himself
Now for the ripping, gurgling waters of the
plunge He hurls himself in. He is an in
ebriate no longer. BE is nymph with
whiskers and a rasping voice. There are
other nymphs there before him. They also
have whiskers and queer voices. They play
like boys. They splash each other They
kick. They disport They swim under each
other and tip each other up.
At o'clock the ex-inebriate meets his EN-
ployer at the office.
''You are looking wen this morning."
"Yes, sir l left our church sociable
about 10 o'clock, had good sleep, and got
up early. 1t is very pleasant walking down
town early in the morning. You ought to
try it, sir"
The employer says he will-Chicago
Times.