Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-08-17
SWEATING IT OUT.
GETTING RID OF ALCOHOL IN A
TURKISH BATHROOM.

Young Inebriate's Initiation Into the
Mysteries Of the Hot Room'-In the
Land Of Dreams-A Sudden Waking
Rejuvenated.
A little office under a sidewalk, a passing
view of a room filled 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 lnebriate with pale, blinking eyes
and unsteady hands The inebriate Removes
from one pocket roll of greenbacks. from
another revolver from a third a match.
from a fourth a handful of ruined cigars
tie lays these with his scarf pin on the
counter. He takes a 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 lie curses the foot with pathetic pro
family. The owner Of the foot rubs his sleeny
eyes and sends back a voley of oaths that
blister the stone floor The inebriate sumhles
on around to room to which an attendant
va tltS oi tlit- NpUIt IN tHe Ottlre-hHS
assigned him lie removes his clothing after
desperate struggle with his slIspenders and
a collar and elbow wrestle with his shirt,
And now he stands nude, and alcoholicaJly
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 torrldity of a hot room
in Turkish bath house for men You could
fry eggs on the floor 1t is hotter than dog
days III the lower regions 1t would make
salamander quit in five minutes. The air is
SO full OF suspended fire that red headed
man looks like striking brunette. The in
ebriate lies on a couch. He closes his ewes
The air is heavy. He slumbers. He dreams
he is porterhouse steak He is being
broiled The cook is careless. He wakes
with start. The sheet has been pulled from
under hlm and the tercely 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, dvested even of their towels, are
sparring in a corner. None of them notices
him He lies down again and dreams once
mora Suddenly something pricks him like
a needle
HOTTER TRAN EVER
A sharp pain runs through his back He
~hoops 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
lazily falling from the cold water faucet.
The mebrlate knows that some one has
we'd him and ha b,t
offers to fight any person in the room The
boxers say they would be glad to accommo-
date HIN, but the doctor has warned them to
beware OF violent exercise. The man on the
next couch assures him that be 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 fog, now cloud The air is filed
with white light The inehriate is stifiad;
he cannot breathe, he can scarcely think; he
moves his hands feehly 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 a pool of
water that was once himself. He feels his
legs going; his brain reels he staggers out.
and IN another moment is living on a marble
slab with soap in his eyes, his ears, his
mouth, his nose. A muscular Young man is
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, glIrglng waters of the
plunge He hurls himself in He is an in
ehriate no longer He is a nymph with
whISkers and rasping voice There are
other nymphs there before him They also
have whiskers and queer voices They pIav
like boys They splash each other. They
kick They disport They swiru under each
other and tip each other up
At $ O'Clock the ex inebriate meets his EN-.
ployer at the Office
"You are looking well this morning.
"Hes, sir 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 win.-Chicago
Times.
1t IS said that a person who is in the
habit of carving u cane never loses an