The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-09-05
FADS OF THE BATHERS.
some WAYS OF sTEAMlNG THAT BEAT
THE TURKISH BATH.

A Newspaper Writer Is Put Through n
Process which Makes Her All the CoIors
of the Rainbow-An Ordeal which to
the Uninitiated Is Akin TO Torture.
The fads of progressive New York
women will kill me yet Last week l
took "pack," and I am nearly dead
Lost twenty pounds and the power of
locomotion for twenty-four hours. My
lips and eyelids turned electric blue and
my complexion is pale green with ecru
mottling. / wanted some medicine-a
big dose-with diet Of lettuce, prunes,
Graham rolls and hot water to see if
could put down the rebellious biliousness
Of my skin and put on a silver gray
gown. l went TO see the bathing mis-
tress in the Hoffman house, who used to
steam and knead the Jersey Lily and
who did several hundred dollars worth
of grooming for the beautiful Duchess
Of Marlborough. She told me that l
''ought to get packed"
"Where to?" / asked.
"Good looksl You can come here for
night or | will go to your house and
give you pack that will make your hair
curl"
gave her my card and made arrange
ments to be ready for her two days later.
Her parting command was: Take
five meal fast to rest your system, and
You will be the color of lily when got
through with you" She did not say
what color or what kind of a lily at the
time, but have since learned that the
model she had in mind was the tiger lily.
THE "pAcK" DESCRIBED.
took the fast, and the day she arrived
was as hollow as a pipe stem, and the
weakness of the traditional cat was mus
cular vigor compared to the general gone
ness of my interior. A small mountain
of comfortables and blankets was col
lected, my bed was stripped and covered
first with rubber and then pongee
sheet. Over this was laid wet sheet
wrung out of boiling water in which
was folded like prehistoric mummy
The sensation was little smart Mt
first, and had lurking fear that the
original Lue of whiteness was being
scorched from my spinal column. Salts
fed of my mistake l relapsed into state
vi DtSslflb1 anu tlt lulStItSS VI lut DdLn
transferred the mountain of blankets
from the floor to my bed. Then she put
cool, wet napkin ON my head, and
there l lay with the weight of Atlanta's
on my already caved in anatomy and
every pore in my body streaming like a
country pump. tried to think I was
having fun, for it was day off and it
has always been my motto to make my
own sunshine.
Do what could with my thoughts l
felt the blood pumping into my brain
and making violent and forcible efforts
to escape. The stately mistress of the
flesh brush made me keep still, chang
ing the cold cloths on my head, slipped
morsels Of crushed ice down my throat
and encouraging me by frequent reitera-
tions that l was doing well and would
have beautiful color. l stayed in the
pack three hours and perspired until
thought there was nothing left of me
but the last breath. Then dropped of
of something-I don't know just exactly
what-and when 1 was about to get q
glimpse Of heavenly things with lot o.
short wasted early empire girls ant
small dimpled boys in feather trimming
floating about in atmospheric noncha
lance I was rudely shaken and told t.
open my mouth. That ended the pack
THE SENSATIONS AFTERwARD.
I was dosed with French brandy
rubbed with alcohol, polished off with
pair Of bath mitts that had the grain o
radish graters and put to bed again be
tween warm sheets.
The packer gave me cup of bouillon
chop, a roll and glass of claret, an,
stayed with me until finished the frs
morsel of food had tasted in fifty hours
Bidding me keep quiet and stay in bed
day or two she relieved me of S. bill
had been saving for q crimson parasc
and went off. When I looked in tn
glass saw reflection that beggared tn
horror portrayed by the impersonators G
Violetta and Camille in their last scenes
l was sort of OK heart red with moi
ting of yellow fever and black plagu
patches done in the fashion that Limoge
vases are under glazed. My eyes weI
on fire, the lining of my lids was whit
and green, my nostrils were pinched an
my lips shriveled and were onion blue
tint.
Briefly, was horror. l looked lik
resurrection. Mentally was as idiot
as the ushers in the Bible wedding. BIZ
had been packed" and there is SON
satisfaction to crack brain to kno
that she has one less fad in the gamut
fooldom to investigate. Ihave given L
the ideal of gray frock and buckle
down to diet of rare roast beef, boile
onions, rice pudding and vegetable sou
for until recover some of my lost fe'
have no use for anything but SPANS
scarf and an ulster,
But will you believe me when l t.
You that these packs are taken regular
by the fashionably progressive women
New York every day In the week? It's
fact.-Eew York World,