Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-04-30

stood ~irrssoluts near the door until ~
attendant bore down upon me With .
folded towel and N earthen bowl hlled
with water.
"Just soak your head" she said hui.
ri edly and led me TO . seat on, marble
slab where the steam eddied In thick
circles. Women were all about me, but
I conld not see them distinctly. They
were half defined like so many phan-
toms. Suddenly I felt c light but dis
tinctly fieshy touch upon my shoulder.
No one was sitting beside me, so what
could IL be? IL came again and again.
Well, II II wa nothing mortal Il must
come from above, so 1 looked up. The
explanation was so purely physical that
my embryo spirituaiistic throb vanish
ed. On tho slab above M / made out
. reclining, girlish form. Her foot Was
idly dangling, and IS she swayed IL 70
and fro her big toe came In contact
with my shoulder. A very pretty foot
1t was, too. belonging. as I found out
sfterward, to . little soubrette whose
trills in an opera boutfe I had listened
to only the preceding night.
This gives some idea Of the democra-
cy prevailing 1T . Russian bath. Be.
| fore I had been an hour In the place .
| languid blond vas chatting about the
baths she had taken the preceding sum
mer ae Baden Baden, and another had
| confded to me that she had heart trou-
BILE, and . stout woman with o coy,
a~polcgetic manner Lad borrowed one Of
my hairpins.
At length, with q great s~pluttering.
| the steam was turned of, and / sAw the
place clearly. 1t was . large room With
marble walls and ceilings. Through .
large, half opened skylight tho sunlight'
struggled with tho steam. Broad,
shelves In three tiers were built all
around the room. A great rufled pool
lay in the center, reached by flights OF
steps and fed continually with fresh wa
ter from two massive dogs heads made
OF glistening silver and fastened on
either side. Half o dozen shower baths
were pouring madly OF the farther end
OF the room.
Just before me stood Q quartet Of
| pretty women leaning idly on the silver
rod surrounding the pool, their damp.
clinging sheets affording feeting
glimpses Of white ankles while they ex-
! changed laughing comments with COM
rades splashing and swimming In the
clear, cold water. Attendants rushed
about feet footed and perspiring, hurry
| ing their charges through the different
stages Of the bath. A group OF girls sat
singing in q corner while they slipped
lemonade from long, frail glasses. Near
them a duet Of portly amazons disputed
volubly over q pound or two.
When | had left the steamroom for
the antechamber. where drying. mani
| curing and weighing were attended to,
l realized fully the real luxury OF the
bath. In this q dozen girls,
wrapped TO the chin In heavy toweling.
lay on long couches, and white attcn-
dants brushed and p.rfumed their hair,
or manicures polished their nails 20 .
luminous pink; they lay supne and
drowslly happy, some nibbling sweet
meats, some reading the daily papers
or one Of the latest novels and Q few
smoking the thinnest OF cigarettes.
~ think" said M very drowsiiy.
that II life could flow on In one on
tinual Russian bath. II could always
walk barefoot over soft rugs and wear
q draped sheet to afternoon teas, I
would be o most incorrigible optimist."
Oh, how heartily / agreed with her
when after an hours rest in the shaded
little room II came time to 60! How dis
co~ntentedly I eyed the tight ftttin g
gown and oil the ct ceteras upon tho
pegs before me! How | %shuddered In
that sweet scented cleaning ~ I
thought OF the warm, crowded streets,
the dusty hops!
Hey, to be q primitive wonan sbd
the world 1000 years younger" I
sighed.
"Tinkle. tinkle. tinkle." whirred .
little warning bell. and there was no
time for further reflection. My frst
| Russian bath was over.
EVELYN MALooLM.