Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-08-22
The DEaCOu's Revenge.

touch OF rheumatism under my left
shoulder, which defied liniments anC
plasters, sent me to the celebrated
Hot Springs, seven miles north o.
Boomopolis, Southern California
The mud baths at these springs are
Justly celebrated for killing or curing
all the ills that flesh inherits.
The long, low. narrow bath-house
was not an inviting place. 1t smelled
too much like an Inferno. and it was
not clean. But rheumatism will
take man almost anywhere, and
did not shrink when l entered those
dingy portals. The place was full
OF steam, through which i caught
glimpses OF muscular men in their
shirt sleeves, the sweat pouring from
their faces and their brawny arms as
they handled long shovels. They
were preparing the mud baths for the
victims. A long trough ran the
whole length of the building, filled
with black, silky mud, over which
steaming water, which emitted a
sulphurous odor, was running, When
/ stopped and put my finger into the
uncanny liquid, / quickly lifted it
out again and said 'ouch."
At right angles with this main
trough are smaller ones. At the
head Of each of these is tub for
q water bath, and beyond that is a
dressing room. These divisions are
separated by half partitions. A
quantity of mud is taken from the
big trough and stirred up in one OF
the little ones. When it has reached
proper consistency and tempera-
tpre. the patient. who in the mean
time has prepared himself for the
ordeal in the adjoining dressing room,
stretches himself at length upon the
steaming mass and is covered by an
attendant with more of the same ma
terial. A few gunny sacks. neatly
arranged on the top to confine the
heat, make an artistic finish, and the
patients head alone protrudes. The
mineral waters, heated by nature.
come constantly boiling and bubling
through the ground, and the baths
can be made seven times hotter than
Nebuchadnezzar' furnace, if desired.
If the patient survives, fire baths
get the glory; il he dies, his case was
hopeless from the start. Deacon
Hardwicke would remain in one OF
these baths an hour, enduring an ex-
perience which might have killed q
man Of less phlegmatic temperament.
Then he would try to persuade 9TH
ers to fellow his example, greatly to
the disgust of the managers, who
were afraid that somebody would die
in bath, and so ruin the reputation
of their establishment. For similar
reasons he was unpopular with the
attendants.
Thus it happened that the deacon
seemed to be deserted, when, balanc-
ing myself on the plank that edged
the steaming pool, l halted at the
foot of his grave and gazed, half in
alarm, at his closed eyes and heavy
immobile features, down which
trjckled little rivulets of perspira-
ton.
"Will you kindly tell me what time
it is?" he asked, in sepulchral tone,
which added to the horrors OF the
situation.
Ten O'Clock" / said. want to
get out? I'll call the attendant"
Thine isn't up for fifteen minutes
yet" replied the deacon.
picked up sponge that was ri
hand, in a basin OF cool water, and
for the next fifteen minutes bathed
the deacon's perspiring forehead with
the grateful fluid. Then the atten-
dant came, prepared to lift the little
gate at the deacon's feet, to slide
the slippery coverlet of mud off from
him and back into the trough from
which it had come, and to help him
out of the tenacious, plastic cast
that he had made in his sticky bed
into the water-bath, and thence into
the dressing-room, where he woulo
receive thorough grooming and b.
put to bed between couple o.
blankets, there to doze and sweat fol
an hour or two longer. At thi.
stage OF the proceedings l fed tn,
scene. The spectacle of the deacon
long, lank, loose-jointed figure
clothed only in thin, clinging Goa
OF jet-black mud, would have beer
too horribly ludicrous.
Don't want mudbath ? They
are great things" asked the deacon
as i turned to go.
mot to-day" / replied. ITO
morrow, maybe, or next day, per
haps I'll indulge"
Take them about a hundred ant
ten and stay in three quarters of al
hour, and they will cure your rheu
matism," responded the deacon, re
assuringly.
Two hours later the deacon joine,
the other guests at the hotel, pro
Tossing to be greatly refreshed by hi
bath. His appearance was striking
He was tall, awkward and angular
yet dignified His upper lip wa
smooth shaver, but on his chin wa
a heavy, grizzled growth of beard
His way of speech was so slow AM
solemn as to seem afflicted. / wa
told he was der; that his It'll
OF deacon was only honorary. having
originally been bestowed by HE as
soclates In the mines and clinging T.
him through many changes Of for
tune and that his businss was rea
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