The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-02-01
MY DEAR AUNT JANE:

ter right away l come to the city to stay a
to be here so long, but bein' long woman
like meself she persuaded me to stay fur
company and here have been nigh on to
eight months.
But Obadiah sent me the local with your
letter in and also Zekel's poetry, and
thought it was real nice for him to notice
peart like in his poetry, and sech good
verses, too, wish could and answer them
in verse.
Since come to town Cousin Tabitha' s
been takin' me round some to see the sights,
and she said she'd treat me to a Turkish
Bath-she paid whole dollar to have me
scrubbed off, and don't think I'll need it
again if live to be hundred.
I'll tell you how they do, when you 90
into bath house a young girl takes all
your clothes off and wraps a sheet around
you--then she takes you into a hot room
gracious it was most as warm as church
meetn' where they are talkin over til"
Pastors Shortcomings. She left me there
for quite spell until felt as if could
hardly hreathe-then she laid me on Il
bench and began rubbin' me.
| put one foot in it land salles the water
was cold as the rooms in charity hospital;
l thought it must be something like bcin'
initiated into the Free Masons, and | told
more degrees didn't somehow like the
idea of goin' in swimmin' before even q
small awience without any bathin' suit on
Then one of the wimmen that was in the
pool looked at the other and laughed ami
said lspeakin with that ong-drawn-0ut
AZ they use heap nowadays and call it
a Turkish Bawth before" so | up and
jumped right into the pool then and pad
died around for spell Then the young
girl took me to the neatest little room
where there was the sweetest little bed and
told me might sleep for two hours if had
mind to-and oh, think must have
had what they call ioretaste of Heaven,
| slept so peaceful likc-and after what
seemed a long time she brought me my
cloes and lowed me to keep 'em, and
was real glad to get my best bombazine
frock back again: and I'm free to confess
that I never felt so clean since was baby
| have to 90 up to West Chester some
times to see how Obadiah is gettin' along
and wash the dishes up for him; he never
washes any dishes, but uses. up all the COM
mon ones. then begins on my best chiny
set He has the chairs and tables all in
the middle of the floor, and | cant get
through the kitchen until I've made path
for meself. To hear men talk you d think
they knowed heap more about house
keepin' than the wimmen does, but Jest 90
way from home and leave 'em alone for q
spell and when you 90 back you'd think
one of them high winds they call cyclone
had struck the house. but the Bible says
'it's not good for man to he alone, " and
don't see any use in it when there's so
many wimmen that's more than wilin to
share their board, to say nothin of the
other conveniences of home.
It's real nice here with Cousin Tabitha,
she lives on "A wide avenue where you can
see everything-she one of them old maids
they call decided, " but don't mind her
She wears speetacles and curls all round
her head and sets up very straight in
meetin' and has an uncommon long nose
that she curls up considerable when she
talks the men says she just hates 'em and
calls lem vile scorpions and all them
hard names: it hurts my feelins heap.
She most tainted away when | told her
that bein of a forgivn' natur | couldn't
help but adore 'em if they didn't like me.
When she came to she said she could see
was a good deal given over to what she
called hero worship | said. eyes, that
was one OF my failins" and I've always
noticed if you II tell your failins out kind
vi IObtSl ilkG " lllt lAblU lie IL forgive you
for 'em soonest.
Cousin Tabitha talks heap about Oar
win and Tyndall and Huxley and Spencer
and all them smart fellows that believed
men was first monkeys and evoluted
through several stages till they got to be
men, but she says whole heaps of the men
hasn't got out of the first stage yet.
| went with Cousinrahitha the other even
in to hear new man with the queer name
that plays the piano so nice that everybody
is maxim sech fuss about. His playin'
was what some people would call "a poem
in music" had read heap about the
old cathedrals in furrn countries, and while
Paderewski played | could jest see 'em in
my imagination.
First the cathedral bell calm the people
to vespers, and then you could seem to hear
the water trickln in the fountains, and
see the little boys lghtin' the tapers, and
hear the priest chantin' the solemn service.
Then all at once, away off in the distance,
it seemed a band would strike up some
lively airs; and now and then as you lis
tened, a bell would toll low and solemn