The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-01-03
7,..T D-TfMR BATH
SATURDAY NIGHT IMMERSION A
TIME OF HORROR.
Mlddle-Aged Business Man Contrasts
the Luxury Of the Present Day
With the Life In Small Western
Town Twenty-Five Years Ago.

Last night, salu tne COniVit aoi'-
looking man with the 4S-inch waist
band. Il stood by as the sailors say,
while the wife bestowed a scrubbing
upon my 7-year-old youngster. Moth
ing remarkable about that. Ii thereI
But It set me to thinking about how
much better the kids of to-day have
il than they did when was lad my
self.
HE looked mighty comfortable,
that boy did, and he Just lay there In
the tub and let his mother swab and
molly-coddle him with all the insou-
Glance in life. When the douslng was
over he stood up and let the tepid
water from the shower run over him,
and then he stepped out OF the tub
onto a bath rug. and his mother gave
him a brisk drying with a Turkish
towel. Then she anointed him with
Florida water, rugged him out in a
fresh night shirt. and tucked him into
bed.
IL knew, when ! was his age. this
Saturday night bathing game was al
ways in store for me. and | used 20
look forward to IL with a kind OF a
feeling Of despair But I'd dodge the
the Job as long as possible and I'd
wait for my good mother TO appear at
the back gate and summon me home
along toward s or 3 o'clock Of the Sat
urday night. BY that time she'd have
the supper dishes all washed up and
the pans in the kitchen all a-shining
for Sunday, and the old wash tub,
with the wooden handles sticking up
above the brim, would be out in the
middle Of the kitchen floor.
Get the water. son. she'd say 70
me. and then the job was on. II was
a little western town where there were
no water works. but the well was right
out in the back yard. That well al
ways seemed about a mile aud half
deep to me when was drawing up
the water for the Saturday night
scrubbing. Then my brother and |
would begin 70 race 20 sec which
could peel his buds of hrst, and got
the first bath. The reason why we
both wanted 10 get the FIRST bath
wasn't. OF course, on account Of any
love for the bathing. but because II
was so much fun for the one who had
got through with the horrible job first
10 stand around nice and dry and
warm, and make faces at the one who
was Just beginning 10 undergo the
misery.
We'll, when was the first I'M
dressed I'd skate over TO the old
green-painted wash tub and feel o.
the water with one OF my hands and
feel sad with myself. B-r-r-r-rl but
wasn't that well water cold, though.
I'd stand there and look into the
depths OF the tub. shivering. until my
mother made her appearance in the
kitchen with her paraphernalla.
Now, get in there. you boy my
good mother 'ud say. and I'd stick one
foot in, swearing IN my heart all the
time that at the first chance was GO
ing TO run away TO be a sailor or some
thing-and then my mother would ex.
ert a sudden pressure on my should
ers and down I'd kerfummox in that
icy water. | wouldn't be through gasp
ing and trying to get my breath before
she'd begin on my upper superstruc-
ture with a piece o. red flannel for a
washrag and half a bar OF common
yaller soap that had edges on It as
sharp as a knife.
Mother was pretty muscular in
those days. and the way she'd begin
20 gouge and bore with that red fan
rel washrag and that soap was sure
a caution TO locusts. And when she
wasn't busy with the hand holding
the washrag she'd always let che
burned cold thing hang. dripping,
down my back. Such a swabberinol
Talk about your military scrubbings
and things like that, III bet they're
not one, two, three with the washtub
swlms that that ever faithful. self,
reliant. strongarmed mother OF mine
PUT me through when / was at the
tadRer stage Of life 7 can smell that
yaller bar OF soap yeti smelt like
'rozzum'-not resin, understand, but
IoZzum'
' Maybe | wasn't always glad when
she began to rinse me on by dipping
tin wash-basin into the tub and
pouring the water on my head. The
irying-off process didn't amount to
much, but you can wager your galluses
lat II wasn't done with any turkish
owel. Tcct is. there'd often be
'hynoss Of any kind Of regular towel
n these occasions. so that I've seen
" motHr hunt around for au old
'illow dse or remnant OF some mys-
RIO" "ationy garment for the dry.
&c art Of the job. And | guess
a,5e didn't breathe a sigh OF deep
lrtertment and relief when, after
lpnug into one o. those old-fash-
rod. fuzzy-wuzzs canton flannel
len night garments for young uns.
gct ITO the ole leather bed. with
apple tree just outside the window
hnow that the rext bath was a
o'c week in tlc distance. Wash.