The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-12-30
STEALING A BATH
Adventure of a Trio Of English
Tourists In Germany.
A PRINCE AND A PRIVATE TUB

1880 1880
Germany on the cheap. and l don't
know which of US enjoyed it least.
Parker grumbled the most. but then
he always did, and. though Wilks and |
tried to look on the humorous side of
things, we lost flesh over it. We had
happened upon a heat wave and swal-
lowed a tremendous lot OF dust and
flies thrown in gratis, cheap though u
tariff was. But we couldn't swallow
the foreign titles that cropped up
around us. We had too much British
pride for that. And, as luck would
have it, at the last town of our tour
we were quartered on the top floor of
a hotel where a German prince occu-
pied a suit of rooms. In our opinion,
three English tourists were worth more
than thirty German princes. and we
dropped our boots on the floor at night
in the vain hope that he was under
meath. But, alas, his suit was on the
first floor, and we even caught a
! glimpse of him, though once we heard
his high pitched, arrogant, penetrating
voice and the oozy fulsome rejoinders
of his valet both articulating a Ian
guage which Parker contemptuously
described as "the limit"
1t was the last morning Of our stay.
Parker and l had gone back to the
hotel to pack our bags before departing
for the station. The weather was hot
ter and dustier than ever, and Wilks,
always energetic, had gone to the pub
lie bathing place on the river IN search
of a swim. l had a letter to write,
and Parker wandered round the hotel
to kill time. Presently he thrust his
face In at the door. 1t had lost its
familiar lowering look and wore a
bright and alert expression.
81 say" he calculated mysteriously,
almost under his breath, eve just
found a bathroom in this blighted hole
bath full of tepid water, with a Their
mometer in it-clean, warmed tow
els on the rail. and all that. What
shall I do?"
dor 1 replied. "Get into it, man,
and let me know when you've finish
ed"
He wasn't long and came back look
ing wonderfully young and clean. Inc
mail had just arrived and | had spent
a few minutes over my letters before
l also found the bathroom. following
his directions. 1t was without excep-
ton the best / have ever been in,
and, to my surprise, the big porcelain
bath was half full of tepid water. and
a set of clean, newly warmed towels
hung on the rail. l took what the
gods gave and asked no questions, but
| wanted more cold water and ex-
perimented unsuccessfully with vart-
Gus levers on the wall. AS a last hope
l attacked a cart wheel affair on the
floor and after a stiff struggle man
aged to turn it. A flood of cold water
gushed in along one side of the bath,
and it was all l could do to wrench
the wheel around and stop the flow.
As l did so light anne upon me in a
flash. This was the princes bath, pre-
pared for him a second time by his
obsequious valet. 1t was the glorious
certainty of the fact that made me en-
joy that bath as l have never enjoyed
a bath before or since. The cheap
English tourists were one up on his
serene highness, after all. Still, l
admit, when l had finished Tubing l
lost no time in getting back to the
fourth fool again. l told Parker the
great news, and we were just discuss
ing it with rapture when Wilks came
in, looking supremacy detected for the
first time on the tour.
1.-THE bathing place isn't open," he
snarled. Had all the fag of going
there for nothing. What dirty beg
gars they arer'
mot all Of them" l replied. Don't
you worry, old chap" And described
to him the position of the bathroom,
and he was off like a hare. During his
absence we thoughtfully packed u
own bags and his. In ten minutes he
returned, fresh as a mountain daisy
and bubbling " with gratitude.
What sort of bath did you get?'
I asked carelessly.
"A clinker," he cried, "and it was
all put ready for me, clean towels
and everything. The only difficulty 1
had was with the cold water wheel
arrangement on the floor"
1T was a bit stiff" l agreed.
at turned on all right" said Wilks,
"but / couldn't turn it off"
what did you doT' we asked to-
gether.
Il left it." he answered simply.
What time are we due at the sta
tion?' said Parker.
"Now," 1 replied. and we took our
bags and went.
AS we descended the stairs with
studied calmness we heard electric
bells continuously tingling on the first
floor. a high pitched arrogant voice
raised in anger, oozy. servile tones an
swering imploringly. We came upon
the proprietor leaping up the stairs
and a stream of water leaping down
them, and a couple of hours after
ward we crossed the border, with the
secret satisfaction that we had done"
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