Seward daily gateway., 1925-10-12

liquid slowly heated, and tell me, judi cious king; what devil of perverseness made each rising degree more offen- sive than the last, when only rapture had earlier filled my heart at thought of the seducing warmth when around my limbs the bath would stream?
 At length one finger alone remained unwetted, untested in the waters climbing warmth, antl applying it, doubtfully and hesitatingly, I felt that the time had come when 1 must carry out my purpose. I placed my tub upon the floor, it's edge upon the hearth, and gathering up clean clothes-the newly ordered house should have fresh blinds-I placed them handily about, where clean hands would find them readily, washed eyes made happy by their sight.
 Then, with soap in hand and my poor knees resting upon a newspaper without the tub, l plunged my head
  hot? Oh, no. Too cold? No again A great comfort assailed me, kneeling there, the glowing hearth at my back and the sly, encroaching drops Tapping against my friendly ears and throb- ping temples There will be those, I know, pessimists and false moral phil osophists, who will say that there could be no joy in this, that sensations would be physical and therefore un- worthy the higher states of man. But let me tell you this, that those hypo- critics will have ice in their veins and poison in their blood, and will have never had their backs scratched nor lain in bed on chilly mornings.
 At length this delight must cease the head had taken it's turn and the rest of me eagerly awaited, exasperat- ed by each falling trickle of water and envious, perhaps, of shortly dis tributed favors.
 I knelt within the tub, my forelegs diametrical,
 One side my toes did rub, the other my knees made skeptical.
 l smoothed myself we'll wet as thou hast done the earth, my lord, today, and then the soap did rub over my eager body till white and foaming sparkling with breaking bubbles, I before the shrine of Neptune. And Neptune's waves then covered me, washing my robe away and leaving me as before, pink, well-plucked stark naked
 To face a new task my legs must now feel the waters favor. My lord, I stood, unafraid and unashamed be- fore the stove. It needed me not nor it, but,2.as my knees quivered and shook beneath my cleansing hands, I imagined heard it laugh and sing, amused at the strange sight confront iiS IL. 4>h uOuDI lily 1duCy CduSGu luIS thought-a cracking log had laughed at me, and the song was that of boiling pot
 I stepped from out the tub, my lord, steaming and streaming, careening, preening. T snatched a snowy towel and, roughly and with vigor, applied it, glowing the skin to ruddiness, mak- ing my lungs gasp for breath-the ex- ercise their stock consuming. Then, balancing upon one foot at times, twisting to maintain my poise, dress ed, each article of vestment applying in it's proper time and place, when, looking over the fields to where men stood, I saw them, toiling and grim, miserable beneath thy chilling rain. Be kind to us, lord Woden; restrain thy wrath.
 And To, even as I pray the heavens frost fast, the stars tipple the death dark sky and the owl comes hoot- ing to his lonesome limb. We thank thee, lord Woden, and, humble, do thy askance.