."

"Don't know as we do," replied Poddie, dubiously. "But what does that
mean?" added he, startled by the brazen clangor of a large bell that
rung high above the noises a warning "Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding."

"Time's up!" shouted the keeper, almost as loud as his bell. Silence
fell upon the gleeful throng instantly. With downcast faces and slow,
reluctant feet the bathers commenced to crawl up the wet steps, tumble
over the railings, and trailing little brooks of water behind them,
sought the bath-rooms, whence they slowly emerged, some fairly well
dressed, but the majority in rags and tatters.

"The boys is putty fair to-day, along o' you visitors, sir," said the
keeper; "but we mostly has to hunt 'em out o' the dark corners--where
they dart to as soon as the bell rings--with this rattan, or they'd stay
in all the day."

"How about the girls--do they enjoy the privileges of these free baths?"
inquired Uncle Fritz?

"Yes, sir, they does, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, an' a lively
lot they is, too; the women keepers has their hands full."

No sooner had the first crowd of boys disappeared than pell-mell in
rushed a tumultuous throng, pushing and jostling in spite of the
shouting keepers.

Begrimed and perspiring, and panting with impatience to enjoy the
blessing of the cooler element, it is the work of but a moment in the
bath-rooms; the doors fly open, and down they plunge from steps and
railings into the cool green depths.

The water splashes and dashes and foams, lashed by scores of active
hands and feet, until the boys are fairly deafened by the roar.

"Gracious! you'd think they hadn't seen water in a year, wouldn't you,
Dick?" said Poddie.

"Half o' them's repeaters," said the keeper, overhearing the remark.

"Beg pardon--did you call them repeaters? what's that?" inquired Poddie,
politely.

"Repeaters? Why, repeaters is boys who go from bath to bath, only
waiting to get their heads dry; then they rubs mud on their faces to
make 'em dirty, so we can't know 'em, consequentially they gets in half
a dozen times at different baths. How are we to know them? bless your
eyes!"

"Have you any fine swimmers among them?" inquired Uncle Fritz,
pleasantly.

"Yes, sir," replied the keeper, "some o' these chaps are reg'lar
fishes--nat'ral-born eels, you may say. Here, Patsy Miller, 'Roxy,'
'Spider,' come along and show these young gentlemen some o' your
tricks."

The three boys, hearing their names