will be splendid, and just think," he added, "what
it will do for rheumatism!"

Now Jack had served in the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteers during the
Civil War, and the swamps of the Chickahominy had brought him into close
acquaintance with that dread disease.

As for myself, rheumatism was about the only ailment I did not have at
that time, and I suppose I did not really sympathize with him. But this
energetic and indomitable man mended the pump, with Fisher's help, and
led the water into the house, laid a floor, set up the tub in the little
square room, and behold, our sulphur bath!

After much persuasion, I tried the bath. The water flowed thick and inky
black into the tub; of course the odor was beyond description, and the
effect upon me was not such that I was ever willing to try it again.
Jack beamed. "How do you like it, Martha?" said he. "Isn't it fine? Why
people travel hundreds of miles to get a bath like that!"

I had my own opinion, but I did not wish to dampen his enthusiasm.
Still, in order to protect myself in the future, I had to tell him I
thought I should ordinarily prefer the river.

"Well," he said, "there are those who will be thankful to have a bath in
that water; I am going to use it every day."

I remonstrated: "How do you know what is in that inky water--and how do
you dare to use it?"

"Oh, Fisher says it's all right; people here used to drink it years ago,
but they have not done so lately, because the pump was broken down."

The Washington people seemed glad to pay us the visit. Jack's eyes
danced with true generosity and glee. He marked his victim; and,
selecting the Staff beauty and the Paymaster's wife, he expatiated on
the wonderful properties of his sulphur bath.

"Why, yes, the sooner the better," said Mrs. Martin. "I'd give
everything I have in this world, and all my chances for the next, to get
a tub bath!"

"It will be so refreshing just before supper," said Mrs. Maynadier, who
was more conservative.

So the Indian, who had put on his dark blue waist-band (or sash), made
from flannel, revelled out and twisted into strands of yarn, and which
showed the supple muscles of his clean-cut thighs, and who had done up
an extra high pompadour in white clay, and burnished his knife, which
gleamed at his waist, ushered these Washington women into a small
apartment adjoining the bath-room, and turned on the inky stream into
the sarcophagus.

The Staff beauty looked at the black