An American traveller in the streets of Paris, seeing the words, "Wine
Baths given here," exclaimed,--
"Well, these French are a luxurious people;" when, with true Yankee
curiosity and the feeling that he could afford whatever any one else did,
he walked in and demanded a "wine bath."
Feeling wonderfully refreshed after it, and having to pay but five francs,
he asked, in some astonishment, how a wine bath could be afforded so
cheaply. His sable attendant, who had been a slave in Virginia, and
enjoyed a sly bit of humor, replied,--
"O, massa, we just pass it along into anudder room, where we gib bath at
four francs."
"Then you throw it away, I suppose."
"No, massa; den we send it lower down, and charge three francs a bath.
Dar's plenty of people who ain't so berry particular, who will bathe in
it after this at two francs a head. Den, massa, we let the common people
have it at a franc apiece."
"Then, of course, you throw it away," exclaimed the traveller, who thought
this was going even beyond Yankee profit.
[Illustration: A CHAMPAGNE BATH.]
"No, indeed, massa," was the indignant reply, accompanied by a profound
bow; "no, indeed, massa; we are not so stravagant as dat comes to; we just
bottle it up den, and send it to 'Meriky for champagne."