The Democratic sentinel and Harrison County farmer. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1851-1852, 1851-08-06
woman!s Curissity.

A short time since, the bretEren N tho
Lodge of0dd Fellows, at Woodstowl, N =
determined to have their hall swept out and
cleaned, when it was unanimously resolved
that Mrs. Keep Secret should be employed
to do the job.
After the meeting had adjourned, tie
lampliter who well knew the inquisitivc
character of Mrs. Keep Secret, went and
procured monstrous Billy-goat and placed
him in the closet, which was kept as re-
Iservoir for all secret things
He then proceeded to the domicil Of tho
good lady, informed her Of the job Of clean
ling the Hall; and requested her to ccnlu
learly the next morning, as he would be at
!, leisure to show her what to do
The morning came, and with it Madam
Keep Secret appeared with her broom, bIasslsS
es, pals, tubs, DC. The door.keeper was
in waiting for her.
j "Now, Madam" said the mischeyious
Idoorkeeper, ''I'll tell you what We want u
have done and how we came to employ
you. One of the brethren said it would be
difficult to get any one to do the Job, who
would not be medling with our secrets n
that closet, because we have lost The kew.
and we cannot lock it, assured them that
you could be trusted, and SO they ordered
me to call on you as you could be depended
upon"
depend upon" says Madam, II glless
can, my poor husband, who BELONGED q the
Freemasons or Anti-snasons... don't know
which, used to tell me the secrets ofthe con- i
lsarn, and when he showed me the marks az
the gridiron, when he was initiatad, and toIa.
me how they fixed poor Morgan, / never
told living soul to this day, and ifno body
TROUBLES your closet to find out your secrets
before do, they'll all Of 'em lay there and
rot, that they will"
u thought so, said the doorkeeper ssand
Inow l want you to commence there, point.
Ing to where some undignifed and indecent
I brother had thrown out guilds Of tobacco.
4 ''and give the whole room decent cleaning
land have pledged my word and honor for
t your fidelity to promises--tlon's DO III kh0f
t eioset, " and then left our lady to herself
\ NO sooner had she heard the sound Of llis
eet upon the last step Of the stairs, than She
exclaimed, ''That closet what on ailth can
} be there? III warrant there's a gridiron or
some other nonsense, Just like the Anti. Ma
|sons for all the world, I'll be bouad Iii.
lust take peep in and nobody will be anv
myself" i.
\ suiting the action to the word, she stcD.
|ped softly TO the door of the forbidden closet
turned the button--which no. weight
than "Baha, ha, ha," went ding or ia'-
spring to regain his liberty, nus a,,srn1 o. n1
upsetting her ladyship. boug sensations
doorway, which was filled wilton, dots
J ments OF house cleaning, when all wa in
clear from their positions to the bottso.
the stairs, The uproar occasioned by "a,
an unceremonious coming down stairs. drew
hall the town to witness Mrs Keep Secrets
effort to get from under pile OF coat. pails.
} tubs, brooms and scrubbing brushes.
Il Who should be first on the spot hiit tho
rascslly doorkceper, who after releasino the
Igoat, who had been made cripple for. life.
and unpiling the rubbish which bound the
q good lady to the floor, anxiously inquired IF
her If she had been taken the degrees
! "Iakingthe degrees, exclaimed our lady. !.
d III you calltumbling from the top to the bot
! tom OF the stairs, with tarnal coat to iun,n
you as You SO, taking things BY degrees.
e nave and II you generally frighten folks a.
bad as you have frightened me, and hurt
: them to boot, warrant you they'll make as
much noise as me-"
/ Il hope you did not open the closet, said
fl the doorkeeper.
"Open the closet! and sure did. and ala
not Eve eat the apple when forbidden9 Tf
you want a woman to do any thing, ten her
mot to, and she will do it certain. i couldn't
stand the temptation. There was the secret
Ill wanted ito know it, and opened the
door and out popped the tarnal goat RIGHT
IN my face. thought sure it was the devil
and ran for the stairs, with it at NV heels.
when fell over the tubs, and we al arrived
at the bottom as you found us IN i heap to-
gether"
"But Madam, you are in possession Of tha
great secret Of the order, and you must 10
u up and be initiated. You must be sworn
and ride the goat in the regular wav.'s
i Regular wayl Do YOU suppose at,,
going near that tarnal critter again4zand
without bride or a lady's saddeg-naI
never! don't want nothing to do with II 81
man 1T rides it. I'D look nice perched
t on got wouldn't? I'll never go near L
again nor your Hall nuther, and If / can pre
vent it no lady shall ever join the Odd isel.
lows Why. Id sooner be Free Mason 81
an Anti Mason, and be broiled on 4 pridiron
!, as long as fire could BE- kept under Il. And
,lbe pulled from garret to cellar. with i halter
round my neck, in pair of old breeehes
ana slippers, Just as my poor dead and gone
husband used to tell me they served him.
when ne lived. than have such ride III
took to-day, and you may rest assured
shall never see goat but what shall tllinR
of the Odd Fellows"