Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-05-26

The lodge of I. o of o. T., at L.
determined to have their lodge room don
up clean and nice, and it was resolved ur
animously that Mrs. X. should be hire
TO do the job.
After the lodge adjourned, the guar
dian who knew tho inquisitive oharacte
of Mrs. X, procured billy goat and plac
cd him in a closet He then informed
the lady of the wishes of the lodge, an,
said be wished her to come early, as b.
then would have leisure to show her wha
was not TO be done. Morning came ant
brought with it Mrs. K, with her brooms
brushes, pals, tubs, ETC., prepared ant
armed for the job, and the guardian await
ing her arrival.
Now, Madame, I'll tell you what W,
want done and how we came to employ
you. The brothers said it was difficult
to get any one to do the job who wouldn'
NEEDLE with the secrets in that little
closet pointing to the goats prison) We
have lost the key and can't find it to lock
tho door. assured them that you could
be depended upon.
Depended upon !" said she, II guess |
can. Ny dear dead and gone husband
who belonged to the Free and Anti.
the concern, and showed me the marks OF
the gridiron made when he was initiated.
and told me how they fixed poor Morgan,
snd I never told living soul to this day
II nobody troubles your closet until do,
they will lay there until they rot, so they
will"
Il thought so,' said the guardian, "and
now l want you TO commence in that COR
ner and give the room decent cleaning,
and have pledged my word and honor
for the fidelity of your promise, so don't
go into that closet and all will be WELL"
and he left her to herself.
No sooner had she heard the SOUND of
his foot on the last step of the stairs than
she exclaimed, Don't go in that closet.
I'll warrant there's a pesky gridiron or
two, and some other nonsense in there,
Just like them anti-masons for all the
world. I'll be bound I'll see anyway
can take peep and nobody be any wiser
l can keep secret" ....-
Suiting the action to the word. and
thinking all the whole while what glo-
rious secret she would have to tell Mollie
Trump, her next door neighbor, she
stepped lightly and cautiously to the
door, peeping mysteriously and cautiously
about to see if any one oould see her,
and then suddenly opened the door.
What was her horror to see coming from
the further corner of the room real bona
fide billy goat, with perfect torrent of
wrath flashing out of his eyes. Making
tremendous rush for his liberty, he
reached the threshold of the prison al
most by the time the old lady had sufi-
GENTLY recovered herself to scream "mur-
der" and sire" without getting choked,
and came near upsettting the dame at the
door. Both made rush for the head of
the stairs, but the door was full of imple-
ments for house cleaning, and all were
swept clear from their position TO the bot
tom of the stairs.
The noise and confusion occasiOned by
such unceremonious coming down stairs
drew half the town to witness Mrs. X. 3
efforts to get from the pile OF pals, tubs,
brooms and brushes into the street.
Who should be the first on the spot but
our rasoally guardian, who, after releas-
ing the goat, who was crippled for life,
and uplifting the rubbish that bound the
poor woman to the earth, anxiously in
quired if she had taken the degrees.
"Takin' the degrees" exclaimed the
now irate lady, "you fetch-taken, hateful
thi you. If you call tumbling from
he to- to the bottom of the stairs, and be-
ing scared to death, takin' the degrees,
why l have them. And if you frighten
and hart other folks as you have me, I'll
warrant they'll make as much noise as
did and mebby more"
81 hope you did not open the closet,
madam ?" said the guardian.
"Open the closet Didn't Eve eat the
apple when she was told not to ? If you
want a woman to do anything tell heI
not to and she will do it certain.
couldn't see anything through the key
hole, and | wanted to know what was in
that closet SO l opened the door and the
tarnsl critter popped right out at me.
thought / was q goner, and started fol
the stairs with Santa butting at me al
every jump, and fell over the tub and
got down stairs in heap, ugh that hate.
full thing"
"But, madame" said the guardian, ''as
you are in possession of the great secret
of the order, you must now go back and
be initiated in the regular way"
Regular way p exclaimed she, "and
do you spose am going back in that tar.
nal place again, and ride that critter with
ont saddle or bride? No sir ! DOM
want nothing to do with the MAJ what
rides it nuther. I'd look nice en- billy
goat, now wouldn't /? No, air, I'll never
go nigh it again, nor into your hall nuth
err, and if can help it no lady shall ever
join the Odd Fellows. Why, I'd rattle,
join the Masens and be fried on gridi
ron with as hot a fire as could be kept I'm
der me, and be pulled from the garnet t.
the cellar with halter around my neck
just as my poor dead and gone husband
was, for he lived over it, but / never could
outlive such another ride as took to-day
You don't catch me back in there"