The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-10-23

e.as to tell the truth, was beginning to get
tired of wasting my balls on so himsy marx"
The gangef now commenced firing away MS
" quips and crsnks" as his entertainer and the
captain who received them with q relish,
heightened by the sparkling champagne and
rhenisb, till Sir John, looking at his watch,
exclaimed, I'VE have been here now nearly
an hour, and it begins to be time that we
should move after the party"
4 NV nit, Sir John, for one OF my best stories
about making afreemason," said Charley ear
nestly, who was most anxious 70 or oelay ms
if ever told it to yourself before: Aylmer has
never heard it; and am confident it will make
friends Of MI Dixon and myself tS;n Won are
in good vein for telling story inst now,
think we may may wait for you. But make
it pithy and brief. give you q quarter OF an
the tablet; and, meanwhile, we'll take
| half glass of brandy, to brace US up for the
sharp sea all"
| ing his lips, the gauger began his story, with
the intention of spinning it out as long as he
| should be allowed.
Charley, we wersnbbth something younger
men; and, though my hair IS getting grey now,
you will remember was then one OF the roll
licking boys, that it wouldn't be easy to GET
| the match of those days; tor pom my conscience,
Sir John, think we're really going to the bad
"How, sirrah Z"
"Why' Sir John, I'd have to mako circuit
| now, to find dozen of six bottle or fourteen
tumbler men, though, in our youth, they were
as plenty as blackberries in dry harvest; and
worse and worse, what II the young genera.
ton come to, for what example IL they have
The fact is, Pun beginning to think, If matters
x be- ttis better than
name" Here Charley exhibited q ludlcrons
! seriousness of countenance that, with his
reasons for asserting the degenefacy OF the
times, made Sir John and Aylmer laugh out.
right, while Dixon regarded the humorous
narrator with a scowl.
"Well, gentlemen, continued the gsdg 9 +
haIf.a.dozen other jolly Fellowship must
say again, it wouldn't be easy to get the
matches Of those days-p,sde a freen,ason in
our own style, OF i9m sYi o, a. ever Tou
come across-Oh, Sir John, it's a sad thing te
think that not>one of those prime spirits II
over the clay, this blessed day, barring my
self that>sticks to his hold like an old tree
"Ns>sentiment, Charley-mind the watch
eWeN then, Sir John, you remember that
Thirty years ago, no prime fellow was rIgh'
heard that the Nally's of Ballintaggart were
then right comfortable catalogues, renting up
wards of q hundred acres OF good land nndel
your father, at ten shIiiings an acre. II
| sorry to say it's few of their kind we have
| those days-the worse for the country. Iher
u the war, too, was stirring, and every thing
brought slashng price. so that the rent ,,t
came as easy as kiss hand; and pounding anG
distraining were seldom heard of. So poo
: Tomas simple and good fellow rs evel
; helped to carve goose or finish a bottle,
gale and bring home broad cloth and caroiina'
Il to the brothers-none of the family was mar
ried-and let ME remind you Sir John, that a
Isthat time the scullogues wore only the best O
SMind the time, Charley, and let us not have
, the half of those explanations.
every well, Sir john" continued d Charley
spaniel; " and, to come to the point, you recoi
{ lect DIR. Brennan, our leader i'll every frolic--
, hope God has forgiven him for all his freaks
, CHANGED to meet Tom, and found out from the
poor gomeril that he had plenty of money, ano
was very anxious to become q mason. SO the
doctor comes to myself Iame oaek noyie' Ii n.s
: the wind blew; and soon after We arranged
with Tom that be was to have the honor o.
being made q brother that very evening. Ac
cordfngly, at the appointed hour Tom comes
| to us at the hotel when o splendid supper was
ordered for us, at les expense you may be snre
and with solemn faces we proceeded to Initiate
him. and devil mason was ever made, before
or since, with such ceremonies. We first
. blindfolded him, then blackened his face
hauled him about and scorched him, AND
while he was roaring with the pain, we nal
frightened the life out of him, by taking of
: the bandage and showing him DR.. Brennan, in
the shape of the devil, with long tail and 6
huge pair of horns, Wnlcn Dlck MURPHY u"ii'
cio1,sIy said, became the little doctor nncom
monty well, he had been so long in the habit
. of wearing them-a wicked allusion to a fine
dressy wife the doctor had; you remember hel
, Sir John"
The baronet nodded assent, and Charley con
tinued
"Well, after getting tired of tormenting poor
Tom we sa1uted him as brother, and, soon
after, were summoned to supper which was
sure enough, q capital one-such lots of hsh
flesh, and fowl, tame and wild, with heaps OF
pies and pastry; and then the fine sh how O.
yon'd think, Sir John, our modesty might pre-
vent us from doing it justice: we got oYs +
sat till broad daylight, as uproarious set a.
|, ever sauted cock-eroSf; and maybe We dldn,
keen Tom in the moon all the time, with songs
and toasts and prophecies of how soon be
might arrive at the dignity Of grand master master
{ Itself The next day was, OF course, Sheefd
day: and as Tome guineas-theagh
good deal diminished by the nights ex o
penses-were by no means exhausted, ye
whipping him off to breakfast at one place place
aud dine at another, and inti oducing nm
during the day a brother to Collector M M