The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-12-14
MYSTERIES REVEALED.
A st. Louis Brewers Entrance Into
o Secret Society.

mystic arts ana signs OF antiquity
was employed the other day. The
candidate, Mr.. Meyer, carefully
guarded by two masked Elks, en-
tered the sacred precincts, clad pre-
cisely like the good, honest farmer,
who goes forth in harvest time to
attend the threshing machine, ex-
cept that across the valorous left
arm there were two broomsticks,
carefully Joined, and across the
stalwart right arm was huge pref
eel. Enormous boots, the proper
tions of which were reminders of
the late lamented Jumbo, encased
his feet. Huge dark whiskers and
mustaches covered completely the
native dark, handsome and care
fully trimmed mustache.
After the noise had subsided the
presiding officer asked if there was
any reason why the candidate
should not be received. There were
expressions in the negative all over
the hall, the tenor of which was
"the applicant is chump." Mr..
Meyer was blindfolded effectively.
He felt like resenting those who
branded him as a chump, but he
could not. Standing erect before
his masked judge, with both arms
stretched forth, he answered the
series of questions put to him and
willingly yielded to every sugges-
tion of his immediate attendants
When told to gracefully place him
self in the familiar attitude of the
festive goose, for instance, he obey
ed with commendable resignation
and when the self-same attendants
undertook, in obedience to the pre-
siding mogul, to test the elasticity
of the ordinary broom as applied
to the exterior resistance of nature
he murmured not. His bravery
was great.
This feature of the instruction
completed the candidate was taken
up a pyramid of desks and chairs
probably eight feet high, from the
apex of which there was a slide
we'll chalked and primed. AT the
command of the great veiled off
cial, Mr.. Meyer started head fore
most, face downward down the slide
with no idea how far he was goin;
or where he would land. When Ii,
reached the floor he rolled over ant
over, finally making a heap sug
gestive of a balloon. He lay ther,
motionless and speechless for few
moments, his guards going to tn
rescue. Being assisted to his feet
the grand veiled official indignant,
ordered that he be seated. Failing
to find a chair convenient he drop
ped, how heavily and inconvenient
ly may be imagined, upon a hassock
He had fairly become reconciled t.
this position when the grand ukas
went forth that the candidate mus
submit to the next feature of th
ceremony, having the hose turne'
upon him. Many tender-hearte
members objected to this, saying i
was showing outside. The grea
chief so decreed it, however, an
the unfortunate candidate, blinC
folded as he was, had to submit 0
weaken. He never fiinched. Hi
silence indicated his readiness
meet the chilly ordeal. One of th
masked Elks approached the cand
date and with great dexterity thre
a full cup of cold water into th
candidates face. He only smile
-one of those cold. chilly, I'll-ge
even-with-you smiles. There wer
other features before the candida,
! was finally admitted, but they wei
I, of too sacred or too serious a cha
acter to be revealed.-St. Lou
IGlohe-Democrat-