Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-08-08

Paca oress, worn Shiny ut the elbows,
and cheap shawl and a cheap bon
net, and her hands puckered up and
blue, as though she had just got hor
washing out, went into tho office of
prominent Mason few mornings
since, says Peck's Sun, and took
chair.
She wiped her nose and the pers
piration from her face on a blue.
checked apron, and when the Mason
looked at her with an interested,
brotherly look, she said:
"Are you the boss Mason ~
He blushed aud told her he was
Mason, but not the highest in the
land.
She ihesitated moment, fingered
the corner of her apron, aud curled
it up like boy speaking piece at
school, and asked:
"Haye you taken the whole 233 de-
grees of Masonry 7"
The man laughed and told her
there wero 33 degrees, and that he
had only taken 80. The other de-
gree could only be taken by very
few, who were recommended by the
Grand Lodge, and they had to go to
New York to get the 33d degree.
The lady studied minute, unpin.
ned the safety pin that held her
shawl together and put it in her
mouth, took 9 long breath, and said :
Where does my husband get the
other 200 degrees, then p
Tho prominent Mason said he
guessed her husband never got 200
degrees, unless he had II degree fuc-
tory. He said he didn't understand
the lady.
"Does my husband have to sit up
with corpse three nights week 2"
she asked, her eyes flushing fire. "Do
you keep lot of sick Masons on tup
for my husband to sit up with 7"
The prominent Mason said he was
thankful that few Masons died, and
only occasionally was one sick enough
to call for Masonic assistance. When
n Mason was sick aud away from
home, OF when his family desired it,
the brethren were only too glad to
sit up with him, but there were SO
many Masons and so few sick that it
was only once in two or three months
that brother was called to sit up
with anybody.
"But why do you ask these ques-
tions, madam ?" said the prominent
Mason
Tho woman picked the fringe of
her shawl, hung her head down, and
said:
"Well, my husband began to join
the Nlasons about two years ago, and
he has been taking degrees or sitting
up with people every night since, and
lie comes home at all times of the
night smelling of beer and cheese. L
thought at first that tho cheese was
result of his going to the morgue to
help carry brother Masons home af
ter they had been found in the river.
81 have kept little track of it,
and figure that he has taken 233
degrees, including the great kyfugle
degree, which he took the night he
came homo with his lip cut and his
ear hanging by piece of skim"
"Oh, madam" said the prominent
Mason, "there is no skyfugle degree
in masonry. Your husband hos lied
to yon.'
''That's what I Think" said she, as
a baleful light appeared in her eye.
"He said he was taking the skyfugle
degree and fell through the skylight.
had him sewed up and he was
ready for more degrees"
"After he had taken, think, about
$50 degrees, I told him 1 should
think he would let up on it and put
some potatoes in the cellar for tho
winter, but he said when man once
got started on the degrees he had to
take them all OF he didn't amount to
anything.
"One time I wanted hat to wear
to church with feather on, and ho
said feathers were oil nonsense, and
the next day he brought home q
leather case with felt coal scuttle
in it, and feather in it that couldn't
have cost less than $40, the way