The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-21
He TOOK 255 DEGREES"
A Wife Learns q Number Of Interesting
Facts Concerning Masonry.
Her Husband Had Deceived Her
Badly, But His Nefarious
Confidence Game IL
Up Forever.

A middle-aged lady with a black alpaca
dress, worn shiny at The elbows, and IA
cheap shawl and n cheap bonnet, and her
hands puckered up and blue, as though
she had just got her washing out, went
into the Office Of a prominent Mason a
few mornings since, says Peck's Sun, and
took a chair.
She wiped her nose and the perspira-
ton from her face on "A blue-checkcd
apron, and when the Mason looked
AT her with an Interested, brotherly
look, as though she vas I'm trouble, she
said:
"Are you the boss Mason? ?"
He blushed and told her he was a
Mason. but not the highest in the land.
She hesitated n moment, fingered the
corner of her apron and curled IL up like
a boy speaking n piece at school, and
asked:
Shave you taken the whole 2a3 degrees
Of masonry"
The man laughed and told her there
were 30 degrees, and that he had only
taken ~. The other degree could only be
taken by a very few, who were recon-
mcnded by the grand lodge, and they
had to go to New York to get the sd de-
gree.
III lhtN stuuieu ~ ullllute, uIlDllntu
the safety-pin that held her shawl to-
gether and put it in her mouth, took a
loug breath, and said:
Where does my husband get the other
30 degrees, then w
The prominentMason said he guessed her
husband never got 200 degrees, unless he
had a degree factory. He said he didn't
understand the lady.
"Does my husband ave 10 sit up with a
corpse three nights IA week? 2" she asked,
her eyes flashing fire. 'Do you keep a lot
of sick Masons on tap for my husband to
sit up WITH"
The prominent Mason said he was
thankful that few Masons died, and only
occasionally was one sick enough to call
for Masonic assistance. When a Mason
was sick, and away from home, or when
his family desired il, the brethren Were
only too glad to sit up with him, but I'll ere
were SO many Masons and SO few sick that
il was only once in two or three months
that a brother was called upon to sit up
with anybody.
"But why do you ask these questions,
madam 2" said the prominent Mason.
The woman picked the fringe Of her
shawl, hung her head down, and said:
"Well, my husband begin to join the
Masons about two years ago, and lac
has been taking degrees or sitting up with
people every night since, and he comes
home at all times Of the night smelling Of
beer and cheese. | thought at first that
the cheese was the result of his going to
the org to help carry brother Masons
home after they had been found in the
river.
81 have kept a little track Of il, and |
figure that he has taken 233 degrees, in.
Guiding the grand Skyfugle degree, which
he took the night he came home with his
lip cut and his ear hanging by a piece of
skim"
"Oh, madam" said the prominent Ma
son, "There is no Skyfugle degree in Ma
sonry. Your husband has lied to you"
THAT'S what | think" said she, as a
baleful light appeared in her eye. HE
said he was taking the Skyfugle degree
n fell through the skylight. | had him
sewed up, and hc was ready for more de-
grees.
'After he had taken. | think, about $50
degrees, l told him ! should think he
would let up on IL and put some potatoes
in the cellar for the winter, but he said
when a man once got started on the de-
gress he had 10 take them all or he didn't
amount to anything.
zone time i wanted a hat To wear to
church with a feather on and he said eath-
ers were all nonsense and the e day he
brought home a leather case with a felt
coal-scuttle i'm il, anda feather on il that
couldn't have cost less Than SO, the way
! figure millinery. And when he put il on
and | laughed nj his ridiculous appear
ance he began Ia throw his arms around
and i asked him what was the matter, and
he said il was the grand hailing sign of
distress, and II ! didn't look out an
avengcr would appear from a dark closet
and run a toadsticker through me for a
%scoifer.
ale must have spent "A fortune on the
last $50 degrees. One morning he came
home with his coat-tail split right mp the
hack and his pants tore just as though a
dog had chcwed him, and one eye closed
up, and a wad of hair pulled RICH: out of
his head, and said he had been taking the
10th degree, but he wouldn't tell me how
IL happened, because IL was n lead secret.
"Sometimes a brother Mason comes
home with him along in the morning, and
they Cab about "A full ilush.' and they
both act full as they stand on the steps
and Cab about their pat hands, and
raising 'cm Out and calling and bob
tail fiush.' One night when he was asleep
i heard him whisper, Il raise you Sl0.' aud
when | wanted TO he told what il meant
he said they had been raising a purse for
a poor widow. Another time he raised up
in bed after he had been asleep and,
shouted, Il stand pat and whcn | wanted
tn know what that meant, he said he'd be
ruined III | odd OF IL. He said he had men,
toned the pass word. aud IL the brethren
heard Of IL they would put him out of the
way Mister is stand pat your pass
The Mason told her il was not; that the
words she had spoken were an expression
used by men when playing draw poker;
M he added that he didn't believe her
husband was a Mason at all, but that he
had been lying TO her all these years.
She sighed and said: That's what I
thought when he came home with a lot Of
ivory chips in his pocket.
HE said they used them at the lodge 10
vote on candidates, and that a white chip
elects n a blue chip rejects a candidate.
"lf you will look the matter up and see
IL he has joined the Masons, I will be
obliged TO you. He says he has taken all
the 2S3 degrees, and now the boys want
him to join the Knights Of Pythias. l
want To get ont an injunction TO prevent
him from joining anything else until we
get some ~underclothes for winter.
"Ill tell you what l will do. The next
time he says anything about Skyfugle de-