St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-16
He TOOK 233 DEGREES
One Mans Wife Learns Con-
siderable About Masonry
in a Quiet Way.
She Finds That Her Liege
Lord Deceived Her in Nu-
merous Ways.
She Rounds Him Up, However,
and His Game Is UP
Forever.
His Last Degree Was the Sky
fugle--His Next Has a
dashboard.

She wiped her nose and the perSpira-
| ton from her face on blue-checked
| apron, and when the Mason looked at
her with an interested. brotherly look,
as though she were in trouble, she said :
Are you the boss Mas0n?"
He blushed, told her he was Mason,
but not the highest in the land.
She hesitated moment, fingered the
corner of her apron, and curled it UP
like boy speaking piece in school,
and asked:
"Have you taken the whole 2SS de.
grees of Masonry"
The man laughed and told her there
were only thirty-three degrees, and
that he had only taken thirty-tWo. The
other degree could only be taken by a
very few, who were recommended by
| the grand lodge, and they had to go to
New York to get the thirty-third de-
| gree.
The lady studied minute. unpinned
the safety pin that held her shawl to-
| gether and put it in her mouth, took a
| long breath and said:
"Where does my husband get the
other 200 degrees, then?"
The prOminest Mason said he guessed
her husband never got 200 degrees, u u
less he had degree factory. He said
| he didn't understand the Lady.
"Does my husband have to sit up with
| corpse three nights week?" she
asked, her eyes flashing fire. ''Do you
| keep lot of sick MaSOns OH 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 lhis family desired it, the
| brethren were only too glad TO sit up
| with him, but there were so many Ma
! sons and so few sick that it 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,
madame said the prominent Mason.
| The woman picked the fringe of her
shawl, hung her head down, and said:
| 'Well, my husband began to join the
| MaSons about two years ago, and he has
| been taking degrees or sitting up with
people every night since. and he comes
| home at all time of the night smelling
| of beer and cheese. l thought at first
| that the cheese was the result of his
| going to the morgue to help carry
| brother MaSons home after they had
been found in the river.
HE has come home twice with the
wrong pair of drawers on, and when [
asked him how it was, he said it was a
secret he could not reveal under pen
| atty of being shot with cannon. All
he could say was that he took degree.
IL have kept little track of it, and l
| Gnura hot bo hoe taEnn 002 IQUrQoc in
| GLIDING the grand Skyfugle: degree,
which he took the night he came home
| with his lip cut end his ear hanging by
| piece of skim"
''Oh, madam" said the prominent
Mason, ''there is no Skyfugle degree in
Masonry. Your husband has lied to
YOU"
| 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, I think, about
$50 degrees, told him l should think
he would let up on it, and put some po-
tatOes in the cellar Tor the winter, but
he said when man once got started on
| the degrees he had to take them all, or
|
"One time l wanted hat to wear to
| church, with a feather on, and he said
| feathers were all nonsense, and the next
day he brought home a leather case with
| felt coal-scuttle in it, and feather on
| it that couldn't have cost less than $40,
the way figure millinery. And when
| he put it on and / laughed at his ridcu-
| lous appearance, he began TO throw his
arms around, and when l asked him
what was the matter he said it was the
grand hailing sign of distress, and if 1
didn't look out an avenger would appear
| from dark closet and run tOadSticker
| through me for scoffer.
"He must have spent fortune on the
| last $50 degrees. One morning he came
| home with his coat-tail split right up the
back and his pants torn just as though
| a dog had chewed him, and one eye
closed up and a wad of hair pulled out
| of his head, and said he had been tax
| ing the 200th degree, but he wouldn't
tell me how it happened, because it was
| dead secret.
sometimes brother Mason comes
home with him, along in the morning,
| and they CAB about a full fiush.' and
| they both act full as they stand on the
| steps and CAB about their pat hands,
| and raising 'em out, and calling and
'bobtail flush.' One night when he was
| asleep | heard him whisper, I raise
| you S1O,' and when / wanted to be told
what it meant he said they had been
raising purse for poor widow. An
| other time he raised up in bed after he
had been asleep and shouted, i stand
| pat and when / wanted to know what
that meant he said he'd be ruined if 1
| told of it. He said he had mentioned
the password, and if the brethren heard
| of it they would put him out of the
way. Mister, is i stand pat your pass
| Word?"
The Mason told her it was not. That
| the words she had spoken were eX-
| pressions used by men when playing
draw poker, and he added that he did
not 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 1
thought when he came home with lot
| OF ivory chips in his pocket.
HE said they used them at the lodge
! to vote on candidates, and that white
| chip elects and blue chip rejects a
| candidate.
"If you will look the matter up and
see if he has joined the Masons 1 will
be obliged to you. He says he has
taken all the 233 degrees, and now the
boys want him to join the Knights of
Pythias. / want to get out an injunc-
tion to prevent him from Joining any,
| thing else until we get some under
clothes for winter.
cpl tell you what I will do. The
next time he says anything about Sky
| fugle degrees and Consistory nonsense
| will use dashboard and cause him
| to believe there is one degreeln Mason
| rY he has missed; and now goodbye
| You have comforted me greatly, and l
will be awake tonight till my husband
comes home from the lodge with his pat
hand and will make him think he has
| forgotten his ante"
| The lady went out to grocery to buy
| some bar soap, and the prominent
| Mason resumed his business with a
feeling that we are not all truly good.
and there is cheating going on all
] around.