Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-16
p 9 - ~ =, y
SECOND
MYSTIC SRRINERS OUT LATE
Many Reasons Given Therefor
to Their Families.
SOME OF THEM WERE FISHY
1t Became Necessary to Substitute an Angora
William Goat for the Old
Standby
SOME OF THEM WERE FISHY

Montgomery, May 15.-(Specla1) 1.-The
Mystic Shrners evidently did business all
last night, or very nearly 50, for when
the small hours were registered on the
dial of the government building clock
the men from across the desert were still
holding forth, while street loafers stood
around anN.ously waiting for the explo-
SION The meeting finally adjourned, but
there are several interesting little stories
afloat about the adjournment. The GUS
todian of the lodge room has whispered it
about that when he went to the lodge
room this morning to view the scene he
| found every gas jet at work full tilt. The
last of the Shriners to leave the hall tried
to turn the gas off at the meter, and, be-
Ing strong, able-bodied man. he turned
1t all the way round, and while he caused
darkness he left the gas going at full
Roadway. This is a leakage from the in
ner chamber, but all men who have
passed along Dexter avenue today have
seen that the belated Shriners forgot to
turn out the electric light over the en-
trance to the hallway, and that incandes-
cent has spent the day in trying to make
the sun ashamed of himself Another
little incident which has leaked out of
the inner chamber is too good to keep.
There was no camel for the unbeleverS
to ride over the sands of the desert, and
the accommodating mobiles of Zamora
Temple pressed into service a goat to
save the unbelievers from making the
journey on foot. The goat was an able
and vigorous specimen of his class, and
his prowess commanded the respect of all
who saw him. Among those who looked
on with eyes filed with tears and interest
and bosom bur. ing with emotion was
prominent Montgomerian. The more he
gazed upon William" the weight
Ter became the load of uneasi-
ness which possessed his soul.
He began to weaken and his inventive
faculties commenced to work. devising
an excuse by which he might get out of
the trying ordeal which he pictured
ahead of him. Finally he backed out
clear, and he put all the blame on the
goat which had been provided for the &C.
casion. His friends tried to laugh him
back into his resolution to let the dance
go on, and join in as one of the dancers,
but he hung back like an unwilling
bride at the altar rail. Finally, after
much persuading, he made the pat propo-
sition that he would join, provided they
allowed him to furnish his own goat to
ride. He did not want to mix up with
any strange Billie. This, as a compro-
mise, was allowed to be reasonable by
the assembled Mobiles, and though the
hour was then late, messenger was
sent out to the hesitating brothers farm,
a few miles from the city, for the reliable
and sure-footed Billie which would bear
| his owner in safety over the burning
| sands. When the hour for the meeting
| came the first batch of Mobiles to reach
the lodge room noted a peculiar odor,
which had evidently taken possession of
every nook and Granny of the hall, and a
search, which was instituted, developed
the fact that large and healthy speci-
men of the Angora variety of Billies was
responsible for the aroma, which many
of the Mobiles recognized at the first
Whit. The Billie had to be dispossessed
and the lodge room ventilated before the
meeting could be carried on with due
solemnity and decorum, and this Is one
of the many reasons given by the Mont
gomery mobiles to their families to ac-
count for the lateness of the hour of their