The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-11

a cheap shawl and a 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 few
days ago and took chair, says the Mil
waukee sun, She wiped her nose and~the
perspira ton from her face with blue
! checked apron, and when the Mason look
/ ed al her, with an interested, brotherly
! look, as though she were In trouble, she
/ 50. =:
Are you the boss Mason?"
| He blushed told her ne was Mason,
| but not the highest in the land. She hest
tated a moment, fingered the corner of
| her apron, and cured it up, like boy
! speaking a piece at school, and asked;
"Have you taken the whole two hun
| dred and Uhirty-three degrees of Mason
ry?"
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 We're recommended by the Grand
Lodge and they had to go to New York
| to get the third-third degree.
The woman studied a moment unpinned
the safety-pin that held her shawl togeth-
er and put it in her mouth, took a long
breath and said:
Where does my husband get the other
two hundred degrees, them"
L ilc III OlAA4AitilL Nld6On Sd4u lie GueSSGO
her husband never got two hundred de-
grees, unless he had degree factory. He
said he didn't understand the woman.
Does my husband have TO sit up with
a corpse three nights week?' she asked,
her eyes flashing fire. "And do they keep
a lot of sick Masons on tap for my hus-
band TO sit up with the. other three
nightS?"
The prominent Mason said he was
thankful that few Masons died, and only
occasionally was one sick enough TO call
for Masonic assistance.
But why do you ask these questions,
madam" asked the prominent Mason.
The woman picked the fringe of her
shawl, hung her head down and said:
We'll, my husband began to join the
Masons about three years ago, and he has
/ been taking the degrees or sitting up with
people every night since. He has come
! home twice with wrong clothes on and
when I asked him how it was he said that
it was a secret he could not reveal under
the penalty of being shot with a cannon.
All that he would say was that he took
a degree. 1 have kept a little track of it
and figure that he has taken 233 degrees
| including the grand Sky Fugle degree
| Which he took the night he came home
with his lip cut and his ear hanging by a
! piece of skin"
"Oh, madam" said the prominent Ma
son, there is no Sky Fugle degree in
Masonry. Your husband has deceived you
! He is no Mason"
I That's what I think" said she, as a
| baleful light appeared in her eye HE
said he was taking the Sky Fugle degree
| and fell through the sky light. l had him
| seWed up, and he was ready for more de-
! grees. After ne had taken about $50 de-
| grees 1 told him should think he would
! let up ON it and put some potatoes in the
| cellar for winter, but he said when a man
once got started on the degrees he had to
| take them all or he did not amount 10
| anything. Sometimes a brother Mason
! comes home along with him in the morning
| and they talk about a fun flush and
! their pat hands, and raising EN- out
| One night when he was asleep heard him
whisper, L raise you $1O and when I
! asked him what 1t meant he said they
We're raising a purse for a poor widow.
! Another time he raised up In bed after he
mad been asleep and shouted, I stand
! pat' and when 1 asked him what he meant
| he said he was ruined If l told it, He said
ne had spoken the password, and If the
brethren heard of it they would put him
out of the way, even as Morgan was put
out of the way. Mister, is stand pat'
your password"
The Mason told her it was not. That
the words she had spoken was an express
sion used by men when PLAYING draw
| poker, and he added that he didn't believe
that 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 7
thought when he came nome with a lot of
ivory chips in his pocket. He said that
they used them at the lodge to vote on
candidates, and that white chips elect and
blue chips reject candidate If YOU will
look the matter up ana see If he has iojn-
ed the Masons 1 will be obliged to YOU.
He says he has taken all the two hundred
and thirty-three degrees, and now the
boys want him to join the Knights OF
Pythias. 1 want to get out an injunction
to prevent him joining anything else until
we get some under clothes for winter III
tell you wha< I'll do. The next time he
says anything about Sky Fugle degrees ]
Will take washboard and make him
think that there is one degree in Ma
sorry that he skipped, and now good-by
You have comforted me greatly and will
lie awake tonight until my husband
comes home from the lodge with his pat
hand and I will make him think he has
forgot his ante"
The woman went out to the grocery tc
buy some bar soap, and the prominent
Mason resumed his business with a feel.
ing that we are not all truly good, and
there is cheating going on all around
The Feeling IA Lawyer Outgrew.