News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-07-31
look 233 DEGREES.
One Mans Wife Learns Few New Things About
Masonry.

One Mans Vile Learns a Few New things About
Masonry.
A middle-aged lady, with q black
alpaca dress, worn shiny at the ell
bows, cheap shawl and bonnet, and
her hands puckered up and blue. as
though she had just got her washing
out, went into the office of promi-
nent Mason a few mornings since,
and took a chair, says Peck's Sun.
She wiped the perspiration from
her face on blue-checked apron, and
when the Mason looked at her with
an interested, brotherly look, as
though she wasin trouble, she said -
care you the boss Mason?"
He blushed, told her he was Ma
son, but not the highest in the land.
She hesitated a moment, fingered
the corner OF her apron, curled it up
like boy speaking piece in school,
and asked
"Have you taken the whole 1913
degrees of Masonry p
The man laughed and told her
there we're only 33 degrees, and that
he had only taken 80. The other
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 degree.
The lady studied minute, I'M
pinned the safety pin that held her
shawl together and put it in her
mouth, took long breath and said =
"Where does my husband get the
other 200 degrees, then?
The prominent Mason said he
guessed her husband never got 200
degrees Unless he had a degree fac
tory. He said he didn't understand
the lady.
"Does my husband have to sit up
with a corpse three nights a week ?"
she asked, her eyes flashing fire. do
you keep 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 occasionIy was one sick enough
to call for Masonic assistance. Why
did she ask?
"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 atall times
of the night smelling of beer and
cheese. thought at first that tAe
cheese was the result of his going to
the morgue to help carry brother
Masons home after they had been
found in the river. | have kept a
little track of it, and figure that he
has taken 233 degrees, including the
grand skyfugle degree, which he took
the night he came home with his lip
cut and his ear hanging by piece of
skin"
ooh, madam" said the prominent
Mason, "there is no skyfugle degree
in Masonry. Your husband has lied
to you"
"That's what l think" said she, as
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 told him Ishould think
he would let up on it and put some
potatoes in the cellar for winter, but
he said when man once got started
on the degrees he had to take them
all or he didn't amount to anything.
Sometimes a brother Mason comes
home with him along in the morning,
and they CAB about a full fush,' 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 Mister,
is i stand pat your password"
The Mason told her it was not;
that the words she had spoken was
an expression used by men when
playing draw poker, and 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 | thought, when he came home
with a lot of ivory chips 10 his
pocket.
HE said they used them at the
lodge to vote on candidates, and
that a white chip elects and blue
chip rejects a candidate.
"It you will look the matter up and
see il he has joined the Masons | 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. 1 want to get
out an injunction to prevent him
from joining anything else, until we
get some underclothes for winter.
"I'll tell you what | will do. The
next time he says anything about
skyfugle degree and consistory non
sense | will use q dashboard and
cause him to believe there is one de-
gree in Masonry he has missed"
Notice to WheeImen.
Thora'a nncitiuoIu M mad IN an