New-York tribune., 1909-05-09

| at his watch lighted his pipe, and walked lnto
the room opposite evidently to sleep. ms
was the time, if any time was safe, TO mveStl-
| gate the upper floors
In one floor he crept softly. found all dark,
and listened. From higher up came now the
sounds of laughter of singing. and an occasional
| cheer He crept up the next flight; the noise
grew louder He opened door at the Tlght OF
the landing, and found huge hall once useu sea
for machinery The pounding OF feet on the
ceiling told him that the men he had seen en-
ter were Immediately above tie paced the
ROOM and found 1t TO be a hundred feet by
fifty. Opposite the long row OF Shuttered WIN
dows was another door. This he entered, and
found small ROOM evidently once used tor an
office. with fireplace. mantel, and one WINDOW
Step by step he now assembled the next ti1ght
of stairs, the sounds OF revelry growing louder
every minute \ glance above showed a
streak of light through the halt-Opened door
/ \ nearer approach showed another door. cor
responding to that of the office he had noticed
below He darted up to the landing, put ms
hand to the handle of this door. and 1t opened
easily Passing in he closed it behind him ana
looked about
There was a cot bed with pair Of blankets
drawn up against the wall, a basket OF tOod,
and pitcher of water and many beer bottles on
a table A fireplace on the other wall CORE
spOnded to the one he had seen below AStro
stole to the keyiole of the door leading INTO the
hall and listened smile came to his lips
Brigham Brigham the company was
yelling
From his post Astro could see only the broad
back of Brigham in the light of many candles.
but he could hear perfectly the speech that foi-
lowed.
BROTHERS of the Pi Ro Nu" Brigham be
- gan far be it from me TO try TO make a
speech to-night-as you know can t but Il
take my turn in testifying to the utter dePrav-
tv Of the prisoner.
Cries OF Hear. hear'' interrupted him. and
after they were stilled Brigham went on
The event IS now piece OF the history OF
the P Ro Nu: but III briefly state the facts.
Two years ago | was married.
How delightful to be married! the crowd
began TO sing
3And it was my fond intention to pass my
honeymoon IN an automobile In fact. 1t was
begun all right and I'd have been safe II had
contented myself with driving only dayt1mes-
But on nv very first evenlng-we were married
at nOon-I was held up by band OF despeTadoS
on the road from Albany TO Troy | should
have been able to take care OF all OF them with
my fists. but | could never take a gun calmly
The result was that | was tied up with Mrs Brig
ham and carried INTO lonely house She was
put into one room, and into another Gentle
men. | ask YOU to picture nv feelings that
night as | heard scream after scream coming
from the room adjacent for hours uncnding. 1t
was only because | knew nv BRIDE had been
carried safely away TO the nearest hotel that
able TO sleep at all So, gentlemen, de
DEATH" shouted the rest IN chorus. after
which there were calls for Doc Hamburg Han
bury was invisible from Astro's peephOle. but
his voice rose clearly
Il also was married ~ ne began. and was also
interrupted by the popular chorus, but under
painful and embarrassing circumstances. he
continued. The afternoon OF the wedding nv
fiat was entered and | garroted by two
masked men. | was tied TO a chair, and then
one Of them painted my face deliberately but
too fancifully with iodine. He painted my
cheeks IN circles. gentlemen. and my brow
picturesque plaid Of squares. Those OF you
who were present At the ceremony possibly re
marked the grease paint that attempted too
unSucCeSsfully 10 cover my shame had 10 do
it. You can't explain an absence from your
own wedding except by
Death" came the jovial chorus
One after another proceeded to testify each
constantly interrupted by the hilarious mem
bers of the fraternity
RUT Astro had heard enough II was evident
- that Farraon the master spirit OF the aSSO-
citation and fierceSt of its practical JOkeTS. had
met his Just deserts. Just what they would do
with him, Astro could not guess. but that the
bridegroom would need friend was not TO be
doubted. How was he 10 be helped, AStro
q, Oft