TAKING HIS DEGREES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3633, 5 March 1883, Page 4

TAKING HIS DEGREES.

A midelle-agod lady, with a black alpaca dress, worn shiny at the elbows, and v cheap shawl, aud a cheap bonnet, and her hanels puckered up and blue, as though she had just got her washing out, went into _ the office of a prominent Mason a few mornings since, says the Milwaukee Sun anel toed, a chair. She wiped her nose and the perspiration from her face on a blue-checked apron, and when tlie Mason looked at her, ivith an interested, brotherly look, as though she was in trouble, she said : " Are you the boss Mason r" He blushed, told her he was a Mason, but not tho highest in the laud. She hesitated a momunti fingui'cd the corner oHier apron, and curled it up like a boy speaking a piece in school, anel said : " Have you taken the whole two hundred and thirtv-threc degrees of Masonry ':" The man laughed, and tend her there ■were only thirty-three degrees, and fhat he had only taken thirty-two. The other degree could ouly be taken by a very few who were recommended by the Grand Lodge, and they had to go fo New York tv get the thirty-thirel degree. The laely studied a minute, unpinned the safety-pin" that held her shawl together, anel put it in her mouth, took a long breath, and said : " Where does my husband get the other two hundred degrees then r" The prominent Mason said he guessed her husband never got two hundred degrees, unless he had a degree factory. He said he didn't understand the laely. "Does my husband have to sit with a corpse three bights a -week r" she asked, her eyes flashing fire. "Aud elo they keep a lot of sick Masons on tap for my husband to sit up -with the other three nights ." The prominent Mason said he was thankful that few Masons died, anel only occasionally was one. sick enough to call for Masonic assistance. "But why elo you ask these questions, madam." said the prominent Mason. The woman picked the fringe of her shawl, hung her head down, and said : "Well, my husband began to join tlie Masons about two years ago, and ho lias been taking degrees or sitting up with people every night since. He lias coino home twice with the wrong pair of drawers em, and Avium I asked him how it was, hesaid it was a secret lie could not reveal under penalty of being shot with a cannon. All lie would say was that he took a gree. I have kept a little track of it, and I figurethat he has taken two hundred and thirtythree degrees, including the Grand Sky Fuglo degree, which ho took tho night lie came home with his lip cut, and his ear hanging by a piece of skin." "Oh, madam," said the prominent Mason, "there is no Sky Fugle degree in Masom-v. Your husbanel has deceived you." "That's what I think," said she, as a baleful light appeared in her eye. " He said ho was taking the Sky Fugle degree, and fell through the skylight. I had him sewed up, and lie was ready for more degrees. After lie had taken about a hundreei and fifty degrees, I told him I should think we would let up on it, and put some potatoes in the cellar for winter, but lie said when a. man got once started on tho degrees he had to take them all, orho didn't amount to anything. Sometimes a brother Mason comes "home'with him along in the; morning, and they talk about a ' full flush ' and about their 'pat hands,' and 'raising 'em out.' One night, when he was asleep, I heard him whisper, 'I raise you ten dollars,' and when I asked him what it meant, he said they had been raising a purse for a poor widow. Another time he raised up in bed, after he had been asleep, and shouted, 'I stand pat,' and when I asked him what he meant he said he was ruined if I told it. He said he had spoken tlie password, anel if the brethren heard of it they ivould put him out of the way, even as Morgan was put out of the way. Mister, is ' I stand pat' your pass-word ':" The Mason tolcl her it was not; that the ■words she had spoken ivas an expression used by men when playing elraw poker, and he adelcel that he didn't believe her husbanel was a Mason at all, but that he had been lying to her all these years. Site sighed and said, "That's what I thou "lit when he came home with a lot of ivory chips in his pocket. Ho said they used them at the lodge to vote on candidates, and that a white chip elects and a blue chip rejects a candidate. If you will look the matter up and sec if he lias joined the Masons, I will bo obliged to you. He says he has taken all the two hundred and thirty-

three detrrecs, and iioav the boys want him to join the Knights of Pythfas. _ I want to «-et an injunction to prevent him joining anything "else until wo get some underclothes for winter. I'll tell you what I will do. The next time he says anything about Sky Fugle degrees, I will take a washboard anil make him think there is one degree in Masonry that he has skipped, and now goodbye. You have comforted me greatly, and I will lay awake to-night till my husband comes from tbe lodaro with his pat hand, and I Avill make him think he has forgotten his unto.''

The lady went out to a grocery to buy some bar soup, and the prominent Mason resumed his business with a feeling that Aye are not all truly good, and there is cheating going on all round.