Masonic Reminiscences.

coats , or gallants of very questionable appearance , from Dublin , or London , of which latter place , Mr . Johnson was a native , being a younger son of the head of a most eminent and respectable trading house , who settled upon him an annuity , on the condition that he should live out of the kingdom . Mr . Johnson and his daughter entertained a fierce antipathy against Freemasons , and fox-hunters , and to belong to the district hunt , or the

district Masonic Lodge , was sufficient grounds for the exclusion from the hospitalities of Elysium . Phil still continued to enjoy the sports of the field to the great amusement of his fellow sportsmen , who generally saluted him when they met , with the question , " Phil , my boy , how is the c jrey mare ?"—to which , the usual reply— " OhI don't intend to hunt her any moreshe is so hard in

, , the mouth , 1 can ' t manage her in a scuffle , so I purpose making her a brood mare "—was sure to produce shouts of laughter , quite unintellig ible , to Phil , who had no notion that there were any grey mares who moved upon fewer legs than four . Some days after the Colonel ' s departure , the following letter was received at the

Hall" K Id 1 Street Club . DEAR PHILIP , — I ' m just alive , very glad though , to tell you the symptoms of the anticipated fit of gout have passed off more suddenl y than I could have hoped for , and I should not wonder if I shall never have another fit , for between cur dogs , and crocodiles , lame horses , and highwaymen , I feel that my whole system has undergone quite a revulsion

within the last few days . *• The evening I left you we reached the little road-side Inn of , long before dark . I thought they were much longer than usual , changing tlie horses , and knowing all the servants about the stable yard , 1 limped out lo stir them up a little . Lounging about and chatting with the hostlers , was a very suspicious , brigand-looking fellow , whose appearance I did not

at all rebsh . All they affected to knoiv about him was , that he ivas a traveller , ivhose horse was having a feed ; I kept a sharp look out , and before starting , saw myself that the linch pins ivere all right . " We had got on about a mile and a half , and had just entered upon that wild and barren hill , where so many daring robberies have so recently been committed , when to my horror , I found one of the horses had fallen dead

lame . I got out to see Mm examined , and discovered that a sharp nail had been driven into the quick . I immediately remembered the villain at the Inn , ancl guessed that we were marked as victims . After consultation , we decided on being guided by the better part of valour , discretion , and on at once retracing our steps to the Inn , which we had some faint hopes of reaching before the highwayman ( for such I now felt convinced he was ) should have started .

" We had not proceeded many yards on our return , before we heard a loud , shrill whistle , which reverberated along the hills , and sent anything but a thrill of pleasure through our frames , and in a moment tliree ruffians , with blackened faces , rushed from a thicket by the way-side , and with pistols presented at our heads , demanded our money , or our lives . My man Peter , as is Ms usual habit , having considerably refreshed himself be-