Masonic Reminiscences.

every thing marshalled to its proper place ; the bride retired to change her travelling dress , but the instant she left her dressing room , she proceeded to look after her motley group , when , to her intense vexation , she found her pets , Sappho and Tasso , missing , the cage door of the paroquets open , and the birds flown ; all was uproar in a moment ; messengers were dispatched in various directions , but no trace of the truant members of the

happy . ; family could be found ; Phelim was examined very closely , but . stoutly insisted that every thing that reached the Hall , had been safely deposited in its proper place . The Colonel contemplated the scene with arch composure , and took an occasion jokingly to reprove Phelim for so boldly maintaining a falsehood ; the Major-domo explained , "That in his opinion the most proper place for

malicious curs was the cesspool , or the horse pond , and surely , there coidd be no more proper place in the world for poor feathered prisoners , than the wild wood among the trees , and flowers ; to be sure the natives may not receive the gaudy strangers in the most friendly spirit , but what's to prevent them winging their way to their own land when they are at liberty . " The Colonel attempted to " explain that they were not migratory , and but ill adapted to so long a flight . " Phelim , however , would have it that "they could not be worse off any where than shut up in a cage , sufferinsr all the whims mid oddities of "—

" Hush , ' said the Colonel , " that will do , " and proceeded to console the bride , whom he found lamenting the loss of her favourites with a vehemence of grief quite unreasonable ; she deplored them as her dearest companions , that she had now nothing left to amuse her , and indulged in a variety of other querulous puerilities ; the contempt which might have been naturally excited in his strong mind by such trifling , was absorbed

by a stronger feeling of good-natured pity ; he kindly attempted to impress upon her the necessity , " now that she had assumed the grave responsibility of a wife , of elevating her mind from cur dogs , and screaming birds , to a higher companionship ; that there was a good selection of books in the library , in Avhich she would find an ever springing source of entertainment , and instruction . "

biie pettishly replied , " that the only sentiment she had in common with Phil was a hatred of books ; that she never read any thing , her papa never asked her to read , it gave her a headache ; that he had better advise Phil to read , he required it more than she did , and perchance it may tend to keep him from the rude foxhunters with whom he associated ; but , sheadded , after all it would be only a choice of evils , for if he were much in

your company , I feel assured , " you'd persuade him to become a Freemason , and of the two , I should much sooner see him devoted to foxhunting than Freemasonry . " ' 'And now , " said the Colonel , with a smile , " what possible objection can you have to Freemasonry ? " She did not exactly know ; she heard her papa say , it was something wickedand she was sure it must be

soother-, , wise why exclude ladies ? " Well , my dear , " said the Colonel , calmly , " suppose some person who had never seen , or known anything about you , should hazard the assertion that you were foolish or ill-tempered , what should YOU think of the reckless assertion ? "