My Initiation Into The Abyssinian Mysteries.

MY INITIATION INTO THE ABYSSINIAN MYSTERIES .

BY HIRAM AFIB . [ We take this most amusing little skit , which conveys , however , a sound moral , from our able contemporary , the Masonic Seview , of Cincinnati , U . S ., with a short and pardonable adaptation . ] THERE was a little club of us , about twelve in number . We all lived in the same city , not very distant from each other , were all Freemasons , and

comparatively young men ; that is , from 25 to 40 years of age , and most of us married men . We formed a very pleasant coterie of friends , no great differance in our circumstances and social condition , ancl our families being generally acquainted , our houses were always open to each other , where we spent many pleasant evenings ; altogether we were a good set of fellows . One day Harry Shaw said to me : " Hiram , you have never taken the Abyssinian degrees , have you ? " " Abyssinian degrees ! what in the name of all the gods at once are they ? I never heard of them . "

" Never heard of the Abyssinian mysteries ? Why , you ' re not half a Mason . " Now , if there is anything that piques a bright , active Mason , such as we all were , it is to be twitted about having neglected some part of his Masonic education ; and so I asked" Have you and Charley Rhoads and Will Stevens ancl the rest of the boys taken these degrees ? " " Certainly ! " said Harry" We have all taken themand we have a Charter

, , from the Invisible ancl Immortal Magnate to confer them . " That sounded very big , and woke up my ambition . " Well , I don ' t care if I do . What do they cost ?" " Only fifty dollars . " And then he naively added , " There is a banquet thrown in ; so that yon get the worth of your money back . " It was all arranged . The petition sent in—150 sent in—and I dul y

waited , not without some slight impatience , my election . Finally , the word came that I was all right , and the evening set for my initiation into the Abyssinian Mysteries . It was a summer evening in the month of August . Our lodges of Masons were closed : our families , most of them , were in the country , and the boys were rather hungry for some work to do , when I received notice to repair to the " hidden apartments of the Mysteries "—so the notin . e read .

It was the house of Ed . Johnson , whose family was all gone to the country . Ed . had a large house , fitted up with all modern conveniences . I wondered why they should have an initiation in a private house , rather than a hall ; but I had a misplaced confidence in my friends , and supposed it all ri ght . I arrived about eight o ' clock , and found the house looking very dark inside shutters closed , shades all down , and , indeed , no light visible . On

ringing the bell , I was admitted b y Harry Shaw , who said , " Welcome to the neophyte , who seeks more light by penetrating the deepest shades of the abyss . " At the time I thought the word " abyss " had some reference to Abyssinian . I was conducted by my guide through the dark passages to the bath room . Here a dim light was burning , by which I noticed a suit of dark clothes , resembling the overalls of a labouring man . Here guide said in a

my sepulchral tone— " Neophyte , I am about to leave you . If you ever expect to leave this place , and see the li ght of clay again , divest yourself of all your apparel , and robe yourself in suitable apparel for the descent into the dreary shades . " With this he turned the . key , ancl I proceeded to do as directed , and after more than sufficient time , there came a knock of an indescribable kind ,