Another Fenian Outrage:

ANOTHER FENIAN OUTRAGE :

§ J . Sale of % finws . ( Reprinted from the South Durham < fc Cleveland Mercury . ) BY BRO . lj ! $ A EMRA HOLMES , 31 ° , ETC ., ETC ., Autlior of " Mabel , " " Ernest Blake , " " Hopelessly , " "The Path of Life : an Allegory , " * ' Waiting for Her , " < tc . CHAPTER II . —CONTINUED .

THE MASONIC SKCKJET DISCOVERED . As Mr . Forester stood till the last stroke of twelve , should admit bim into the citadel ( as be was told to call it ) , a profane ear might have caught sounds which were , at all events , a good imitation of boisterous laughter * , but , in the perturbed state

of our hero ' s mind , they only represented the mocking groans of tbe ghostly visitants of that haunted mill . Presently , just as a policeman on his beat passed him with a sharp "Good night , Sir , " in reply to hispolitesalutation , the ' clock struck twelve . A door

was opened , and our hero entered . All was darkness , and a voice cried out , in deep tragic tones" Who goes there V " A spy , " was the rejoinder , from another corner of the room , in a sepulchral voice . "Seize him , and bring him before the Grand

Sophos . " Two hands seized his , and he was marched forward five steps , and told that he was to stamp upon the ground at the first , third , and fifth steps , and to say Ver-y-rum-my-ah /

This he did—taking due pains to give each syllable distinctly , and evidently feeling that there was some mysterious meaning in the same . He was told to kneel , and the voice which appeared to be that of the Grand Sophos , who had spoken before ,

exclaimed' To arms brethren , and light the citadel . " A sudden lurid glare shone out for a moment , revealing the interior of a lofty chamber ; a number of figures were seen dressed in fantastic guise , all being armed with swords which were drawn and

were held pointed at the unlucky wight , who looked wistfully round upon the scene . Standing on wdiat might have been thought a beer barrel—if anything so out of place could have been there—was a figure clothed in white , with its head in its hands , or what looked like a head .

This was all taken m at a glance , for the flame burnt but for a moment and then died out , leaving a murky darkness , and afaiiit smellasof brimstone . ' " Behold , " said a voice , " the form of one who hath betrayed his craft !" "Arc you prepared to pass through the ordeal

which all neophotes who aspire to a knowledge of our mysteries have to undergo ?" , " I am , Sir , " said our hero bravely . ' "Jove , the fellow ' s got pluck ! " a familiar voice muttered , sotto voce , unheard , however , by Mr .

Forester . " Will you take the oath 1 " " I will , Sir . " " Then repeat your name , and take this book , which is the Volume of the Law , place thesame upon your breast , and say after

me" * To arms , most venerable Masons . " . The oath was then administered to the candidate iu the Egptiau language , as the Graud Sophos stated : — " / , Marmaduke Forester , a neophyte candidate for Freemasonry , solemnly sweet )* unto you , masters and

brethren , by the holy pyramids of Egypt , and by the goddess his—that" That I nvv , " said the Sophos , speaking as if it were all one word . " Thatincv , " answered Forester . . " Enrillma , " continued the Sophos .

" Enei / lma , " responded the neophyte . " Kcafoo , " said the voice . " Keafoo , " replied the candidate . " Lofmysclfanymorebloal . " The candidate reiterated the last word with diffi culty , and some indistifictness .

" Edbreth , " said the Grand Sophos , sharply . " Edbreth , " repeated our friend . " Ren , " muttered the headless one . " Ren , " said Forester , trembling . " Slochumpolfywog and haehidandering J / . '" the Sophos uttered in a loud voice .

. " It is done , brethren , / Blindfold the neophyte /" In a minute Forester is seized from behind—bis hands are tied , a bandage is placed over his eyes . At the same time a light is produced , aud a sound as of suppressed laughter is heard . Our hero ' s fears are , however , too keen to allow of his taking any notice . Another voice is now heard saying , " Let the four

elements bear witness to the oath . " It has been said that outsitle tbe mill there lay upon the banks of the stream a huge pipe , but somo distance from the road . To this was the candidate led . Here a pause ensued , anil a voice ( uncommonly like Frank Ashburn ' s ) was heard to say , " I ' m tired of this ; don't let ' s have any more fun out of

Another Fenian Outrage:

tbe fellow—we have tried him enough . " To this several voices objected , saying that as Ashburn had brought them out at that time of night for his and Raymontl's benefit , they meant to go on with the ceremony . It need hardly be stated that Forester beard nothing of the altercation which

w ; as going on . At length some one produced a sack , into which the candidate was put ; a rope was passed through the tube , fastened under his arms , and a number of hands taking hold of the other end of the rope which had been passed through the tube , he was unceremoniously lugged through it ; a little of the soil was thrown on bis face as he

emerged , and " Earth" was uttereel in a loud tone by many voices . He was then swung upon something , thrown three times into the air , being each time , however , caught by unseen hands , and " Air" resounded upon the ear . Here another pause ensued . " I say I shan't have any more of tbis , " Frank

Ashburn was heard to say . " The fellow ' s frightened out of his wits already . " "Nonsense my dear fellow . " " But I tell you he is , " said Frank . " Well ask him ; but don't spoil the business . " Assuming . the deep sepulchral voice which the Grand Sophos had adopted , the candidate was then

asked if he would proceed . " Yes , " firmly replied our hero . " There ' s some stuff in the fellow after all , " said young Spark , a stripling of twenty years , who was among the number of practical jokers , in an undertone , to his friend and ally , Fred Maxted . " You are right * , he ' s a . brick . "

" Proceed , then , with the mystic emblems . " Something was put over his eyes , anil a sudden flame enveloped him from head to foot , which , however , passed away almost as suddenly as it came . " Fire /" shouted the voices . And again there is a pause . " He shall not be put into the water , " some one said decidedly .

" I hope it will soon be over , '' sighed our hero almost unconsciously . A sound as of merriment—it mi ght be the wind , though—is the only response . The candidate is , after some little delay , led into the room which he first entered , some liquid is dashed about his face , and " Water" is shouted by the voices .

Then the bandage is taken fiom his eyes , and he sees twelve phantoms with lurid light in the sightless eyes , ancl a smell as of burning phosphorus is wafted through the space . " It is enough , " utters a voice ; and the phantoms vanish . " Light , " saysthe Grand Sophos . " Light , " mutter the voices . A bandage is placed again over the e 3 'es of the

candidate , who stands motionless before the pedestal upon which had stood the headless man . In a few minutes the bandage is removed , anil the candielate for Masonic honours sees before him twelve gentlemen in black clothes , with green scarfs upon them . Before him stands Mr . Frank Ashburn , the Grand Sophos , who thus addresses him : —

"Brother Forester , henceforth to be known as Brother Asteroid , receive from me the symbol of membership of our august fraternity . T now admit you to the Order of Egyptian Coptic Masons . May you ever show courage , lhlelity , and obedience , as you have to night I " Our friend Marmaduke was then arrayed in a

green sash , and informed that a green velvet rosette must be mado by the woman he loved best in the world , which was to be embroidered with the letters " H . C . I . R ., " which the Grand Sophos declared were mystic letters , which would be explained to the candidate at the next meeting of the fraternity . " You

are at liberty to state that you are a Freemason now , but you are not to state when and where you were made . I have also to require of you , as a Coptic Mason , an oath , that you will keep your name secret for two months from till strangers , and to acknowlcdge no name but that of Asteroid . Will youswear ?" " I will . "

The form was gone through as before . "The Grand Egyptian secret is revealed in 'the letters I .. S . D ., '" the Grand Sophos resumed . " L stands for lux , light j S . for signam , a sign ; D , for dux , a leader . If you have but these three li ghts- a sign , anil a leader—you cannot fail to penetrate the Egyptian Mysteries . To the outside worldL . S . ti

, has another meaning , but be assured Masonry has nothing to do with that other meaning . You will take the earliest opportunity of wearing the Tau or Greek cross upon your person . The Greek or Nile cross was one of the most sacred symbols of tlio

Egyptian Mysteries , and is formed like a T . The whiskers and beard of the new candidate aro in all cases to be removed immediately after initiation , and the moustache and imperial left to imitate the ' tau cross . ' Thus you will be at once recognised by the brethren ' from your outward

appearance . " Do you promise ' obedience ' to these direc tions V

" I do , Sir , certainly . " The proceedings were then declared concluded Several of tho Masons present came forward and

Another Fenian Outrage:

congratulated Forester cordially for the courage he had shown , and they all adjourned to young Spark's lodgings , who insisted upon entertaining them , one and all , —much to his landlady ' s disgust , who , awakened by the noise in the dead of the night , which came from her lodger ' s sitting-room , mentally resolved to give him warning next day .

As the men go home , the same policeman passes a group of them talking at a corner of a street , and observes our hero ' s green scarf under his overcoat , which he had forgotten to remove when he left the mill . The policeman , who has just joined the force ,

and whose name is Forbes , 982 , also observes that several of themen have weaponswiththemwhichlook uncommonly like swords . P .-o . Forbes deems it bis duty to make a communication to the Superintendent . ' .

CHAPTER III . " MR . FORESTER AGAIN . " Such was the heading of a paragraph which appeared in the Marton Gazette on the Saturday weekfollowingthat of our hero's initiation into Egyptian Masonry . Mr . Forester had not been progressing in the

world s good opinion of late ; but the world—that is , the little world of Martou—seemed to delight in his escapades since thoy gave the quidnuncs of that worthy borough , of whom there were many , something to talk about . Fathers warned their sons not to have anything

to do with that young scamp Forester , to which advice the said sons , I regret to say , paiel little attention ; mothers warned their daughters on no account to allow that misguided young man to be introduced to them , aud the young ladies were , it must be owned , more obedient . Madge Raymond

had told his wife of tbe conversation he and Frank had had about Forester ; and , whether it was that she was touched by Frank ' s eloquence , or whether it was that her own kind heart told her , that * perhaps after all , " poor Mr . Forester , " as she called him , had been rather ill treated by the people of

Marton , I do not know , but she begged herhusband to tell Mr . Forester she would be very glad to see him any evening he liked to come iu a friendly way to take a enp of tea with them . Master Marmaduke had been getting into debt , too , and only three days since he had been served with a County Court summons for a bill of £ 30 due to his tailor , and which

bad been outstanding a long time . He had been to Frank about it , and he , good-hearted fellow , lent him the money inaminute , without taking the smallest security in return , telling Maytluke ( as he had nicknamed him as being less uncomplimentary than Miss Fanny ) , that he would trust him , on his honour as a gentleman , to repay it when he coulel .

Poor l'orester accepted the loan with tears in bis eyes , assuring Mr . Asburn that he was the only real friend he had . " Don't say that , " said Frank , " I am sure Raymond is a good friend to you . Do you know , it was he who bailed you out and paid the fine for you

yesterday ?" " No !" " Well , it was . By the way Forester , you will excuse me asking , but I thought you told me the other day that you had £ 100 left you 1 " " So I have ; but my uncle has not sent it to me yet . I had a letter from him to-day , though ,

and he says that he expects my aunt a affairs will be settled in about a fortnight , when he will transmit the money . They have invited me over to Killmallock , and I intend to go as soon as the needful arrives . The above colloquy takes places in our friend

Frank Ashburn s rooms , whither Marmaduke Forester had gone to thank his friend for defending him in his professional capacity in the County Court yesterday . Whilst they were talking , Raymond strolls in , with a

" Hallo , Frank , old boy , how are you ? , " How d ' ye do , Mr . l-orester ?" " Don't let me disturb you , " he continues , aE young Forester , muttering clumsily his thanks for Raymond's good offices , rises to go . Poor fellow , he is rather ashamed of himself , and

nothing will induce him to sit down again . " Well , if 3 'ou will go , " Frank says cheerily , " Good night , my boy . Don't go on the loose now to-night j and elon't go to the billiard-room at the Vulture . You are much better away . " " Good night , " Madge echoes . " And by-the-bye , Forester , my wife told me to tell you she would be

glad to see you any evening you like to come in . We always dine early , and we tea at six o ' clock . Come to-morrow , if you liko . " " Thank you , I shall be very pleased to come somo other evening , but to-morrow I can ' t—I ' m engaged . "

" Well , wheneveryou liko : ta-ta j" and , so saying , Forester was allowed to depart . "That fellow ' s au uncommonly odd fish ; I don't know what you will do with him , Frank . " ( To be continued . )