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Alvira, the Heroine of Vesuvius by A. J. (Augustine J.) O'Reilly
page 50 of 133 (37%)
in attitudes denoting grief and sorrow, the mysterious official who
has the privilege of three stars before his name gives the aspirant
this interesting history of the origin and aim of his office.

"Over the workmen who were building the temple erected by Solomon's
orders there presided Adoniram. There were about 3,000 workmen. That
each one might receive his due, Adoniram divided them into three
classes--apprentices, fellow-craftsmen, and masters. He entrusted
each class with a word, signs, and a grip by which they might be
recognized. Each class was to preserve the greatest secrecy as to
these signs and words. Three of the fellow-crafts, wishing to know
the word of the master, and by that means obtain his salary, hid
themselves in the temple, and each posted himself at a different gate.
At the usual time when Adoniram came to shut the gates of the temple,
the first of the three fellow-crafts met him, and demanded the word
of the masters. Adoniram refused to give it, and received a violent
blow with a stick on the head. He flies to another gate, is met,
challenged, and treated in a similar manner by the second. Flying to
the third door, he is killed by the fellow-craft posted there on his
refusing to betray the word. His assassins bury him under a heap of
ruins, and mark the spot with a branch of acacia.

"Adoniram's absence gives great uneasiness to Solomon and the masters.
He is sought for everywhere; at length one of the masters discovers
a corpse, ad, taking it by the finger, the finger parts from the hand;
he takes it by the wrist, and it parts from the arm; when the master
in astonishment, cries out 'Mac Benac,' which the craft interprets by
the words, 'The flesh parts from the bones.'"

The history finished, the adept is informed that the object of the
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