The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-12-17
INITIATING THE OLD MAN.
GIVING PA THE "RoYAL BUMPER DEGREE
THE BAD BOY PLAYS MASON.


anytbing" asked the Milwaukee bad boy
of the grocery man, as he went to the Gin
namon bag on the shelf and took out long
stick of cinnamon bark to chew,
"WhY, yes, of course | am. But what
set you think ng Of thatl" asked the gro
Gerry man, as he went to the desk and
charged the boys father with half pound
of cinnamon.
"Well, do the goats bunt when you
nishiate fresh candidatel"
"No, of course not. The goats are cheap
ones, that have no life, and we muzzle
them and put pillows over their heads, so
they can't hurt anybody, said the grocery
man, as he winked at brother Odd Eel
low who was seated on sugar barrel,
looking mysterious "But why do you
ask1'
"Oh, nothin' only wish me and my
chum had muzzed our goat with pillow.
Pa would have enjoyed becoming mem.
Der of our lodge better. You see Pa had
been telling US how much good the Ma.
sons and Odd Fellows did, and said we
ought to try and grow up good so we could
jine the lodges when we got big, and |
asked pa if it would do any hurt for us to
have play lodge in my room, and purtend
to nishate, and pa said it wouldn't do any
hurt. He said 1t would improve our minds
and learn US to be men. So my chum and
me borried goat that lives in livery
stable aud carried him up to my room
when pa and ma were out riding, but the
goat blatted 80 we had to tie a handker-
chief around his nose, and his feet made
such noise on the floor that we put some
baby socks on his feet.
Well sir, my chum and me practiced
with that goat until he could bunt pic.
ture of goat every time. We borried a
buckbear sign from saloon man and hung
it on the back Of chair, and the goat
would hit it every time. That night pa
wanted to know what We we're doing up in
my room, and | told him We we're playing
lodge and improving our minds, and pa
said that it wasright, there was nothing that
did boys of our age half so much good as
e ae emmy ny chan asked pa If he didn't want
to come up and take the grand bumper de-
gree, and pa LATED and said he didn't care
if he did, just to encourage us boys in in
nocent pasrlme, that was so improving to
our intellex We had shut the goat up in
closet in my room, and he had got over
his blatting, SO we took OF the handker-
chief and lie was eating some of my paper'
collars and skate straps.
ave went upstairs and told pa to come
up pretty soon and give three distinct raps,
and when we ask who come there he must
say a pilgrim who wants to join your an
cient order and ride the goat Ma wanted
to come up, too, but we told her If she
come in it would break up the lodge,
cause woman couldn't keep secret, and
we didn't have any side saddle for the
goat. Say, if you never tried it, the next
time you initiate man in your Masons
lodge, you sprinkle a little kyan pepper on
the goats beard afore you turn him loose
You can get three times as much to the
sqaure inch of goat You wouldn't think
it was the same goat Well, we got all
fixed and pa raped, and we let him in
and told him he must be blind folded, and
he got on his knees lafing, and / tied
towel around his eyes, and then | turned
him around and made him get down on
his hands also, md then his back was
right towards the closed door, and put
the buck beer sign right against pas
clothes. He was laffing all the time anc
said we boys were full of fun as they made
: 'em, and we told him II was solemn occa-
| sion, and wc wouldn't permit no levity, ant
. if he didn't stop laffing we couldn't Civ
f him the grand bumper degree. Tnel
3 everything was ready, and my chum hat
l his hand on the closet door and some kyal
: pepper in the other hand, and I asked p
in low bass tones If he felt as though h
wanted to turn back, or if he had nerv'
enough to 90 ahead and take the degree
a | warned him that it was full of danger 8
9 as the goat was loaded for beer, and tol'
\ him he yet had time retraco his step
il he wanted to- He said he wanted
the whole dizziness, and we could 90 ahead
: with the menagorie. Then I said to p'
that he decided to 60 ahead, and not blam
= us for the consequences, to repeat after ma
!. the following: Bring forth the royal
n bumper and let him bumpl" Pa repeate'
q the words, and my chum sprinkled the
= kyan pepper on the goats moustache, AM
y he enaozed nnca and loolxei anssv mn