Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-12-02
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
INITIATING THE OLD MAN.
Giving PA the .'ROyal Bumper De
gree.v

of the grOcerysman, as he went to the
cinnamon bag on the shelf, and took out
a long stick Of cinnamon bark to chew.
"Why, yes, of course am. But what
set you thinking of that?" asked the gro
Gerry man, as he went to the desk and
charged the boys father with half a
pound of cinnamon. - ~ ~ Z
well, do the goats bunt when you
nishiate fresh candidate?" ~'
mo, 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 a
brother Odd Fellow, who was seated on
a sugar barrel, looking mysterious. "But
why do you ask?" "a $3.50 81 VI
"Oh, nuthin', only wish me and my
chum had muzzled our goat with pill
low. Pa would have enjoyed becoming
a member OF our lodge better. You see,
pa had been telling us how much good
the MasOns and Odd Fellows did, and
said we onght to try and grow up good
80 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 nishiate, and pa
said 1t wouldn't do any hurt. He said it
would improve our minds and learn us
to be men. So my chum and me borried
a goat that lives in livery stable and
carried him up to my room whenp and
ma were out riding, but the goat blatted
so we had to tie handkerchief 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 picture of goat every time. We
bOrried buck beer sign from a 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
were doing up in my room, and l told
him we were playing lodge and imprOv-
ing our minds, and pa said that was
right, there was nothing that did boys
OF orr age half so much good as to imi-
tate men, and store up useful nOllidge.
Then my chnm asked pa if he want to
come up and take the grand bumper de-
gree, and pa laughed and said he didn't
care II he did, just to encourage us boys
In innocent pastime, that was so i'm
proving to our intelleX. We had shut
the goat up in a closet in my room, and
he had got over batting, so we took off
the handkerchief, and he was eating
some OF my paper collars and skate
straps. t1lIN II
I'VE went up straiTs and told pa to
come up pretty soon and give three dis
tlnct raps, and when we asked him who
comes there he must "a pilgarie who
wants to join your ancient 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 could not
keep a 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 MasOn's 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
square inch of goat. You wouldn't
think 1t 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 lafllng
and | tied towel around his eyes, and
then turned him around and made him
get down on his hands also, and then his
back was right towards the closed door,
and l put the buck beer sign right
against pas clothes. He was a latin all
the time, and said we boys were full of
fun as we made 'em, and we told him it
was solemn occasion, and we wouldn't
permit no levity, and If he didn't stop
laffing we couldn't give him the grand
bumper degree. Then everything was
ready, and my chum had his hand on the
closet door, and some kyan pepper in the
other hand, and / asked pa In low bass
tones If he felt as though he wanted to
turn back, or IL he had nerve enough to
go ahead and take the degree. warned
that 1t was full of danger, as the goat was
loaded for bear, and told him he had yet
time to retrace his steps If he wanted to,
He said he wanted the whole business.
and that we could 60 ahead with the
menagerie. Then said to pa that If
he had decided to 60 ahead, and not
blame us for the consequences, to repeat
after me the following: Bring forth the
Royal Bumper, and let him Bump~ Pa
repeated the words, and my chum sprink-
led the kyan pepper on the goats NOUS
tache. and he sneeZed once and looked
sassy, and then he see the lager beer goat
raring up, and he started for 1t and
blattesl. 90 rDt Dtr.,rs
"Pa is real fat, but he knew he got hit,
and he grunted and said, 'Helps fire!
what you boys doin'T and,t then the goat
gave him another degree, and pa pulled
off the towel and got up and started for
was at the bottom of the stairs listening,
and when looked over the banlsters pa
and ma and the goat were all in heap,
and pa was yelling murder, and ma was
screaming fire, and the goat was batting,
and sneezing, and bunting, and the hired
girl came into the hall and the goat took
after her, and she crossed herself just
as the goat struck her and said, Holy
Mother protect mel and went down stairs
the way we boys slide down hill, with
both hands on herself, and the goat rear.