Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-27

Say, are you q Mason, or nodfel-
low, or anything" asked the bad boy of
the grOceryman. as he went to the Gin
namon bag on the shelf and took out a
long stick Of cinnamon TO chew.
why, yes, of course l am, but what
set you to thinking of that!" asked the
grOceryman, az he went to the desk and
charged the boys father with half q
pound of cinnamon.
"WeIl, do the goats bant 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, 80 they can't hurt ANYBODY"
says the grocery man, a. he winked at q
brother Odd Fellow who was seated on
a sugar barrel looking mysterious. but
why do you ask?''
"Oh, nuthin', only wish me and my
chum had muzzled our goat with a pill
low. Pa would have enjoyed his be-
coming q member of our lodge better.
You see, pa had been telling us how
much good the Masons and Odd Fell
lers did, and said We ought to try and
grow up good, 30 We could jine the
lodges when We got big, and asked pa
il it would do any hurt for US to have a
play lodge in my room, and purtend to
nishiate. and pa said it wouldn't do any
hurt. He said it would improve our
minds and learn us to be men. So my
chum and me borrowed goat that lives
in livery stable. Say, did you know
they keep goat in a livery stable 80 the
horses won't get sick? They get used
to the smell Of the goat. and after that
nothing can make them sick but glue
factory. / wish my girl boarded in a
livery stable, then she would get used
to the smell. / went home with her
from church Sunday night, and the
smell of the goat on my clothes made
her sick to her stummick, and she acted
Just like An excursion ON the lake, and
said If didn't 20 and bury myself and
take the smell out of me she wouldn't
never 60 with me again. She was just
AZ pale as ghost, and the perspiration
on her lip was Just zif she had been hit
with street sprinkler. You see my
chum and me had to carry the goat up
to my room when pa and ma was out
riding, and he blatted 80 We had to tie q
handkerchief around his noee. and his
feet made such a noise ON the floor that
We put some baby's socks on his feet.
Goeh, how frOwy goat smells, dent
he? / should think You Masons must
have strong stummix. Why don't you
have a skunk or a mule for q trade
mark? Take a mule and annoint it
with limburR cheese and you could nish-
late and make a candidate smell Just as
bad a. with q gosh darn widowed goat.
Well, sir, my chum and me practiced
with that goat until he could hunt Q
picture OF goat every time. We bOr-
and hung il ON the back of q chair and
the goat would hit it every time. That
night pa wanted to know what We were
doing mp in my room, and told him
We were playing lodge, and improving
our minds; and pa said that was right,
there was nothing that did boys of our
age half so much good AZ TO initiate
men and store up useful nOlidge. Then
come mp and take the grand bumper
care II he did, inst b encourage N
boys in innocent pastime. that was i'm.
proving to our intellex. We had shut
the goat up in tho closet in my room
and he had got over blatting, 60 We
took of the handkerchief, and he was
eating some of my collars and skate
straps. We went up stairs and told pa
to come up pretty soon and give three
distinct raps and when we asked him
who comes there he must say, q pill
grim who wants to join your ancient or
der and ride the goat Ma wanted to
come up too, but we told her II she
came in 1t would break up the lodge,
cause q woman couldn't keep secret,
and We didn't haye any sidesaddle for
the goat. Say, il You never tried it, the
next time you nishiate . man in your
Mason's lodge, you sprinkle little kyan
pepper on the goats beard just afore
Won turn him loose. You can get three
times q much fun to the square inch Of
GOAT. You wouldn't think it was the
same goat. Well, We got all fixed and
"a raped. and We let him in and told
he must Be blindfolded, and he got on
his knees q laflin, and ] tied towel
around his eyes, and then I turn
ed him around and made him
oct down ON his hands also, and
then his back was right against the
closet door, and I put the buck beer
sion right against pas clothes. he waa
lal8n ali the time, and said We boys
wore full 6f fun a. they made 'em, and
ne tnld him it was . solemn occasion,
and ve wouldn't permit no levity, and
IL he didn't step lain We couldn't give
him the grand bumper degree. Then
everything vas ready, and my chum
had his hand ON the closet door, and
sOme kyan pepper in his other hand,
and I asked pa, in low bass tones, II ne
felt a. though be wanted 10 turn back,
or II he had nerve 10 70 ahead and take
the degree. Iwarned him that Il va
full of dangers, as the goat vas loaded
for bear. and told him be had yet time
to rskrace his steps IL he wanted to. be
aid he wanted tho whole business, and
% could 90 ahead With the menaRerie:
Then aid 20 p that II he had decided
20 20 ahead and mot blame % for the
consequences, 10 repeat after me tho fol-
loving: bring forth the bumper and
let him bumpr Pa repeated the words.
and my chum sprinkled the kyan pep-
lper ON the goats moustanhe, and be
sneezed once and looked sassy, and
then he NV the lager beef goat Yar-
inQ M, and ho started for is Just like
COW catcher, and blatted. Pa il real
fat, but he knew he got hit, and he
Rruntsd and aid 'Hell's IRE, what you
BOYS doin'r and then the goat gave
him another degree, and pa pulled Oh
&ha kovnl and OF nm and afarfad foP tha