Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-09-15
CHAPTER II.

grocery Il'tl IL IL went W tllc CIiIIdIllOu
bag on the shelf and took out long stick
Of cinnamon bark to chew.
Why. yes. Of course am, hut what
sci YOU To thinking Of that" asked the
grocery man as he went to the desk and
charged the boys father with half a
pound Of cinnamon.
Well, do the goats hunt when you
niShiate fresh candidate"
NO. Of course not. The goats are
cheap ones. that have no life. AMI we
muzZle them and put pillows over their
heads so they can't hurt anybody" said
the grocery man as he winked at Il broth
or Odd Fellow who was seated on a sug-
ar barrel. looking mysterious. But why
do you ask
''Oh. nothin. only I wish me and my
chum had muzzled our goat with a pill
low. Pa would have enjoyed his becom-
ing 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 ought to try and grow up
good SO we could jine the lodges when
we got big, and l asked Pa if it would do
any hurt for us to have play lodge in
my room and pretend 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 bor-
ried goat that lives in livery stable.
Say, did you know they keep goat in
| livery stable so 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 livery stable. Then she
would get used to the smell.
81 went home with her from church
Sunday night, and the smell Of the goat
on my clothes made her sick to her STUN
mick, and she acted just like an excur-
sion on the lake and said if didn't 60
and bury myself and take the smell out
of me she wouldn't never go with me
again. She was just as pale as ghost,
and the preparation on her lip was just
zif she had been hit by a 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 so we had
to tie handkerchief around his nose,
and his feet made such noise on the
floor that we put some baby's socks on
his feet. Gosh, how goat smells, don't
it? I should think you Masons must
have strong stummix. Why don't you
have skunk or a mule for trademark?
Take q mule and anoint it with lin
burg cheese, and you could nishiate and
make q candidate smell just as bad as
with gosh darn widowed goat.
"Well, my chum and me practiced
with that goat until he could bunt the
picture Of a goat every time. We Dor
ried a buck beer sign from saloon man
and hung it ON the back of chair, and
the goat would hit it every time. That
night Pc wanted to know what we were
doing up 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 es to initiate men
and store by useful nollidge. Then my
chum asked Pa if he didn't want to come
up and take the grand bumper degree.
and Pa LATED and said he didn't care If
he did just to encourage us boys in limo
cent pastime that was so improving to
our intellex. We had shut the goat up
in closet in my room, and he had got
over blatting, so we took off the handker-
chief, and he was eating some of my pa
per 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, "A pilgrim who wants to join
your ancient order and ride the goat
INA wanted to come, up too, but we
told her if she come in it would break
!. mp the lodge, cause O woman couldn't
keep a secret, and we didn't have any
side saddle for the goat. Say, If you
. never tried it, the next time you nishiate
a man in your Mason's lodge you sprin
kle a little kyan pepper on the goats
beard just afore you turn him loose
| You can get three times as much fun tt
, the square inch Of goat. You wouldn't
think it was the same goat. Well, WI
got all fixed and, Pa raped. and we LEI
, him in and told him he must be blind
, folded, and he got on his knees s-lafang
: and tied towel around his eyes, ani
then I turned him around and made hin
. get down on his hands also, and then hi
back was right toward the closet door
L, and I put the buck beer sign righ
against PAS clothes. He was a-lafinl
Z all the time and said we boys were al
I full Of fun as they made 'em. and VI
r told him it was solemn occasion, ani
we wouldn't permit no levity. and if h
, didn't stop laffing we couldn't give hin
the grand bumper degree.
! "Then everything was ready, and my
I chum had his hand on the closet door ant
. some kyan pepper in his other hand, and
asked Pa in low bass tones If he felt a
g though he wanted to turn back or if b.
q had nerve enough to 60 ahead and TAX
. the degree. I warned him that it wa
I full of dangers, as the goat was loadef
l for bear, and told him he yet had time Il
J. retrace his steps if he wanted to. 81
4 said he wanted the whole bizness, and VI
Y could 90 ahead with the menagerie. Thel
Z said to Pa that if he had decided to g
: ahead and not blame US for the conse
quences to repeat after me the follow
! ing: Bring forth the royal bumper ant
, let him bump