The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-12-28

| he ran out in the yard. He was tryin'
to get the blindfold off his eyes, but
he couldn't, because it was a towel in
a pretty hard knot and he went tear
In all around the backyard, and we
didn't chase him. or anything All we
did Was j0st watch him-and that's
when he fell in the cellar. Well, it
didn't hurt him any, but he was mud
der than what he would have been If
ned just had sense enough to lay
down in the shack. Well, so we
thought. long as he was down in the
cellar anyway, we might as we'll have
the rest of the 'nishiation down there.
So i've brought the things down and
and Insulated him-and that's all.
That's every bit we did to him."
EYES," said Mr.. Williams sardonical-
ly; II see. What were the details of
the initiation"
"Sir?"
Il want to know what else you did
to him? What was the initiation?"
'It's-it's secret" Sam murmured
| piteously.
mot any longer, assure you! The
| society is thing of the past, and
you'll find your friend Periods par
ents agree with me in that Mrs. Bas-
sett had already telephoned them when
she called us up. You go on with your
story"
Sam sighed deeply. and yet 1t may
| have been consolation to know that
his present misery was not altogether
without its counterpart. Through the
falling dusk his spirit may have
crossed the intervening distance to
catch glimpse of his friend suffering
simultaneously and standing within
| the same peril. And If Sans spirit did
thus behold Penrod in jeopardy, it was
| a true vision.
go on!' said Mr. Williams.
SWELL, there wasn't any fire in the
furnace because it's too warm yet,
and we weren't goin' to do anything'd
hurt him, so We put him in there"
I'm the furnace?"
1T was cold" protested Sam.
There hadn't been any fire there
since last spring. Course we told him
there was fire in 1t. We had to do
that" he continued earnestly, because
that was part of the 'nishiation. We
only kept him in 1t little while and
kind of hammered on the outside q lit
tie, and then we took him out and got
him to lay down on his stummick, be-
cause he was all muddy anyway,
where he fell down the cellar; and
how could it matter to anybody that
had any sense at all? Well, then we
had the ritual, and-and-why, the
teeny little paddlin' he got wouldn't
hurt a flea! 1t was that little colored
boy lives in the alley did it-he isn't
anyways near half Georges size-but
George got mad and said he didn't
want any ole niger to paddle hun.
That's what he said, and it was his
own foOlishneSS, because Verman won't
let anybody call him niger and if
George was gOin' to call him that he
ought to had sense enough not to do
it when he was layin' down that way
and Verman all ready to be the pad
dler. And he needn't of been so mad
at the rest of us, either, because it
took us about twenty minutes to get
the paddle away from Verman after
that. and we had to lock Verman up
in the laundry room and not let him
out till it was all over. Well, and then
things were kind Of spoiled anyway;
so we didn't do but just little more
and that's all.'
$50 on! What was the Just little
moreY"
"Well-we got him to swaller little
teeny bit of asafidity that Penrod
ushed to have to wear in a bag around
his neck. It wasn't enough to even
make person sneeze-it wasn't much
mOre'n q half a spoOnful-it wasn's
hardly a quarter of a spoonf-'
''Ha!' said Mr.. Williams. "That ac-
counts for the doctor. What else"
"Well-we-we had some paint left
over from our flag, and we put q little
teeny bit of it on his hair and"
Hal" said Mr.. Williams. "That &C.
counts for the barber. What else?"
THAT'S ALL" said Sam, swallowing.
AhSh nc SUI lhuu anu "SuI
Mr.. Williams walked to the door,
and sternly motioned to the culprit to
precede him through it. But, just be-
fore the pair passed from her sight,
Mrs. Williams gave way to an un:on-
trollable impulse.
''Sam," she asked, "what does In-Or-
In stand for?"
The unfortunate boy had begun to
sniff1e. Is
'It--it means-Innapenent Order Of
Infadelaty," he moaned-and plodded
onward to his doom.
Not his alone: at that very moment
Master Roderick Magsworth Bits, JS.,
was suffering also, consequent upon
telephOning on the part of Mrs Bas-
sett, though ROderick's punishment
was administered less on the ground
Of Georges troubles and more on that
Of Roddy's having affiliated with an
order consisting so largely Of Herman
and Verman. AS for Maurice Levy, he
was no whit less unhappy. He Jared
as i'll.
Simultaneously, two ex-members of
the In-or-In were finding their lot for
tunate. Something had prompted them
to linger in the alley in the vicinity Of
the shack, and 1t was to this fated edi-
fee that Mr.. Williams, with demoniac
justice, brought Sam for the deed he
had in mind.
Herman and Verman Nstenea-awe-
stricken-to what went on within the
shack. Then, before it was over, they
crept away and down the alley toward
their own home. This was directly
across the alley from the Schofields'