The Marietta journal and courier., 1918-03-22


cellar" said Sam reluctantly.
"Well, how did he get in the cellar,
thenw
''He-he fell III" said Sam.
'How cid he fall in?'
"Well, the door was open, and-well,
he kept walkin' round there, and we,
hollered at him to keep away, but just.
then he kind of-well, the first / no.
ticed was / couldn't see him, and so
we went and looked down the steps,
and he was sitting down there on the
bottom step and kind of shouting,
and"
"See herer' Mr.. Williams interrupt
ed you're going TO make clean
breast of this whole affair and take
the consequences. You're going to tell
it and tell it all. Do you understand
that?''
"Yes. sir"
"Then tell me how George Bassett
fell down the cellar steps-and tell
me quick!"
"He-he was blindfolded."
"Ahai Now we're getting at it. You
begin at the beginning and tell me just
what you did to him from the time he
got here. Understand"
eyes, sir"
"Go on, then"
"Well, I'm goin' to-" Sam protested.
1--WE never hurt him at all. He wasn't
even hurt when he fell down cellar.
There's lot of mud down there, be-
cause the cellar door leaks, and"
"Sam!" Mr.. Williams tone was
deadly. did you hear me tell you to
begin at the beginning?"
! Sam made an effort and was able to
obey.
| "Well we had everything ready for
the 'nishiation before lunch," he said.
"We wanted it all to be nice, because
| you said we had to have him, papa,
and after lunch Penrod went to guard
him-that's new part in the rixual-
and he brought him over, and we took
him out to the shack and blindfOlded
him, and-well, he got kind of mad be-
cause we wanted him to lay down on
his stummick and be tied up, and he
said he wouldn't, because the floor was
q little bit wet in there and he could
! feel it sort of squashy under his shoes,
and he said, his mother didn't want
him ever to get dirty, and he just
wouldn't do it; and we all kept telling
him he had to, or else how would there
be any 'nishiation; and he kept gettin'
madder, and said he wanted to have
the 'nishiation outdoors where it wasn't
wet, and he wasn't goin' to lay down
on his stummick, anyway" Sam
paused for wind, then got under way
again: "Well, some of the boys were
tryin' to get him to lay down on his
stummick, and he kind of fell up
against the door and it came open and
he ran out in the yard. He was tryin'
to get the blindfold off his eyes, but
he couldn't, because it was 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 just 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
he'd just had sense enough to lag
/ down in the shack. Well, so we
thought, long as he was down in the
cellar anyway, we might as well have
the rest of the 'nishiation down there.
$50 we brought the things down and
and 'nishiated him-and that's all.
That's every bit we did to him.
"Yes,'' said Mr.. Williams sardonical-
ly; Il see. What were the details of
the initiation?"
"Sir?"
81 want to know what else you did
to him? What was the iDitiation?"
"It's-it's secret" Sam murmured
piteously.
''Not any longer, I assure you! The
society is a thing of the past, and
you'll find your friend Penrod's par
ents agree with me in that. Mrs. Bas-
sett had already telephoned them when
she called us up. You go on with your
stOryr"
Sam sighed deeply, and yet it may
have been a 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
q true vision
"Go on!" said Mr.. Williams.
well, there wasn't any fire in the
furnace because it's too warm yet,
and we weren't goin' to do anythingd
hurt him, so we put him in there"
"In the furnace"
ut was cold" protested Sam.
There hadn't been any fire there
since last spring. Course we told him
there was fire in it. We had to do
that" he continued earnestly, because
that was part of the 'nishiation. We
only kept him in it little while and
kind Of hammered on tho outside n Iit