the steps and dented the door with his large knuckles in a bashful way.
He looked larger and knobbier than ever and, if anything, more
embarrassed. We led him into the lounging-room in silence, and he sat
down twirling his straw hat. It was October, and he had worn the thing
ever since school opened. Other people who wore straw hats in October
get removed from under them more or less violently; but, somehow, no one
had felt called upon to maltreat Ole. We hated that hat, however, and
decided to begin the evening's work on it.

"Your hat, Mr. Skjarsen," said Bugs Wilbur in majestic tones.

Ole reached the old ruin out. Wilbur took it and tossed it into the
grate. Ole upset four or five of us who couldn't get out of the way and
rescued the hat, which was blazing merrily.

"Ent yu gat no sanse?" he roared angrily. "Das ban a gude hat." He
looked at it gloomily. "Et ban spoiled now," he growled, tossing the
remains into a waste-paper basket. "Yu ban purty fallers. Vat for yu do
dat?"

The basket was full of papers and things. In about four seconds it was
all ablaze. Wilbur tried to go over and choke it off, but Ole pushed him
back with one forefinger.

"Yust stay avay," he growled. "Das basket ent costing some more as my
hat, I gass."

We stood around and watched the basket burn. We also watched a curtain
blaze up and the finish on a nice mahogany desk crack and blister. It
was all very humorous. The fire kindly went out of its own accord, and
some one tiptoed around and opened the windows in a timid sort of way.
It was a very successful initiation so far--only we were the neophytes.

"This won't do," muttered "Allie" Bangs, our president. He got up and
went over to Ole. "Mr. Skjarsen," he said severely, "you are here to be
initiated into the awful mysteries of Eta Bita Pie. It is not fitting
that you should enter her sacred boundaries in an unfettered condition.
Submit to the brethren, that they may blindfold you and bind you for
the ordeals to come." Gee, but we used to use hand-picked language when
we were unsheathing our claws!

Ole growled. "Ol rite," he said. "But Aye tal yu ef yu fallers burn das
har west lak yu burn ma hat I skoll raise ruffhaus like deekins!"

We tied his hands behind him with several feet of good stout rope and
hobbled him about the ankles with a dog chain. Then we blindfolded him
and put a pillowslip over his head for good measure. Things began to
look brighter. Even a demon fullback