did I? Anyways, I just as soon be 'nishiated myself. I
ain't afraid. So if you 'nishiate me, what difference will it make if I
did hear a little?"

Struck with this idea, which seemed reasonable; Penrod obtained silence
from every one except Roddy, and it was decided to allow Maurice to rise
and retire to the front yard. The brother members then withdrew
within the shack, elected Maurice to the fellowship, and completed the
initiation of Mr. Bitts. After that, Maurice was summoned and underwent
the ordeal with fortitude, though the newest brother--still tingling
with his own experiences--helped to make certain parts of the rixual
unprecedentedly severe.

Once endowed with full membership, Maurice and Roddy accepted the
obligations and privileges of the order with enthusiasm. Both interested
themselves immediately in improvements for the shack, and made
excursions to their homes to obtain materials. Roddy returned with a
pair of lensless mother-of-pearl opera-glasses, a contribution that led
to the creation of a new office, called the "warner". It was his duty
to climb upon the back fence once every fifteen minutes and search the
horizon for intruders or "anybody that hasn't got any biznuss around
here." This post proved so popular, at first, that it was found
necessary to provide for rotation in office, and to shorten the
interval from fifteen minutes to an indefinite but much briefer period,
determined principally by argument between the incumbent and his
successor.

And Maurice Levy contributed a device so pleasant, and so necessary
to the prevention of interruption during meetings, that Penrod and
Sam wondered why they had not thought of it themselves long before. It
consisted of about twenty-five feet of garden hose in fair condition.
One end of it was introduced into the shack through a knothole, and the
other was secured by wire round the faucet of hydrant in the stable.
Thus, if members of the order were assailed by thirst during an
important session, or in the course of an initiation, it would not be
necessary for them all to leave the shack. One could go, instead, and
when he had turned on the water at the hydrant, the members in the shack
could drink without leaving their places. It was discovered, also, that
the section of hose could be used as a speaking-tube; and though it did
prove necessary to explain by shouting outside the tube what one had
said into it, still there was a general feeling that it pro