JSSPEXAAT.
this diabolical art. However, I resolved not' to borrow trou
ble, and soon fell into a comfortable doze, occasioned by the
even motion of the cars.
I was aroused by some one touching me on the shoulder
and a lady's voice requesting me to hand her a glass of wa
ter. Not being at anv time remarkable for my self pos
session, and rendered still more confused by the suddenness
of the request, in my haste to grant it, I spilled the contents
of the glass upon an inlant sleeping in the lady's lap. The
child naturally took exception to this impromptu bath, and
set up a most lugubrious howl. This, added to some not very
flattering remarks from the lady of a somewhat personal na
ture, and also the laughter of the other passengers, so crush
ed my sensitive spirit that tears of mortification burst from my
eyes, and I hastened to change my scat foi one in the rear end
of the car where I sat down by a young lady who I thought
was looking somewhat compassionately at me.
She soon entered into conversation with me, avoided with
delicate tact any mention of my recent disaster, so that I was
rapidly coming to feel more at my case, when a fresh disaster
bclcll me. That facetious villain who dispenses prize candy,
lKoks, peanuts, candy, etc., to the long suffering passengers
had just entered the cat, and having arrived at my scat, and
recognizing with experienced eye a probable victim, blandly
asked me if I would not like to purchase a book. My taste
not running to reading of any sort, I answered no. Then
he of the brazen countenance, with an insinuating glance at
my companion, suggested that I might wish to purchase one
for my wife. This was too much. My over-wrought nerves
gave way, and I fled in confusion to the smoker, from whence
I did not emerge until we reached N , where the college was
located.
Now,ncvcr having been in a large city before, and not knowing
what to do or where to go, I was thrown upon, the mercy ol
that howling mob of hotel runners who lie in wait for the un
wary, one of whom had me seated in his carriage and was
driving me towards the college before I fully realized vhal
had happened to me. I, however, did not much care, as I
was too much disheartened by what I had gone through, and
was too thoroughly homesick to pay much attention to what
might happen to me.
It was quite late when I arrived at the college buildings, .so
I was unable to catch more than a glimpse of my surround
ings. Several young fellows were lounging around on the
steps, smoking and talking and laughing in a way that made
me envy their apparent freedom from care. As I was very
tired and sleepy, I went at once to the room assigned me in
one 01 me uonnuorics, anu soon torgot an my sorrows in
dreamless sleep.
The next day I was summoned to appear before the ex am in
ers, and this I accordingly did, although with many inward
quakings, as I had been given to understand that the profes
sors were accustomed to treat their victims much as a cat
docs a mouse, asking him questions in a bland voice, letting
him run on for a while in false security, and then with velvet
paw draw him back by some cunningly worded question, cal
culated to confuse his already somewhat muddled ideas. I
am very sorry to say that I was not an cxreption to the rule.
For when the turn came lor me to be put through my paces,
and to tell what I duhiU know about certain subjects my
nerve utterly forsook me and I made such exceedingly bril
liant replies to the easiest questions put me, as must have sur
prised the cxnminei s, who no doubt were well used to such
scenes of pain and suffering. All things, however, must
have an end, and I was finally blandly excused with the com
forting assurance that I might enter the Freshman class, though
somewhat hcavily'conditioncd. For the next few days noth
ing of importance occurred, and I began to think that .the
stories I had heard of the hazing propensities of the students
must have been greatly exaggerated. But in this opinion I
was sadly disappointed.
One evening about a week alter my arrival, I had blown out
the light and gone to bed, and was just about falling off to
sleep, when a loud knock resounded upon my door, and a
deep, sepulchral voice said, "Open, in the name of the Six."
At last my time had come. "The Six," I had heard, were
a body of students, who made it a business to sec that new
students were well taken care of, and were the ringleaders
in all questionable proceedings which transpired in the
college.
I dared not disobey the summons, so, trembling in every
limb, opened the door, when in stalked six ghastly figures,
attired in long, white gowns and with their faces concealed
by black masks.
One who was evidently the leader, then ordered his min
nions to close all the windows, which biing done, the whole
crowd began slowly to fill and smoke the pipes which they
drew out from under their gowns.
All these procccJings were accomplished in the most per
fect silence, save when broken by the guttural commands of
the leader. The room was soon filled with dense clouds of
smoke from the most villainous tobacco ever used, and I, be
ing unaccustomed to the fumes was suffocated and coughed
and spluttered in a manner which must have been highly edi
fying to the wretches behind the masks. After remaining for
upwards of twenty minutes one of the men, at the command
of the captain, took the water pitcher, and poured the con
tents upon the bed until the sheets were thoroughly soaked.
I was then ordered to bed again and the reader may conceive
of my sensations when I was snugly tucked in by my tormen
tors. After this proceeding all but one of the figures slowly and
silently filed out again, this one being left as a guard to see
tint I did not get out of bed again. My unwelcome visitor
stayed until about one o'clock, when he too left me to get
through the rest of the night as best I could.
One other instance of hazing which befell me I will relate
before I conclude. 1 may remark here that these were ac
tual occurrences and to any one who may be inclined to doubt
I am prepared to substantiate my statements.
One evening some months after the occurrence just related,
I was rudely aroused from slumber (they had this time suc
ceeded in getting into my room through the window) and,
after being bound hand and foot, was quietly led down stairs
and placed in a wagon in waiting and driven rapidly away.
Wc must have gone about two miles, as near as I can
judge, when the wagon suddenly stopped beside a large
water tank at the sides of the road. My cords were then un
fastened, and with a one, two, three, I was dumped head
long into the water. A thin layer of ice had formed on the
top, so when I went crashing through this, my blood seem
ed frozen in my veins.
With some difficulty I succeeded in getting out, but the
wagon had gone. There was nothing left for me to do
but to make the best of my way back to the college which
I accordingly did, arriving there more dead than alive, about
half past four in the morning. This last dose seemed to sat
isfy the hazcrs, as I was never afterwards molested during
the remainder of my stay. 7
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