“That ducking surprised me,” admitted Bob.
“It generally does,” chuckled the president. “But get on your clothes, and we’ll have a little feed.”
A jolly time followed; jolly to Jerry and his chums from the fact that Frank and his two particular cronies went away. Afterward our heroes learned that the initiation had been made unusually severe, especially the pummeling to which they were subjected by Frank, Bart and Bill.
“Oh, well, we stood it, so what’s the use of kicking?” remarked Jerry resignedly.
Now full-fledged members of the Bang-Ups, a name which was well in keeping with the initiatory process, Bob and his companions found that they had many more friends, and they began to enjoy life more fully at Boxwood Hall.
The football season was now in full swing, and several games had been played. Our friends attended, and “rooted” to the best of their ability.
On many occasions they invited their new friends to go out in their automobile or in the motor boat, occasionally taking Professor Snodgrass, who still kept up a search for bugs, though butterflies had vanished until the spring.
“Do you know what I think we ought to do?” said Bob one day, as he stretched out on a couch in Jerry’s room.
“I can pretty near guess,” ventured Ned, who was helping Jerry hang up a set of boxing gloves in artistic fashion, over a pair of crossed foils. “Hasn’t it something to do with eats, Bob?”