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intervals, glances of entreaty are repelled by the invulner-able Seniors. "The quality of mercy is not sttĀ·ained,"-etc. Oh, well, how can they be mercifuljust now 1 The meal is ended, the day goes on, there are occasional trips from juniors to their Senior friends. A timid knoek,-an abrupt fling open of the door.c-en attempt at a swift entrance, a slam of the cloor, as the poor Junior is thrust unmercifully out into the hall. A fly on the wall might have have heard strange things withi.n that room. It is 11:30 p, ill. The timc has come for Senior girls of Western Marland to initiate the Juniors into that dark, mysterious order-the J. G. C. Up under the roof of the west wing of the college there is a long, low-celled room, with two closets, about seven turns and corners. a flight of stairs leading to a turret, and-a trap door. The back of this mom opens into a smaller one=black as night, Here is the den, proper of J. G. C. All in readiness the tearful Juniors wait on the steps outside for admission, a thing which all, to uphold the honor of the class, must accept. 'j'he Iittle door opcns. The Night Hawk and the Grand Lictor, with a head slow and measured, suited to a funei-a.lmarch, advance and approach tbeJuniors, all of whom fairly tremble with a strange horr-or, The Night Hawk, in sepulchral tones, calls out a name, With a smothered sob the candidate named lovingly bids good-bye to her friends, and with her heart almost thumping out goes silcntly through the door which the Grand Lictor closes threateningly and triumphantly upon her. For two minutes her as- sociates outside listen breathless through lear. After what seems, to them, an eternity, comes a piercing shriek! another, then another,-bloocl-curd- ling and ghastly. Their faces blanche suddenly and each is horror struck as her hair stands on end and the blood freezes in each vein, for she knows well that this last cry is one of genuine pain and even agony. After that, a coarse, smothered laugh, and what sounds like a strange clicking precedes a longer silence: __ a chain clanks, ~ - - a wild alarm bell riugs.e-silence again. Then a long ceremonial reading in tones even and measured, but as hollow as if the speaker had just been yielded from the grave itself. The speech is ended, almost immediately the door opens and such a sight as meets their eyes would cause Death himself to tremble, The comrade of a few minutes before, who, tho' frightened, had an as- - - 161 -
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