“The Bang-Ups?” asked Ned. “Is that something good to eat?”
“It’s a secret fraternal society,” answered George, looking carefully about to make sure he was not overheard. “It’s the most exclusive in the college, but freshmen are eligible when voted in. I’ll propose you if you like.”
“There’s one thing, though,” went on George. “The initiation is a pretty stiff one. Lots of the fellows get hurt--not badly, of course, but some.”
“You can’t scare us that way,” laughed Jerry. “We’ve been in some pretty tight places ourselves.”
“Does Frank Watson and his crowd belong?” Ned demanded.
“It’ll take more than their votes to keep you out, though, as a rule, the elections have been unanimous. But it takes ten black ballots to turn a candidate down, and at best Frank and his crowd number nine.”
At the next meeting of the Bang-Ups the names of our friends were proposed. And Frank Watson, Bart Haley, Bill Hamilton and several others opposed them.
But George Fitch, Chet Randell, Lem Ferguson and, best of all, Ted Newton, the football captain, championed the cause of our friends to such advantage that they were elected, only seven votes against them--not the necessary number.
“Of course, I’d like to have had it unanimous,” said George, in telling Jerry about the matter afterward. “But don’t let that worry you, and perhaps Frank will change his tactics toward you.”
“I don’t care much whether he does or not,” Jerry remarked. “I wish there weren’t any feeling against us, especially as I know there is no cause for it, but the Bang-Ups is worth getting into, even if we didn’t make it unanimously.”
“Glad you think so,” remarked George. “And now comes the initiation.”
Made up, as it was, of members of all four classes in Boxwood Hall, the Bang-Ups was the largest secret society in the institution. It had a fraternity house of its own, not as elaborate as that of the Bull, the junior society, nor as large as the Ivy Vine, the exclusive house of the lordly senior society, but it was a very fine place for all that.
“I’m glad we’re going to be members,” said Jerry, talking over their election as they strolled past the fraternity house one afternoon.
“So am I,” added Bob. “We’ll have a nice place to spend our evenings.”