Butler University - Carillon / Drift Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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for the C., H. D. track. He must have just had time enough to get around to the south side of the main building when about six of those dorm angels started out, carrying a stepladder. We chuckled when we thought of the surprise that awaited them at the pump. In about twenty minutes we saw Sam saunter back, down Emerson Avenue, until al- most opposite the west side of the summer house. Then he made a dash across the campus and crawled back in the summer house. Did 3 ' ou meet the fire brigade ? Budd whispered, before Sam was fairly inside. He was laughing so he could hardly tell what had happened. By jerks and starts, he finally told the whole incident. I stood just around the corner until I heard them com- ing. Then I walked out toward the pump. ' Hello, ' I called, ' what ' s the ladder for ? Let me carry it for you, won ' t you ? ' You should have seen their faces. They bit their lips, looked at each other rather queerly, and then Mary Carlton spoke up, ' Oh, no, thank vou ; we can carry it, can ' t we, girls? ' But I insisted. The more I insisted the more embarrassed they got. Finally Lucy Reynolds said, ' We ' ve made a bet we can get it up into the hall by ourselves, so you must let us go. ' Thin, wasn ' t it? ' Alright. ' I said, ' if you won ' t let a fellow be polite, carrv it vourself. ' I turned away with an injured air. Now. I ' ve got an idea. I ' ll bet anything the Panthagyris is to come off to-night. Girls don ' t get all red about a little old dorm party. That ' s it exactly, exclaimed Budd. Do you suppose they are going to have it over at Bur- gess Hall? asked Hal. Course, I said. They ' re decorating it now, I suppose. Budd had been silent a few minutes when he said, There ' s an attic over that Athenaeum Hall. Have any of you ever been up in the tower? Sam had, but as Hal and I were only underclassmen, we hadn ' t been there. ' ell, Sam, 3 ' ou know that side door that leads to your left just before you get to the belfry ladder ? Sam nodded. That ' s the attic door. Let ' s go get something to eat and I ' ll tell you what we ' ll do on the v.ay. No one was in sight, so we struck the cinder path and headed for Woodmansee ' s to eat. Just at dusk we came sneaking back on the campus from the southern track, ' e tried both doors of Burgess Hall. Both were locked. W ' e slipped around the corner. In a moment, Sam had hoisted Hal up on his shoulders and then onto the window ledge of the French room. The window opened. Slip over and see if the hall door is unlocked, Sam whispered. Meanwhile Budd and I scurried over behind the engine room and found an old barrel and hustled back with it. B} ' that time Hal had reported favorably on the door. Ve turned the barrel end up and used it for a plat- form. As I was the smallest, I was left until last. Then Budd and Sam leaned out of the window, took me by the arms and pulled me in. It was dark as pitch in there, and we didn ' t dare strike a

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Hn escapade © UDD, Sam and I strolled past the gym, down to the Sigma Chi summer house. We were in full -ie v of the dorm porch, but as none of the girls were in sight, we were compelled to stroll on. Just as we reached the old May day stage, a prolonged Sigma Chi whistle made the bunch turn expectantly. With a wild rush Hal Burton came running across the campus and down the cinder path. Instead of stopping, he grabbed Sam by the arm and rushed on. Budd pushed back his cap, stuck his hands in his pock- ets and emitted a soft whistle. Something ' s up, old man, I said; let ' s follow suit. ' hen we bolted into the summer house Hal was just get- ting his breath. Say, fellows, he began, then looked cautiously about. Coast ' s clear; fire away, interrupted Budd. Well, when I went over to the dorm this afternoon to see Louise, I slipped back into the senior parlor, picked up a paper and waited for the maid to return. That place sound- ed like a bee hive. I heard somebody upstairs — I think it was Dorothy Slayback — reciting solemnly ; ' I ' ll tell you who Time ambles wathal, who Time trots withal, who Time gal- lops withal, and who he stands still withal, ' followed by a burst of laughter and ' Oh, you look stunning, Dot. ' Then a scurrying of feet and a slamming of doors told me Lizzie had made herself heard. I just saw you fellows as she re- turned, saying that Louise couldn ' t see me, and I made a dash out. Well, what do you fellows think it means? Rosalind ' s speech I I bet it ' s a dorm party, ' ' I ventured. Come to think about it, I asked Ruth Jordan if she had a date for to-night, and she stuttered, ' No, yes, ' and then got awfully red. Something ' s doing, that ' s sure, added Sam. Budd had been watching the dorm, and suddenly wliis- ])ered from his i)lace of -antage : Duck, (juick ! That ' s Mabel Woods out on the dorm jiorch, and she seems to be examining the campus. There ! She ' s waved her hand as if for a signal. Let ' s lie low and see what happens. ' ' Budd kept watch and reported the movements to the rest of us, who were lying flat on the benches that surround the inside of the summer house. First Dorothy and Ruth ap- peared, looked about, then walked briskly over to Burgess Hall. A wait of a few minutes, then two more girls did the same. At almost regular intervals this kept up. The girls seemed to be moving, for each girl carried a suspicious- looking bundle. You fellows stay here. I ' m going to sneak down the railroad track, said Sam, and come in from Butler Ave- nue to the pump. I ' ll surely meet some of them, and I ' ll see what they say. He slipped out of the opening on the south side and cut

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light for fear of detection. Wt crept cautiousl) ' up, feeling along the wall. Half wa} ' up the second flight Hal slipped down a half dozen steps with a reverberating thud. We held our breath, but dead silence followed, so we continued the ghostly march. . t last the attic door was reached in safety. We ' ll have to wait here, whis]3ered Budd, until the lights are lit below. There ' s no flooring, only rafters. Hadn ' t we better get inside the door? answered Sam. Clint might mosey up here and catch us. The door wasn ' t locked, so Budd opened it gently, but it squeaked as if it hadn ' t been oiled in centuries. ' e filed inside, closing ' the door after us. Then we stood like stat- ues, awaiting developments. Soon suppressed giggles rose like spirit laughter from below. Hal grasped my arm in terror. Then two oblong patches of light appeared on the floor, where the ventilating registers were. The nearer one was at least six feet away. How could we reach it without falling through the plaster? Wait a minute, fellows, whispered Budd. He slipped out at the attic door. He seemed gone ages. Meanwhile the laughing, talking and noise below increased. Budd re- entered softly, carrying a long plank. Where did you get it? asked Sam. Part of the walk leading to the tower, answered Budd. Softly we slipped it across the rafters toward the light- ened register. We ' ll take turns guarding the door, said Budd. Hal, as Freshie and pledge, it ' s your duty to guard first. ' ' No need to have a guard, pouted Hal. Who ' s going to come up here? We ' re not going t(j talke any chances, so out you go; with that Budd pushed him without. Then the three of us crawled out on the plank and looked below. The scene looked like a gorgeous comic opera. The hall was deco- rated with banners and pennants of the different sororities and colleges. An orchestra, stationed at the south end of the hall, was playing a dreamy waltz. The dance rs were dressed to represent quaint characters from books and plays — some boys, some girls. Who is that dressed as Rosalind? I whispered to Budd. J n ' e. it ' s Dot! he answered, looking in the direction I pointed. There ' s Ruth, Sam said, after a few minutes. Where? ' ' we both whispered. Don ' t you see that curly-headed Eton schoolboy dancing with Red Riding Hood? ' ' Oh, yes; that ' s Hal ' s friend with her, isn ' t it? ques- tioned Budd. Sam nudged me and asked, Tom, isn ' t that Mabel ' oods as Peter Pan? I immediately became absorbed in watching the swaying dancers. All went well until it came Sam ' s turn to guard the ckior. The orchestra was playing the rye waltz, when Hal grasped