River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-08-19

The result was that while the nanny
grew round sleek the bill V became
gaunt and thin, and his ribs stood out
like those of "a washboard.
While The goat was suffering from
lack Of nourishiug food, Mrs. Finn was
mourning the loss Of her husband
Only the previous day. in allu1ing 20
Mrs. Finn. Mrs. Doolan had said to
Mrs. O'Brien. wLo had just returned
from q visit to friend in Honesdalc:
Til poor thing. She's luny since
She lost Mike. An she does nothiu'
all day but sit an fool wild that new
bedtick he bought her. She says it's
th finder memories She has wild tn
bedtick. She always was quare.
finder memories wild a bedtickr
sneered the iconoclastic Mrs. Obrien.
"Mebbe We didn't near how Mrs.
Finn got III new dress, Mrs. O'brien.
It's this day three weeks Nike went
own street to buy new dress, an
surprise her wild IT, But no coul IN T.
find anything rs I'D suit him. Tn
clark TUX down livery piece o stuff he
had on tn shelves, an Mike jerked
thin { see W'ud they tear. Jist whiu
Mike was goin' out o tn dare ga
clark called him back. 'Thare's a
piece o goods mebbe ye'd ike, says
he. Mike ierked it, but he eouldn [
start a thread He bought fifteen
yards iv il an tux ithome to his wife
AN was it purity stuff, Mrs.
Doolan?"
Aye, purity t thin rs likes it. Sure
il was bedtickin', wild blue stripes in
it.
The two women laughed. Then
Mrs. Doolan resumed, lowering her
voice:
"Th' mkt day Mike laid his pipc on
Ia windy and wint down tn road q
stritch himself a bit, fur he had no
work lie didn't come home chat
night, nor tn mkt. nor tn mkt. On
tn fourth day Mrs. Finn hcerd there
was man drowned down be tn
POnck hockie Dock So -hc wint down
L look at him. As soon as she set
eyes on him. she says That 5 my
Nike To tell tn truth, | had me
doubts about that man beiu' Mike
Finn. Anyhow, we laid him out jpn
tn shanty as daccnt as We plaze, wild
choker on his neck an new dicky on
him All, lac was a swate man, he
was, continued Mrs Doolan, with
reminiscent sigh.
We walked him til mkt night. We
had Il gallon o tn stuff that's sprinkler
than tay, an pipes and baccy. Whin
D. wake was over some q tn min
were so tired out wild mOurnin' that We
could hardly tell which was tn did
nan. We had four carriages an a
buggy mkt day agin the burTyin' Mrs.
Finn made tn men bury him deep.
fur. saws she, its well Id Ike E see
me Mike comm back I me. but I'm
afcerd o thin ghosts We poke yer fist
thro' an lave no hole IN Thin. An
since tn funeral Mrs. Finn Is mighty
quare. Sometimes shell be rs + ason-
able rs ycrself, Mrs. O'Bricn, an NJ in
she'll be SEWN ribbons on tn bedtick
an wrappiE il round her like a dress.
Shurc she las it faded already with tn
tears fallin' on it. Thin mcbbe five
were out on tn ould pint road at II
o'clock tonight ye'd see her comm
along wild tn bedtick wrapped around
her and moanin' ike tn wind in tn
chimney"
While her friends we're Iamenting
her bad luck, Mrs. Finn stOoG in her
kitchen looking at the bedtick as il lay
upon the iloOr- She was getting over
the effects Of her recent loss. She even
smiled feeblv as Mickey's tame crow
walked grayely over the bcdtick, evil
IDENTIFY estimating It's weight with felon-
ious intent. Not content with an out
side survey, he lifted the upper side Of
the slit which Mrs Finn had left i'm
one end of the tick for the reception Of
the straw and walked in Mrs
FINN watched aoseutly as be left
bulging trail behind ike that Of
mole in past ure
so yer up 4 more divilments, are
ye, bus III fix ye, said Mrs. Finn
Gathering up the tick, Mrs Finn
stepped TO the door. A bowling gale
swept down from the Calskiils, playing
mournful tunes upon the telegraph
wires and dashing daring sparrows
against the fences. Mrs. Finn had
shaken the tick once TO free it from
dust, laughing to herself az the discom-
torture of the crow, when the gale
swept around the corner Of the shauty,
tie gedtick ike a balloon. l
Mrs. Finn hung on grimly, but the wind I
ierked the tick from her hand and il I
went sailing away across the valley. /
dingling with Che bowling Of the wind I
came back TO Mrs. Finn the squawking /
If the crow. Away went the tick, now /
)ellying out around and cOrpulent, and I
hen collapsing limp and detected, 1
alling IN a ZigZag, crratic way, until. I
IS it lowered over the railroad track, /
he wind filled il again, and IL rose,
collapsed again and lodged in the top /,
IF pine tree in iindley's woods, where (
{ Tapped a seeming farewell to Mrs.
Finn hopes Of clean straw and rest.
When the crow escaped from his striped
prison he was in bid way. In fact,
10 was unable 10 fly At first. As he
ell hc came very near Being spiited on
he top Of the stecple of POuckhockie I
.hapel. Just before he reached the
round. however, the black bunch Of
Gathers opened and the crow Tapped
heavily back 20 tine shanty.
The loss Of the tick was a very severe
,low to Mrs Finn. Although still
herishing the memory Of her husband,
he felt that he was gone beyond re-
all. aud had submitted TO the newt
.ble But 10 sec his last present up
here in the tree top, So near that she
ould plainly see the familiar, blue
tripes, and get as far away as though
{ were one Of the little clouds sailing
yerhcad turned her enfccblcd brain,
nd she became, IS Mrs. Doolan *
,reSsed It. ''as luny IS bcdbug."
Iany attempts were made TO
each the bcdtick BIZ the ncighboFs. I
Little Mike had risked his life twice
n the effort, but the tick mad lodged
t the extreme end OF dccayod lamb,
nd an OminOus cracking had warucd
i'm that bedtieks were cheap and life
gas dear The crow made daily trips
0 the tree top and peckcd ut the tics,
5 if venting his spite upon It for his
Imprisonment. But Mickey stoutly
ffirmed tn his friend DOolan that the