The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-28
MICKEY FINN'S RAFT.

"a
=, sheets. and again II fell in slow driz-
cling mist which gave n depressed look to
+ie landscape The frees in Lindsley's
wood dlipped rain and the two streams
,tirb fsd Browns pond were changed
fro,n iriOkling silver riyulcts into roar
irr muddy torrents. tearing madiy along
between their banks
,G,kv fiuns tame crow refused TO go
,.., a doors. even wncn urged TO do so
iv Mrs Finn broom. bat sat moping and
c-a.hin- hoarscly under the stove The
,trre little yellow gosiiugs peeped plain
t,relv and hid under the doorstep, but
tbe 6clHrcrcut billy goat came out of his
le~-c, and stood in the rain, as though in
5cfsnce of the elements Mrs. Finn re.
,rorsoj one day that she hoped he would
gst fine .ncwmonya which remark her
Sop thought uncalled for and unnecessa.
uiy severe
Whether the Hood at Cooney Island sug
rssfcl IL or whether il was a deliberate
e,temrt 10 mculcato little biblical as
well a, proiane history into the minds OF
h., pupils. is a matter Of no importance.
Al auv rate. Mr. Flaherty. the pompous
and r.IIiNlIAN4AA AfNN MI VI AtAb hhfA' ~
scboollouse under the hill. read the story
Of the dc.uge 10 his pupils one afternoon.
among whom was Mickey FINN
Little Nike was profoundly impressed
with tie story. As lac was an imagina.
tive boy. he lay in his little trundle bed
n uirAt listening TO the pattcr of the
rain upon the roof, and SAW in fancy that
rrelt uucainly ark floating upon the
waters lie pictured 10 himself Shem.
Ham and Japhet. pcering anNiously out
of the windows in search of the land. and
70 the ears OF his fancy came the bleatme
q nanny goat and the lowing Of COW
ID happened that the teacher said moth
ING To b. scholars about he bow set IL
t'.c heavens as a sign that there should be
DID moro food and 50 Mickey reasoning
that the earth and especially CoOnCy
Island. was TO be inundated. began to
think about some means Of dcliyeNncc
s. troubled did he become over the
momoutous question that his mother
noticed his abstraction. She feared that
her boy was going TO be i'll Still the
thought Of how TO save his mother and
father and the animals from the threat
.uel destruction stuck to him like "a bur
dock At last, after hearing from Jack
uooian some incidents in the adventurous
life Of Robinson CrusOe. an idea came 10
lin He would build Il raft
Il can make il out O the rails in Ia
Siumpy Field fnce. said he TO himself.
The IDEA iicl.ied him so much that he be
gau dancing Jig in his mothers newly
scrubbed Kitchen and she boxed his ears
R..-s~rt collar a glI..
wood Here lie comided his scheme to
tie nanny goat with an adlnonitory shake
oi the head that she Yves not to tell any
wan. hot even tn billy He would be
sure TO save her and the three goslins, but
tie crow could take care of himself, be
kase he had wings
Mickey decided TO keep his scheme a
profound secret from every one; not even
Jack DOolan vas 10 know it until the raft
had been completed and the Hood began
10 come in at the kitchen door
Although little Mike was possessed Of
more of the resources Of civilization than
fell 10 the lot of Mr. Noah. tie ark
builder. still lac was hampered 10y the
necessity Tor secrecy And so three days
passed before the raft was finished
Mickey measured the raft with a top
cord. and found it 10 be two cubits IL
length and one cubit and span in width
although be did not figure according Il
Hebrew methods.
SO pleased was Mickey with the success
Of his undertaking that it was only by
the most heIculean Efforts that be TO
strained the secret within his bosom
There wero his parents. unconscious Of
coming danger. and he had the means Of
saving tAtm from a terrible fate. The
only relief lie had was daily communion
with the billy goat.
Now. Billy. he would say 'ye needn't
be Altered. Fax thare room on tn raft
fur You an yer wife If yen only kape
still an not be buckin yen not be drowned
like thin other billy goats"
At last the day memorable in the an.
nails of Cooney Island came. The dawn
was murky and gloomy. Little Mike
arose with the sun and dropped softly
out of the window He was about to test
the raft to see if it was pondworthy
He first took the billy down TO the pond
aud tied him TO bush. The nanny fol
lowed. The goslings were safely slowed
away in the boys pockets, where they
kept up All unavailing pecping against
the close confinement The dog went
along without any urging. The billy,
the nanny and the dog each had corner
Of the raft 10 itself. while the goslings
were granted the freedom of the deck.
The raft was propelled b. a long pole.
Out into the muddy waters Of the pond
Mickey urged the raft, while the crow
flew around IN wide circles overhead.
The raft iloated and behaved beautifully.
1t rode the troubled waters like Mrs
McGee's drake The floating domestic
menaeerie was getting along swinlmingly
until that notorious gossip, l'irs. Murphy,
looked ont of the kitchen window ana
saw the raft She uttered yell OF ter
ror and exclaimed.
God save u.s. there's that iaTup
Mickey Finn foaiin around on a big
boord wild goats an dogs, an phwat 5
thin little waller things on tn boordI
Musha. but thare's goslingsl Run. Paddy
an tell his mother.
In less than FIVE minutes all tho resi-
dents Of the islan1 were on the margin OF
the pond. including the elder Firms. Mrs.
Finn was in paroXysm OF fear lest her
son should be drowned. while her nus
band contcntcd himself with brandishing
stout hickory sticl; in Miclicy's dlrcc-
lion. and threatened to use 1t II he cid not
"stAecr III boat ashore
la the meantime the sluice gate oil the