Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-15

| nanas, that She hesitated long while before
paying over the fifty cents for the sled At
last the bargain was consummated, and Mrs.
Finn left the store dragging the sled behind
her over the cracking snow. Following her
at distance came Jack Brown Mrs. Finn
passed the lime-kiln where Tim Grogan was
shoveling Goals upon the fire. She wished
that soUe Of the Goals were in her cellar.
Brown followed her as closely as he could
without mourning the danger Of detection,
and saw her enter the door OF the shanty.
| Brown stood locking at the shanty minute,
admiring the beauty of the icicle mellowed
| by the moonlight Then he turned and
walked rapidly back to the village.
Mrs Finn found her husband seated in q
rocking chair before the fire and groaning
with pain. He had fallen upon the road
when coming home and seemed to be injured
| internally Mr. Finn was out of breath and
also out of patience. He was bruised, too.
| Mrs Finn produced the Gttle black bottle
| from the closet, which was kept there for
purely medicinal purposes rs this was a
medicinal occasion, a little whisky from the
| bottle was poured into the teapot Then the
kettle, which was breathing out white vapor
into the room, was lifted from the stove, and
just enough water added to the whisky to
preserve its integrity and to take the chill
off, Lifting the cup from the table, ,drs
Finn approached her husband, who was rock
ing back and forth in evident great pain.
Holding the cup under his nose SO that the
grateful aroma arose and penetrated to the
Utmost ibers Of his being, Mrs. Finn said:
Taste this, that's dear. Ie needn't make
yer mug at it, for it's the rale ouId stuff
H,y-o- S,l-, IL lo&%J l.
round tn corner Sure there's more bades
on it than ye could count wild a telescope"
AYE, but I'm hurted inside, Biddy,"
groaned Mr.. Finn.
"Ah, We may well be hurried afther yer fall
But if yen stiffen up III yer chair bit an
let drap O. this medicine run down yer
t'roat, yen be cured before another grippe
gets ye."
1t may have been the coaxing manner of
Mrs. Finn, and it may have been the smell of
the whisky that reused her husband. At any
rate the medicine disappeared. 1t had an
immediate and magical effect. 1t brought
flush TO Mr. Finns cheek, it loosened his
tongue, it cured his internal injury and COM
forted his wounded spirit There was no i'm
mediate necessity on the part of Mrs. Finn
for taking the medicine, but there was
malaria in the air of Cooney Island, and SO
she took drop of the medicine herself as
preventive The two elder Firms then re-
tired for the night.
On his return to the village Jack Brown
went 70 the pawnbroker's and redeemed the
shawl He visited a candy store and pur-
chased five big oranges, seven bananas, two
quarts OF peanuts, one pound of candy, some
tobacco for Mrs. Firms husband, and o new
brierwood pipe with brass cover. He also
went to millinery store and bought gor-
geous new bonnet for Mrs. Finn with flower
garden upon it. These articles were placed
in big bundle and carried by Brown to the
Finn shanty. The bundle was placed under
the big icicle Oh the back stoop. Brown re-
tired to q little distance and began throwing
snowballs at the ice spear. 1t stood the
shock of several balls, but at last one that
was packed harder than the rest struck the
icicle, and the Stalactite fell upon the stoop,
breaking into thousand different pieces
'.Fwhat's that, Biddy?n asked Nike Finn,
as he started up from his bed in alarm.
Its only the icicle fallin', agra Shure
til winds BLOWN like harrycane"
Mr.. Finn crawled out of bed, clothed as he
was in very light attire, and, opening the
door on a crack, looked out upon the stoop
lie uttered an exclamation of surprise, then
dragged the bundle into the house. He spread
the marvelS out upon the kitchen floor. His
wife looked over the footboard Of the bed in
establishment. Said she, Il wondher who
sent all thin illigant things!"
IF We are the sinsible woman take We t.
be-" said Mr.. Finn, as he fished out tho new
pipe and tobacco, rye won't bother yer head
about where the bundle came from. Shure
God is good to tn poor.n
In the morning when the light began to IL
lumine Cooney Island, Mickey got out of bed
and crept with palpitating heart to the door,
At the sight of the sled and the knick knacks
he grinned, and his mouth opened from ear to
ear. He tried vainly to cram all the oranges
and peanuts into his pockets at one time, but
was forced to hide some of the peanuts under
the bed, where the crow found them an hour
later and skillfully cracked the shells
When Mrs. Finn went out on the doorstep
to call her boy to breakfast she saw him lying
fiat upon his sled and coming down the slope
Of Stumpy field like meteor. Behind him
was long trail of peanuts, and bounding
along on either side of the track, running q |
race with the sled were two big golden |
oranges. AS tears Of joy gathered in Mrs. |
Finns eyes she wiped them with the corner |
of her apron and muttered to herself:
'iusha, LUX at that now! Fax, God Is !
good t tn poor!''-New York Sun