The Delta independent., 1888-08-14
Mickey Fin's Raft.

Rain had been falling steadly for
more than week. Sometimes it came
down in sheets. and again it fell in a
slow drizzling mist which gave de-
pressed look to the landscape. The
trees in Lindsley's wood dripped rain
and the two streams which fed Browns S
pond were changed from trickling sill
yer rivulets into roaring. muddy tor
rents. tearing madly along between
their banks.
Mickey Finn's tame crow refused to
go out of doors. even when urged to do
SO by Mrs. Finn's broom, but sat mop
ing and croaking hoarsely under the
the stove. The three little yellow gosl-
inRs peeped plaintively and hid under
the doorstep. but the belligerent billy
goat came out of his barrel and stood
In the rain. as though in defiance of
the elements. Mrs. Finn remarked
one day that she hoped he would get
the new monya." which remark her
son thought uncalled for and unneces-
sarily severe.
Whether the flood at Cooney Island
suggested it, or whether it was q delib.
ate attempt to inculcate a little Bibh-
cal as we'll as profane history into the
minds OF his pupils, is matter of no
Importance. At any rato Mr.. Flaherty,
the pompous and superficial teacher OF
the little red school house under the
hill, read the story of the deluge to his
pupils one afternoon. among whom
was Mickey Finn.
Little Mike was profoundly impress-
cd with the story. AS he was an i'm.
aginative boy, he lay In his little trun-
die bed at night listening to tho patter
Of the rain upon the roof, and saw in
fancy that great ungainly ark floating
upon the waters. He pictured to him.
self Shem. Ham and Japhet peerinp
anxiously out Of the windows in search
of the land. and to the ears of his fan
cy came the bleating of a nanny goat
and the lowing of COW.
1t happened that the teacher said
nothing to his scholars about the bow
set In the heaven as sign that there
should be no more flood, and SO Mick.
ey reasoning that the earth and espec-
ially Cooney Island. was to be inunda-
ted. began to think about some means
of deliverance. So troubled did he be-
come over the momentus question
Mat his mother noticed his abstrac-
ton. She feared that her boy was 60
Jog to be Ill. Still the thought of
bow to save his mother and father and
the animals from the threatened de-
stYuction stuck to him like burdock
A. lsst after hearing from j ack
Doolsn some incidents in the adven-
tofous life of Robinson Crusoe, an
idea came to him. He would build q
raft!
II oan make It out O. the rails in
tn Stumpy Field fince." said he to
himseh The idea tickled him SO
pucb that he began dancing Jig in
his m0thsr's newly-scrubbed kitchen,
snd she boxed his ears and sent him
down cellar to chop some wood.
Here he oonfided his scheme to the
nanny goat with an admonitory shake
of tho head that she was not to tell
ANY wan. not even tn billy" He
would be sure to save her and the
three gsslings, but the crow could
take care of himself, bekase he had
wings"
Mickey decided to keep his scheme a
profound secret from everyone; not
even Jack Doolan was to know it un-
~ the raft had been completed and
she food began to come in at the
Kitchen door.
Although little Mike was possessed
Of more of the resources of civilization
than fell to the lot of Mr.. Noah, the
erk builder, still he was hampered by
the necessity for secrecy. And SO
three days passed before the raft was
fnlshed. Mickey measured tho raft
with top cord and found it to be
two cubits in length and one
cubit and span in width, al
though he did not figure according to
Hebrew methods.
So pleased was Mickey with the suc-
cess OF his undertaking that 1t was only
BY the most herculean efforts that he
restrained the secret within his bosom.
There were his parents UNCONSCIOUS
of coming danger. and he had the
means of saving them from a terrible
fate. The only relief he had was
daily communion with the billy
goat.
Now billy" he would say, I'VE
needn't be afeerd. FAX, thare's room
on tn raft fur you an yer wife. If
yell only kape still an not be buckin'
yell not BIO drowned like thin other
billy goats"
At last the day memorable in the
annals Of Cooney Island came. The
dawn was murky and gloomy. Little
Mike arose with the sun and dropped
softly out of the window. Ho was
shout to test the raft to see II 1t was
pond-worthy. He first took the billy
down to the pond and tied him to
bush. The nanny followed. The gos-
lings wore safely slowed away in the
boys pockets, where they kept up an
unayslling peeping against the close
confinement The dog went along
HithQat any urdnR The ~. u