The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1888-08-11
Mickey Firms Raft.

slow drizzing mist which gave de-
pressed look to the landscape The
trees in LIndsley's wood dripped rain
and the two streams which fed Browns
pond were ci anged from trlckling sill
YER rlvulots alto roaring. muddy tor
rents. tearing madly along between
their banks.
Mickey Firms tame crow refused TO
20 out Of doors. even whom urged to do
SO by Mrs. Firms broom, but sat mop
ing aud croaking hoarsely under the
the stove The three little yellow gosl-
ings peepei pIaintively 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 uncallcd for and unneces-
sarily severe.
Whether the flood at Cooney Island
suggested II. or whether II was deIib-
ate attempt to incnlcate little Bibli-
cal as well rs profanc history into the
minds Of his pupils. is matter OF no
Importance. At any rate Mr.. Elaherty,
the pompous aud superficial teacher OF
the little red school house under tho
hill. read the story of tue deluge to his
pupils one afternoon, among whom
was Mickey Finn.
Little Mike was profoundly impress
cd with tile story. AS he was nm inn
agiuative bay. ho lay in his little trun-
die bed AZ night listening TO the patter
OF the rain upon the roof, and saw Ia
fancy that great ungainly ark floating
upon the waters. He pictured to him.
self Shem. Ham and Japhet peerlnp
nnxlously out OF the windows In search
OF the land. and TO the ears of his fan
cy came the blcating of "a nanny goat
aud the lowing OF COW.
IL happened that the teacher said
nothing to his scholars about tho bow
setin the heaven as n sign that there
should b. no more flood. and so Nick
ey reasoning that the earth aud espec-
tally 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
that his mother noticed his abstrac-
ton. She feared that her boy was 90
ing TO be III. Still the thought OF
how to save his mother and fsiher and
the animals from the threatened de-
structlon stuck To him like burdock.
Al last after hearing from Jack
Doolau some incidents In tho adyen-
turous life OF Robinson Crusoe. an
idea came TO him. lie would build
raft
IL can make Il out o. the rails In
tn Stumpy Field fince." said he TO
himself The idea tickled him so
much that be began dancing a liz in
his mothers newly-scrubbed kitchen.
and she boxed his cars aud sent him
down cellar TO chop some wood.
Hero he coniided his scheme TO tho
nanny goat with an admonitory shake
OF the head that she was not TO tell
amy wan. not even III billy" He
would be sure TO save her and the
three gosllngs. but the crow could
take care Of himself, bekase he had
wings"
Mickey decided 10 keep his scheme
profound secret from eyeryone; not
even Jack Doolan was to know IL un-
til the raft had been completed aud
tho flood began TO come in at the
kitchen door.
Although little Mike was possessed
of more OF the resources of civilization
than fell 20 the lot OF Mr.. Noah. tho
ark builder, still he was hampercd by
the necessity for secrecy. And so
three days passed before the raft was
finished. Mickey measured the raft
with a top cord and found IL TO be
two cubts in length and one
cubit and span In 9TH. al
though he did not figure according to
Hebrew methods.
So pleased was Mickey with the sue
cess OF hts undertaking that IL 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 tho
means vi saving them from IA terrible
fate. The only relief he had WAS
daily communion with the billy
goat fMtNf
"Now billy" he would saw. "ye
needn't DO afeerd. FAX, thare's room
on tn RAFT fur you an yer wife. II
yell only kape still an not be buckln'
ye'n not be drowned like Thin other
billy goats"
AT last the day memorable in the
annals OF Coonoy Island came. The
dawn was murky and gloomy. Little
Mike arose with the sun and dropped
softly out OF the window. He was
about 20 test the raft 10 see IL IL was
pond-worthy He first took the billy
down 10 the pond and tied him TO a
bush. The nanny followed. The Cos
linus were safely slowed away In the
hovss nockois where they kant nm an