Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-08-03
Mickey Firms Raft.

Rain had been falling steady fer
more than week. Sometimes it came
down in sheets. and again it fell ia a
slow drilling mist which gave q de-
pressed look TO the landscape. The
trees in Lindsley's wood dripped rain
and the two streams which fed Browns
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 10
GO cut OF doors. even when urged 10 DO
so by Mrs Films broom. but sat mon.
ing and cpoaking hoarsely under the
the stove. The three little YELLOW cosl.
ings peeped plaint.vcly and hid under
the doorssep. but the bellgerent billy
goat came out Of his barrel and stood
IN the rain. rs though in defiance OF
Tho elements. Mrs. Finn remarked
one day that she hoped he would get
the new monva." which remark her
son thought uncallcd for and unneces-
sarilv severe.
Whether the flood ut Cooney Island
suggested I. or whether it was "A DELHI
ate attempt 10 inculcale tile Bihli-
cal as well rs prOfane history into the
minds Of his pupils. IS II matter of no
importance AT any rate Mr. Flaherty.
the pompous and superficial teacher of
the little red school house under the
hill. read the story Of tue deluxe TO his
pupils one afternoon, among whom
was Mickey Finn.
Little Mike was profoundly itrpress-
ed with the story. As be was AN m
aginative boy. he lay in his little trun-
die bed at night listening TO tie patter
OF The rain upon the roof, aud saw ia
fancy that great ungainlc ark Coating
upon the waters. He pictured to him
self Shem. Ham and Japhet pcernr
anXiou>lv oCt OF the windows ia search
OF the land and TO the ears Of his fan
cy came the bleating of nanny goat
and the lowing of Il COW.
ii happened that the teacher said
nothing Ia his scholars about the bow
set in the heaven as Il sign that there
should b" no more flood, and so Nick
ey reasoning that the earth and espec.
tally COoney Island, was TO be inupda-
=
OF deliverance. So troubled did he he
come over the mOmentus ques ton
that his mother noticed his abstrae-
ton. She feared that her boy was 70
ing to be III. Still the thought of
how to save his mother and father and
the animals from the threatened de-
struction stuck TO him like a burdock.
At last after bearing from Jack
Doolan some incidents in the adven-
furious life of Robinson Crusoe an
idea came 10 him. lie would build a
raft!
IL can make il out o. the rails in
til Stumpv Field fnce" said he TO
himself. The ldea tickled him SO
much that he began dancing ito in
his mothers newly-scru bbed kitchen.
and she boxed his ears and sent him
down cellar TO chop some wood.
Here lie contided his scheme to the
nanny goat with an admonitory shake
OF the head that she was not TO tell
ANY wan. not even tn billy" lie
would he sure to save her and the
three goslings, but the crow could
take care OF himself, bekase he had
wings"
Mickey decided TO keep his scheme n
profound secret from everyone; not
even Jack Doolan was TO know il UNI
Ill the raft had been completed and
the 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
ark builder. still be was hampered by
the necessity for secrecy. And so
three days passed before the raft was
finished. Mickey measured the raft
with top cord and found il 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 sue
cess OF his undertaking that it was only
by the most herculean efforts that he
restrained the secret within his bosom.
There were his parents. unconsc Gus
of coming danger. and he had the
means of saving them from terri Bile
fate. The only relief he had was
daily communion with the billy
goat.
Now billy" he would say, Eve
needn't be afecrd. Fax, thare's room
~, tb, raft fur vou an ver wife IL