Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-08-09


At last the day memorable in the
annals of Cooney Island came. The
dawn was murky and gloomy. Little
Nike arose with the sun and dropped
softly out of the window. He was
about to t6st the raft TO see il it was
| pondworthy. He first took the billy
down to the pond and lied him to n
bush. The nanny followed. The gos-
lings were safely slowed AWAY in the
boys pockets. where they kept up an
unavailing pesping against che close
confinement The dog went along
without any urging. The billy. the
nsnny. and the dog each had corner
of the raft to itself. while the goslings
were granted the freedom of the deck.
The raft was propelled by II 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 fioated and behaved beautiful
| ly. 1t rode the troubled waters like
| Mrs McGee's drake. The float No
domestic menagsrie was getting aIon.
swimmingly until that notorious
gossip, Mrs. Murphy. locked out oi
the kitchen window and saw HIs raft.
She uttered a yell of terror and tx
! claimed:
God save us! there's thst larrup
Mickey Finn hoaun around on big
boord wild goats an dogs; AN phwat's
thin little ya1Ier things sE tn boordp
Mushs, but thsre's gesliHgs! Run.
Paddy, an tell h y methsr."
In less than Eve minutes all tho resi-.
dents of the island were on ike maryic
| Of A Ia iuO Int Ia. AZ
Mrs. Finn wins la n parex sm of fear
lest her son should be drowned. while
her husband contented himself with
brsadishing q stsut hickory stick ~
Mickey's direction and threatened to
use il II he did not 'sthser tn boai
ashore"
In the meantime the sluico gate OF
the pond had bean lifted in order to
relieve the dam Of too much pressure.
| The raft swuag around iais the our
rent made by the sucking sluics gate
The dog began 70 howl add tug al bis
cord The goslings ran hithex and
thither upon the raft and their feeble
pesping wrung Mrs Ennis heart with
anguish.
.'Ah! wcrra, werrai me goslin's'll 60
down tn mill racey"
Ali the time Mickey was working
with all his might with the pole, and
at last succeeded in getting the raft
out of the current Encouraged by his
mothers pleadings, and frightened by
his fathers threats. he poled the raft
toward tho shore on which his parents
were standing. The water was fall
ing rapidly, and tho raft caught upon
post Before little Mike could re.
lease Ia ark from its precarious posi-
ton it began to cant alarminglv.
| The dog became alarmed. and break
ing loose, sought refuge near the bills.
This old veteran. who. through all tho
excitement had preserved his equani-
nifty resented the dogs intrusion on
his territory and bowled him into tho
pond. This reused Mrs. Finn to y
paroxysm of rage. Sire shook her fist
in the direction Of the billy and shout
ed hoarsel, while the rain beat down
OH her unprotected head;
"Wait tili Je come ashore. mo daddy
buck. wild yer wicked horns! Won't l
fix ye, though! Won't bate yosr head
in wild me iist!'
BY this time n clothes line had been
procured and the raft showed signs of
breaking up.
Mr.. Finn was becoming alarmed for
the safety of his boy, and he cried out.
as hc whrled the clothes line around
his head:
Now, Mickey. grab hold . this an
we II pull ye ashore. Nivcr Enoind tn
amin ,ls!'
But our hero was made of more
horioc stuff than to desert his menh-
gerie. He tied the ropo around tho
nanny's body and she was drawn by S
dozen willing hands, kicking aud
| splashing through the water. Here the
rope flew through The air again and lit
tie Mike proceeded to lasso the billy
To this the billy had pronounced OBJ
jections. Despite his struggles, how
ever, the rope was secured around his
horns, and with "heave no altogeth-
err" the angered animal was jerked in
to the water and lowed ANONYMOUSLY
ashore. He landed dripping. but mad
as a hornet. The crowd parted re-
spectfully to let him go through. but
Mrs Finn. forgetful of her usual eau
;ion. ran up to the goat and shook her
fist before his glowing eyes. There
was cry of alarm from the crowd.
La commingling of laughter
and cries ofterror, glimpse
of flying skirts and II rampant object
with wavery horns and dripping
beard. Then the skirts disappeared
over the hill, and the 'dlvil wild wick
ed horns" faded away into dim speck
against the eastern horizon in grim
pursuit.
Mickey put the goslngs in his peck
ct secured board from the raft, which
was fast breaking up. and swan
ashore. His father received him
warmly. In fact, so hearty and I'M
restrained was his welcome that Mr..
Finn horny hand were stung by the
force of his punishment. There was a
time when Mickey would have cried
at such treatment from the hands of his
father, but that time had now gone
by. Secure in the rectitudc of his own
motives he bore this little msunder-
standing with forttude and wendell
his way homeward. He found the
door closed and the billy standing
guard. After securing this intracta-
BILE animal the kitchen door was open