Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-07-20
MICKEY FINN'S RAFT.


cling mist which gave depressed look to
the landscape. The trees In Lindsleys
wood dripped rain, and the two streams
which fed Browns pond were changed
from trickling silver rivulets Into roar
ing, muddy torrents, tearing madly along
between their banks.
Micky Firms tame crow refused to go
out of doors, even when urged to do so
BY Mrs. Firms broom, but sat moping and
croaking hoarsely under the stove. The
three little yellow goslings peeped plain
lively, 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 re-
marked one day that she hoped he would
get the ''newmonya," which remark her
son thought uncalled for and unnecesss-
rily severe
Whether the food at Cooney Island sug
gested it, or whether 1t was deliberate
attempt to inculcate little biblical es
well as profane history into the minds Of
his pupils, is {. matter Of no Importance.
At any rate. Mr.. Flaherty, the pompous
and superficial teacher of the little red
schoolhouse under the hill, read the story
Of the deluge to his pupils one afternoon,
among whom was Mickey Finn
Little Mike was profoundly impressed
with the story. As he was an imagina-
tive boy, he lay in his little trundle bed
at night listening to the patter Of the
rain upon the roof, and saw In fancy that
great ungainly ark floating upon the
waters. He pictured to himself Shem,
Ham and Japhet, peering anxiously out
of the windows In search of the land, and
to the ears Of his fancy came the blesting
Of nanny goat and the lowing of cow.
It happened that the teacher said moth
ing to his scholars about the bow set in
the heavens as a sign that there should be
no more food, and so Mickey, reasoning
that the earth. and especially Cooney
Island, was to be inundated, began to
think about some means Of deliverance.
So troubled did he become over the
momentous question that his mother
noticed his abstraction. She feared that
her boy was going to be Ill. Still the
thought of how to save his mother and
father and the animals from the threat
ened destruction stuck to him like bur-
dock. At last, after hearing from Jack
Doolan some incidents in the adventurous
life Of Robinson Crusoe, an idea came to
him. He would build raftl
81 can make it out o. the rails In tn
Stumpy Field fince, said he to himself.
The idea tickled him so much that he be-
gan dancing jig in his mothers newly
scrubbed kitchen, and she boxed his ears
and sent him down cellar to chop some
wood Here he confided his scheme to
the nanny goat with an sdmonitory shake
Of the head that she was not to tell ANY
wan, not even tn billy" He would be
sure to save her and the three goslins. but
the crow could take care Of himself. be
kase he had wings"
Mickey decided to keep his scheme q
profound secret from every one; not even
Jack Doolan was to know it until 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 he was hsmpered 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 it to be two cubits in
length and one cubit and span in width,
although he did not figure according to
Hebrew methods.
So pleased was Mickey with the success
of his undertaking that it was only by
the most herculean efforts that he re-
strained the secret within his bosom.
There were his parents, unconscious of
coming danger, and he had the means Of
saving them from terrible fate. The
only relief he had was daily communion
with the billy goat
Now, Billy, he would say, Eye needn't
be altered Faix thare's room on tn raft
fur you en- yer wife. If yen only kape
still an not be buckin' yen not be drowned
like thin other billy goats"
at last the day memorable In the an
mails of Cooney Island came. The dawn
was murky and gloomy. Little Mike
arose with the sun and dropped softly
out Of the window. He was about to test
the raft to see II it was pondworthy.
He first took the billy down to the pond
and tied him to bush. The nanny fol-
lowed. The goslings were safely slowed
away in the boys pockets. where they
kept up an unavailing peeping against
the close confinement The dog went
along without any urging. The billy,
the nanny and the dog each had g corner
of the raft to itself. while the goslings
were granted the freedom of the deck.
The raft was propelled by long pole.
Out into the muddy waters of the pond
Mickey urged the raft. while the crow
few around in wide circles overhead
The raft fioated and behaved beautifully.
It rode the troubled waters like Mrs.
McGee's drake. The floating domestic
menagerie was getting along swimmingly
until that notorious gossip, Mrs. Murphy,
looked out of the kitchen window and
saw the raft. She uttered yell Of ter
ror and exclaimed:
"God save usI there's that larrup
Mickey Finn hoatin' around on q big
boord wild goats an dogs; an phwst's
thin little yaller things on tn boordf
Musha, but thare's goslingsI Run. Paddy.
an tell his mother"
In less than five minutes all the resi-
dents of the island were on the margin of
the pond. including the elder Firms. Mrs.
Finn was in a paroxysm of fear lest her
son should be drowned, while her hus-
band contented himself with brandishing
stout hickory stick In Mickeys direc-
ton, and threatened to use it il he did not
"stheer tn boat ashore"
In the meantime the sluice gate of the
pond had been lifted in order to relieve
the dam Of too much pressure. The raft
swung around into the current made BY
the sucking sluice gate The dog began
to howl and tug at his cord. The goslings
ran hither and thither upon the raft, and
their feeble peeping wrung Mrs. Firms
heart with anguish.
"Ahl wsrra, werral me goslin's Il 60
down tn mill racei"
All 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 the
shore on which his parents were standing
The water was falling rapidly. and the
raft caught upon post Before little
Mike could release his ark from its pre-
carious position it began to slant alarm
ingly. The dog became alarmed, and