Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-24
MRS. FINN SOLD TT.

MhN. FINN SULD IL.
Hey, farmer, do We want t buy goatTn
shouted Mrs Finn, as she stood in the door Of
her shanty, Farmer Deyo, who was sitting
on his wagon seat and driving along the Old
Point road drew rein and replied:
What kind of a goat Is it!'
It's big billy, and n kinder, more pace
Die animal We niver seen. Fax, he'll ate out
o Yer hand, so he will He's as big as calf
en- its broken till harness, he is He'll make
] mighty foine horse fur yer little by, IL We
one, an If not ye might use him fur
hllin, turnips Musha, but he'd drag a
.s.Fon load o turnips up steep hill an
divi a whip ye'd be afther usin' on him at
ALL
Glow much will you take for the goatf" |
said for the farmer
We'll, III take it out in thrade Gi' me a |
bushel o turnips and two bushels O. potatys
an cabbage or two an tn goats yours
Farmer Deyo reflected moment and then
he concluded the bargain by carving the
produce into the shanty and dumping it in
one corner upon the floor.
wow, where's the goat :" said he.
Here he is in the yard Nv by Mickey
i9obled him this mornin' so he wouldn't be
ruanin' wild In tn road. He was afeerd TIL
wagons might run over him an break his
legs He's that quiet and like lamb he
wouldn't get out iv TIL wa whin he seen
wagon comm Deed he wouldn't sir
me Dig gray bearded billy was tied in the
backyard with a stout piece of clothes line,
ny walking around the stake TO which no was
Port 20 ,-r1n Ia l.
h1 I'D : - 30 rope around the stake so that
,..pro -stiillly six feet of play. As the farmer
cStSNfsched the goat eyed him with a certain
degree of mistrust. SO plainly did suspicion
Turk IN the eye of the animal that glimmer
of the goats real character began to dawn on
the farmer
Did | understand you to say that the goat
was Eentlei' said he to Mrs. Finn
Faith, you did, sir. Has as harmless as a
suckin' baby"
Emboldened by this assurance the farmer
approached the goat with conciliatory ges-
ture and a turnip in his hand Evidently the
the billy was not hungry that gladstone Au-
gust afternoon, for when the farmer stag
gered to his feet with cut in the back of his
head, caused by violent contact with the
ground, the turnip still remained in his
grasp. The farmers blood was up now, for,
aided as he was by the rope which confined
the goat by q skillful movement he threw
the animal upon the ground and sat upon his
BODY, while Mrs Finn tied his legs. Then
y the poor billy was ANONYMOUSLY carried by
the farmer and Mrs. Finn TO the wagon. As
the farmer drove away the children of the
neighborhood gathered round the shanty,
and in hushed WI s1ers said:
'Nhat will NJ key say when he comes
home an his goat i, gonel'
Aye, what indeed This was the thought
that occurred to Mrs Finn as the faint and
dolorous ms-a-a-ing Of the billy died away
In the distance. She tried to console herself
by calling 10 recollection the many insults
she had suffered al the horns of the frisky
billy. But even these irritating thoughts
could not drive away the knowledge that her
boy would be heartbroken when be learned
of his loss And so, as a proptiatory offer
Ing, she decided to boil two duck eggs for his
supper and to give him saucerful of rasp-
berry jam. Even after making this resolu-
ton Mrs. Finn put on her bonnet and started
out in pursuit Of the wagon in order to bring
the goat back. But when she reached the
first elevation in the road she caught a. fleet
ing glimpse o. the wagon disappearing in a
cloud Of dust, and during the remainder of
the afternoon those baleful words kept ring
ing in her ears:
What will Mickey sayF'
Never had an afternoon seemed so long to
Mrs Finn 4 dozen times she went to the
door and looked anxiously down the road for
the appearance OF her boy. So restless did
she become that she ran across the street to
get some consolation Scarcely, however,
had she told the story to her friend than
Mrs. O'Brien exclaimed:
"What will Mickey sayi-
The shadows We're leugthening-iu the val
ley when little Nike came up the road wills
ting and swinging his books. His mother met
him at the door with a smile OF more than
usual kindness
would We loike little swatsrnatesT said
she
"Woald duck swim he replied, licking
his lips.
Mrs. Finn watched her boy narrowly while
he ate the dainty He had scarcely consumed
half the dish when Jack Doolan burst into
the shanty and exclaimed
Your goats gomez
"Where" said little Mike, stsrtingup il
alarm
Away off Z Caiforny, l guess. A maj
TUX MIN in a wagon
You 50 home I yer mother, Jack Doolan
Tn goats only gone / Hurley said Mrs
Finn, moving toward Jack with threaten
ing gesture
Mickey left the dish of preserves, and wen
out into the yard to satisfy himself that tn
III tidings were true. Then he went to be-
and refused to be comforted. The moo
came up and looked in at the window, an.
little Mike lay with wide open eyes 'ookin
at 1t, and wondering how far it was to Hur
ley. He had a dim perception that the vii
iage was far toward the setting sun.
he heard his mother and father retire 70
the night and then an idea came to him
Softly he arose and put on his clothes The
he listened until the heavy breathing of hi
parents satisfied him that they were asleer
Five minutes later he was out in the roa
with his face turned toward the Catsli
mountains. Hurley, the Mecca of his hope
was seven miles away, but he didn't know
He had vague idea that that old Dutch vi
lage was very far indeed toward the sunse
and he had resolved to go there. He ran ii
he was out Of breath; then he walked
while.
II seemed 10 lis boyish fancy as he locke
up into the heavens that the angels must hav
been sprinkling the sky with golden marble
the stars were 50 thick, and as be went tt
katydids sang their nocturnal songs for hin
and the tree toads chirped never so loud
before He whistled little while, but Il
silence Of the brooding night oppressed hi
so that he could not quicker his lips II
lights of Kingston came into view He ra
through the deserted streets, only stoppin
once to ask man when be met:
mister, where's HurleyT'
why. sonny Hurley is miles ava
You're not going there tonight, are 20
It's II O'Clock now
Eyes, sir, am goin' afther my billy goat
do You know that it is very lone
roadn
"Well, sir, I'll not be long gettin' thar
An wbin I'm comm back III hav' tn bill
goat wild me, an he's mighty handy wild /
horns, sir"
soon after receiving the necessary dire
lions little Mike came out upon the road
which the British soldiers went during t
Revolutionary war to attack Hurley. T
lights OF Kingston were left behind him, t
houses became scattered and Mickey's hea
began to quake within him. Farmers do
along the road ran out and barked at hi
and painting with his exertions, weary a,
footsore, ne reached the village at l ofcIoc
tie was faint and exhausted, and he sat doy
upon the steps of the quaint little villa
church to rest The sheen of moonlight L
on the meadows all around him and like m