The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-07-11
MICKEY F|NN'S CANARIES.

mere were SIflkluS lnulcaClOnS IN
the landscape of Cooney Island that
Spring had come. The fields were
beginning to blush with a greenish
tinge of color. and the brooks were
swollen with melted snow. Mickey
Finn's goat was glad. Mrs. Finnegan's
goslins showed signs of qualification,
and the humble human dwellers in
the locality stood in their back doors
and looked off toward the south, as if
waiting for the advent of smiling May.
A gentle rain was falling upon the di-
lapidated roof of Michael Firms cabin,
and his wife placed a wooden pail in
position in the kitchen to catch the
drip, drip which had been making it's
way through the roof for the past two
hours. Then she proceeded to put
the ''praties" in the skillet. ready to
place on the fire. The cabbage had
to be cut up. too. and as Mrs. Finn
busted herself with the task she re-
marked:
''Oh, my; oh, my; isn't it awful rainP P
l dunno will it ever stop! Shure my
Mickey'll be dhrowned through an
through, an sorra dhry stitch have It
put an him when he comes home from
SCHOOL,"
1t occurred to the good woman that
she might find something dry for her
boy to wear in the old trunk which her
husband had brought from Ireland and
which lay in the only other room
which the cabin afforded, and thither
Mrs. Finn made her way. Mickey's
old grey goat, finding the good wo-
man absent from the kitchen, quietly
IL L..
head of cabbage which Mrs. Finn had
cut up short time before to put in
the pot along with the bacon for sup
per. Breaking upon the goats repast
with a stove-lifter in her hand, Mrs.
Finn exclaimed:
''Oh, We thafe's breed, We! Ye dirty,
greedy divvle. declare t me good
ness ye'd stale tn holes out iv flute.
Bad sess t tn bit will ye get this
noight for the thrick."
The goat retired very slowly, but
when his horns had been turned away
from her Mrs. Finn materially assisted
his progress with shove. As she was
about to close the door Mrs. Finn saw
Mickey coming through the rain.
With uplifted hands and with an ex-
preston of horror on her face, Mrs.
Finn said:
"Och. Mickey, Mickey, why did ye
sthav out in that wet rainP Shure
we're soaked to tn skim, an yell catch
ye're death o. cowld!"
While being relieved of his wet
clothing and robed in his fathers
trousers and vest, which gave him the
baggy appearance of scarecrOw, little
Mike told his mother that on his way
home from school he had gone to
Peter Dolan's house to see the canar-
les.
"But, in the name of Finn McCOol,
why didn't We wait till some sunshiny
day?' asked Mrs. Finn.
Mother. dear, oh, mother, if ye only
seen thin wanst ye'd go t see thin
again, rain or shine, SO ye would;
they're that purity. Two O the pretti-
est little yalla birds that iyer ate grass
seed! Pether has thin in big cage
on tn wall, so he has, an We has t get
ON a laddher t. see thin. An mother,
dear, shure they has four weeny weeshy
little burds, all covered wild soft, yalla
wool, an they cheep an cherrup at tn
ould father an mother for all tn world
just like little babies. An TIL ould
mother bird does be feedin' thin little
bits o. what she do be atm 'herser.
An tn oul father looked at me as much
as t. say that l darn't go near thin.
Faix, mother, I'd like t have wan O.
thin little burds, but l can't earn any
more money wild my scroll saw because
it's bruk. Pether put me up on tn
laddher t. look at thin. an when
was up tn divvle says t me: Mickey,
ply don't you sthale wan O. thin little
yalla burdsP An dye know. mother,
that me fingers was itchin' t git hold
O. wan o. thin. But says me little
prayer an tn diyvle went AVA. 50 he
did. Mother, dear. would ye buy me
wan o thin little birdsP"
"Arrah, darlint, ashore, l cant buy
We wan now, but wait till we sell tn
chickens, an I'll thry thin"
When little Mike drew near to the
stove and huddled down close to the
CRATE trying to get warm, and after
ward he could eat no supper, his moth
er knew that something was wrong.
Placing her hand upon the boys shoul-
der, she said:
"Asthore, macree, what ails YEP
Mother, dear" little Mike answer
ed. Pm very cowld, an me heads
akin'-but the little yalla burds. moth
er! If We only seen thin! Dear. dear,
but me back has the tooth ache, it's
akin ME that hard! They feeds 'em
whate an oats an bread crumbs. o.,
dear! me head is Dustin, so ties. I'm
sheverin' an 1 can't get warrum.
Shure, if had wan O. thin yalla-"
"Niver moind the burds, Mickey.
you're sick. Ye got yer fate wet an
We hev' yer back load o cowld now.
But niver moind, acushla, I'll soon fix
ye. I'll soak yer fate in hot wather
an mustard, so l will. Ye shall have
a dhrop O hot dhrink. Whin ye'ro in
bed I'll cover We wild me warrum fan.
MIN petticoat, ashore. Yell be bet
ther in tn mornin'."
But when Mr.. Finn came home in
the evening he was sent off in haste
after '.Dr. Chorker. the doctor as ain't
hazard on tn poor" as MIR. Finn said.
For little Mike had q high tsxsr spd