The Somerset reporter., 1889-05-09
SELECTED.
MICKEY fINN'S RATHER.


MICKEY FiNN'S RATHER.
The air surrounding Cooney Island pal
| plated with fervent heat Parchcd AM
dry, the blades of grass in Stumpy FielC
gave up their juices to the thirsty air
| The leaves in Liudsleys woods wer,
stirred by no refreshing breeze, and dust
| lay six inches deep on the Old Point road
| Even the sweet briar bush which stood OF
the shady side OF the Finn shanty hung
its blooming cups and longed for the re
| freShing dew. In all the wide eXpanst
of landscape which could be seen from
the back ST. OPP of the shanty, there was
no sign of life save the drowsy hum of
bees, and here and there butterfly
spreading its golden sails in the sunlight
Mrs. Finn formed a charming picture
as she sat in her husbands arm chair,
Just inside the kitchen door. 1t was uni
vcrsally acknowledged that she was the
handsomcst woman on the island. Hell
complexion was clear, and her cheeks
Just tingcd with red like the cheek of an
Ok heart cherry. Now her long black
lashes hid tue gray blue eyes, and her
strong, we'll knit hands lay in her lap,
which was covered with an apron fresh
from the ironing board. Mrs. Finn was
tired. She had scrubbed the floor, black
ened the stove, washed the dishes, ironed
her husbands two flannel shirts, and,
luled by the somnolence in the air, she
had dropped asleep. The muscles of
her face contracted as an inqulsitlve fly
lit upon her cheek, but the buZAing OF the
bumplc bee, which Numbered in at the
H.. linn I..r
There was no kindly spirit to warn the
| -.l,-.,ia.. ula,pau- of cnlnip1- dannet. Yet
death in a hideous and revolving form
was lurking in the grass within 100 feet
of the shanty.
just across the dusty road from the
shantv. in the interstices of stone wall
and hidden by the long grass which grew
upon either side, there was rattle>nake :
nest The old he rattlesnake was five
feet long, and its body was covered with
beautiful arabesque markings. Many and
narrow had been the escapes of this rep
tile from its pursuers. Mike Firms SOW
had bitten of two of the snakes rattcs
when the sow had encountered the snake
one morning before breakfast, and now
he reptiles sinister rattle was not as
loud as it had been. On this particular
morning the snake had made its way out
into the road and lay in the sand enjoying
the heat.
Mike Clancy drove lazily along behind
his canal mule. Under the canvas in the
body of the wagon lay 200 herring, which
Nike was pediling out to the housewives
Of Cooney Island, When the horse
| reached the vicinity of the snake the rep
tile raised its ophidan head and Missed,
| The mule stopped and refused to pro-
coed Mike did not see the snake, and SO
he whipped the mule in "A cruel manner
| but it only raised up on its hind legs and
threatened to fall hack upon she wagon
God save ye. Molly, no wondher W
wouldn't 90 wan whin We had dhirty
RATHER forninst We. But I'll fix him !"
said Mike, jumping from the wagon and
throwing huge stone at the snake. Inc
mule turned quickly around and ran
down the road at canter, spilling the
herring along the highway. Mike forgot
all about the snake, and started In pur-
suit, bewaiing his luck.
"Faix," said he " dunno is snakes or
mcnles tn worst =
In the meantime the RATHER had slid
across the road and up the green bank
into the yard of the Finn shanty Here
an old hen saw the crawling snake.
Clucking an alarm to her brood, the hen
ruilied the feathers on her neck and called
away her brood from the danger.
The tame crow now made its appear
ance, hopping around the corner of the
shanty. Its quick eye espied the RATHER
The crow uttered hoarse, discordant
croak, and flew up on the fence. While
the snake moved across the yard in pur-
suit of the young chickens the crow fol
lowed along the top board of the fence,
Several times during the transit the snake
raised its head with warning hiss at the
CROW, but the bird only cooked Its head
on one side and croaked its disapproval
of the whole proceedings.
Whether it was the smell of the steam
rising from the cabbage in the pot upon
the stove, or whether it was fear of the
crow which caused the snake TO crawl
over the doorstep and into the shanty
will probably never be known. However,
with sinuous gliding motion and with
glittering eyes the snake entered the
kitchen. just as it arrived In front of
Mrs Finn, who was still sound asleep IN
her chair, fly lit upon Mrs, Firms NOSE.
| With an involuntary movement she lifted
her hand to brush OF the Insect. The
snake, evidently regarding the movement
as a hostile one, gently shook its rattles,
and, fattening its head coiled its body in
an attitude preparatory to striking.
Its head was raised two feet from the
floor, and its eyes, shining like black jew
els. were fastened upon the sleeping
woman But she was all unconscious OF
the reptiles nearness. Her hand fell
again to It's original position in her lap,
her face assumed the quiet of repoSe, and
she was again or into dreamland. The
snake swayed back and forth, slowly I'M
coiled itself, and resumed its way toward
the stove.
Just at this time the crow made its APP
pearance in the doorway. IL croaked a
harsh protest against the snakes inva-
sion, aud, jumping on the stove hearth,
peered around until she discovered the
snake under the stove. The snake lay
perfectly quiet upon the oilcloth, the bees
hummed in the meadow outside, and the
butterflies flashed in the sunlight just as
they had done before Mrs. Finn had
dropped asleep in her chair.
1t will be necessary to tell, In order
that the reader may thoroughly appre-
ciate the situation, that Mickey Finn had
gone out in the vicinity of the Devil :
lake that'morning with his fathers dinner
pail and his mothers two quart molasess
pail in search of raspberries. He was re-
turning up the Old Point road with the
pals both filed with fruit when he met
his friend Jack Doolan. Doolan carried
with him a five cent tirecracker, which
had somehow escaped being exploded on
the Fourth Of July.
Little Mike offered Doolan small mud
turtle about the size of silver dollar,
which he carried In his trousers pocket,
In exchange for the cracker, but Doolan
refused the Offer.
81 don't want none o. yer ould mud tur-
ties" said Doolan; but II yen gi' me
wan o. thin pals full o berries I'll ri ys
tn cracker"
Mickey demurred to this proposal, but
Doolan dilated on the wonderful proper
ties OF the cracker and how it would
elbow a tomato can up agin tn sky" and
at last the bargain was contaminated.
The berries we're poured out into boo
lans hat. and while he ate them by the
handfuls. little Mike examined one end
Of the cracker with an old jack knife to
see how much powder there was In It.
Then he resumed his homeward way
wondering how high the cracker woul,
hln~ thu Tn rtle II the animal were nlaraf