The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-07-25
MICKEY FINH'S CANAR|ES.

InClc Wtlt III
the landscape of Cooney Island that
Spring had come. The fields were
beginning to blush with 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 Finn's cabin,
and his wife placed wooden pail in
position in the kitchen to catch the
drip, drip which had been making its
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 rain?
| dunno will it ever stop! Shure my
Mickcy'll be drowned through an
through, an sorra dhry stitch have | t
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
entered aud regaled himself on the
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 stovc-lifter in her hand, Mrs.
Finn exclaimed:
'.Oh, We thafe's breed, ye! Ye dirty,
greedy divvic. l declare t me good.
ness yc'd stale tn holes out iv a flute.
Bad sess t TIL bit will ye get this
noght 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 rain? Shure
we're soaked to tn skim, an yell catch
ye're death o cowldr'
While being relieved of his wet
clothing and robed in his fathers
trousers and vest, which gave him the
baggy appearance of a 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,
day?' asked Mrs. Finn.
Mother, dear, oh, mother, if ye only
seen thin wanst ye'd go t see thin
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 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 tn ould
mother bird does be feedin' thin little
bits O what she do be atm herself.
An tn oul father looked at me as much
as { say that | darn't 90 near thin.
FaiN, mother. I'd like t have wan O.
Thin little burds, but | can't earn any
more money wild my scroll saw because
its 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 burds? An dye know, mother.
that me fingers was itchin' t git hold
o wan o. thin. But says me little
PRAYER an tn divvle went ava. so he
| did. Mother, dear, would ye buy me
| wan o thin little birds?"
"Arrah. darlint, ashore, / can't 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 ye?'
Mother. dear" little Mike answer.
| ed, Pm very cowld, an me heads
| akin'-but the little yalia burds, moth
Ell! If We only seen thin! Dear. dear,
| but me back has the tooth ache. it's
akin me that hard! They feeds 'em