The Meeker herald., 1889-02-02
MICKEY FINN'S RAFT.

tuhx uiist winch gave utpfuaa'si inoA 's
the landscape The tree, In Lindsey,
wood dipped rain. and the two sir.am,
whic, fed Browns pond wcr, changed
from ,riekling silver riVui.ts Into roar
Ing. muddy ,urrcnts. tearing madly along
oei~ocn their banks
MIc,.y Films taIna cro~ refused TO 10
out Of doors. even when urged to do -
BY Mrs Hnu's broom. bat Fat moplDg ana
eroalsins hoarsely under the stove. TIL,
.hrro iliil, yellow gusiings pcopoi plain
lively. aud lid under tho doorstep, bal
tho bclli,,vnnt billy goat came out Of hi'
barrel aud stood In tho rain. N though ~
defiance Of tho element, Mr., linn -.
markell ono day that she hoped lao would
got the ''n.wnionys.' which rcriarl. let
sou thought unes.llei Tor aud uaneecssA'
riiy so,erv
Whether tho flood at Cooney Island sug
e-~i-i II. or whether I, was deliberate
attempt TO ineulerio a little biblical ~
we'll AZ proisno history Into the minds Of
!, las pupils. Is a matter OF no Importance
A. any rate. Mr. tlahariy. tic p"tnrons
siij superficial teacher Of tho lit,!o nd
fshoo.hous. under tho hlll. mad tho story
Of tho d-lgsr Ia his pupils ono afternoon.
among whom was Mickey Hua
Little Alike was profoundly Impressed
with III. story "a he wss All imAgins
tive boy. be lay In hls lIltlo truEdlg bed
ri night listening to tic l..tier OF the
rain upon the roof. and saw Ia fancy that
Frst unrainiy ark Heating upon tho
waters lilo p.s;prd to hin.s.ls siiem.
.lam ani JHpic,. pccEin.; nIxiuuaiy ou,
Of tho windows IN search Of tho land. and
To tho ears Of hi, fancy enms tho b.saiin!.
ol n nanny Eoai aud the lowing OF a COW
II hapI-acI tia; tho teacher said moth
In; Ia Ills scholars about tho bow tgt In
tho heaven, a. a sign that th-r- should ~
no nor, iool. and 40 Mickey. rclaoain:
that tho earth. and especially cooary
Island. VAS 10 to Inundated. began TO
think about sotap means Of dcllycrsne-
~ ,Fosb.cl dii hs l.renm. over tho
siom-n;ogs question that Ill, mother
noticed h.s abstraction She feared that
her by vas going TO 10 vi san ia,
tLousht Of how 10 Havo hi, mother and
father and the animal, from IL. ,hrst
-n-si destruction stuck 10 Ein Ike bur
dock a; last. after hearing from Jark
holan acme Incidents Ia the siv-aturou,
lifo Of Robinson Cr'is0c. Au idea came TO
him lie .ould build raf,i
u can make out % tho rail, In III
Sunny H-.! lnc-.' said 10 10 himself.
Tho id.a ,lesl-.i lila. ~ much ,ha; he l.,
Fan dancing \ Iis la hls mothers newly
srrubL-d k.,ohci,. anil .ho baN.i his ,ars
saa ecnt hin. down cellar To chop tou.o
Wool Hero 10 conhdci his rei,-iro to
tbs nanny ga, with ali shmoul,ory sinks
ot tin head that -l.p was 10; 10 tell ANY
saSo 10 ss.. her and II. ,hrs" r,slliss' ba;
tho CROW could 'ako carr Of himself. ID,
kasc he had vings
Mickey decided to keep lila scheme a
profound secret from every one. not even
jack h-l!an VAS to know u until tho raft
hal l-~n completed and ia, Good began
Ia o,ias Ia q; tho kiirh.n door
Although ii,l, Mix. ~.s possessed Of
r,sre .! IL. fg-,ogrr.s Of eivlilsEiioa than
fell to ia. 10; Of Sir Soah. tho ark
baild.r. ,iill La wss hzmpcfci Ly til,
n~c-s,i'y for tscrcy Mad ~ tsrcr day .
passed before the rzfi ~.s hnlahySl
Mickey ricaAurc-! tho raft With q top
cnrd. aud iurnb IL Ia h. two ruhits Ia
i-n.;h at;i ono eubii md q span in width.
although lie did go, h.suro seu.nIin. TO
licbruw nc,ho-,s
80 pleased VA, Mickey with ,h. sYec.ss
81 lila undertaking tia; IL wAs only by
tho r.ont hurrEi-an efforts tia, l.. 10
s'ruiE-! tho secret within hts bosom
There vcrv his parents uncousciou, OF
co,.iins danger. and hu had tho u.,ans of
saving thvin from = terrible !a;c lilo
orly relief he hal WA daily comnuaiou
with tho hill, Foat
Now. billy. Lc would nv. ''yc rcctin :,
b. af~-ri Fsi. ;hsrps MON on til raj,
fur You nm yer wife II ,cll only kaIc
ALL! an not H. bu~kln yc u tao, 10 drowLcs,
like thin other Tally goats.
~ last the day tactuouhlo la tho an.
nails of toou-y lsland same III. dawn
vns mursy and gloomy Littio Mikc
srvsc With tho sun and dropped soi,iy
out 81 tho window lie W., about Ia ties,
tho raft To $50 u l, was t-1u,lwurthy
llc frs, took tho billy down 10 tho pond
md Tied lin 10 e bush Tho nanny FOL.
lowed Tho EusllnEs wcru safely slowed
ser' up al uI,ayailiag re-ping nsalnH,
tho oiusn confinement Tho dog wen,
along without; an: urging THIS billy
tho nanny aud tho dog each hrd a corner
u tho raft to fsp,f, whllc tho gu-slinys
wcrU granted tho freedom of ia. dccl,
Tho rnf, was propelled by long POLE
Out Into tho muddy water, u tho POND
Mickey urged tho raft, while tho crow
Tow around In wide circles overhead
The raft Heated and behaved beautifully
II r,-ic. tho troubled waters like Mrs
MetIcos drake Tho floating domcsii,
tncnaCrrio was Cctting along swimmlurl,
vn,N that notorious gossip. Mrs Murphy
looked cat OF the kitchen window an.
raw tho rnft. Shc uttered a yell Of ter
TOR and exclaimed:
God ,avo usi there's tina. larru
Mickey Finn foa,in' around on n III
boori wild goats an dogs. an plwa,
thin little ynllcr things on tn bcorl
Ma.hn, but th.ros gosiingsi Run. radd,
an toll his mother"
In less than I've minu.cs all tho res
dcuts Of tho island wcrc on the margin q
tho pond. including tho elder Firms. Mr.,
linn was In a paroxysm Of fear lcst he
ron should DO drowned. whilo her hu,
band conicntcd himself with brandishin
astout hickory stick In Mickcy's diro,
ton. md threatened TO use II " ho did M
''sthecr tn boat ashore"
In tho meantime the sluicc cato OF IL
pond had bcan lifted In order to rcliey
the dam OF too much pressure. Tho rai
swung around into the current made
tho sucking sluicc gate, Tho dog bcga
to howl md tug at his cord. The goslinl
ran hither and thi,hcr upon tho raft, an
their feeble I.scping ~rung Mrs. Finn
heart with anguish.
''Ahi wcrra, wcrral me goslin's n g
down tn mill rnce!"
All the time Mickey va working wi,
all his might with the polo. and a, la.
succssded In getting the raft out of ID
current Encouraged by his mother
plcadinRs and frightened by his father
threats. he polcd the raft toward III
shore on which his parents wcro standing
The water WAS falling rapidly, aud I'll
raft caught upon post Before littl
Mike could release his ark from Its pr,
.sarioua rspaittnu n h.uan "a, slant ulur,,