Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-07-08
MICKEY FINN'S TRAGEDY.

s1UnllIk tilIOttr5il bii'5 otlID III DtilfN
FOODS on Cooney Island near the upper
kft hand corner Of Stuinpy Field All
iay long the rays Of the August sun had
beaten down on the dry grasses and
in0Opng wild flowers in the field. The
dir was trcmulous with heat, and the
vide expanse Of landscape which could
Be seen fro1n the lack stoop Of the Finn
;hanty showed no sign Of life. A lazy
butterfly with gaudily painted wings
soated hither and thither on the zephyrs
yhich drifted out from Lindsley's wood
A great humble bee nestled in the
made Of the leaves Of the sweetbriar
lush close by the sftanty, from which it
fitted moment afterward as though
genting greater sweets within, and
Hghted on the rubicund nose of Mrs.
Finn. There was pause like that be-
fore a storm. Tn re was swipe of the
big red arm, blow of the big fat fist
nthe side of the glowing beak. but the
bee had skipped.
1t was no uncertain memory which
the bee had left behind upon that pro-
boscis. Little by little the nose swelled
to enormous proportions, and by the
time that Mrs. Finn had reached the
cracked mirror in her dingy bedroom
the swelling had spread to her cheeks,
her eyes, her long double jointed ears,
and to that huge cavern which she called
her mouth.
SOW. WOW! Militia murther!" she
screamed, as she caught sight of her
4 phiz in the glass. At that moment the
i humble bee came buzzing around her
4 head again. Driven wild by the pain in
her nose, Mrs. Finn shot out her fist at
1 rlndom and struck the looking glass
4 square in the middle. There was a crash,
scream and a gush of blood. She had
4 cut the artery in her wrist. She tainted,
and before she came to she had bled to
4 death.
4 The humble bee buzzed on.
III
i The wind soughed an extra sough
i through Lindsleys wood and the water
! in the pond seemed troubled and wept.
4 Nature mourned She little knew what
sad old time she was going to have or
she would have got right up and howled
4 Mr.. Finn came ambling in a zigzag
fashion towards the shanty He had been
4 iquidating at Mullen's GROCERY He
had suspicious looking tin can in his
hand, which he set down carefully near
Mickey's pansy blossoms. Then he smiled
not with ghoulish glee, but with salts
faction born of the hope that the old
4 Billy would meet his just deserts by and
by. The old man turned his giddy foot
steps into the shanty.
. Again the wind soughed a mighty,
mighty sough. These soughs don't cost
. cent. and are only put in to fill up the
i time until Mr.. Finn gets into his bedroom
4 and throws off his jumper. He saw his
i spouse upon the floor, but he did not give
4 her a second thought, concluding, natu-
] rally, that she had only one of her old
4 time jags on.
''Phere the diyil is that bye" he cried,
1 starting for the door. He was greeted
by an avalanche of bees that had been
summoned by the bumbler They made
fierce onslaught upon the old man, but
the liquor in his brain gave him an ar
tifeial courage to fight the foe. He struck
out wildly in every direction, but the
bees had come to stay and sting
And they did sting,
In an instant the old mans face was
pulled up ont of ali recognition, and his
hands were rs big rs hams. He stag
gered back to the bedroom. and just as
the wind i'll Lindsloy's wood twisted an
extra sough out Of Il large green bough
be tell across the PROSTATE form Of his
wife.
In a moment he had joined the adult
angels. The couple had been united in
life, such as it had been, and the exor-
4 dunn of tate was complete-they were
united in death.
And the bees hummed a requiem out
side the cottage.
Over the brow of Il hill gamboled the
old Billy. He had long cherished deer
sea green hatred for Mrs O'Brien, and
he was going to haveit ont. He saw her
chopping wood near her shanty. Her
I back was toward him. His eyes SllSt-
ened. He lowered his head until hi;
long beard trailed on the ground, ano
made rush for the enemy.
When Mr.. O'Brien came home tina
night he found his wife dead, with al
ak handle sticking through her dla
phragln.
HE jacet!
The schoolmaster was the next 10 eros
the path of the infatuated goat. Now
alas! the old pedagogue is sitting on
damp cloud, Green's grammar III HI
hand, Mickey Firms we'll thumbed \ B {
book in his nip pocket, and heavenl.
smile ON his face.
Gone, hut not forgotten" q, W. G
Little Mickey. the angel of the Fin
aearthstone, came gayiy tripping along
Shaded pathway in Lindsley's wood a
NAT moment there was fearful soug
the green fingers of the big pine, an
premomtion of approaching disaste
Entered his little heart as he made COW
COY tracks for home
Poor little Mickey.
lie sat on the side of his little trundl
ed' looking at his pulled mp parents
mi small tear tricklcd down his 81
I little nose, like IA drop of dew on squash
he realized that he was an orphan.
10 his childish mind the desulatlo
was complete. and be saw no reason Il
Msg1ns longer on tho blue mold