Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-01-23
MICKEY FINN'S RAFT.


7line mist which gave depressed look to
the landscape The trees in Lindsleys
wood drpped rain. and the two streams
which fed Browns pond were changed
from trckling silver rivulets into roar.
ng muddy torrents. tearing madly along
between their banks
Nicxy Finn $ tame crow refused to 90
mi of doors even when urged to do SO
bv Mrs Finn broom, but sat moping and
croaling hoarsely under the stove The
three little yellow goslngs peeped plain
lively and hid under the doorstep but
the beligerent billy goat came out of his
barrel and stood in the rain, as though Ia
defiruce of the elements Mrs Finn re-
marked one day that she hoped he would
get the 'uewmouy which remark her
son thought uncalled for and unnecessa-
rilv severe
Whether the food at Cooney Island sug-
rested it, or whether it was a deliberate
attempt to incucate little biblical as
well as profane history into the minds of
his pupils, is a matter of no Importance
At any rate. Mr. Flaherty the pompous
and superficial teacher of the little red
schoolhouse under the hill. read the story
of the delnge to his pupils one afternoon,
among whom was Mickey Finn
Little NlIh6 was Impressed
with the story AS he was an magina.
tive boy, he lay in his little trundle bed
at night listening to the patter of the
rain upon the roof, and saw in fancy that
great unGainly ark floating upon the
waters lie pictured to himself Shem,
Ham and Japhet, peering anXiously out
of the windows in search of the land, and
to the ears of his fancy came the bleating
of nanny goat and the lowing of cow
1t happened that the teacher said moth.
ing TO his scholars about the bow set In
the heavens us sign that there should be
no more Ie". ....I 80 Mickey, reasoning
that the earth, and especially Cooney
Island. was to be inundated, began to
think about some means of deliverance
So troubled did he become over the
momentous question that his mother
noticed his abstraction. She feared that
her boy was going to be i'll Still the
thought of how to save his mother and
father and the animals from the threat
ened destruction stuck to him like bur
dock At last, after hearing from Jack
Doolan some incidents in the adventurous
life of Robinson Crusoe, an idea came to
him lie would build raftl
II can make it out O the rails in tn
Stumpy Field Gnce, said he to himself
The idea tickled him so much that lie be-
gan dancing jig in his mothers newly
scrubbed kitchen, and she boxed his ears
and sent him down cellar to chop some
wood Here he contided bis scheme to
the nanny goat with an admonitory shake
OF the head that she was not to tell ANY
wan. not even tn billy" lie would DO
sure to save her and the three goslins, but
the crow could take care of himself, ''be.
ka5e he had wings
Mickey decided to keep his scheme a
profound secret from every one not even
Jack Dooan was to know it until the raft
had been completed and the flood began
to come in at the kitchen door
Although little Mike was possessed of
more of the resources of civilization than
fell to the lot Of MIR Noah. the ark
builder, still lie was hampered by the
necessity for secrecy And so three days
passed before the raft was finished.
Mickey measured the raft with a top
cord, and found it to be two cubits in
length and one cubit and a span in width
although he did not figure according to
Hebrew methods
So pleased was Mickey with the success
OF his undertaking that it was only by
the most herculean efforts that he re
strained the secret within his bosom
There were his parents, unconscious of
coming danger, and he had the means of
saving them from terrible fate The
only relief he had was daily communion
with the billy goat
Now, Billy, he would say, "ye needn't
be Altered FaiX thare's room on tn raft
fur you an yer wife If yen only kape
stu an not be buckin yell not be drowned
like thin other billy goats
AT last the day memorable in the an
nails of Cooney Island came The dawn
was murky and gloomy Little Mike
arose with the sun and dropped softly
out of the window lie was about to test
f IN raft to see if it was. pondworthy
lie first took the billy down to the pond
and tied him to bush The nanny fol
lowed The goslings were safely slowed
away In the boys pockets. where they
Kept up an unavailing peeping against
the close confinement. The dog went
along without any urging The billy,
inc nanny and the dog each had corner
OF the raft TO itself, while the goslings
were granted the freedom of the deck
Inc raft was propelled by a long pole
out into the muddy waters of the pond
mickey urged the raft, while the crow
n I, around in wide circles overhead
Ihe raft tloated and behaved beautifully
~ rode the troubled waters like Mrs
Nic1ees drake The floating domestic
menagerie was getting along swimmingly
until that notorious gossip Mrs Murphy,
looked out of the kitchen window and
saw the raft. She uttered yell of ter
ror and exclaimed
God save usl there's that larrlp
hhck(ey Finn foatin around ON a big
uoord wild goats am dogs an pbwai S
t9lm little yaller things on tn Loord,
aqsha' but thare's goslngsl Run, Paddy
an tell his mother"
IN less than five minutes all the resi-
uehts of the island were on the margin ~
rue Ii pond including the elder Firms Mrs
INN was in paroxysm of fear lest her
SoH should be drowned while her nus
Oand contented himself with brandisling
estout hickory stick in Mickeys direc
. ION ana threatened to use it if he did not
SIheer tn boat ashore"
III the meantime the sluice gate of the
Pond had been lifted in order to relieve
sio Jam OF too much pressure The raft
Uh8 around into the current made by
t .n9 sucking sluice gate The dog began
~ h0Wi and tug at his cord The goslings
IN nither and thither upon the raft, and
heir ,'e.r Feeble peeping wrung Mrs Firms
Heart with anguish
a an vera. werral me goslins II go
uo"n tn mill racel"
AL the tin Mieke7 was working with
az MS might with the pole and al last
ouOoeeued in getting the raft out of the
current Encouraged 10y his mothers
pleadlngs and frightened by his father 5
snrcaIs he poled tine raft toward the
hi