Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1891-09-24
MICKEY PLAYS HOCKEY.

with the fsvent heat OF a day In July.
The hot air radlated up from the mead
ows aud the dusty road Ike heat from u
furnace. Even tho chickens sought the
shade of friendly trees, and the locus.s
lazily chanted their midsummer thren-
ody as Mickey Finn came down Murray
street with tattered geography, worn
spelling book and thumbed first reader
under his arm.
The boys face shone from It's recent
application Of soft sop and water, 30
that tho freckles stood out like spots Of
brick dust on either side OF his noee. He
had stone bruise on one Of his big toes.
and was forced to walk on ono heel As
he hmped along ths roadway, half a
mile away in the hazy perspective he
could SEQ the little red school house I'm
tho hollow, with It's monotosous sugges-
tions Of: "Can the dog -catch-the-cat2
Yes-tho-dog- g-can- cstch-the-cat."
In fancy he heard tho dreary iteration
Of the school room, and saw the blank
white walls speckled with paper spit
balls" He was bot and tired and dusty.
and his toe hurt. Tho truth was, that he
had asked Iris mother 10 permit him 10
stay away from school, and sho refused
to allow him TO do 30. Mrs. Fnn's at
tention had bccn pathetically drawn 10
the sore toe, and she had said that the
injured member would not hurt him any
moro at school than at home. And 80
tho boy looked cross and felt ugly to-
wards the distasteful "eddicashun," :"
which his mother forced upon him. AS
he limped along bis discontented way,
he looked Oft over tho meadow, and saw
the naples and pines in Andsey's wood
whispering to each other, as they waved
In tho breeze which blew fresh and cool
from tho Hudson river. Tbese vhis.
pers Mickey interpreted as coaxing invi-
0ions, which sounded to him as fol-
lows:
"Come, little Mike. md he under our
protecting branches! Hero you will find
tho tender birch bark and the Juicy sns-
safras root' Upon our shady hillocks.
hidden by glossy green leaves, hide the
red wintergrecn berries awaiting your
coming, The tree toad will sing his little
song for you, tho bubbling spring Is dis
tlling sparkling liquor for your thirsty
lips, and tho shady ooverts Of our sylvan
dells await your
With thcso enchanting voices In his ear
the temptation to play hockey was Q
strong ono. The tempter q men came
to him with the liquid melody ot birds,
the soft wodng Of Tutoring leaves. tho
rustic of the pines thin fingers. and the
gurgle of brooks. And as he stood
In tho dusty road and looked down into
tho hollow at tho sun beating fiercely
upon tho windows Of tho little red school
house, and realized how stiff g was the
air inside, what wonder that he hest
tated!
Then the reproachful face Of his mother
rose before him. AS little Mike loved
his mother and feared her rebuhe more
than he di1 her heavy hand, tho thought
of her grief impelled him onward to-
ward tho school. But no could not shut
out Of his mental sight tho picture Of the
cool paradise In the wood whero the
little lako rippled In the sunlight, and
whore, far below, ran tho wide reaches
Of tho Hudson river as it loitered TO the
sea. And in this enhancing picture his
mothers face was blottcd out as with .
sponge from the slate Of his mind; tho
school house was forgotten and no limped
eagerly up tho hillside toward tho stono
wall, to which clung the riotous Wild
raspberry bushes laden with fruit
Forgotten was the sore toe, lost sight Of
was the long, black strap hanging on the
kitchen wall, and left behind was the
dusty road and all the suggestions ot
work.
On arriving at tho summit Of the hill
little Mike turned IN his tracks and
looked down upon the school house.
he saw the master como 10 the door and
ring the bell, and his schoolmates scam
per like oorralled sheep into tho building
Then the door was shut and Mickey re-
allied that his sin was irrevocable. He
trembled, too, when he thought that he
would have to mako confession Of II to
the priest. But IL was too late to retrace
his steps. He was now In tho narrow
path leading to tho wood. He took of
his tattered cap and tho cool fingers Of
the breeze lifted tho hair from his fore
head. As he sat down on tho grass Q
striped ohipmunk stopped, palpitating,
on the stone wall, and litte Mikos fin-
gers itched for his bow gun. After hid
Ing bis books In tho stone wall and oov-
ering them with dead leaves no began
picking and eating raspberries until bis
bronzed checks were covered With tho
juices of tho fruit, The scens OF clover
blooms and fresh grasses made his nos
trils dilate, and while the birds sang to
him from the trees tho nodding butter
cups and daisies shook their heads at
him and seemed to say;
Little boy, you're playing hookey!"
When Mickey entered tho wood he Law
down upon tho brown needles at the
foot OF a Pine tree and wstsed the
butterflies fitting over him on yellow
wings. And as he lay there tho luxury
Of indolenco stole in upon his senses and
tho gentle soughing Of tho pines fell with
Q soothing influence upon his ear. The
drowsy hum of bees and the inarticulate
voices OF tho wood lulled him 10 sleep.
How long no lay chero Mickey could not
ten- He was rudeiy swakened by big
black ant. which had crawled up bis
trousers leg, and great yellow barry
caterpillar crossing tho bridge OF his
nose. AS he sat up and brushed away
these insects n cat bird In tree near by
began TO jeer at him with what 10
Mickey's excited fancy were the words: