Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-20
MICKEY FiNN 10 rHE RAT.


MS Parents and Their Kitchen Furniture
coin Him in a Game OF BALI
Prom the New York sun
A rubber overshoe Law in the aust Of the Old
FONT road in Coonoy Island. lts asofulncss
had long since departed. There was gazing
hole IN the heel Across the toe n cart wheel
had cut a wide cash. But Mickey Fian bounced
down uPor i, a. he returned from school Ikea
bat on June bug. II was Just what ne wanted
FOR the springy core Of hall His face shone
and his tiny fingers fairly ,remllcd with do
light as he brushed the dust from the welt with
the tail Of his coat and hurried hornerara with
his prize Il make an Irish nstiot al league
ball Wild Won afOre m going to bed this nigh
he muttered rs he entered lie shantv.
Mickey got the legs 81 pair % stockings with
which 10 make covering Tor his bau. These
ne unrayeled IN the sainc until there Nas q
iittle pale OF blae yarn upon the table. His
father watched him CLOSELY ~ he worsca
"Fwhats ths game o bail that all the Yam
KEGS are goin' crazy over" said he. Il bear
they re pawn min - 0i0 vear fur knockia'n
bail around a lot And the guare names ,hev
have IN base bill. too. Dye know iWhats
Hes little nagur dressed in soiti cIu.l -"
repiiea the boy, that they takes vI,h them ior
And fWhat's a rooter, / Dunno" asked Mr.
Finn.
We'll. he's fist man vid big mouth ana a
stovepipe hat as sits on tho iiace ana sueats by
all the hairs on Moll Kelly s. cat aud hy tho
hoiH poker n somebody don't AL the emf ire
he wall. 80 there
VIII We hold yer whist. We mau.herin' eo--
soon, interrupted air. Finn. 'and tell me
i"hat Is the erapire2 Is he a king
. tnith, he Is not. thin" SAID Mickcy but
list man rs stands behind lad VIII a CLAD In
his hand, and him wid biracace over has face
and wld hls two hands on his two ki.ccs. cock
ing his eve over the home plate and hn-glin'
IKE pedalin' tinker. Wan bali Wan sit he"
anu tne !ihe o That. Shurc. hess crate inan,
80 be as. Its him as loses the game"
"tAiX, can't make head nor tail OF fuhst
you re sGyin., Mickey" said Mr.. FINN. deeply
interested IN his sons talk That game o.
ball must be a tne game altogether"
Mickey did not reply for a minute He was
busy fastening the end OF the warn IN the out
side OF the ball. now completed. lie threw Il
up TO the ceiling ana an .Xuitant thrill ran
through his body a. his fingers closed about
the welding sphere. lmpelied by thai kindly
| feeling which sometimes prompts a generous
nature TO give Up some Of it, wealth OF kuowl-
edge 10 the ignorant he exclaimed:
We'll, father. q thry for "A week 90 tell Won
about base bailand thin you wouldn't knowanv-
thing about Il. But II ven move tins 'aile
back and put the lamp on the mantel Ill show
We the game"
Mr.. Finn readily complied. Tho table was
moved and the lamp laced ont of harms wav
Then Mickey took the four plates from the
the shape OF diamond. He used the coal acut-
tie Us a right fielder. and the wash basin vas
placed in the left held. The acrub brush re-
posed on Its back in center field. A lar of -oap
did duty as short stop. Then he went out into
the yard and returned with a fence picket which
he had whitfield in the shape OF y rude bat Has
mother had been watching these prcTaratious
with a good deal Of interest. Turning "a her
Mickey said:
Now, mother. you stand behind me and
catch bul 1 a IL H.. .alrrl.
Father will stand foIninst me aud patch Ike
Mickey WEIGH, dye see. and"
"Arrah, go to blRzes oat o that" said Mrs
Finn. I'm not going to shtand up ana make
target o meself fur yer father 10 be thrown
ould yarn at
Don't be foolish, Bddy dnrlint." exclaimed
Mr.. Finn in a conciliating tone. ''Shtaud up
there like good girl ana catch the bail IN Yer
| apron and don't be spilin' the game"
With much grumbIing and a little fear Mrs.
Finn took the place assigned her. Mickey
straddled the home stove plate. while the elder
Finn spat upon his hand and dug the ball into
his hip in the usual fashion. be was instructed
TO do by his youthful mentor. This action loos-
ened the end of the yarn. which fell loosely.
The door behind the pitcher Was wide open.
Vow. father, said Mickey, when all was in
| readiness, I'VE mustn't twist the ball around me
| club wild jerk o yer wrist and send IL over
the home stove plate at the same time. llay
ballr'
The ball shot from Mr.. Firms muscular hand
as if IL had been shot out of a gatling gun. IL
whizzed by Miekey's hair, stirring hls scalp
locks, and. narrowly escaping his me- ther ear.
struck the bed room door with such force that
it started the hinges
lis that right" he asked as his wife fell
speechless into n chair from fright
''Nis thatn do" replied the delighted how,
'only ye mustn't send them over the shtove
plate with less force but more twislt. lie s.e,
me mother hasn't her catchers glove on and
her HANDS might be hurried. That's wan ball.
Let her go.'
This time Mr.. Finn pitched the bail less ,io-
lently. Mickey missed IL purposely. aud his
mother caught il in her apron, with the glad
cry. "Begorra, have itg'
| That's wan strike, eaid Mickey, in eNplana-
ton of the technically.
The next ball came half way between his hip
and his shoulder. He had planted has Zee,
firmly. With broad sweep Of the picket he
struck the ball and sent II sailing out Of the
door. Mr.. Finn was highly gratifed. Said he:
"Begorra but base balls q fine game. /
musht have whack at the ball mestlf tomor-
row night. Faix, think can knock it into
| the middle o next week"
Early next morning Mickey went out into
the yard 10 look for the ball He picked up the
! picket which he had leaned against the door
lamb on the previous evening. lie found that
one Of the splinters on the rough hemlock had
| caught the end of the yarn which had become
loosened by contact with his father hip. As
| the ball sailed out OF the door, il had dropped
on the edge OF a slope and rolled downward,
unwinding all the way. When lac reached the
bottom the ball WAS gone. With n nRmeless fear
| in his breast. Mickey followed the yarn trail fof
200 yards. He found that il ended close TO the
place where the old billy goat was tethtred.
But Mickey could find no trace Of the rubber
which he had carefully encased In the yarn.
| He looked for IL in the grass and under stones
and other impossible places. Just AS he was
about ~ retl0ce his steps TO the shanty he saw
the goat chewing upoa something apparently
with great satisfaction. Like a fash the truth
dawned upon him. He did not CRY out but
there a world of sorrowful rcproach m the
gaze which he bent upon the billy as he climbed
the hill aud entered the shanty. Mrs. Finn saw
his moist eye and trembling lip. Catching her
boy in her arms she exclaimed, in a strong
Kerry accent:
''Fwhats the matther, Mickey doar2 Tel
yer mother"
We'll ye see. mother, whin whit down the
hill--the hill-to look for the rubber, /
found-I found the goat chewin' on some
thin and L N afeard he thought twas chewin'
gumr'