The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-07
MICKY, YOUNGEST OF TEN.
A DAY or LAMENTATION IN THE
HOUSE OF O'HlR1.

There was lamentation In tho house of
O'Hara. Micky, the youngest. aged 81. was
dead. and they had not even the consolation vt
his corpse, Gold help theml And this Is how It
happened. One mucilaginous afternoon IN
June. near the end Of the school term. Micky
was moro than usual uneasy and thick headed.
He threw spitballs all over the schoolroom,
and said the chief occupation Of the people on
the Desert Of Sahara was "ketchin' fishes and
whales"
or course ho was requested to remain after
school; and half an hour later than the other
boys his left 1t wiser by the right definition Of II
desert aud contumaeious after IA struggle in
which he was forced TO pick up and put into the
woste-paper basket all the little spitballs 1t had
been such sport to throw.
Micky walked perilously on his heels down
the granite steps ofthe schoolhouse. lhesum-
Iner sun could not wilt the boy. only made tho
red OF his hair and lasles glitter and his medi-
tative green eyes blink perhaps II added an
other frecklc to the bridge Of his snub nose.
The yell Micky gave when he spied Tim Dough-
erty. the friend of his bosom, shining one OF
the iron posts in the play yard it is impossible
to describe: it would have put to flight IL
Comanche Indian; but Tim sent up an answer
ing whoop. and they both polished the posts
until ordered off the premises by the master.
Then they sauntered Town the street. each
with an arm across the others shoulders. their
two heads touching; Mlcky's red hair was
ragged as a floor mop. Tins had IA fighting cut.
They wished for a horse. a steam engine and a
gun-"ono o. thin kind thut goes of widout
any bang Micky SHE'D u pebble at u sparrow
and inadvertently hit a window pane instead:
he. consequently. was obliged to take to his
heels. and Tim after him.
They scooted into an alley which led down
to the flats where some OF Micky's relatives re-
sided. He membe n pit there, and with the
vision of its water and the big raft upon it, he
tempted Tin along in that direction.
Now, Mrs. O'Hara was an anxious woman all
the days OF her life. being the mother OF ten
and her husband killed alongshore by the fall
OF a scafold. Not that she minded Pats death;
to speak the truth. it was a relief, Mr.. O'Hara
being persistently out of work and "parlyzcd
with whiskey." 1t may be added that II Pat
had only been drunk when he assembled the
fatal scafrold. not a bone would have been bro
ken in the fall; witness u previous stroll into
the air whom he gravitated twenty feet without
seattle but this time. being sober as the No
vember sky above him, he was killed, poor
devil! His widow Rugged Micky, three days
old. to her bosom. and labored on for him
and the others with her two parboiled
hands. only shedding a tear. now and then,
OF dutiful sorrow because OF the bubbling
heart within her. She forbade the children
nothing but the water, being In holy terror of
the same il she beheld it any quantity larger
than the tubful. Had not Pat been killed within
Il yard OF the ocean? She suffered. also, a con-
stitutional shrinking from the touch of the
liquid. but the will Of a fond mother made her
overcome the sensation to the extent OF her
hands. As a rule Micky shared her aversion:
only this day in June he felt contrary; the shirt
was too warm on his back Tim would never
tell on him. so. removing such distractions as
shoes and stockings. the two little boys went
leaping down to the flats that lay like a hem on
the skirt OF the town.
They came to the old turnpike road; it was
dusty from the heavy market wagons that
formed n procession over 1t night and morning.
1t was pleasant to pat. barefooted. over the hot
earth, then steal a ride In the back OF q shady
vegetable cart. Raw turnip made a palatable
luncheon.
To reach the pit without unnecessary exer-
ton they were obliged to pass close by the
residence of Mrs. McManus. This lady was
Mieky,,s cousin Mary Ann: the bride Of a month,
and a handsome flower of a genteel stalk. She
and her husband lived very grandly in an ele-
giant room on the first floor. front. There we're
thirteen Of the McManuses. counting the old
four other habitable rooms. They kept a
boardsr besides and rented the L 70 a family Of
ereenhorns., and had blazing aspirations Which,
herb u ;h0 + pTgili1ttic successes fed as tho
goat. and a royal family Of pigs. The hens used
ffIh @p Rsft fr 9%Sf fRe l9 das 2 h GeG SSs f boaE dhe poor h%Ts Sea had
he N GIniy est est a : sr M6n Pf pig aISd fes h - ouo,,o, ~
bright eye OF his dear cousin, Mrs. McManus;
but in the nature Of things. she saw him before
ne "fH Ea I'M Mie sR naf!S r she a caiISsd from her omen
He pretended not to hear and skipped along,
With Tin behind him on the opposite side Of
""YYjI s5y o'Hara' youso come horo'"
Me mudder's gone to the 'orsepittle with 'er
"":Thanks be to Godl"
At this, moment sqgawks Of distress arose
the greenhorn babies OF maitreating her favor
IT'S she hurried H, on to the rear q the estate;
ttoSetkheEr t they s eaSt ST across ss0f Tho sF rSa ddos sroa and
ash heaps and over stones down to the pit,
po On is ,o edge Ice the ta the boys rs,f stfGbP ss do and n Mif Ky
middle Of, the Triangular bit Of smooth gray
water; Tim gazed on the raft; enraptured. and
as the day he was born.
Micky, for once. was the slower of the two;
brittle. the legs and arms no thicker than pipe
stems: his teeth chartered as he struck the
9 frog, on, a biz lily pad. when MicHy i
from Tf% land, MiGkE wan q yard q two and
je'esTleda' Until H III c iiiS st9Pppssd IT, sp TS tSISS9 "p he
booted and jeered until he began to howl and
l siss 81 fF %atS t40 T Eftt sOY Micfy &c r Sidf mini S SITi
bobbed and gone under, He prepared to clutch
the hair when It should rise, and kept swimming
bubble rose, then another and another. but not
the head Of Micky O'Hara. Tim clam bered
he could not touch bottom. The boy swan
ashore. BlubbeTing and seized by the shivers,
he tugged on his shirt and trousers and ran
like mad back to Mrs. McMauus. The Tear of
death was in his streaming eyes. Throwing
painted:
"0h, Missus. won't yer help2 Me Mick's
God help usl Whsre2"
In the pit; he couldn't swim. OH"
Tim gave a bleat of grief rs, without mindinR
her distraction. he ran with all his might back
10 the awful pit. Sure Mick would be up now
and laughing at him, but there was never a
but the ,~cackling Of hens. Near tho pit. Tim
crouched for a moment, sobbing. then tore OF
his clothes and began diving from the land,
from the raft. wherever he thought MlckYIs