The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-09-05
jim WOLF AND THE TOM
CATS.

Hero Is one Of Mark Twain's good
stories. He knows how to make the
reader laugh, and If the following does
not provoke n smile, it is because there
is no mirth in mankind during the hot
weather:
knew Of the sympathetic glow upon
his bald head-I knew by the thought
full look upon his facc-I knew by the
emotional flush upon the end of the old
free liver's nose, that Simon Wheeler's
memory was busy with the olden time.
And so l prepared to leave, because all
these were symptoms Of a "reminiscences
signs that he was going to be deliv-
cred Of another of his tiresomc person
al eXperiences-but l was too slow; he
got the start of me. AS nearly as l
can recollect, the infliction was couch
ed in the following language:
ave were all boys, then, and didn't
care for nothing, and didn't have no
troubles, and didn't worry about moth
ing only how to shirk school and keep
up Il ~reviving' state of devilmcnt all the
time. This-yar Jim Wolf | was a talk
ing about, was the prentice, and he
was the best hearted teller, he was, and
the most forgivin' and onselfish l ever
see--well, there couldn't be q more
butler boy than what he was, take him
how pou would; and sorry enough !
was when l see him for the last time.
"Me and Henry was always poster
ing him, and plastering hoss-bills on
his back, and putting humble bees in
his bed, and SO ON, and sometimes we'd
crowd in and bunk with him, notwith-
standing his growing, and then we'd
let on to get mad and fight acrost him,
so as to keep him stirred up like. He
was nineteen, he was, and long, and
lank, and bashful, and was fifteen and
sixteen, and tolerably lazy and worth
less.
$50, that night, you know, that my
sister Mary give the candy pullin', they
started us off to bed early so as the
comp ny would have full swing, and we
rung in on Jim to have some fun.
"Our window looked out into the
roof Of the ell, and about ten o'clock a
couple of tom cats got to rairin' and
chargin' around Oh it, and carryin' on
like sin. There was four inches OF
) snow on the roof, and it was frozen SO
that there was u right smart crust OF
ice on it, and the moon was shining
bright, and we could see them cats like
daylight. First they'd stand off and
e-yow-yow-y6w, just the same as il
, they was a cussin' one another, you
know, and bow up their backs and
, push up their tails, and swell around
and spit, and then all ola sudden the
, gray cat he'd snatch Il handful of fur
out of the yaller cats ham, and spin
her around, like the button OF q barn
, door. But the yal!er cat was game,
and he'd come and clinch, and the way
they'd gouge, and bite, and howl; and
the way they'd make the fur fly was
powerful.
"Wcll, Jim, he got disguised with
the row, and lowed he'd climb out there
and shake him oG'n that roof. He
hadn't RELY no notion dom it, likely,
but we e~verlastin'ly logged him, and
; ~bullyragged him, and lowed how he'd
always Dragged how he wouldn't take
! a dare, and so on, till bimebyhe highs
! ted up the winder, and 10 and behold
, YOU, he went-went exactly as he wa
-nothin' on but a shirt, and it was
short. But you ought to see him
You ought to see him creepin' ovel
: that ice, and diggin' his %toe,nails an(
finger-nails in for to keep from slippin'
and, Dove all, pou ought to seen tina,
shirt lappin' in the wiud, and them
long ridiculous shanks Of his a-glistcn'
in in the moonlight.
, "Them comply folks was dow.
! there under the caves, the whole squad
, of 'em under that onery shed of ole
5 dead Washin'ton Bower vlnos--all set
tin round about two dozen sasscr5 o.
!, hot candy, which they'd sot in the snow
to cool. And they was laughin' ant
talkin' lively; but they didn't know
nothin' bout the panorama that was
goin' on over their heads. Well, Jim
he went a-she-akin and q sneakin VI
: unbeknowns to them tom-cats-the,
was q swishin' their tails, yow-yow in
| and threatenin' to clinch, you know
and not payin' any attention-he wen
G a-sneatin' right up to the comb Of thu
roof, till lie was in q foot m q half o
Y 'em, and then all of a sudden he made
+ a grab for the yaller cat! But by Gosl
he missed fire and slipped his holt, anc
= his heels flew up and he Topped on hi
back and shot oh'n that roof like
c dart! went a smashin' and q crashin
down through them old rusty vines ant
right in the dead centre of them con
pany people !-sot down like an earth
d quake in them two dozen sassers ofred
hot candy, and let off n howl that wa
= bark I'm the tomb! Them girls-weI
they felt, you know. They seed h
warn't dressed for comp'ny, and S
" they left. All done in q second, it wa
Il just one little warwhoop, and a wills
II of their dresses, and blame the wenc
n of 'em was in sight anywhers!
"Jim he was a sight! He was CORN
ed with that bilin' hot molasses cand
L. clean down to his heels, and had MOI
5. busted sassers hanging to him than
4! he was a 1njun princcss--and he cam
4 a prancin' up stairs just a-whoopin' an
lie q cussin', and every jump he gave
lie shed some china, and every squirm h
fetched he dripped some candy!
n, "And blistered! Why bless 20,
le soul, that pore cretur conldn't reel
rs set down comfortable for as much
four weeks"
IS