The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1867-12-19
Jim Wolfand the Tom Cats.

jim W OH ana tHt IOiii CdSS.
I knew by the sympathetic glow upon
his bald head knew by the thoughtful
look upon his .ace-I knew by ibe emo
t ional flush upon the straw beHy onSthe
end of the old free liver's nose. that 81
mon Wheelcr'S memory was busy with
olden time. And so [ prepared to leave
because all these were symptoms OF re-
miniscence-siens that he was going to
be delivered OF another Of his tiresome
personal experiences but [ was too slow
he got the start Of me. As nearly as
can recollect the infietion was couched7n
the following language.
I'VE were all boys then. and dian't
care for nothing only how to shirk school
and keep up a reyivin' state of devilment
all the time, This yah Jim Wolf that [
was talking about. was the prentice and
he was the best hearted fellow. he was
and the most fergivin and onselSsh | ever
see, well there coudn be more butler
boy than he was, take him how you wuuld
and sorry enough [ was when | saw him
for the last time.
Me and Henry was always Fostering
him and plastering boss bills on his back
and putting humble bees in his bed, and
50 on, and sometimes we wo' d crowd i'll
and bunk with him, notwi,h>tandin his
growing, and then We let on to get mad
and fight across him, so rs 20 keep him
stirred up like He was nineteen, he was
and long, and lank, and bashFnl. and we
was fifteen Or sixteen, and tolcrable lazy
and worthless.
So. that night you know that my sister
Mary gave the candy poiiin, they start
ed Us OF to bed early, so hat the colnpa-
ny could have full! swing. and We rung In
on jim to have some fun
Oar winier looked out on the roof Of
the ell, and about ten o clock couple
OF old tom cats got a rarin and cfiargin
round on it and carryin on Ike ain.
There was four inches Of suow on the
roof, and it was frozen so that there was a
right smart crust Of ice on It, and the
moon was shinin bright. and we could see
then. cats ike day giit. First they stand
off, and e-yow yow-yow just the same as
it they We're cussln one another, you
know and bow up their hacks and bush
up their tails, and swell around and spit,
and then all Of sudden the gray eat he d
snatch a handful OF fur oil the yaler eats
ham, ana spin around like "a button Oh "a
barn door. But the yaler CAT was game,
ard he'd come and clinch, and the way
they gouge and bite, and howl, and the
way they d make the fur fly was power
ful
Well jim, he got disgusted with the
row and lowed he d CLIMB out there aDd
shake en- of n that roof: He had really
no notion OF doin' it, likely, but we eve
las5ingly logged him and bu,lyraggcd
how he wou!,in t take dare and 50 Oh,
ill., biInejy he fi>ted the winier, and low
and behold, he went; went exactly as be
was, nothin on but shirt, and ii was
short You oaght to have seen him
creeping over the ice, and digging his toe
nails and finger nails III FL to keep him
from slipping: and above nj u Ought
to seen that shirt fiapgin' N ne wind,
and them long. retsicaIous ,is,.;iitt..s OF ms
a glistenp In the moonlight
Them comp ny folks was down thcee
under the caves, ne whole squad of EN-
unlcr that ornery shed Of Wash ton 3
CT vines all scttin round about two dozen
saucers OF hot carly winch they q got in
10 the snow to cool And they was laugh
in aad f;.ikin lively; but bless you, they
didn't know nothing bout the panpra nli,
that was going on over their heads
Well, I'm he went q Sneakin and sneak
in right up o the comb OF the roof, till
he was in foot and half Of en- aud
then al! Of sudden he made a graD for
the yalIcr cat Bat, By gosh, he missed
FIRE and slipped his holt, and his heels
flcw UP ana he tiapned Oh his back, and
shot Of II that roof ike dart Went
a smashin' and a crusllin down thr0'
them Old rusty vines and landed right in
the dead center Of them company people
sot down Ike an earthquake in them two
dozen saSsers of red hot candy, and let OF:
Il howl that was bark from the tomhs
Them gi,3s-weii, they left, you know.
They see he want dressed for comp ny
and 50 they left. AL was done iii a sec
ond; it was just one little war whoop
and whisk Of their dresses. and blame
the wench Of en- was III sight anywhere!
Jim he was a sight He was gos1Acd
with the biIin' hot moiass candy clean
down to his heels, and more busted sas-
sers hanging to him than II he was an
Iniun prince and he came prancing up
stairs lust a whooping' and cussin and
every Jump he shed some china, ana cy-
cry ssiurin he fetched he dripped some
candy.
And blisteredi Why bless your soul
that poor creature cou,tn RELY set
down comfortable for as much as four
weeks