Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-24

nYi MARK TWAIN.

z knew by the sympathetic glow upon
his bald head--I knew by the thoughtful
look upon his faee--I knew BY the emo
tional flush upon the strawberry on the
end.of the old free liver's nose, that Simon
wheeler's memory was busy with the old
EN- time. And so prepared to leave, be-
cause all these were symptoms of remin-
iscenee-signs that he was going to be de-
1ivered of another of his tiresome personal
experiences-but was too slow; he got
the start of me. As nearly as can recol-
feet. the infiiction was couched in the fol-
lowing language:
ave was all boys, then, and didn't care
for nothing only how to shirk school and
keep up revivin' state-nfdevilment all the
time. Thish-yar jim Wolfe ! was talking
about, was the 'prehtice, and he,was tue
best hearted feller, he was, aud the most
forgivin' and onselfish l. ever see-well,
there couldn't be more bullifer boy than
what he was, take him how you would:
and sorry enough was i when i see him for
the last time. i'sssis 'sSsrs
him and plastering hand bills upon his
back and putting bnmble-be in his bed,
and so on, and sometimes we'd crowd in
and bunk with him, Notwithstanding his
growing and then we'd let on to get mad
and fight aerost him, so as to keep him
stirred upilike. He was nineteen, he was,
and long, and lank, and bashtul, and we
was fifteen and sixteen, and tolerably lazy
and worthless. naa s1sf'tl'1
-. So that night, you know, that my sister
Mary gave the candy pullin', they started
as off to bed early, so as the comp'ny could
have full swing, and we run in on Jim to
have some tun. s f.;5t !. .Is.iss,.., !
HOur winder looked out onto the root of
the ell, and about ten O'clock a couple of
old tom-cats got to rairin' and chargin'
around on it and carryin' on like sin
There was four inches of snow on the roof,
and it was froze so that there was a right
smart crust Of ice on 1t, and the moon was
shinin' bright and we could see them cats
like daylight. First they'd stand off and
e-yow-yow-yow, just the same as if they
was cussin' one another, you know, bow
up their backs and bush up their tails, and
swell around and spit, and then all OF a
sudden the gray cat he'd snatch a handful
of fur off the y yallar cats ham. and spin him
around, like the button on the barn door.
But the yallar cat was game, and he'd come
and clinch, and they ID scratch and bite, and
howl, and the way they'd make the furff1y
was powerful.
well. Jim he got disgusted with the row
and lowed he'd climb out there and shake
'em off'n that roof. He hadn't RELY NO
notion of doin' it, likely, but we everlast-
ingly dogged him and bullyragged him.
and flowed he'd always Dragged how he
wouldn't take dare and so on, till binleby
he histed up the winder, and 10 and behold
OUT ne Wenl-WeDG lusb dS he WdS-HOJulu
on but a shirt, and it was short. You ought
to seen him !! You ought to seen hin
Gre e. PIN over that ice, and diggin' his toe
nails and his finger nails in for to keep him
from slippin'; and above all, you ought tc
aseen that shirt flappin' in the wind, anC
them long rediclous shanks of his'n glisten
min the moonlight.
'sThem comp'ny folks was down ther,
under the caves, the whole squad of I'm un
der that ornery shed of dead Wasn'toI
Bowervines-ah sett'n round about tive
dozen sasser of hot candy, which they so
inrthe snow to cool. And they was laugh
in and talkin' lively; but bless you, they
didn't know nothing about the panoram;
that was goin' on over their heads. Well
Jim. he went sneakin' and sneakin' up
onbeknowns to them tom cats-they was
swishin' their tails and yow-yowin ant
threatenin' to clinch, you know, and no
PAWN any attention--he went sne-kin
and sne-akin' right up to the comb of tn
roof, till he, was in a foot and half of 'em
and then all of a sudden he made gral
for the yaller cati But, by gosh
he missed fire and slipped his holt
and his heels flew up and he Topped Of
his back and shot off u that roof like dart
went a smashin' and crashin' down thro
them old rusty vines and headed right il
the center of all them com'ny people SO
down like yearth quake in them tw
dozen sassers of red bot candy, and let off
howl that was bark from the tomb! Their
girls-well, they left, you know. They Sc
he warn't dressed for company, and S
they left. All. done in a second; it wa
Just one little war whoop, and whish c
their dresses, and blame the wench of 'er
was in sight anywherel -..--
Jim he was in sight. He was gorme
with the bilin' hot -molasses candy clea
down to his heels, and had mole buste
r sassers hangin' to him than if he was
Japan, princess-and he camea prancin
, up stairs just whoopin' and a cussin', an
every jump he made he shed some chin;
and every squirm he fetched he drippe
some candy.
..And blisteredi Why, bless your sou
that poor creatur couldn't reely sit dow
comfortably for as much as four weeks"