Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1868-08-19
JIM WOLFE AND THE TOM CATS.
By MARX TWAIN

knew by the sympathetic glow upon
his bald head knew by the thoughtful
look upon his face-l knew by The emo
tIonal flush upon the strawberry on the
! end of the old free liver's, nose, that 81
mon Wheelers memory was busy with
the oiten time. And so prepared to
! leave, because all these were symptoms OF
| a signs that he was going
| to be delivered of another Of his tiresome
personal experiences but | was too slow !;
! he GOT the start pf me. AS near as can
recollect, the intiction was coached in the
following language:
We was all boys, then, and | didn't
care for nothing only how to shirk school,
and keep up revivin' state Of devilment
all the time. This var Jim Wolfe L was
taking about, was the prentice, and he
was the best hearted feler, he was, and
the most forgivin' and OnselEsh, | ever
| See--well, there couldn't be a more bullI-
fer boy that what he was, take him how
YOU would ; and sorry enough | was when
see him for the last time.
Me and Henry was always FOSTERING
him and plastering boss bills on his back
and putting buRAbe-bees in his bed, and
so on, and sometimes we'd crawl in and
bunk with him, Notwithstanding his growl-
ing, and then we'd let on like we was Tad
and fight across him, an stir him up like.
lie was nineteen, he was, and long, ard
lank, aud bashtul and we was fifteen and
sixteen, and tolerable lazy and worthless.
$50 that night, you know, that my sis
ter Mary give the candy pullin' they start
ed us off 10 bed early, so as the company
could have full swing, and We rung on
jim to have some fun.
"Our window looked out onto the ell,
and about ten o'clock a couple of Old tom
cats got to rarn' and chargln' around on
it, and caIryin' on like sin. There was
four inches of snow on the roof, and it was
froze so that there was right smart crust
of ice on it, and the moon was shin!n
bright, and we could sec the cats like day
light. First, they'd stand off and e-yow-
e-yow, just the same as if they were Gus
sin one another You know, and bow up
their backs and bush up their tails, aud
swell round an3 spit, and then, of sud
den, the grey cat he'd snatch a handful OF
fur off the yalar cats ham, and spin him
around like button on barn door,
But the yallar cat was game and he'd
come and clinch, aud the way they'd
gouae, and bite and howl, and the way
they'd make the fur fly war powerful.
Well, i'm he got diSgUsted with the
row, and lowed he'd climb out and shake
'cm off'n that roof He hadn't reely no
notion of doin' it, likely, but We everlast-
ingly dogged him and bulIyragsed him,
aud lowed he always blsggod how he
wouldn't take dare, and SO on, till bime-
by he hi>ted up the winder, and 10 and
behold you, he went-JuSt as he was
nothin' on but shirt, and it was short
lou ought to have seen him creeping
over that ice, and diggin' in his toe nails
and finger nails in for to keep him from
sIippin' and above all, you ought 10
seen that shirt foppin' in The wind, aud
them long redikfous shauks of his'n a
glistenin' in the moonlight
Them comp'ny folks was down there
under the caves, the hull squad of 'em
under that ornery shed of dead Washing
ton Bower viues-al settn' round about
two dozen sassers of hot candy, which they
sot In the snow to cool. And there was
a laughin' and talkin' lively: but bless
you, they didn't know nothin' about the
panorama that was goin' on over their
heads. Welb Jim he went a sueakin'
and a sneaking up, onbeknonst to them
tom cats-they was swiShin' their tails,
and VOW yowing and thretenin' to cllnch,
you know, and not payin' any attention,
he went a sneakin' and sneakln' right up
to the comb of the roof, till he was in Il
foot and a half of 'em, and then ali of
sudden he made grab fur the yalar cat
But by gosh, he missed fire and slipped
holt an his heels flew up an be Topped
onto to his back, and off'n that roof like
dart went a smashin' and a crashin'
down like yarth quake in them two doz-
en- sasscrs of red hot candy, and let off
howl that was hark from the tomb
Them girIs-well they left, you know.
They see he warnt dressed for company,
and SO they left. All done in a second;
it was Just one little war wboop, and
swish Of their dresses, and blame the
wench of them was in S ght anywhere,
"Jim he was in sight ! He was gorm-
ed with the billin' hot molasses candy
clean down 10 his heels, and had mere
busted sassers hangin' to him than if he
was japanese Princess-and he came
prancin' and every jump he give he'd
shed cbina, and every squlrm he fetched
he drippcd sOhie candy.
"Aud blistered Why, bless your
SOUL that poor soul couldn't reely set down
comfortably for as much as four weeks.
e. The art of great writer is seen
IN the nerfect fitnasS of his exnrPssiOns