The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-12-28
JIM WOLF ASD THE Tam CATS
Mark THaIn's EasteFpIece-A Fanny
Account or q Traglcal Affair.

Account or Traglcal Affair."
l knew by the sympathetic glow
upon his bald head knew by the
thoughtful look upon his face-I
knew by the emotional flush upon the
strawberry on the end of the old
free liver's nose, that Simon Wheel
er's memory was busy with the olden
times. And so | prepared to leave,
because all these were symptoms of a
reminiscence-signs that he was going
to be delivered of another of his tire
some personal experiences; but l was
too slow; he got the start Of me. As
nearly as / can reoollect the infiic-
ton was couched IN the following
language:
We were air boys then, and didn't
care for nothing, and didn't worry
about nothing, only to shirk school
and keep up a revivin' state of divill-
ment all the time. This yah Jim
Wolf / was talking about was the
prentice, and he was the best hearted
Teller, he was, and the most forgivin'
and onselfsh l ever see--Wen, there
couldn't have been a butler boy than
he was take him how you would, and
sorry enough I was when | saw him
for the last time.
Me and Harry was always Fostering
him, and plastering horse bills On his
back, and putting humble bees in his
bed, and so on, and sometimes we'd
crowd In and bunk with him, not
withstanding his growing, and we'd
| let on to get mad and fight across him,
so as to keep him stirred up like. He
was nineteen; he was long, and lank,
and bashful, and we was fourteen and
sixteen, tolerably worthless and lazy.
So that night, you know, that my
sister Mary gave a candy pullin'
they started us off to bed early, so as
| the company could have full swing,
and we run into Jim to have some
| fun.
Our window looked out onto the
roof of the ell, and about ten O'Clock
q couple of old tom cats got to raring
and charging about it, and carrying
on like sin. There was four inches
of snow on the roof, and it was frozen
so that there vas a 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 of
and Q VOW, pow-wow, just the same
as If they were cussin' one another,
you know, and bow up their backs
and push up their tails, and swell
around and spit, and then all of a
sudden the grey cat he'd snatch a
handful of fur out of the yaller cats
ham, and spin him around like the
button on a barn-door, but ysller cat
was game, and he'd come and clinoh,
and the way they'd gouge, and bite,
and howl, and the way they'd make
the fur fly was powerful.
Well, Jim, he got disguised with
this row, and lowed he'd climb oat
there and shake EN- Offn the roof.
He hadn't RELY no notion Of doin' it,
but we everlastingly logged him and
bullyragged him, and lowed he'd
always Dragged how he would not take
a dare, and so on, till bimeby he
histed up the Winder. and 10 and behold
you, he went-Went exactly as he was
nothing on but a shirt. ana it was
short. But you ought to a seen him
Gre O. pin over the ice, and digging
his toe nails in to keep from slippin
and, above all, you ought to seen that
shirt tail happin' in the wind, and
them long. ridiculous shanks of bis
/ gistening In the moonlight.
TEEN company folks was down
TIA r. andsr the caves, the whole
squad u em, under that oruery shed
of old Washington Bower vines-all
settin round two dozen sassers of hot
candy which they'd sot in the snow to
cool. And they was laughin' and
talkin lively, but bless you they
didn't know nothin' about the pano-
rama that was goin on over their
heads.
| Well, Jim he went sueakin' up un-
beknoBn 10 them tom cats--they was
q sWishin their tails, and yow-yowin'-
and threatenin' to clinch, you know,
and not payin' any attention-he went
/ sneakin' right to the comb of the
roof, till be was within q foot and q
half Of EN-, and then all of sudden
he made a grab for the yaller cat
But, BY gosh, he missed fire and
| slipped; his heels few up, and he
topped on his back. and he went off q
that roof like a darti-Went o claskin
and a smashin' and q erashin' down
through them old rusty vines, and
landed 10 the centre of them comp 'ny