The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1871-03-09
JIH WOLF AND THE TON CATS
Mark Twain's Account Of a Very
Tragieal Affair.

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 old
en- times. And so / prepared TO
leave, because all these were symp-
toms of reminiscence-signs that
he was going to be delivered of an
other Of his tiresome personal ex-
periences; but I was too slow; he
got the start of me. As nearly as I
can recollect, the infliction was
couehed in the following language:
We were all boys then and didn't
care for nothing, and didn't worry
about nothing only to shirk school
and keep up a reyivin' state Of div
ilment al the time This yer jim
Wolf I was talking about was the
prentice, and he was the best heart
ed feller, he was, and the most for
givin' and onselfsh I ever see-weIl
there couldn't have been q bullier
boy than he was, take him how you
would, and sorry, sorry enough 1
wasEhen I saw him for the last
timea
Me anl Harry was always poster
ing him and pIasterin' boss bills on
his back, and putting humble bees
into his bed, and so on, and some
times we'd crowd in and bunk with
him, Notwithstanding his growing,
and we'd let on to get mad and fight
across him, so as to keep him stirr-
cd 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 sis
ter Mary gave a candy pullin', they
started us of 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 10 o'clock
a couple Of old tom csts got to rar-
in and chargin' about it, and carry
in on like sin. There was four in
ches Of snow on the roof, and it was
frozen so that there was right
smart crust of ice on it, and the
moon was shining bright ard we
could see them cats like daylight.
First, the'd stand off and e-ew, pow
WOW, just the same as if they were
a cussin' one mother, you know,
and bow up their backs, and push
up their tails, and swell round and
spit, and then, all Of sudden, the
gray cat'd snatch q handful Of fur
out of the yaller cats ham, and
spin him round like the button on a
barn door; but yaIler 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.
Well, Jim he got disgusted with
this row, and lowed he'd climb out
and share 'em ef''n the roof He
hadn't RELY no notion of doin' it,
but We eycrlastin'ly dogged him,
and bullyragged him, and lowed
he'd always Dragged how he would
not take a dare, and so on, till bime-
by he histed up the window and 10
and behold YOU he went-went ex-
actly as he was; nothin' on but a
shirt, and it was short. But you
ought to a seen him cre-e-pin' over
that ice, and diggin' his toe-nails in
to keep from slippin'; and, above
all, you ought to a seen that shirt
tail flappin' in the wind, and them
long, ridiculous shanks of his glis-
TENN in the moonlight.
Them company folks was down
there under the caves, the whole
squad of EN- under that ornery shed
of old Washin' ton Bower vines, all
settin' round about two dozen sas-
sers 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 panorama that was goin' on
over their heads. Well, Jim, he
went sneakin' up unbeknowin' to
them tom cats-they was 4 swish
in their tails, and yeow-yeowin'-
and threatenin' to clinch, you know,
and not payin' any attention-he
went a sneakfng right to the comb
of the roof, till he was in a foot an
a half Of EN-, and then, all of sud
den, 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 |
of'n that roof like a dart.-wsnt a |
slashin', and a smashin', and a
erashin' down through them old |
rusty vines, and landed in the cen I
ter of them company people-sot !
down like 4 earthquake in them two /
dozen sassers Of red hot candy. and