The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-03-22
Jim Wolf and the Two Tom Cats.
BY MARK TWAIN.

! knew by the sympathetic glow up !
on his bald head-I knew by the
thoughtful look upon his FACET knew !
by the emotional flush upon the straw
berry on the end of the old free-liver's
nose, that Simon Wheeler's memory
was busy with the olden time. And so
l prepared to leave, because all these
were symptoms of a reminiscence-
signs that he was going to be delivered
of another of his tieesome personal ex-
periences--but was too slow; he got
the start of me. AS nearly as 1 can re-
collect, the infiction was couched in
the following language:
::::We were all boys, then, and didn't
care for nothing, and didn't have no
trouble, and didn't worry about moth
ing, only to shirk to school aud keep
up reyivin' state of divilment all the
time. This yah Jim Wolf was, talk
ing about was the prentice, and he was
the best hearted Teller, he was, and the
most forgivin' and onselfsh I ever see,
well, there couldn't have been a butler
boy than, he was, take him how you
would, and sorry enough l was when l
saw him for the last time"
Me and Henry was always Fostering
him and plastering rhoss bills on his
back, and putting humble bees in bis
bed and SO on, and sometimes we'd
crowd in and bunk with him, notwith-
standing his growing, aud then we'd
let on to get mad and fight across him,
so as to keep him SIRED up like. He
was nineteen, he was long, and lank,
and bashful; and we was fifteen and
sixteen, tolerably worthless and lazy
So, that night you know, that my
sister Mary gave a candy-pulin', they
started us off to bed early so as the
company could have full swing, and
we run in on Jim to have some fun.
Our window looked out into the roof
Of the ell, and about ten o'clock a
|
couple of old tom cals got to rarin' and
chargin' around it and carryin' on like
sin. There was four inches of snow on
the roof; and it was frozen SO that
there was a right smart crust of ice on
it, and the moon was shining bright,
and we could see them cats like day
Hight. First they'd stand off and e-you
yow-yow, just the same as if they was
a cussin' one another, you know, and
bow up their backs and push up tleil
tails and swell around and spit, ani
then of a Sudden the gray tcat he't
snatch q handful of fur out of the vel
Ter cats ham, and spin him, round lik'
i a button on barn door. But the vel
Ter cat was game, and he'd come ant
clinch and the way they'd gouge, ant
bite, and howl, and the way they''
make the fur fly, was powerful.
Well, Jim, he got disguised with tn
roW, and lowed he'd climb ont Their
!. and shake him off'n 5 the. root. = H
hadn't RELY ro notion of doin' it, like
/ lily. but we evcrlastin'ly dogged hin
, and bully ragged him, and lowed he
always Dragged how he wouldn't tax
dare; and so, till bimeby he histe
up the ewinder, and 10 and behold vol
he went-went exactly as he wa
R nothin' on bnt a shirt and it was shor
= Butlyou ought toila seen him. Yc
t. ought to seen him cre-e-pin' ov,
% that ice; and diggin,shis toe nails ar
. finger nails in c to keep from slippil
and a'bove all you onght to seen tn
shirt-tail Aappin' in the wind, the
:, long, Ridiculous slianks of his slitte
e. ing in the moonlight. .sn3as4 49,
,eE Then the company folks was doy
e. ther under the caves, the whole squ
q of lem, under that Ornery shed of {
NJ Wasfiin'ton Bower vines-all sett
50 round about two dozen sassers of
e. candy, which they'e sot in the snow
il cool. And they was >laughin' a
i'd tallsin' lively; but bless you they did
rn know nothin' about the panorama tt
up was going'on over their heads. w,
' ~ Jim he went sneaking up, uu
known to them tom cats-they We