Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-05-05
Tim Wolf and the Cats.

knew by the sympathetic glow
upon his bald head-I knew by the
thoughtful look upon his face-I knew
by the emotional flush upon the straw
berry on the end of the free-liver's nose,
that Simon Wheeler's memory was
busy with the olden times. And so l
prepared to leave, because all OF these
symptoms of q reminiscence-signs
that he was going to be delivered Ell
another tiresome personal expert
ence; but was too slow; he got the
start of me. AS nearly as l can recol-
lect, the infliction was couched in the
following language:
1--WE were all boys then, and didn't
care for nothing, and didn't worry
about nothing, only to shirk school
and keep reviving state of divilment
all the time. This yer Jim Wolf was
talking about was the prentice, and he
was the best-hearted Teller, he was the
most forgiving and onselfish ever see;
WELL there couldn't have been butler
boy than he was, take him how you
would, and sorry enough was | when |
saw him for the last time. Me and
Harry was always pesterin' him, and
plasterin' boss bills on his back, and
putting humble bees in his bed, and SO
on, and sometimes 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
stirrin' up like. He was nineteen; he
was long, and lank, and bashful; and
we was fourteen and sixteen, tolerable
worthless and lazy. So that night,
you know, that my sister Mary gave
candy-pullin, they started us off to
bed early, so that 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 couple of old tom cats got
to rarin' and chargin' about it, and
was carryin' on like sin. There was
somethin' like four inches of snow on
the roof, and it was frozen so there was
a right smart crust of ice upon it, and
the moon was shining bright, and we
could see them cats like daylight.
First they'd stand off and e-yow, pow
WOW, just the same as if they was GUS
sim one mother, you know, and bow
up their backs and push up their tails,
and swell round, and spit, and then all
on sudden the gray cat he'd snatch a
handful Of fur out of the yaller cats
back, and spin him round like the but
ton on barn door; but the yaller 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
was disguised with the row, and lowed
he'd climb out there and shake 'em
ofrn the roof. He hadn't RELY no no.
ton of dom it, but we everlastin'ly
logged him, and bullyragged him, and
lowed he always Dragged how he
wouldn't take dare, and so on, till
bimehy he histed up the winder and
10, behold you, he went-went exactly
as he was; nOthin' on but shirt,
and it short. But yer ought ter see
him cre-e-eping over that ice, and dig
ging his toe-nails in to keep from slip
PIN; and above all, you ought to
have seen that shirt-tail fappin in
the wind and them long, ridiculous
shanks of his glistenin' in the MOON
light. Them company-folks was down
there under the caves, the whole squad
of 'em under that ornery shed of old
Washington Bower vines-all settin'
round about two dozen saucers 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 piano.
rama that was goin' on over their
heads. Well, Jim, he went sneakin'
up unbeknown to them tomcats-they
were switchin' their tails, yow-yowin'
and threatenin' to clinch, you know,
and not payin' any attention-he went
sneakin right to the comb Of the roof,
till he was within foot and q half of
'em, and all of sudden he made a
grab for the yaller cat; but, by gosh!
he missed fire and slipped; his heels !
flew up, and he Topped on his back
and went off'n that roof like dart
went a slashin', and splashin', and o
crashin' down through them old rusty |
vines, and landed in the center of |
them company-people!-sat down like |
a earthquake in them two-dozen sas-
sers of red-hot candy, and let off
howl which was bark from the tomb!
Them gals!-well they looked-you
know. They see he wasn't dressed for
company, and so they left. All done
in second. 1t was just one little war;
whoop and a whish of their dresses,
and blame the wellch of 'em was in |
sight anywhere. Jim, he was sight!
He was gormed with that bilin' hot |
molasses candy clean down to his
heels, and had more busted sassers
hangin' to him than if he was an In
jun princess-and he came prancin'
up stairs, just a hoppin' and cussin'-
and every jump made him shed some !
China, and every squirm he fetched he
dropped some candy. And blistered!
Why bless your soul, that poor crea-
ture couldn't set down for as much as
four weeks. MARK TWAIN.
GOch ~ said a lova-cioly IJ;horp;on