The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-11-06
JIM WOLF.
How he Failed 10 Grab The Tom Cats, but
spoiled a Candy Pull.
NJ SDI- rrUkIN

/ knew by the sympathetic Clio
upon his bald head knew by tn
thoughtful look upon his f;ice-I kne'
by the emotional flush upon the straw
berry on the end of the old free liver
nose, that Simon Wheeler's memor
was busy with the olden times. An
50 | prepared to leave, because a
these were reminiscences-but | wa
too slow; he got the start of me. A
nearly as | can recolect, the indictiol
was couched in the following language
1--WE were oil boys then and didn'
care for nothing, and didn't have II,
trouble, and didn't worry about moth
ing only to shirk school and keep VI
Il revivin' state Of devilment all tin
time. This yah Jim Wolf | was talk
ing bout was the prentice, and he wa
the best hearted Teller, he was,-ant
| the most forgivin' an onsclfish | eve
sec-weli, there couldn't be a NOR,
butler boy than he was, take him how
you would, and sorry enough was
when | saw him for the last time.
Me and Henry was always FOSTERING
him and clustering horse bills on hi:
back and putting humble bees in hi
bed, and so on, and sometimes we'd
crowd i'll bunk with him not'thstand
ing his growing, and then we'd let on
to get mad and fight across him, so as
to keep him stirred up like. He was
nineteen, he was, and long, and lank,
and bashful and we was fifteen and
sixteen, and tolerably lazy and worth
| less.
So, that night you know, that my
sister Mary gave candy-pullin', they
started us on to bed early, so as the
company could have full swing, and we
run in on Jim to have some fun.
Our winder looked out onto the roof
of the ell, and about 10 o'clock pair
Of old tom cats got to rarin' and charg-
in around it and carrying on like sin.
There was four inches 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, and
we could see them cats like daylight.
First they'd stand off and e-yow VOW
VOW, just the same as if they was a GUS
sin one another, you know, and bow
up their backs and push up their tails
and swell around and spit, and then all
of sudden the grey cat he'd snatch
handful of fur out of the yaller cats
ham, and spin him around like but
ton an 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 got disguised with the
row, and lowed he'd climb out there
and shake him off'n that roof. He
hadn't RELY no notion of dom it, likely
but we everlastin'ly logged him, and
bully-ragged him, and lowed he'd al
ways Dragged how he wouldn't take a
dare, and so on, till bimeby he highsted
up the winder, and 10, aud behold you,
he went-went exactly as he was,
nothing on but shirt, and it was short
but you ought to see him. You ought
to see him cre-e-pin' over that ice, and
diggin' his toe-nails and finger-nails in
to keep from slippin'; and 'bove all,
YOU ought to seen that shirt-tail flappin'
in the wind, and them long, ridicku-
lous shanks of his glistenin' in the
moonlight.
Them company folks was down there
under them caves, and the whole squad
of 'em under that ornery shed of old
Washin'ton Bower vines-all settm
round about two dozen sassers of hot
candy, which they'd sot in the snow to
cool And they was talkin' and laugh
in lively; but bless you, they didn't
know nothing bout the panorama that
was goin' on over their heads. Well
Jim, he went a-snea-kin up, unbe-
knowns to them tom cats-they was a
switchin' their tails and yow-yowin' and
threatenin' to clinch, you know, and
not payin' any attention-he went a
snea-kin' right up to the comb of the
roof, till he was in a foot'n half of EN-,
and then all of sudden he made grab
for the yaller cat! But by gosh he
missed fire and slipped his holt and his
heels flew up and he Topped on his
back, and shot off7n that roof like a
DART went Il slashin' and Il crashin'
down thro' them old rusty vines, and
landed right in the centre of them
comply people! down like
yearthquake in them two dozen sassers
of red-hot candy, and let off howl
that was bark FIN the tomb! Them
gals-weI, they looked, you know.
They see he wasn't dressed for comply, |
and so they left. All done in asecond,
it was just one little war-whoop and a
whish! of their dresses, and blame the
wench of 'em was in sight anywhere!
Jim he was sight. Hewas gormed
with that billin' hot molasses candy |
clean down to his heels, and had more
busted sassers hangin' to him than if he
was an Injun princess-md he come a
prancin' up stairs just a-whoopin' and
cussin,' and every jump he gave he
shed some china and every squirm he
fetched he dropped some candy!
And blistered! Why bless your
soul, that poor cretur couldn't RELY set
down comfortable for as much as four
weeks"