The Osceola times., 1875-10-30
JIM WOLF.
How lac Failed To Grab the Tom Srts hui
Spoiled ~ Candy Pail.
by MARK TWAIN.

Bl MAkk TWAIN.
| knew by the sympathetic glow
nppn hi bald head knew by the
thoughtful look upon his face-I knew
by the emotional flush upon the straw
berry on tn" end of the old free liver's
nose, that Simon Wheelel's memory
was busy with the olden times. And
80 | prepared to leave, because all
these were reminiscences-but was
too slow; he got the start of me. A.
nearly as ! can recollect, the infiiction
wa, couched in the following language
I'VE were all boys then and didn't
care Tor nothing, aud didn't have no
Trouble, and didn't worry about moth
ing only to shirk school and keep mp
a rcvivin' state of devilment all the
time. This yah Jim Wolf | was talk
ing bout was the prentice, and he was
the best hearted teller, he was, and
the most forgivin' an onseIfsh | ever
see-well, there couldn't be Il more
bullicr 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 plastcrlng horse bills on hi.
back and putting humble bees in his
bed, and 50 ON, and sometimes we'd
crowd in bunk with him not'thstand-
ing his growing, and then we'd let on
10 get mad and fight across him, so IL,
to keep him stirred up like. He was
nineteen, he was, and long, and lank
and bashiul and we was fifteen and
sixteen, and tolerably lazy and worth
less.
So, that night you know, that my
sister Mary gave Il 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 windcr 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 il was frozen so that there
wa, 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-vow VOW
VOW, Just the same as if they was a Gus
sim 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 clt he'd snatch a
handful Of fur out Of the yaller cat,
ham, and spin him around ike but.
ton an a barn door But the yallor cat
was game, and he'd come and clinch,
and the way they'd gougc, and bite and
howl, and the way they'd make the fur
fly, was powerful.
Well, Jim, he got di,gustcl with the
row, and lowed he'd climb out there
and shake him oti'n that roof He
hadn't rccly no notion of duin' it, likely
but we cvcrla>tin'ly doggcd him, and
buliy-raggcd him, and lowed he'd III
ways Dragged how he wouldn't take n
dare, and 50 ON, till bimeby he high>tcd
up the winder, and 10. aud behold YOU,
he wcnt-wcut exactly as he was
nothing ON but a shirt, and twas short.
but YOU ought to see him. You ought
to see him cre-e-pin' over that ice, and
diggin' hi, toc-nails and tngcr-nail, in
to keep from slippin'; and 'bovo all,
YOU ought to seen that shirt-tail happin'
in the wind. and them long, ridicllu-
lous shank> of his gli,tenin' in the
moonlight.
Them company folk was down there
under them caves, and the whole squad
of 'cm under thl; orncry shed of old
Washin'ton Bower vines-all sctt'in
round about two dozen sasscrs of hot
candy, which they'd sol 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-snca-kin up, unbc-
knowns to them tom cats-they was n
switchin' their tails and vow-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 foot'n half of EN-,
and then all of a sudden he made grab
for the yaller clt! But by gosh he
missed fire and slipped his holt and hi,
heels flew up and he Topped on hi
back, and shot ofl'n that roof like a
dart,-wcnt slashin and II crashin'
down thro' them old rusty vines, and
landed right in the centre of them
comp'ny peoplei-sot down like n
yearthquake in them two dozen sasscrs
of red-hot clndy, and let off a howl
that was bark FIN the tomb. Them
gals-well, they looked, YOU know.
They see he wasn't dressed for comp'nv,
and so they left. All done ina second,
it was Just one little war-whoop and n
whish! of their dresses, and blame the
wench of 'em was in sight anywhere!
Jim he was sight. Hewa' gormed
with that billin' hot molaSses candy
clean down to his heels, and had more
busted aassers hangin' to him than if he
was an lnjun princcss-and he come n
prancin' mp 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 blistcred! Why hlcss Your
soul, that poor cretur couldn't reely sci
down comfortable for as much as four