Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-04-05
For the Beacon. .m
Jim Wolf and the Tom Cats.


L knew BY the sympathetic glow upon
bis bald head--f knew by the thought
ful look upon his face--l knew by the
emotional flush 0pon the strawberry on
the end of the old free-liver's nose, that
Simon Wheeler's memory was busy
with the olden times. And so pre-
pared to leave, because all these were
symptoms ofa reminiscence-signs that
he was going to be delivered Of another
of bis tiresome personal exPeriences-
but was too slowi he got the start Of
me. -.a.ef al
As near as I can recollect, the infec.
ton, was couched in the following Ian
guage .fr--sff Esrf
1--WE was all boys. then, and didn't
care for nothing only how to shirk school
and keep upa revivin state Of divel-
ment all the time.
i"This var Jim Wolf | was talking
about, was the prentice, and he was
the best hearted fellow, he was. and the
most forgiven and outselish 4 oversee.
Well, there couldn't be . more bullier
boy than be wss, take bin how Yqi
would; and sorry enough e.
seed him for the last time.
"Me aud Henry was always poster
ing him and plastering hoss bills on his
back and putting bumble-bees in his
bed. and so on, and sometimes we'd
crowd in and bunk with him, not stand
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 a candy pullin, they
started US of 10 bed early, and so as The
company could have full swing, and We
rung in on Jim to have some fun.
sour winder looked out onto the
roof and about ten o'clock a couple
of cid tom cats got to ravin and
chareln around on, it and carryin on like
sin. There was four inches Of snow on
the roof and il was froze so that there
was a right smart crust Of ice on it, and
the moon was shining bright and We
could see them eats like dsylIght.
"First they'd stand of and e-yow-
yow-yow, just the same-as lfthey were
cussin one another, you know, and
bow up their. backs, and bash up their
tails, aud swell around and spit, and
then all of sudden the grey cat he ID
scratch q handful OF fur offthe yalleF
CATS ham, and spin him around like q
button on barn door.
"But the yaiIef 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 az was pow
well, jim, he got disansted with ihe
row, and lowed he'd climb out there
and slske Sem of'n that root. He
hadn't reeIy no notion Of doing il ike
ly, but We everIastingly dogged him,
and bully ragged him, and lowed he'd
always Dragged how he wouldn't take
a. dare and so on, Ill, bimeby, be
h1ghsted up the windersand 10 and be-
hold you, be =-went exactly as he
was-ncthin on but shirt, and i was
short; but yon ought 10 a.seea him g.
cre-a-pin over that ice and diggin his
toe nails and hIs finger nails in for 20
keep him from slippin, and 'bove ell.
you ought to have seen that shirt flap
pin in the wind, aud them long redick-
lous shanks Of his'n glissenin in the
moonlight.
"Them eompsny folk was down
there under the eves.-the whole
squad OF 'em,-air sittin round about
Two dozea sassers Of hot candy,
wiich they'd sot in the STOW 60 cool;
aud they was laughm and talkin lively;
bet sbless YOU they didn't Bos soihin.
bout the panorama that was goin on
over their heads. - -. I
ssSVell, Jim he went . sneakin' anda
sueakin' np unbekn0w-as to them tom
cats. They was q swishins their tsIIS
aad .y0W-yow'n and threateniBtoelinch,
you know, and not payiB any attention.
He went q sneakin' and sneakin' right
up to the comb Of the roof, tiII be was
in . foot Of sens, and fben al Of Sod
den be made . grab Sor the yaller cd :
But, by gosh, be missed iiFe sBd slipped
his holt. and his heels neW gp, and be
flopped on his back and shot olf'n that
root like . dart went smashin and
crashin down thro' them old dTusty vines