The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-01-30
Miseenany.
Jim Wolf and the Tom Cats.

Oxm VA ouN SA0 SVAA SoUos
1.-The event narrated below occurred
one night, says Mark Twain, "when
my sister Mary give q candy pnllin'.
They started rs to bed early. SO as the
company would have full swing, and we
run in on Jim Wolf to have some fun.
"Our winder lookt onto the roof ofan
ell and about ten o'clock a couple of old
tom cats got to roarin' and shargln'
around it, and carryin' on like sin.
There was fonr inches of show on the
roof, and it was frozen 30 that there
was right smart crust of ice on it.
and the moon WAS shinnin, bright, and
we oonld see them cats like daylight.
First they would stand off and e-yaw.
VOW, VOW. just the same as they was a
cussin' one another, you know, and
bow up their backs and push up their
tails. and swell around and spit, then
all of a sudden the gray cat would
snatch handful Of fur out OF the yell
ler cats ham. and spin around him like
the button on a barn door. But the
yeller cat was game, and he'd come
and clintch and way they'd gouge and
bite and yowl and the way the'd make
the fur fly was powerful.
"Well, Jim, he got disgusted with
the row, and lowed he'd climb out
there and shake him off'n that roof.
He had RELY no notion of doin' it.,
likely, but No everIastin'ly dogged him
and bully-ragged him. and lowed he'd
always Dragged as how he wouldn't
take dare, and 40 on. and 10 and be-
hold you, he went-went exactly as he
WAS -nothin' on but a shirt. and that
was short. But you ought to see him.
You ought to see him creepin' over
that ice, and diggin' his toe nails and
finger nails in to keep. from slippin.
Them company folks were down
there under the caves, the whole squad
of them, under the onery shed OF old
Washiu' ton Bower vlnes-all sett'n
round about two dozen sassers of hot
candy, which they'd set in the snow to
cool. And they was laughin' and
talkin' lively; but bless you, they didn't
know nothin' about the panorama that
was goin' on over their heads. Well, Jim
he went a sneakin' up unbeknown to
them cats-they was a>swishln' their
tails and ow-yowin' and threstenin' to
clinch, you know, and not psyin' any
attent,on-he went a-sneakin' right up
to the comb of tho roof, till he was in
foot and half of 'em. and then all
OF a sudden he made grab for the yell
Ter cat! But. by gosh, he missed fire
and slipped his bolt, and his heels
flew up and he Topped on his back. and
shot of-n that roof like q dart-went
a.slashin' and a crashin' down through
them old rusty vines and landed right
in the dead centre OF them company
people!-sot down like q yearthquake
in them two dozen sassers Of red>hot
candy. and let of howl that was bark
FIN tho tomb! Them gals-well, they
looked, ,you know. They seen he wasn't
dressed for company, and so they left.
All done in second, tit vas just one
little war whoop and whish of their
dresses, ard blame the wench of 'em
was in sight anywherel
Jim, he was a sight. He was
gormed with that bilin' hot molasses
candy clean down to his heels, and had
more busted sassers hangin' to him
than il he was an Iniun princess and
he come a-prancin' up stairs Just a.
whoopin' and cussin' and every jump he
gave shed some china, and every squirm
he fetched he dropped some candy!
"And blisteredl Why, bless your
soul, that poor creetur couldn't reely
set down comfortable for as much as
four weeks"