The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-05-03
Mark Twain's Cat Story.
NOT ~ ANY OF HIS COLLECTIONS.

wi ~ AL W Dhc NVLLE[A4ONss
knew by the sympathetic glow upon his bald
head-I knew by the thoughtful look upon hi:
face-I knew by the emotional flush upon the
strawberry end Of the old free liver's nose, that
Simon Wheeler's memory was busy with the
olden time. And so | prepared to leave, for all
these were symptoms of a reminiscence-signs
that he was going to be delivered Of another of
his tiresome personal experiences-but | was too
slow he got the start Of me. As nearly as |
can ~recollect the inhiction was couched in the
following language
ave were all boys then, and didn't care for
nothing, and didn't have any trouble, and didn't
worry about nothing only TO shirk school and
keep up a revivin' state of devilment all the time.
This yah Jim Wolf I was talkin' about was the
prentice. and he was the best-hearted Teller, he
was, and the most forgivin' and onselfsh 1 ever
see-well, there could not be a more bullier boy
than he was, take him how you would and sorry
enough was L when | see him for the last time.
Me and Henry was always Fostering him,
and plastering horsebills on his back, and put
ting humble bees in his bed, and so on and some
times we'd crowd in and bunk with him, not
withstanding his growing, and then we'd let on
to get mad and fight across him, so as to keep
him stirred up like. lie was nineteen, he was,
and long, and lank, and bashful; and we was
fifteen and sixteen, and t~olerably lazy and worth
less.
$50 that night, you know, that my sister
Mary gave a candy pullin, they started us to bed
~NN , ~ ONNN bNfN ANA WI
and We run in on Jim to have some fun.
Our winder lookt out into the roof of an ell,
and about ten o'clock a couple Of old tom cats
got to roarin' and chargin' around it, and carry
in on like sin. There was four inches { snow
on the roof, and it was frozen so that hete was a
right smart crust OF ice on it, and the moon was
shining bright, and we could see them cats like
daylight. First they would stand off and e-yow
VOW, VOW, just the same as they was a cussin one
another, you know, and bow up their backs and
ny fhofr foloc ond curaIl ora,nA and MI |
then all Of a sudden the grey cat he'd snatch a
handful OF fur out OF the yaller cat buthe was game,
and he'd come and clinch, and the way they'd
make the fur fly was powerful.
d" Well, Jim. he got disguised with the row,
and lowed he'd climb out their and shake them
of'n that roof. He hadn't RELY no notion of
doin' it, likely, but we eyerlastin'ly logged him,
and bullyragged him, and lowed he'd always
Dragged how he would not take a dare, and so on
and 10 and behold you, he went-went exactly as
he was-nothin' on but q 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',
and 'boye all, you ought to have seen that shirt
a~-happin' in the wind, and them long, ridi-
,ulous shanks OF his a-glistenin' in the moon
light.
Them company folks were down there under
the caves, the whole squad of them under the
,rnery shed of old Washin'ton Bower vines-all
round about two dozen sassers of hot
WulCu tucJ " = III III II u W
And they was laughin' and talkin' lively but
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
hem cats-they was swishin' their tails and
Iow-yowin' and threatenin' to clinch, you know,
md not payin' any attention-he went a-sneak-
n right up to the comb Of the roof, till he was
n q foot and a half of 'em, and then all Of a
udden he made a grasp for the yaller cat But,
" gosh, he missed fire and slipped his holt, and
is heels few up and he Topped on his back, and
hot off'n that roof ike a dart-went n slashin'
nd q crashin' down through them old rusty
ines and landed right in the dead centre of them
people set down like a yearthquake
n them two dozen sassers of red-hot candy, and >
ct off q howl that was heard I'm the tomb
hem gals-well, they looked, you know. They /
ee he want dressed for company, and so they .
eft. All done in a second, it was just one little !
var whoop and a whish of their dresses, and
lame the wench of 'em was in sight anywhere. o
20 Jim, he was a sight. He was gormed with
bilin' hot molasses candy clean down to his
cells, and had more busted sassers hangin' to
i'm than If he was an Injun princess-and he
a prancin' up stairs just n whoopin' and
ursin', and every jump he gave shed some china,
nd every squirm he fetched he dropped some
]
q" And blistered J Why, bless your soul, that =
DOR cretur couldn't RELY set down comfortable
II as much as four weeks