West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-01-04
Mark Twam's Cat story

/
| knew by the sympathetic glow upor
/ his bald head knew bv the thoushtfn
! look upon his face | knew bv the emo
! tlonal flush upon the strawberry end n
/ the old free liVCr's nose. that Simo,
| Wheeler's memory was busy with IN,
olden time. And 80 prepared to leave
ior all these were symptou oia rcmin
lscence-signs that he was going to b,
delivered of another of his tircsomc per
sonal experiences | was too slow
he got the start of me As nearly as
can reColleCt, the infiiction was couchcd
IN the following language:
We were all boys, then, and didn't
care for nothing, and didn't have any
trouble, and didn't worry about nothing
only 10 shirk school and keen up a re-
ylving state of devilment all the time
This yah Jim Wolf | was talkiu' ahont
was the prentice. and he was the hes,
hearted feller, he WAS, and the most
iorgivin and onselhsh ever see well.
there could not he more bullier bow
than he WAS, take him how YOU would.
ana sorry enough was | when see him
for the last time
Me and Henry was always pestering
hlm, and plastering horsebills ON his
back, and putting humble bees i'm his
bed, and so ON, and sometimes we'd
crowd in and bunk with him, notwith.
standing hi- growing, and then we'd let
on To get mad and fight across him. 80 a.
to keep him stirred up like. lie was
nineteen he was, and long, and lank
and bashtul, and we was fifteen and six
teen, and tolerably lazy and worthless
30, that night, you know, that my
sister Mary gave candy pullin', they
started us to bed early, so M the com
pany would have full swing, aud we
run IN on Jim TO nave some fun.
Our winder lookt out into the roof
oil an ell, and about ten O'Clock a couple
oil old tom cats got 10 roarin' and chargin'
around it, and carryin' on like sin.
There was four inches of snow on the
roof, and il was frozen so that there 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 of an e-yow, VOW, vow,
Just the same as they was 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 he'd snatch handful of
fur out of the yeller cats ham, and spin
around him like the button on barn
door. But the yeller cat was game, and
he'd come and clinch, and the way
they'd gouge and bite and yowl, and the
way they'd make the fur fly was powerful
We'll, Jim, hc cot Disguised with the
row, and lowed he'd climb out there
and shake him off n that roof. lie hadn't
reely no notion OF doin' it, likely, but
we everlastin'ly dogged him, and bully
ragged him, and lowed he'd always
Dragged how he would not take n dare.
and 80 on, and 10 and behold you, he
wcnt-went exactly as he was-nothin'
on but shirt and that was short. But
you ought TO zee him. You ought TO
sce him creepin' over that ice, and dig.
gin his toe nails and finger nails i'm 10
keep from slippin', and bove ali, you
ought to have seen that shirt tail a. flap
pin in the wind, and them long, ridicu-
lous shanks Of his a-glistenin' in the
moonlight.
"Thcm company folks were down
there under the caves, the whole squad
Of them under the ornery shed Of old
Washn'tOn Bower yines-all settn
round about two dozen sassers of hot
candy, which they'd set in the snow 10
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-swishin' their
tails and yOwyOwin' and threatenin' to
clinch, you know, and not payin' any at
tentiOn-he went a-sneakin' right up 10
the comb of the roof till he WAS in
foot and half of 'em, and then all of a
sudden he made grab for the yeller
cat! But, by gosh, he missed fire and
slipped his holt, and his heels few up
and he Topped on his back, and shot oCl'n
that roof like dart-went slashin' and
a crashin' own through them old rusty
vines and landed rightin the dead center
of them comp'ny people !--sot down like
q yearthquake in them two dozen sassers
Of red-hot candy, and let of howl that
was bark I'm the tomb Them gals
we'll, they looked, you know They see
he wasn't dressed for company, and 40
they left. All done in second. il WAS
Just one little war whoOp and n whish of
their dresses. 'snd blame the wench Of
'em was in sight anywhere.
Jim, hc was sight He was Qormed
with that bilin' hot molasse- candy
clean down to his heels, aud had more
busted sassers hangin' 10 him than il he
was an Injun princess and be come a
prancin' up stairs just q whOOpin' and
a cussin' and every jump he gave shed
some china, and every squirm he fetched
he dropped some candy
" And blistered Why, bless your
soul that poor cretur couldn't reely set
down comfortable FOR A. much as four
weeks"
a WRITER in the 1rt .I1gypqi believe,