Feliciana sentinel., 1879-05-17
the FELlCIANA SENTINEL
MARK TwAIN's CAT STORY,

4 knew by the sympathetic glow
upon his bald head-I knew by the
thoughtful look upon his face-I
kuew by the emot,onals flush upon
the strawberry end of the old free-
hver's nose-that Simon V7heeler's
memory was busy with the olden
time. And 80 I prepared to leave,
because all these were symptoms Of
a remiuiscence-signs that he was
going to DO delivered OF another of
his tiresome personal experiences
but l wss too slow; he got the start
OF me. As nearly as can recol-
lect, the inliction was couched in
the following language: Eve were
all boys then, and didn't have any
trouble, and didn't worry about
nothin' only to shirk school and
keep up q revivin' state of devil
ment all the time. This var jim
Wolf I was talkin' about was the
prentice. and he was the best
hearted feller: he was, and the
most forgivin' and unsel6sh ever
see-welf, there could not be a
more bullier boy than he was, take
him how you would, and sorry
enough was I when I see him for
the last time. Me and Henry was
always pestern' him, and plastering
horse bills on his back. and putting
oumble-bees in his bed, an6 so on,
and sometimes we'd crowd in and
bunk with him, Notwithstanding 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 long and
1ank, and bashful, and we was
fifteen and sixteen, and tolerably
lazy and worthless. So, that night,
you know, that my sister gave a
candy-pullin' they started US to bed
early, so as the company would
have full swing, and we run in on
Jim to have some fun. Our winder
lookt out onto the roof of an ell,
and about ten o'clock a couple of
old tom-cats got to rarin' and
ehargin' around it, and carryin' on
like Gin. There was four inches OF
chow on the roof, and it was frozen
SO that there was a right smart
crust of ice on it, and the moon was
shinin' bright, and We could see
them cats like daylight. First,
they would stand off and e-yow,
VOW. VOW, just the same as if they
was a-cussin' one another, you
know. and bow up their backs and
push up their tails, aud swell
around and spit; then all of sud.
den, the gray cat he'd snatch a
handful OF fur out of the yaller
cats ham, and spin around him
like button on a barn-door. Bot
the yaller cat was game, and he'd
come and clinch, and the way they'd
gouge. and bite, aud yowl, and the
way they'd make the fur ay was
powerful. Well Jim he got dis
gusted with the row, and lowed
he'd climb out there and shake 'em
od'n that roof. He hadn't reely
no notion of doin' it, likely, but
we everlastin'ly dogged him, and
hullragged him, and lowed he'd
always Dragged how he would not
take dare, and so on, till 5ime.
by he highsted up the winder, and
10 and behold you, he went-exact-
~ as he was, nothin' on but shirt,
and that was short. But you ought
to see him. You ought to see him
crecpin' over that ice and diggin'
his toe~nails and finger-nails in to
keep from slippin, and 'bove all,
you ought to see that shirt-tail a
flappid' in the wind, and them Iocg,
Ridiculous shanks of his a glist-
tegin' in the moonlight. Them
company folks were dowu there un-
der the caves, tho whole squad of
then under that ornery shed of old
Wosfi in,ton RI war vinnu-ou cot