Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1879-09-04
Mark Twain's Cat Story.

knew by the sympathetic glow
upon his bald head-I knew by the
emotional flush upon the strawberry
end of the old free-liver's nose that
Mr.. Wheeler's memory was busy
with the olden time And so 1 pre-
pared to leave, for all these were
signs ola reminiscence-signs that
he was going to be delivered of an
other of his tiresome personal expert
ences-but was too slow; he got
the start of me. As near as l can
recollect, the infiction was couched
in the following language:
we we're all boys. then, and didn't
care for nothing, and didn't worry
about nothing only to shirk school
and keep up reyivin' state of devil
ment all the time. This yah Jim
Wolf was talkin' about was the
'prlntice', and he was the best heart
ed feller he was, and the most torgiv-
IN and unselfish l ever saw-well,
there could not be no bullier boy than
he was, take him as you would, and
sorry enough was l whom ] 500 him
for the last time.
Me and Henry was always pester-
ing him and plastering horsebills on
his back, and putting humble bees in
his bed, and 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,
and long and lank and bashful, and
we was fifteen and sixteen, and toler-
ably lazy and worthless.
so that night, you know, that my
sister Mary gave a candy pulln' 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 looked out into an ell,
and about ten o'clock a couple of
tom cats got to roarin' and chargin'
around like sin. There was four in
ches of snow on the roof, and it was
frozen so that there as 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, jest
rs if 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 sudden
the gray cat he'd snatch a handful of
fur out of the yaller cats ham, and
spin round him like the button on
barn door. But the yalier cat was
game, and he'd come and clinch, and
the way they'd make the fur fly was
,, powerful.
We'll. Jim, he got discusted with
the row and lowed he'd climb out
I there and shake them off'n that roof.
! He hadn't no notion of doin' it, like
y ly, but we everlastingly dogged him.
and lowed he'd always Dragged how
5 he would not take dare, and so on,
5 and 10 and behold, out he went -
/ went exactly as he was-nCthin' on
but shirt, and that was short. But
you ought to see him creepin, over
that ice, and diggin' ibis toe nails
and finger nails in to keep from slip
a PIN, and 'bove all you ought to have
Q seen that shirt tail tappin' in the
U wind, and them long ridiculous shanks
U of his glistenin' in the moonlight.
! The company folks was all down
y there unGer the caves, the whole
o squad Of them, under the ornery
l. shade of old an Washington Bower
vine--all settin' round about two
dozen sassers of hot candy, which
they mad set in the STOW to cool.
And they were laughin' and talkin'
e lively; but bless you, they didn't
l. know nethin' about the panorama
n that was goin' on over their heads.
z Well, jim he went sneaking up un-
beknown to them cats-they was a
It swishin' their tails and yow-yowin'
II and not payin' any attention; he
II went a sneakin' right up to the comb
1t of the roof, till he was in foot and
n half of 'em, and then all of q sud-
: den he made grab for the yeller
e cat. But, by gosh, he missed fire
W and slipped his holt, and his heels
lie flew up and he Topped on his back, and
1t he shot oh'n that roof like dart
e went sIashln' and crashin' down
IS through them old rusty vines and
landed right in the dead center ol
y the company people !-sot down like
v a yearthquake in them two dozen
Sc sassers of red hot candy and let off q
is howl that was bark fm the tomb
ID Them gals--wcll they looked, yor
+ know. They see he was not dressed
Sc for company, so they left. All done
IS in second. 1t was just one little
Sc war whoop and a whlsh of their dres
p ses. and blame the wench OF 'em wa:
C. in sight anywhere.
at Jim, he was sight. He wa:
p gormed with that bilin' hot nolasses
De candy clean down to his heels, ant
IN more busted sassers hangin' to hin
than if he was an Injun princess
as and he come prancin' up stairs jus
as a whoopln' and cussir' and ever,
40 lump he gave, shed some china, an(
IS every squirm he fetched dropped
a some candy!
Mt And blistered? Why, bless you
t, soul that poor cretur' couldn't reel,
d, set down comfortable for as much a
elk four weeks
en- IIigh-Toned Title.
r 1t is shame Col. III. could no
1.-Two in tho Old Country for wa sci