Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-06-07
Mark Twatn's Cat Story.

.
KNEW by the sympathetic glow upon
his bald head knew by the thoughtful
look upon his FACET knew by the emo~
tional flush upon the strawberry end of
the old free liver's nose-that Simon
Wbeelers memory was busy with the
clden time. And so l prepared 20 leave,
because all these were symptoms of
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. that he was going to
be delivered of another of his tiresome
personal experier ces, but l was too slow
he got the start Ofme. AS nearly as I can
recollect, the infection was couched in the
Glowing language: I'VE re all boys
didn't have any trouble, and didn't worry
about nothing only to shirk school and
keep UP a reviving S ate Of dew lment ali
the time. This zap Jim Wolf l was talk
ing q bout was the prentice, and he was
the best hearted Teller, he was, and the
most fOrgivng and unselfsh l ever see
well, there could not be more butler boy
than he was, take him how you would,
and sorry enough vas l when [ see him
always Fostering him, and pasterlng
horse bills on his back, and putting bum
blebees in his bed, and so on, and some~
times we'd crowd in the bunk with him,
notwithstanding his growing, and tt en-
we'd let on TO get mad and fight across
him as to keep them stiI red up like.
He was nineteen he was long and lank, and
bashful and We were fifteen and sixteen.
| and tOlerably lazy and worth less. So, that
| night, you know, that my sister gave d
| candy pulling, they stsrted Us to bed early
so as the company would have full swing,
| and We run in on j i'm to have sOne fun.
| Our winder looked out onto the root of an
| ell; and about ten o'clock a couple of old
| tom cats got rarin' and charging around it,
and carrying on like sin. There was four
inches of snow on the roof, and was frozen
| so that there was Il right smart crust Of ice
| on 1t and the moon was shining bright,
ond we could see them cats ike daylight.
Fist. they would stand off and me-yOW,
VOW VOW, est the same as if they We're
cuss!ng one another, you know, and bow
up their back and push up their tails, and
swell around end spit; then all of a sudden
the gray cat he'd snatch a handful of fur
out Of the yaller cats ham, and spin around
him like a button on q barn door. But the
yaller Cat was game, and he'd come and
clince, and the way they would gouge and
bite and yOwl, and the way they would
make the fur fly was powerful. Well, Jim
he got di-gusted with the row, and lowed
he climb out there and shake 'em eff
that roof
He hadn't RELY no notion of doing it.
likely, but we everlastingly dogged him.
and bulldraggcd him and lowed he'd
| always Dragged how he wouldn't take a
dare, till bimeby he highsted up the
| winder, and 10 and behold you he went
| exactly as he was, nothing on but shirt,
and th t was short But on ought to see
him. You ought to see him creep ng over
| that ice and disgin' his toe nails and finger
nails in to keep from slippin, and ABOVE all
| yOn ought to see that shirt tail a tiappin
| in the wind, and them long. ridiculous
| shanks of lis glstenin' in the moonlight
| Them company folks were down there
under the caves the whole squad of them
| under that Ornery she'd of cid Washington
| Bower vines-all settin' around about two
dozen sassers of hot candy, which they'd
| set in the snow to cool. And they WAS
! laughln' and talkin' lively, but bless GU
| they didn't know notnin' about the pana
| rama that was gOln' on above their heads.
| Well, Jim he went sneakiu' up unbe-
! known to them cats-t ey was swjshing
their tails and yowyOwin' and threathIn'
t. cllnce, ye know, and not payin' any
attentlon-he went sneakin right up to the
| comb of the roof till he was in foot and
half Of them, and then all # audden be
made Il grab for the yaller cat! But, by
gosh, he missed fire and slipped his holt,
and his heels few up and ne topped on
his back, and sDot off that roof like 8
| dart-went a siashin' md crash down
them old rusty vines, and landed in the
center OF them company people !-sot down
| llkr II earthquake in them two dozen SASS
ers of red hot candy, and let off howl that
was bark from the tomb Them g4ls--wel
they looked, you know. They see be WASH t
dressed for company, and so they left Ali
done in m mute. Just one little war
whoop and a "whish " of their dresses,
and blame The weuch Of them was IN sight
anywhere Jim, he was sightI He was
gormed with that biin' hot moasses
candy clean down to his heels, and had
moro busted sassers hangin' to him than il
he was an Irja an princess-and he came q
prancin' un stairs j st a whoOpin' and q
cussin', and every jump he gave he shed
some china, and every squirm he fetched
be dropped some candy And blistered
Why bless your SOU, the poor creetel
couldn't RELY set dow u comfortable for as
| much as four weeks"