Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-02-09
MBO, THE FIGHT. r.
l Toncstt that is Norti, honey -, !: fIo,i

IT q
E-ssuk Claw, III.
St Louis Globe Democrat: Tom
eats: Did You ever see 'em fight?''
said Jim Burns at the Iindel. and he
walked right up and sat erect IN his arm
chair at the first mention of the matter
Why. in my house we have tomcat
l wouldn't take $50 for We call him
Jumbo. jun for short, a slate-colored
sort of an old fellow with never a white
hair on him. Maltese blood. my young
est boy says. and he has investigated
the whole cat business from alto lizard
In my town. over IN Illinois.
there are generally about two tomcats
to Il square. jun has his whole
square to himself. He tolerates no
visiting. He is very quiet and sleepy
during the day, likes to be nursed and
petted by the children and purrs like
a tea-kettle when you smooth him
down. He takes no notice of his sew
eral wives, morning or afternoon. in
fact submits meekly when they spit at
him aud strike with their claws as he
passes by. At nightfall. though. he is
transformed. He goes on duty with
alacrity. ''Fierce as ten fu1ies, terrible
as hell he patrols the whole premises,
lies in wait with green eyes under the
current bushes Skins along the fences.
creepS over the WOodShed and other
Outbuildings, crouches in the cave
troughs, and from time to time emits
a yee-oW Of defiance which makes the
old cook shiver in her bed. Some nights
it's very hard not to shy a bootiack or
a soda bottle at him, but we know that
he tends strictly to his own business
and means no harm to the household.
But he has rival in the neighbOr-
ing square who from time to time
comes over for a slindy. He is young
er than 'Jum,' black as night, with a
tail about a yard along, which has the
motion of a serpent. He has a voice,
too, with a human stop to it--a yoy
humana they call it in organ building.
don't they? Well, in the rise and fab
of that prolonged note, about the hour
OF midnight, there is more suggestion
of ghosts, hobgoblins and horrors of
all sorts than one can well agine who
has not heard it. I know some day
that black cat, with this voice and tail.
will whip jun
81 saw them come together one dim
moonlight night not long ago. The
'yeeOwing' began the moment they
caught sight of each other AS they
slowly crept up they stretched their
necks out Of all proportion, elongated
their whole bodies until their bellies
scraped the ground; their heads actual
ly passed each other, but their eyes
glared sideways like Goals of fire Sud
denly jun feigned retreat His adver~
sary Immediately bounced him. but
when he got there jun was on his
back and ready for business.
II saw his tactics at once. He held
with his teeth and got in his work with
his hind legs. The fur flew, I tell you.
They disappeared in the bushes with
yell of fury. / don't know how it
came out, but next morning | found
jun in the sun on the top rail of q
picket fence. He blinked kindly at me
out of one eve, the other being closed
His right ear hung down over his jaw
There We're gouts of blood and spots
of bare skin along his sides, and knew
from the way he Rugged the rail that
it had a warm and soothing effect upon
his torn belly. The other cat must have
suffered. too, but he set up his old song
the next night, and if he forces the
fighting I know Jum,' sooner or later,
will have to go under"