Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-02-14
MARK TWAIPs CAT STORY.

full look upon his face-l knew by the
emotional flush upon the old free-liyer' 8
nose, that Simon Wheeler's memory
was busy with the olden time. And l
prepared to leave, because all these were
symptoms of a reminiscence-signs
that he was going to be delivered OF
one of his tiresome personal experiences
but was TO slow; he got the start
of me. AS nearly as / can remember
the infection was couched in the fol-
owing language:
1--WE were boys then, and didn't care
for nothing. and didn't have any trouble
and didn't worry about nothing only to
shirk school, and keep up a revivin'
state of devilment all the time. This
yah Jim Wolf was talkin'
about was the prentice the best
hearted Teller. he was, and the
most forgivin' and Onselfish ever see
we'll there could not be a more butler
boy than he was. take him how you
would, and sorry enough was when 1
see him for the last time.
Me and Henry was always poster
ing him, and plasterin' horse bills on
his back, and putin bumblebees in his
bed and SO on, and sometimes we would
crowd in and bunk with him, not with
standing 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 tolerably lazy and
worthless.
$50 that night, you know, that my
sister Mary gave the candy pullin'. they
started us to bed early SO as the COM
pany would have full swing, and we
run in on Jim to have some fun.
''Our winder lookt out on the roof
Of an ell, and about 10 O'Clock couple
tom cats got to rarin' and chargin'
arouR' it and carryin' on like sin.
There was four inches of snow on the
roof, and it was frOZe so that there was
a right smart crust 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, and
swell around and spit,then all of sud
den the gray cat he'd snatched a hand
full of fur out of the yaller cats ham
and spin him around like the button on
barn door. But the yaller cat was
game, and he'd come up and clinch,
apd the way they'd gouge and bite. and
howl, and the way they'd make the fnr
fly was powerful.
"Well, Jim he got Disguised with the
row, and lowed he'd climb out there
and shake him off'n that roof. He
hadn't really no notion of dom it,
likely, but we everlastin'ly logged him
and bullyragged him, and lowed he'd
always Dragged he'd never take dare.
and SO on, till bime-by he histed up
the winder, and 10 and behold you, he
went-went exactly as be was, nothin'
on but his shirt and it was short. But
you ought to see him. You ought to see
him ereepin' over that ice, and diggin
his toe nails and finger nails in to keep
from slippln, and bove all, you ought to
see that shirt-tail fappin in the wind,
and them long, ridiculous shanks of
his glistenin in the moonlight.
Them company folks were down
there under the caves, the whole squad
of them under that ornerV shed of old
Washin ton Bower vines-all settin
round abot two dozen sassers of hot
candy. which they d sot in the snow to
cool. And they was laughin and talk
in lively; but bless yon they didn
know nothin bout the panorama that
was goin on over their heads. Well,
Jim, he went sneakin up unbeknown
to them cats; they was swisin their
tails and yow-yOwin- and threatenln to
clinch, you know, and not payin any
attention he went a sneakin right up
to the comb of the roof till he was in
a foot and a half of EN-, and then all
Of sudden he made grab for the
yaller cat! But by gosh, he missed fire
and slipped his hold, and his heels flew
up and he Hoped on his back, and shot
oft that roof like a dart.-went a
slashin and crashin down through