Waterbury Democrat., 1902-08-28
THE CATFISH
AND TIL E CAT
OF p &C HUI OK


seemed laboring under an emotion
which he was endeavoring TO suppress.
'It's news from Pochuck," said he,
dropping into his chair and hopping
his face on his sleeve. Its news from
Pochucls, and it's great. But wouldn't
"a believed it. No, sir, wouldn't "a
believed it,
"And won'tl" said Badly, the land
lord, quickly and positively.
'sBut seen iti'' said the alleged Po-
chuck citizen, reproachfully.
Yet doubt stood revealed on the
landlords face palmer than the warts
on a crook-neck squash.
.sYou believe there's holler stumps.
don't your" asked the man.
The existence of hollow stumps
couldn't be denied, even by Badly, the
landlord.
''And as to yaller CATS" the man
went on. "There amt no doubt about
yaller cats, is there? And yaller cats
has kittens, don't they ?" said the wan
sderer from over toward Pochuck.
Not if their name is Tom, they
DON'T" said De Witt Green, of jolly
Farm, who is bound to have things kept
straight or know the reason why.
The Pochuck citizen having settled
that point to the satisfaction of all, it
was admitted that there could be no
doubt that yellow cats had kittens.
land there's catfish, amt there?''
; the man asked.
you'd think there was" said Badly,
the landlord, s'if you'd be here some
time when I've been fishing for 'emi"
Somefolks would have wondered why
nobody said anything after that for
quite a spell, and why even the mar
from Poehuck gfinned; but the land
lord didn't seem to notice this behavior.
"And as to families of young cat
fish," said the man, after awhile.
4sSech things has been heerd of,
hain't they?"
Of course they had. Certainly.
.sCatfish and their young lives in
water, don't they?" asked the bearer
of news from Pochuck, intent on set
ting himself straight.
No one had any record of catfish
living more than day or SO on
land.
s.And nobody that has. read about
Noah and the flood has any doubt
asked the man.
The fact was well known.
swell, then,' said the Pochuck cit
izen, with look of triumph at
Badly, the landlord, ST seen em ALL"
.When did you see the water?"
asked Badly, the landlord, malicious
", and Farmer Bill Leonard who
lives opposite Goose Pond Noun
tain, said: "sShamei" and Farmer.
Green said: tsTut, tut, Baldyl'
The man who stakes his word on
his homes being over toward Po-
chuck cracked the thumb on his
right hand and three fingers on his
left, as if deffantly, and said:
.Them's the news I've brung over
this time, and I wouldn't "a believed
'em. First place, I'd been down to
a Sprout Hill stone frolic. IF you've
never been to Sprout Hill stone
frolic it's a leetle hard to give you
all the p'ints a Sprout Hill stone
frolic has.
"When I got home from the frolic
in the evenin', Uncle. David looked
me over and I see he was kind o..
begrudgin' me.
"I see it was hummer says he.
81 said it was and went to bed
and forgot to milk the cows. Next
morning I thought I'd walk over to
the river to see if the water had fell
much, cause it had been uncom-
promisin' high. ] see that it had fell
considerable, cause big holler
stump that had been all covered with
water was showins- above it for more
than two foot, but the holler in the
stump was full o. water yit.
ST sot down to rest spell, and as
L sot there what should i see butt
catfish raise up in the water inside
that boiler stump and peek down
over the edge o. the stump. I never
seen bigger catfish than that one,
and I've seen some all gozzlin' big
ones in them Drownded Lands wa
ters..
ssWhen the catfish seen how far
below the top o. that stump the river
had got, it looked scared, tell yon,
and it dropped back into the holler.
@sThat catfish has been hatchih'
fits young ones in that stump, not
thinlcin' about the high water, I'll
bet a hoss,' I says, and it has been
ketched there unbeknownst to it,
ST hadn't more than said it, when
up to the top came the catfish
again, and she had her mouth. full
% young catfish. She give a flop,
and out o. the stump to the water
she went. She released her mouth
full o. young ones, gethered herself
together, and sprung back into that
stump. In less than ten seconds out
she jumped ag'in with another
mouthful O. young ones, released em
and back into the stump.
Five times that catfish went in
and out o. the holler stump before
she got all of her young ones out
safe, and away she swum, the whole
pig litter of kitten fish follerin'
along in her wake.
sThis was interestin' and I sot
there wonderin' on it, when down on
to dead tree that lay out from the
bank into the river maybe ten foot
uallar oama