Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1902-11-28
THE CATFISH
AND THE CAT
OF &C HUI G K


which he was endessvoring to suppress.
ITS news from Pochuck." said he.
dropping into his chair and hopping
his face on his sleeve. Its news from
Pochuck, and its great. But wouldn't
"a believed it. No, sir. wouldn't "a
believed it,"
And won'tI" said Badly, the land
lord, quickly and positively.
But / seen itl" said the alleged Po-
chuck citizen, reproachfully.
Yet doubt stood revealed on the
landlords face palmer than the warts
on crook-neek squash.
you believe there's holler stumps,
don't you?" asked the man.
The existence OF hollow stumps
couldn't be denied. even by Badly, the
landlord.
And as to yaller eats" the man
went on. There amt no doubt about
yaller cats, is there? And yaller eats
has kittens. don't they2" said the wan
derer 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.
And there's catfish, amt there"
the man asked.
You'd think there was" said Baldy,
the landlord. III you'd be here some
time when I've been fishing for emil"
Some folks would have wondered why
nobody said anything after that for
quite a spell. and why even the man
from Pochuck grinned; but the land
lord didn't seem TO notice this behavior.
And as to families Of young cat
fish," said the man, after awhile.
''Sech things has been heerd of,
hain't they?"
OF course they had. Certainly.
Catfish and their young lives in
water, don't they?" asked the bearer
Of news from Pochuck, intent on set
ting himself strair 4,
No one had any record Of catfish
living more than a day or SO on
land
And nobody that has read about
Noah and the flood has any doubt
that water gifts high, now and then?"
asked the man.
The fact was well known.
We'll, then" said the Pochuck cit
izen, with n look of triumph at
Badly, the landlord. 81 seen EN- all"
when did you see the water?"
asked Badly. the landlord. malicious
ly, and Farmer Bill Leonard. who
lives opposite Goose Pond Noun
tain, said: "Shame!" and Farmer
Green said: Tut, tut, Baldyi"
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 defantly, and said:
"Them's the news I've brung over
this time. and I wouldn't "a believed
EN-. First place, I'd been down TO
Sprout Hill stone frolic. II you've
never been TO a Sprout Hill stone
frolic it's a leetle hard TO give Won
all the pints Sprout Hill stone
frclic has.
when I got home from the frohc
in the evenin'. Uncle David looked
me over and I see he was kind o.
begrudgin' me.
1 see 1t was hummer, says he.
i said 1t was and I went to bed
and forgot to milk the cows. Next
morning | 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 il had fell
considerable. cause big bolIer
stump that had been all covered with
water was shown above it for more
than two foot, but the holler in the
stump was full o. water Wit.
sot down to rest a spell. and az
/ sOt there what should ! see hut
catfish raise up in the water inside
that holler stump and peek down
over the edge o. the stump. navar
seen bigger catfish than that ono
ana I've seen some all eozuain' bi0
ones IN them Drownded Lands wa.
ters.
when the catfish seen how e..
oelo" the top o that stump the river
had got, it looked scared, / tell Won.
and 1t dropped back into the boiler
That catfish has been batehin,
It's young ones in that stumn nor
thlnk1n' about the high water IN
bet boss I says, and il has haar
ketched there unbeknownst To II
II hadn't more than said - II
up to the top came the catssh
again, and she had her -4no,tL 60,
D young catfish. She give a.
and out o the stump to the 49,
'he went. She released her -.
tut O young ones, gethered bersoIs
together, and sprung back into +hat
stump. In less than ten secDnds 80
'he jumped ag'in with anotbar
nouthful o. young ones, reid ased 'er,
md back into the stump.
Five times that catfish4 ~,4 :.
nd out o. the holIer stunEa Iato
he got all of her young 49, 90
afe, and away she swum, h,vboIo
'ig litter of kitten fish her;n,
long in her wake.
This was interestin'. Al ,ds s
here wonderin' ON 1T. whenN al
o dead tree that lay out hrb ~
'ank into the river maybe IN foot