The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-01-20
THE CATFISH
AND TIL e CAT
OF OCH c X

II - news from fOCnuCk, kalu ne,
dropping into his chair and hopping
his face on his sleeve. Its news from
Pochuck, and it's 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 l seen It'll" said the alleged Pc
chuck citizen, reproachfully.
Yet doubt stood revealed on the
landlords face palmer than the warts
on crook-neck squash.
"You 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,y the man
went on. There amt no doubt about
yaller cats, is there? And yaller cats
has kittens, don't they?" 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 Badly,
the landlord, IF you'd be here some
time when I've been fishing for 'em!"
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? p
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 straie H..
No one had any record of catfish
living more than day or so ON
land.
"And nobody that has read about
Noah and the food has any doubt
that water gifts high, now and then?"
asked the man.
The fact was well known.
''Well then" said the Pochuck cit
lien. with a look of triumph at
Badly. the landlord, 81 seen 'em ALI"
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, 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 defiantly, and said;
"Them's the news I've brung over
this time, and wouldn't "a believed
'em. First place, I'd been down to
Sprout Hill stone frolic. If you've
never been to a Sprout Hill stone
frolic it's leetle hard to give you
all the pints sprout Hill stone
frolic has
when l got home from the frolic
in the evenin', Uncle David looked
me over and / see he was kind O.
begrudgin' me.
i see 1t was hummer saws he.
II said ii was and l 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 1t had fell
considerable. cause big holler
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 yit.
u sot down to rest spell, and as
] sot there what should ] see but
catfish raise up in the water inside
that holler stump and peek down
over the edge O. the stump. / never
seen bigger catfish than that one
and I've seen some all gozzlin' big
ones in them Drownded Lands wa
tiers.
When the catfish seen how far
below the top o. that stump the river
had got, it looked scared, / tell Won.
and IT dropped back into the boiler.
That catfish has been hatchin'
its young ones in that stump. not /
about the high water, I'll
bet boss ! says, and it has been
ketched there unbeknownst to IT,,
Il hadn't more than said it. when
mp to the top came the catfish
again. and she had her mouth full
. young catfish. She give flop.
and out O. the stump to the water
she went. She released her mouth
ful o. young ones, gethered herself
together. and sprung back into that
stump. In less than ten seconds ont
'be jumped agin with another
O. young ones, released em
and back into the stump.
Five times that catfish went in
and out o the boiler stump before
she got all of her young ones ONT
safe, and away she swum, the whole
big litter of kitten fish follerin.
along in her wake.
This was interestin', and sol
there wonderin' on it, when down On
TO dead tree that lay out from +ha
bank into the river maybe ten foot