Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-01-05
Jim Smiipl'S Inmning Erng.


trihutor to the New York ,SutUyday
Press, discourSes of a queer California
genius named Jim Smiley, who was
always ready to bet. Here is spcci-
men:
Well, this yer Smiley had rat-tcrriers
and chicken-cocks, aud tOm-cats, and
all them kind of things, till you could
Mt rest, and you couldn't fetch nothing
for him TO bet on but he'd match YOU.
He ketched n frog one day and took him
home and said he cai'iated 10 educate
him; and so he never done nothing for
three months but set in his back ward
and learn that frog to jump. And you
bet you he did learn him, too. He'd
give him little hunch behind, and the
next minute you'd see that frog whir!-
ing in the air like doughnut-sce him
turn one summcrset, or maybe Il couple,
if he got good start, and come down
fiat footed and all right, like cat. He
got him up SO in the matter of ketching
flies, and kept him in practice so con
stant, that he'd nail q fly every time as
far rs he could see him. Smiley said all
u frog wanted was education and he
could dc rlost nything-and believed
him. Why, I've seen him set Ban'l
( Webster down here on this liOOr-Dan'i
Webster was the name of the frog-and
sing out, Files, Danl, flies" and
/ quicker IA YOU could wink, he'd spring
| straight up, and snake a fly of the
! counter there, and flop down on the
/ floor again as solid as u goh of mud, and
| fall to scratching the side of his head
with his hind foot Us indifferent as il he
! hadn't no idea he'd done any more'n
any frog might do. You never see II
| frog so modest and straightforward as
/ he was. And when it come tU fair-und-
square jumping on II dead levil, he
could get over more ground than any
| animal of his breed you ever see
Jumping on a dead lcyil was his strong
, suit you understand, and when il came
! to that, Smiley would ante-up money
on him as long as he had Il red. Smiley
/ was nonstrous proud of his frog, and
well he might be, for fcIlcrs that had
| Travelled and ben everywheres said he
! laid over any frog they ever see.
| Well, Smiley kept the beast in little
lattice box, and he used To fetch him
down town sometimes and lay for Il bet.
One day u ieller-a stranger ia the
camp, he Was-COme across him with
I his box, and says:
What might il be that you've got in
the box? ?"
And Smiley says, sOrtcr Indifferent
like. " 1t might be II parrot, or il might
! he IL canary, may be, but it ain't--its
only just frog"
And the feller took il, looked at it
careful, and turned it round this way
and that, and says, H'm-so tits. Well,
/ what ne good ioF?n
Well Smiley says, easy and care
less, He's good enough for one thing /
should judge--he eau out-iump any
/ frog in Calaveras county,
| And the fpIIer sttIdipl u p1iputp aud
then says, kinder sad, like, WeIl-I'm
/ on.y stranger here, and ain't got 10
! frog-but il had II frog I'd bet you"
/ And then Smiley says, That's all
right-that's all right--if you'll bold
my box minute I'll go and get you a
trog;" and so the feller took the box,
and put up his forty dollars along with
Smiley's, and set down TO wait.
80 lie set there Il good while thinking
and thinking to hisseif, and then he got
the hog out and pried his meuth open
ana took a teaspoon aiad filled him full
o. quail shot-iilted him pretty near UP
to his chin-and set him on the floor
Smiley he went out 10 the swamp and
stopped around in the mud for a long
time, and finally he ketched Il frog and
fetched him in and give him to this fel-
Ter and says:
Now you're really, set him along
size OF Dahl, with his fore paws just
even with Dan'Ps and pll give the
word" Then he says, "one-two-three
-iump!" and him and the teller touch
ed up the frogs from behind, and the
new frog hoped Off lively, but Dan'l's
gave heavc, and hysted up his should
ers-so-like II FreDchman, but it was
no use-he couldn't bulge; he was
planted az solid as an anvil, and he
couldn't no more stir than if he was
anchored out. Smiley was good deal
surprised, and he was disgusted too, but
he didn't have no idea what the matter
was OF course.
The fcIler took the money and started
away, and when he was going out at
the door, he sorter jerked his thumb
over his shoulder-this way-at Dan1,
and says again, very deliberate, Well
Il don't see no points about that frog
that's any better'n any other frog
Smiley, he stood scratching his head
and looking at Dan'i a long time, and
at last he says, Il do wonder what i'm
the nation that frog throwed off fcr--I
wonder if there amt something the
matter with him, he pears to hook
mighty boggy, somehow y - and he
letched Dan'i by the nap Of the neck
and lifted him up and says, why,
blame my cats if he don't weigh five
/ pounds !o'-and turned him upside down
and he belched out about double hand
/ full Of shoS. And then he see how it
was, and lac was the maddest mamie
set the frog down and took out after the
feller, but iIe never ketched him.
--~e~ .
/ The firm Of Grant & Perkins, at Ca
i lena, Ills, in the hide and leather busi-
ness, was dissolved on the lst OF Dee.
by the Withdrawal of the senior partner
Mr.. j. II. Grant, father of Ulysses
/ Mr.. 0. l.. Grant, brother of the General,
also leaves the firm, and will establish
! hin, aoff NJ (vhicaen