Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-09-22
TOW sNILEY's FROG.
BY MARK TWAIN

Et C0LcAtl frog one day an. took biv,
home ana said he ,Culated 10 s--r.t-
him, aud so he never done auvtLlo- law
three months but 81. il his lack ware ana
learn the frog how 70 jump. And Won Ia,
he did learn him too, He'd give him
little punch behind, and the next usr-,s
YOU'D sec that frog wLirlirg in the AN .iIs
q doulluut see him turn a sumr7.rse,
and maybe O couple, il be got O GOOD s..,,
and COM down l1tiooted and an rfsEt
like a ca, He got him up 10 il the nDa,.ar
Of catching flies, and kept him in praoioa
so constant, that he'd nail fy every tina
a. far as he could see him,
Smiley said that al the frog wanted vas
education, and lie could 90 almos. sgv
thing, and | believe him. Why, I've leak
him set Daniel Webster down here On tbe
hoor-Daniel Webster vas the name oF tba
irog-and sing out: Flies, DAM. aiasm
and quicker you could wink, he'd snri,g
ND and shake fly Oft n the counter thars
and flop down on the floor again as soIilos
a COB of mud, and fall to scratching the siia
Of mis- head with his hind foot as indifferent
IS if he hadn't no idea he'd done any mrrir
any frog might do You never seed froo
so modest and straighttOrG ard as he was ~
all he was SO gifted. And when ii came "a
q square jumping on dead level be could
get over more ground az one straddle than
any animal Of his breed you ever see
Jumping On a dead level was his STRONG
suit. you understand, and when it came IA
that Smiley woald ante UP money on MIN
Ge lone as he had . red. Smiley was mon.
stroUs fond OF his frog, and well he might
be, tor tellers that had travelled and bin
everywhere all said that he laid over every
frog that they seed
Wen, Smiley kept the beast III little
lattice box, ans he used TO fetch it down
town sometimes, and lay for bet Once
feiler--a stranger In camp he was-came
across him with his box and says
''What might it be you've got in the
box"
Aa5 Smiley sorter Indifferent like
1T might be q parrot, or it might be
canary maybe; bat it amt, it's only iusta
frog"
And the teller took it and looked att
careful, and turned it round this way and
that. and says
rHm-so us Well what's ne good
for
Well, Smiley says, easy and Careless
"he's good enough for one thing I Judge
he can ouGump any frog il Caiaveras
county.
The fellow tooa the box again, and took
another and particular look, and gives /.
back 70 Smiley, and says, very deliberate
"WeL, dor see no points about that
frog that's any better than any other fsol"
Maybe you don't, Smiley said May.
be YOU understand frogs. and maybe you
dent understand en-; maybe YOU amt
only an amateur a. it We're ANYWAYS,
I've got my opinion, and I'll risk forty dol.
lars that he can outlump any frog in
Caiayeras County"
and ,hs teller studied minute O. two
and then says kinder sad like well, In
on!y stranger here, and | amt got no
frog. but if had freq Ia bet you
and then Smiley says: That's all right
That's all right, II you'll hold my box
minute, I'll 30 and got you frog ana so
tb Teller toss tbs hoT and put 40 bis forty
dollars slong WITH Smiley's, and sat GiRn
to wait.
So he sat there a good while, thinking to
hissef. and Tux the frog ont and pried
oucD his mouth, sad took teaspoon and
filed him with quail sLot--flled him pret
~ " ,i bo 80. n,,t - IL ~ 80 '1o
a,,5 a,o~-a3 :~-r,,3 =: t-S IA io~ i ,-,r
enc erd l,a.cleJ f.oo "a sa,cIa1L;- 9
~ e,o osr,e hin, - ~ ,.,lar an5 ''--
.'Na,r ya,,'ra roodr ca HIN a1ar.,side
ofDa Nh 81. 1900 ~ ~ ~ e 49, T ptt'
~ US m ~, We, 80 5 - IT, So
|t - 20. - 49, ~ - anG
In, ~ ,eo 49,. tC-oEl3 ~ 49, f.oas
- 60 -. ~ M ,,a,, f.ol. bnr,,a5 "a
~. L.. ~ ~, ...s "a
- l -. NV, ,'.
,.-.rs-4 .....' '..,-.l .,,.3 a,-.,i.lr4
~ 800. Is 49,. - ,I-t
$50 ...- ..,- .- .,..,.--5 ~ ta