The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-08-22

ante up money ON him as long as he
had red. Smiley was mOnstrOus proud
of his frog, and we'll he might be, for
fellows that had travelled and been
everywhere all said he laid over any
frog that they ever see.
Well, Smiley kept the beast in a little
box, and he used to fetch him down
town, and lay for a bet. One day
feller-a stranger in the camp, he was
"What might it be that you've got i'll
that box?"
And Smiley says, sorter Indifferent
like, " 1t might be parrot, or it might
be a canary, may be, but it ain't-it's
only just frog
And the feller took it, and looked at
it careful, and turned it round this way
and that, and says, "H'm! so tbs! Well,
what's he good fOr?H
"Well,' Smiley says, easy and care
less, "he's good enough for one thing,
| should judge-he can out jump ary
frog in Calaveras county,
The feller took the box again, and
took another long, particular look, and
gave it back to Smiley, and says, very
deliberate: "Well, [ don't see no p'nts
about that frog that's any better'n any
other frog
MAY be you DON'T" Smiley says.
"May be you understand frogs, and
may be you don't understand 'em; may
be you've had experience, and may be
you amt only amature as it were.
Anyways, I've got my opinion, and I'll
risk forty dollars that he can out jump
airy frog in Calaveras county,
And the feller studied a minute and
then says, kinder sad like, "Well, | am
only stranger here, and / amt got no
frog; but if I had frog I'd bet you"
And then Smiley says, "That's all
right-that's all right; if you'll hold my
box a minute, I'll go and get you frog"
! And so the feller took the box and put
up his forty dollars along with Smiley!s,
and set down to wait.
So he set there a good while, thinking
and thinking to hisself, and then he got
the frog out and priced his mouth open,
and took teaspoon and filled him full
Of quail shOt-tilled him pretty near up
Smiley he went down to the swamp
and stopped around in the mud for a
long time, and finally he ketched a frog
and fetched him in, and give him tt
this felleE, and says:
"NOw, if you're ready, set him along
side of Dan'l, with his fOrepaws just
even with Dan'l, and I'll give the word.
Then he says, e-twO-three-j jump!'
and him and the feller touched up the
frogs from behind, and the new frOs
hoped off, but Dan'l give heave, ant
hysted up his shoulders-so-hke ;
Frenchman, but it wasn't no uSe-h'
couldn't budge; he was planted as sOliC
} as an anvil, and he couldn't no more sti
than if he was anchored out. Smile,
was a good deal surprised, and he wa
disguised, too, but he didn't have IL
idea what the matter was, Of course.
The feller took the money and startet
away; and when he was going out a
over his shOulders-this way-at DAM
and saws again, very deliberate, "Well
, I don't see no p'nts about that fro!
t that's any better'n any other frog
r Smiley, he stood scratching his heat
+ and looking down on Danl long time
and at last he says, 81 do wonder wha
l in the nation that frog throwd off for;
wonder if there amt something tn
/, matter with him, he pears to loo
ketched Dan'l by the nap of the nee
D and lifted him up, and says: "Why
e blame my cats, if he don't weigh fiy
t pounds !" and turned him upside dow
t and he belched out a double handful {
Il shot. And then he see how it was, an
e he was the maddest man. He set th
9 frog down and took out after that felle
J, but he never ketched him. And
s Here Simon Wheeler heard his nam
/. called from the front yard and got u
Il to see what was wanted. And turnin
+ as he moved away, he said, "Just 81
where you are, stranger, E ms and rest rest eaF
q bo ST., N did not think +b q +
y continuation of his history of the el
e terprising vagabond, Jim Smiley, woul
e be likely to afford much informatiC
= concerning the Rev. LeOnidas N~Sm
y ley, and so started away.