The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-03-06

similarly benefited.
MARX TWAIN's ACCOUNT OF
JIM SMILEY. "
As Related by simon Wheeler, ESQ, OF
! Angels Camp, Cn'nVcrhs County, Calf
| fOrnia. on being asked for information,
| c0Hccrninga certain Rev bcunidHS W.
smiley.
There was a fellow here once by the
name Of jim Smiley, in the winter OF
'l0--or may be il was the spring Of 80
don't rccollect exactly, somehow,
though, what makes me think it was
one or the other is because 7 remember
the big Gume wasn't finished when he
first camo to the camp; but anyway, he
was the curiOusest man about betting
on anything that turned up you ever
see, il he could get anybody to bet ON
the other side and ii he couldn't, he'd
| change sides. Any way that suited the
other man would suit him--any way,
Just so he's got Il bet, he was satisfied.
But still he was lucky, uncommon
lucky; hc almost always came out win
ncr He was always ready and laying
for Il Glance there couldn't be no sol
itary thing mentioned but that feller'd
offer to bet on il, and take any side you
please, us / was Just telling you. If
these was horse race you'd find him
flush or you'd find him busted at the
end of it ii there was Il dog fight he'd
bet ON it il there was a cat fight he'd
bet on it if there WAS Il chicken fight
he'd bet ON it; why, If there was two
birds setting ON fence he'd bet You
which one would fly first; or If there
was camp-mccting, he would be thorc
regular, to bet ON Parsou Walker, which
he Judged to be the best eXhorter about
hero--anj SO he was loo, and 4 good
man. Et he even saw Il straddle bug
start TO go anywhere, ho would bet you
how long 1t would t"Ne nm toGet where
ever ne was gong 20, ANA IL you book
nm up ne "orld iolIo" tha' strapdie-
pug 10 McNlco plI "ll"I ne ioullu ont
"lleie NJ was po''il" ior anu no" ION"
he was On 'ie fo'd. LotS OF tile hoyN
mere mas seen 'l'a' oiii'iey, una can 'ri'
you about NM why II never made
no difference 10 ililh--h' "o''la h't on
ahythln&-thc aan@d'st ieiier larson
Walker |iie lad very SICK once, lor Il
8ood While, ahd II SCENE" us i theT
warn gong 10 save hcf. h"t one
morning he eape H. '"Ilu 2hIeJ "Ncd
how she was, AMI he SAD sue was CON
sldcrably beEtef--tllailk the LORD lof
his infinite mercy--and coming on So
smart that, with the blessing oil Proyl-
dence, she'd get well yet; and Smiley,
before he thought, says, " Well, I'll
risk two and a half that she don't any
way. -
This yer Smiley had d mare-thc
boys called her the fifteen minute nag,
but that WAS only in fun, Won know. be.
cause of course she was faster than that
and he used to win money on that
horse for all she was so slow, and al.
WAYS mad the the asthma, or the dis.
trmuer. or the comsumption. or some.
thing Of That kind. They used 10 give
her two or three hundred wards start,
and then n9ss hcr undrr way. bnt al
,vovo ot ths fog end Of thc rorc' 'shc'd
,,t ovo;tod and dasnorota like and come
oo,,o,+ino and stroddIing nm. and scat
tor;,o, her Ieoa round timber some
,;ro. in tbo oi,. and sometimrs ont to
ono side omoug the fences, and kicking
nm m-o.r.c dust and raising more
racket with her coughing and sneozing
and blowing hor nose-aud always fetch
up at the stand just about n neck ahead,
as near as you could cipher it down.
And he had a little small bull pnp,
that to look at him you'd d,on1 thini he, he Ta' an'
ornery, and lay for chance to stead