Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-03-13

dred yards start, and then pass her un-
der way; but always at the fag end of
the race she'd get excited and desperate
like, and come cavorting and stradding
up, and scattering her legs around linn
ber, sometimes in the air and sometimes
out to one side among the fences, and
kicking up more dust and raising
more racket with her coughing and
sneezing and blowing her nose-and al
ways fetch up at the stand just about a
neck ahead, as near as you could cipher
it down. -
And he. had little small bull pup,
that to look at you'd think he wasn't
worth cent but to set around and look
something. But as soon as the money
was put up on him he was a different
dog; his under jaw'd begin to stick out
like the fo'castle of q steamboat, and his
teeth would uncover, and shine savage
like the furnaces. And dog might
tackle him, and bullyrag him, and bite
him, ann throw him over his shoulders
two or three times, and Andrew Jackson
which was the name of the pup-An-
drew Jackson would never let on but he
was satisfied, and hadn't expected moth
ing else-and the bets being doubled
and doubled on the other side all the
time, till the money was all up; aud
then all of a sudden he would grab the
other dog. jest by the lint of his hind
leg and freeze to it, not chaw, you un-
derstand, but only jest grip and hang
on till they throwed up the sponge, If it
was a year. Smiley always come out
winner on that pup, till he harnessed a
dog once that didn't have no hind legs,
because they'd been sawed off by a cir
cular saw, and when the thing had gone
along far enough, and the money was all
up, and he came to make a snatch for
his pet holt, he saw in minute that
he'd been imposed on, and the other dog
had him In the door, so to speak, and he
'peared surprised, and then he looked
sorter discouraged like, and didn't try
to win the fight, and he got shucked out
as to say his heart was broke, and it was
his fault, putting up dog that hadn't no
hind legs for him to take hold of, which
was his main dependence in fight, and
then he hmped off a piece, and laid down
and died. It was good pup, was that
Andrew johnson, and would have made
q name for himself if he'd lived, for the
stuff was in him, and he had genius; I
know it, because he hadn't had any OPP
portunities to speak of, and it don't
stand to reason that dog could make
such fight as he could under the cir
cumstances if he hadn't no talent. It
always makes me feel sorry when think
of that last fight of his'n, and the way it
turned out.
Well, this yer Smiley had rat tarriers,
and chicken-cocks, and all of them kind
of things, till you couldn't rest, and you
couldn't fetch nothing for him to bet on
but he'd match you. He ketched a
frog one day and took him home, and
said he calrklated to edercate him and
SO he never done nothing for three
months but sit in his back yard and
learn that frog to jump. He'd give him
little punch behind, and the next min
ute you'd see that frog whirlng In the
air like doughnut-see him turn one
summersault, or maybe couple, if he
footed and all right like cat. He got
him up so in the manner OF catching
flies, and kept him In practice SO con-
stant, that he'd nail q fly every time as
far as he could see him. Smiley said all
frog wanted was education, and he
could do most anything; and I believe
him. Why, I've seen him set Dan1
Webster down here on this foor-DanI
Webster was the name of the frog-and
sing out, Flies, Dan1, flies p and
quicker'n you could wink, he'd spring
mp. and snake a fly offn the counter
there flop down on the floor again as
solid as a COB of mud, and fall to
scratching the sides of his head with his
hind foot as Indifferent as if he hadn't
no idea he'd been doing any more than
any other frog might do. You never see
frog so modest and straight for'ard as
he was, for all he was SO gifted. And
when it come to fair and square jumping
on dead level, he could get over more
grouud at one straddle than any animal
of his breed you ever see. Jumping on a
dead level with his strong suit, you un-
derstand; and when it comes to that
Smiley would ante up money on him as
long as he had a red. Smiley was
monstrous proud of this frog, and well
he might be, for fellers that had travelled
and been everywhere all said he laid
over any frog that ever they see.
Well, Smiley kept the beast in a little
box, and he used to fetch him down
town and lay for bet. One day fellel
la stranger in the camp, he was-come
across him with his box, and says:
{" What might it be that you've got Ii
that box ?"
And Smiley says, sorter Indifferent
like
1t might be parrot, or might be {
canary, maybe, but it amt Its only JUS
a frog"
And the fellow took it, and looked a
it careful, and and turned it round thii
way and that, and says: "Hum ] SO tbs
Well, what's he good for ?"
"Well," Smiley says, easy and care
less, "he's good for one thing, / shoult
judge-he can out jump any frog il
Calaveras county"
The fefler took the box again, ant
took another long particular look an
give it back to Smiley, and says, yer.
deliberate, "Wen, I don't see no pint
about that frog that's any better'n an
other frog"
"Maybe you DON'T" Smiley says
Maybe you understand frogs, an
maybe you don't understand 'em mayb
you've had had experience, an
; maybe you amt only amature as
were. Any ways, I've got my opinion
and I'll risk forty dollars that he can OF
: Jump any frog in Calaveras county"
} And the feller studied minute, an
then says, kinder sad-hke, "Wen, II
only frog, but if I had frog I'd b.
you"
: And then Smiley says, "That's q
right-that's all right; if you'll hold m
) box minute, I'll go and get you frog.
And SO the feller took the box, and pl