Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1908-01-08
DOWNFALL OF
THE PET FROG
A Veracious
Nature Story
Copyright. by w. c. Chapman.)
By
Edwin j. Webster

trio frog as a scientific wonder" said
the old guide in pensive tones to the
party gathered about the camp fire,
that frog to-day might still be the
admiration and delight of all his &C
quaintances. By trying to win money
and bulldogs from Tom Wilson, Eben
came to grief, and the frog to an I'M
timely and regretted end. And it was
the expression on the face of Uncle
Sammy Evans which suggested to
Tom the scheme that led to the death
of the frog.
"Eben always was quite hand for
scientific experiments. One day,
while he was fooling with an electric
battery, he received a shock. The
good man made jump which showed
that even If he was old he was agile.
His interests in science died out for
that day. He took his fishing rod and
wandered out into the woods. Just as
he was about to seat himself in placid
comfort on the bank of the pond, he
happened to scare big frog that had
been sitting near. The frog jumped
clear out into the pond making leap
that was long one, even for an active
and alarmed frog. The long jump of
the frog, combined with his own per
Torrance in the same line when he re-
ceived the electric shock, suggested
| an idea to Eben.
eff a frog without any external
stimulus can make a Jump like that
he said thoughtfully, what could he
do if he came in contact with an cleo
| trio battery? Blamed If I don't think
| he could establish a twentieth century
record in the frog-leaping line
$50 Eben caught few active young
| frogs and began his experiments. He
soon found that under the influence of
an electric shock a frog could de I'M
| looked-for things in both long and
| high-distance jumping.
| One of the frogs was a good deal bet
| ter jumper than the rest. Eben let the
| other frogs go, and set his ingenuity
to work to try and contrive some plan
| whereby he could get the frog to give
jumping exhibition without the ex-
| penditure of so much effort on the
| part of Eben Brown.
There's no denying Eben had tab
entS as an electrical and mechanical
| expert. First he fixed up aftiny cleo
| trio battery. Then he made cover
ing for the frogs back-a sort of min
| iature frog blanket. He could fix the
battery under the blanket, and, except
that the poor animal looked like
frog with an overcoat, person
wouldn't have noticed anything pc
culiar in the appearance of that frog.
! Eben made a little hut for the frog,
| putting pieces Of rubber under it, Sc
as to insulate it. While the frog was
in the house he wouldn't get any shock
from the battery, but as soon as he
was placed on the ground it made a
connection, and the abused creature
would receive a painful and unpleas-
ant surprise.
"Eben fixed the battery so that it
would have power enough to give the
frog three shocks before it was ex-
hausted. Then he placed the frog on
the ground. OF course. the instant the
frog felt the electric current he
jumped up in the air. AS soon as he
touched the ground again it reestab-
lished the connection, and up went the
frog. The third jump was the biggest
of all. Then the battery was exhaust
ed and the frog squatted on the
ground. evidently in doubt whether to
be irritated at the shocks or lost in
admiration of his own jumping abili-
ties.
"Eben bought pair of rubber
| oil oh ~ ho hok
he used to carry the frog from place
to place, giving exhibitions of his pets
talents.
"One day Eben, wearing his rubber
gloves and carrying the frog in his
hands, wandered down to Tom Will
sons tavern. Tom had been away,
and hadn't heard of the frog or its
mountaineering jumps.
Eben allowed that the frog could
outjump anything in the state. Tom
seemed sort of sceptical about this
statement.
do you care to back up your
opinion with good coin of the realm p
Tom asked?
I'm no sure thing bettor,' said
Eben in his dignified manner. but I'm
willing to bet this frog against your
prize bulldog that my pet can make
not one, but three jumps. every one of
them longer than thatsef any other
frog in the county
'"If it bad been question of one
jump Tom might have hesitated, but
when Eben asserted his protege could
make three record jumps Tom thought
he had sure thing. So he hunted
up a big bullfrog and brought him
around in front, of the tavern, where
Eben and the rest of the boys were
standing.
eff you're ready to lose your pet,
said Tom confident like. take on his
blankets. put him on the ground, and
let him show what he can do?'
"Eben said he didn't want to take