Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1909-02-19

Turned the Frog Pond Into a Small
Money Mint.

| There are numberless ways where.
By clever country boys can make
money. Let me tell you how my
friend, Clyde Rushing, little tow.
headed fellow of Is, made a lot OF
money.
Clyde lived near a certain city on
the east bank of a small river. The
west side of the bottom is low, wide
sloughs, and liable to sudden over
flows. For this reason there are no
houses on the west side until you
get out Of the bottom. But there are
good many truck patches or market
gardens.
There was q great many bull-frogs
along the river and sloughs Clyde
had little 22-caliber target rife, and
could easily kill them, but getting
them afterward was not SO easy, for
bull-frog sits with It's head always
toward the water, ready to spring in
II frightened And even If you shot
it's head off it is almost certain to
make one spring before it dies.
Clyde had tried to kill some frogs
for the market many times, but it
was so difacult to get them that he
had about stopped wasting ammuni-
ton upon them. But one day in early
spring he heard that frogs legs were
bringing fancy prices in the city and
he determined to make another strong
effort to get some of the frogs
The next day he took his target
rifle and went into the bottom after
the frogs. He shot several big ones,
but as usual they all jumped into the
water At last he found big one
sitting on the bank about 10 feet
from the edge of the water, with its
head turned in that direction.
He missed and the bullet went into
the ground just under its neck, bulg'
ing up the sticky earth and bouncing
the frog an inch or so off the ground.
Strange to say, it did not jump, but
lay perfectly still, so the boy ran up
and grabbed it.
Then he saw that he had not hit it
at all, so he stuck his knife blade
through it's head to kill it. Even then
1t did not show much signs of life. 1t
seemed to have been stunned by the
force Of the bullet so near it.
He put it in the basket under his
arm and went on, wondering at this
mystery. Before long he found an
other, large frog. He shot its head
off and it made spasmodic leap
which carried 1t far into the river.
Something now suggested that he
shoot into the ground near the next
frog to see if there were really any
virtue in that So when he found the
next one he aimed at the ground
right under its head, and. sure
enough, it acted as though dead and
he ran and got it by the leg and
stuck his knife blade through its head
as before.
After this he always aimed at the
ground just under the frogs haed or
body and strange to say he always
got his frog. But when he hit one,
whether he killed It or not. the sting
OF the pain seemed to counteract the
stunning effect of the bullet near II
and it always jumped.
Within two hours from the time he
made this discovery Clyde had Sc
cured a dozen large frog, which he
took home, dressed the hind legs
nicely and carried them to town and
easily sold them for 81 to one Of the
hotels.
After this Clyde killed a dozen
frogs every day in the week almost,
selling them to the restaurants or
hotels for at least 81 a dozen.
What Clyde did you can do, my boy,
IL you live on a river near city or
large town. And even If you live in
the country where frogs are plentiful
there is still a chance for you to
make some money on them, for you
can dress the hind legs, pack them
in cracked ice and express them to
a large hotel in the nearest city and
sell them at a good price.