Evening star., 1927-09-20

Rev. Leonidas w. HIM, Reveren
level. there was feller here
once by the name of Jim Smler.
in the Winter of '49--or maybe it
was the Spring of SCI don't recol-
1ect exactly, somehow, though what
makes me think it was one or the
other is because / remember the BIZ.
flume warn't finished when he first
came to the camp, but anyway he
was the curiousest man about always
betting on anything that turned up
You ever see. if he could get anybody
10 bet on the other side; and if he
couldn't he'd change sides. Any way
that suited the other man would suit
him-any way just SOS he got a bet,
he was satisfied. But still he was
lucky, uncommon lucky; he most
always come out winner. He was
always ready and laying for
chance; there couldn't be no solit'ry
thing mentioned but that feller II
offer to bet on it. and take any side
you please, as / was just telling
You. If there was horse race:
you'd find him flush or you'd find
was a dog fight. he'd bet on it; If
il there was a cat fight. he'd bet O.
it; il there was a chicken fight, he
bet on it: why, if there was two
birds setting on a fence. he Would
bet YOU which one would fly first:
or il there was campmeetlng. ne
would be there reg lar to bet on Paf-
son Walker, which he judged TO De
the best exhorter about here. and
I
he even sseen straddle-bug start
TO go anywheres. he would bet you
how long it would take him to get
fo-to wherever he was going TO. ana
IL You took him up, he would foiier
that straddle- bug TO Mexico but what
he would find out where he was
bound for and how long ne was on
the road. Lots of the boys here mas
seen that Smiley and can tell you
about him. Why, it never mace no
difference to him-he'd bet on any
thinr-the dangest feller. Parson
walkers wife laid very sick once, for
good while, and it seemed as IL
they waren't going to save her; put
one morning he come in. and SmiieE
nm and asked him how she was, ana
he said she was considerable Detter-
thank the Lord for his inf'n1t mercy
and coming on so smart that WIN
the blessing of Providence she get
we'll vet; and Smiley, before ne
thought, says, We'll, I'll risk TWO
and a-half she don't, anyway.
Thish-ver Smiley had a mare-the
bows called her the 15-minute nag,
but that was only in fun, you
know. because. of course, she was
faster than that-and he used TO
win money on that horse, for All
she was so slow and always had
the asthma. or the distemper, or the
consumption, or something of that
kind. They used to give her two
or three hundred yards start. and
then pass her under way; but always
at the fag- end of the race she'd get
excited and desperate like, and come
cavorting and straddling up. and
scattering her legs around Timber.
sometimes in the air and sometimes
out to one side amongst the fences,
and kicking up m-o-f-e dust and
raising MORE racket with her
coughing and sneeZing and blowing
her ncse-and always fetch up at
the stand just about a neck ahead.
as near as you could cipher it down
Well thish-yer Smiley ketched
frog one day. and took him home,
and said he cal-lated to educate him:
and so he never done nothing for
three months but set in his back
yard and learn that frog to jump.
And you bet you he did learn him.
too He'd give him a little punch
behind and the next minute you'd
see that frog whirung in the air like
a doughnut-see him turn one sum-
merset. or maybe a couple. If he got
good start and come down fat
footed end all right, like cat. Smiley
said all a frog wanted was educa
ton, and he could do most anything
and | believe him. Why. I've seen
him set Dan'l Webster down here
on this fioor-Dan1 Webster was the
name OF the froG-and sing ont.
"Flies, Dan1. fiies!" and quickern
you could wink hid spring straight
up and snake a fiy offn the counter
here, and flop down on the floor
ag'in as solid as a COB of mud, and
fall to scratching the side OF his head
with his hind loot as Indifferent as
IL he hadn't no idea he'd been doin'
any more'n any frog might do. And
when it come To fair and square