Year: 1865

Frog.


From the New York Saturday Post.1


Thish yer Smiley had rat terriers and
chicken cocks, and tom cats, and all 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 frog
one day and took him home, and said ho
ca lated to educate him and so he did moth.
ing for three months but learn that frog to
jump. And you bet he did learn him. He
give him little hunch behind and the next
minute you d see the frog whirling in the
air like a doughnut-see him turn one
summerset and maybe a couple if he got n
good start and come down hat footed and
alright, ike a cat. lie got him up so in
the matter Of ketching flies, and kept him
in practice so constant, that he'd nail fly
every time as far as he could see it. Smiley
said all frog wanted was education, and he
could do most anything and i believe him.


Why, have seen him set Dan'l Webster
down here on this 1oor-Dan'l Webster
was the name the frog-and out, Flies
Dan ], flies, and quicker than you could
wink, be d spring straight up aud snake a
fly off n the counter there and flop down On
the floor again as solid as COB of mud,
and fall to scratching the side of his head
with his hind foot as indifferent as if he
hadu no idea he d done any more than any
frog might do. You never see frog so
modest and straightfor' ard as he was, for all
he was 50 gifted. And when it come to fair
and square jumping on dead level, he'd
get over more ground in one straddle than
any animal you ever see Of his breed
Jumping on dead level was his strongest
suit, you understand, and when it come to
that, Smiley would ante up money on him
50 long as he had a red. Smiley was mon
strous proud of his frog, and well he might
be, for feller5 who had Travelled and ben
everywhere all said he laid over any frog
that ever they see. Well Smiley kept the
beast in little lattisc box, and he used to
bring him down town sometimes and lay for
a bet. One day u fellow, stranger in the
camp, he was-come across him and his
box an says:


What might it be you have got in the
box?"


And Smiley says, sorter Indifferent like:


1T might be parrot, or it might be
canary mayby but it ain't-its only just
frog"


And the feller took it and looked at it
careful, and turned it around this way and
that, and says, H m-so tis. Well what s
he good for


well, Smiley says easy and careless,
hes good enough for one thing | should
judge-he can out jump any frog in Calver-
as county


The Teller took the box again and took
another long particular look, and gave it
back to Smiley and said very deliberate,
"Wel-I don't see no points about that
frog that any better n any other frog.
Maybe you don't, Smiley says. Maybe
you understand frogs, and maybe you don't
understand EN-; maybe you've had expert
cncc, and may be you ain only a amature,
as it were. Anyways, I've got my opinion
that be can out jump ary trogi CaIaveras
county


And the fcller studied minute, and then
says, kinder sad, like, we'll IN only
stranger here, and l amt got no frog-but
if | had frog I'd bet you.
/ And then Smiley says, That's all right
that all right-if you hold my box a
minute LII 90 and get you frog and SO
/ the felier took the box, and put up his forty
dollars along with Smiley and set down to
wait


! So he set there a good while thinking and
thinking to himself, and then he got the
frog out and pried his mouth open and took
teaspoon and filed him full of shot-flled
him pretty near up TO the chin and set him
on the floor Smiley he went out to the
swamp and stopped around in the mud for
a long time, and finally he ketched frog
and fetched him in and gave him to this
feller and says:


Now ifyou are ready set him alongside
of Dan'l with his fore paws just even with
Dan'l and | Il give the word. " Then he
says, ''one, two, three, jump" and him
the tcller touched up the frogs from behind,
and the new frog hoped off lively; but
Danl gave heave, and hystel up his
shoulders-so--likc Frenchman, but it was
no use-he couldn' bulge; he was planted
as solid as a anvil and he couldn't no more
stir than if he was anchored out. Smiley
was a good deal surprised, and he was dis
gusted too, but he didn't have no idea what
the matter was Of course.


The fellcr took the money and started
away, and when he was going out at the door


hesOrter .erked his thumb over his shoulder
this way-at Dan'l and says again very
deliberate, "Well-I don't see no points
about that frog that any better n any other
frog.


Smiley lie stood stratchng his head and
looking down at Dan'l long time, and at


last he says, II do wonder what in the ma
ton that frog throwed off for-I wonder if
there amt something the matter with him
he pears to look mighty bagGy somehow
and he ketched Dan | by the nap Of the neck,
and lifted him up and says, why blame
my cats if he don't weigh five pounds
and turning him upside down, he belched
out about double handful of shot. And
then he see how it was and he was the mad
dcst man-he set the frog down and took
II, IL. l.,,tI In bot tgE