The Jumping Frog :: Creative Writing Short Stories War Essays

The Jumping FrogNow that transmits me by a inherent and easy transition to Simon Wheeler of California a pioneer he was, and in a small way a philosopher. Simon Wheelers creed was that pretty close to everything that happens to a man can be turned to moral account every incident in his life, almost, can be made to assist him, to throw away him forward morally, if he knows how to make use of the lesson which that episode teaches, and he used -- well, he was a good deal of a talker. He was an inordinate talker in fact, he wore out three sets of false teeth, and I told about a friend of his one day -- a man that he had know there formerly, and who he had a great admiration for, of one Jim Smiley, and he verbalize it was worth a mans while to know Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley was a man of reach he was a man of parts he was a man of learning he was -- well, he was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up that you ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on the o ther side, and if he couldnt he would change sides. As soon as he got a bet he was satisfied. He prepared himself with all sorts of things -- tomcats, rat terriers and all such things, and one day he ketched a salientian said he calculated to educate him. And he took him home and never done nothing but set in his back yard and learn that frog how to jump. Yes, sir, and he did learn him to -- he did learn him to. When it came to jumping on a dead level there wasnt no frog that could touch him at all. scram to jump on the dead level, why, he could lay over any frog in the profession, and Smiley broke all the camps around there betting on that frog. Bye and bye he got a misfortune. He used to keep his frog in a little lattice box. The frogs name was Daniel Webster, and he would bring that box down town and lay for a bet. And one day a fellow came along, a stranger in the camp he was, he says, What might it be that you have got in the box? Well, Smiley says, It aint anything particula r, its only just a frog, Well, he says, What is he good for?