The Jumping Frog :: Creative Writing Short Stories War Essays

The Jumping Frogat once that brings me by a natural and easy transition to Simon Wheeler of calcium a pi geniuser he was, and in a small instruction a philosopher. Simon Wheelers creed was that pretty nearly everything that happens to a existence lot be turned to moral account every incident in his life, almost, can be made to assist him, to project 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 draws of false teeth, and I told about a friend of his one solar day -- a man that he had know there formerly, and who he had a great admiration for, of one Jim Smiley, and he said it was worth a mans while to know Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley was a man of gift he was a man of parts he was a man of finding he was -- well, he was the curiousest man about eternally betting on anything that turned up that you ever see, if he could invite anybo dy to bet on the other 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 toad said he calculated to naturalize him. And he took him home and never done nothing but set in his back yard and learn that frog how to surface. Yes, sir, and he did learn him to -- he did learn him to. When it came to jumping on a dead take there wasnt no frog that could touch him at all. Come to jump on the dead level, why, he could lay over any frog in the profession, and Smiley broke all the inner circles around there betting on that frog. Bye and bye he got a misfortune. He used to hang in his frog in a little lattice nook. 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 particular, its only just a frog, Well, he says, What is he good for?