“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”

A friend of the narrator wrote to him and told him to ask Simon Wheeler about Leonidas W. Smiley. The narrator believes his friend tricked him into doing that because he knew that asking Wheeler about Leonidas Smiley would remind him of Jim Smiley and then he would tell a very long and boring story that the narrator would not be able to escape from.

Simon Wheeler is a bald, fat, man Simon Wheeler is a bald, fat, man. The narrator finds him asleep by a stove in a bar. The narrator approached Wheeler and asks him about Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley. Wheeler begins to tell the narrator the story of Jim Smiley. The narrator notices that while he’s telling the story, he never smiles or gets excited about any of it, and he finds that strange.

Jim Smiley liked to gamble—especially by placing bets, and was usually lucky in every bet that he made. Smiley had a horse (a mare) that he would bet on. The horse looked sickly, but would always end up outrunning her competitors at the very end of the race, making Smiley money.

Smiley had a bull pup named Andrew Jackson that he would lay bets on Smiley had a bull pup named Andrew Jackson that he would lay bets on. The dog was pretty laid back until you put money on him, then he would get mean. Andrew Jackson would fight by grabbing one of the other dog’s hind legs and not letting go until it gave up. The dog won every fight it was in until it was pitted against a dog with no hind legs. After he lost that fight, the dog looked at Smiley as if it was his fault, then he wandered off, laid down, and died.

One day, Smiley catches a frog, who he names Dan’l Webster, and teaches him how to jump on cue and catch flies on cue. A stranger inquires about Smiley’s frog, and Smiley promptly challenges him to a frog race for 40 dollars. Smiley even offers to find the other man a frog. While Smiley is out catching a frog for him, the stranger pries open Dan’l Webster’s mouth and fills the frog with quail shot, which weighs him down and makes him lose the race and Smiley the money.

Simon Wheeler is called away after the last story, but tells the narrator to wait for him. When he gets back, the narrator seizes his opportunity to be rid of Simon Wheeler and the stories of Jim Smiley and leaves.