One of the things he likes to bet on is
his jumping frog
. He has it trained to jump really well and he thinks it can beat anyone else's frog. What happens to it is that he bets someone that it can outjump that guy's frog. While Smiley is out finding a frog for the guy, they guy fills Smiley's frog up with lead shot.
What different events and things does Smiley bet on?
Smiley bets on all kinds of things and events. He bets on
horse races, dog fights, cat fights, and chicken fights
. If there are two birds sitting on a fence, he'll even bet on which one will fly away first.
What does Simon Wheeler say that Jim Smiley will bet on?
But I'll bet forty dollars that he
can outjump any frog in Calaveras County
. So the man thinks about it, then says that if he had a frog, he'd bet against Smiley. Smiley offers to go get him a frog. He gives the other man the box and goes to get a frog.
Why do you think Jim Smiley liked gambling so much?
Obviously, as a gambler, Smiley's
biggest fault was being reckless
. He was so excited about having a stranger bet with him against his frog that he left Dan'l Webster alone with the stranger while he went to catch a frog for the stranger to use in the contest.
What bet did Jim Smiley make with the mysterious stranger?
One day Smiley boasted to a stranger in the camp that Dan'l Webster could outjump any frog in Calaveras County, and he offered to bet
forty dollars
to prove it. The stranger had no frog to pit against Smiley's, so Smiley left Dan'l Webster with him and went to find another frog in a nearby swamp.
Why does Jim Smiley lose the frog jumping contest?
When a stranger passes through town, Smiley is eager to challenge the man to a frog-jumping competition. The stranger accepts, but when Smiley isn't looking,
he fills Webster with quail-shot to weigh him down
, causing Webster to lose the competition and thereby earning the stranger Smiley's 40 dollars.
How did Smiley train the frog to jump?
For three months, Jim Smiley did nothing but sit in his backyard and teach his pet frog, Dan'l Webster, how to jump higher. Smiley trained the frog to jump on
command when he tapped its back
, and he taught it to catch any fly with its tongue, no matter the distance.
Is Jim Smiley a gifted gambler or merely an addicted gambler?
Jim Smiley was a man who
was hopelessly addicted to gambling
. He placed bets compulsively, but he also invested in gambling seriously as his occupation. He would bet on just about any random event if he had someone to bet against him, and in those cases he wasn't picky about which side he was on.
Why was smiley so proud of his frog?
The first reason Smiley is proud of his frog is
because his frog is an amazing jumper
. Readers are told that the frog is “so gifted” and that the frog's strong suit is jumping on level ground. Men from “everywheres” have heard about the frog. They spread the news that his frog “laid over any frog that ever they see.”
How did the stranger get Smiley to leave him alone with the frog?
How did the stranger get Smiley to leave him alone with the frog?
He said he had no frog
. As soon as he got the money, the stranger ran off without a word. After he discovered that the frog had been weighted, Smiley forced the stranger to give back the money.
What did Jim Smiley do when he found his frog?
Smiley bets
a stranger that his frog can beat any other frog
. The stranger takes the challenge, so Smiley goes off and catches a frog in the marsh for the stranger.
Why is the frog important to Smiley?
The first reason Smiley is proud of his frog is because
his frog is an amazing jumper
. Readers are told that the frog is “so gifted” and that the frog's strong suit is jumping on level ground. He could cover a great distance in a very short amount of time, and other animals of his breed are slower in those conditions.
How did the stranger beat Jim Smiley in the bet?
How did the stranger beat Jim Smiley in the bet?
He put a spoonful of quail shot in the frog's mouth when Jim was not looking
.
What do the boys call Jim Smiley's mare?
Thish-yer Smiley had a mare–the boys called her
the fifteen-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.
Why did the stranger fill the frog with quail shot?
Though we know very little about the stranger, we do know that he isn't impressed by Dan'l Webster and keeps insisting that he looks like an ordinary frog to him. We also know that he really wants that forty bucks, so
he cheats by filling
Dan'l with quail shot so the frog can't jump.
How does the story of Jim Smiley end?
As the old man is about to finish the story of Jim Smiley's jumping frog,
he is interrupted by another individual
. The narrator attempts to leave the locale, but the old man catches up with him. The story ends up with the old man beginning to tell the narrator about what?
