THE JUMPING FROG. 43 



like a Frenchman — to what good ? he not could budge, he is planted solid like a 

 church, he not advance no more than if one him had put at the anchor. 



Smiley was surprised and disgusted, but he not himself doubted not of the turn 

 being intended (mais il ne se doutait pas du tour, bien entendu). The individual 

 empocketed the silver, himself with it went, and of it himself in going is it that he 

 no gives not a jerk of thumb over the shoulder — like that — at the poor Daniel, in 

 saying with his air deliberate — (L' individu empoche I'argent, s'en va et en s'en 

 allant est ce qu'il ne donne pas un coup de pouce par-dessus I'epaule, comme ca, 

 au pauvre Daniel, endisant de son air deliber^) : 



" Eh bien ! / no see not that that frog has nothing of better than another." 



Smiley himself scratched longtimes the head, the eyes fixed upon Daniel, until 

 that which at last he said : 



" I me demand how the devil it makes itself that this beast has refused. Is it 

 that she had something.? One would believe that she is stuffed." 



He grasped Daniel by the skin of the neck, him lifted and said : 



" The wolf me bite if he no weigh not five pounds." 



He him reversed and the unhappy belched two'handfuls of shot (et le mal- 

 hereus, etc).— When Smiley recognized how it was, he was like mad. He deposited^ 

 his frog by the earth and ran after that individual, but he not him caught never. 



Such is the Jumping Frog, to the distorted French eye. I claim that I never put 

 together such an odious mixture of bad grammar and delirium tremens in my life. 

 And what has a poor foreigner like me done, to be abused and misrepresented like 

 this.' When I say, "Well, I don't see no p'ints about that frog that's any better'n 

 any other frog," is it kind, is it just, for this Frenchman to try to make it appear 

 that I said, " Eh bien ! I -no saw not that that frog had nothing of be.tter than each, 

 frog.' " I have no heart to write more. I never felt so about anything before. 



Hartford, March, 1875. 



