32 MARK TWAIN'S SKETCHES. 



sometimes out to one side amongst the (fences, and kicking up m-o-r-e dust and raising m-o-r-e 

 racket with her coughing and sneezing and blowing her nose — and always fetch up at the stand just 

 about a neck ahead, as near as you could cipher it down. 



And he had a little small bull-pup, that to look at him you'd think he warn't worth a cent but to 

 set around and look ornery and lay for a chance to steal something. But as soon as money was up 

 on him he was a different dog ; his under-jaw'd begin to stick out like the fo'castle of a steamboat, 

 and his teeth would uncover and shine like the furnaces. And a dog might tackle him and bully- 

 rag him, and bite liim, and throw him over his shoulder two or three times, and Andrew Jackson — 

 which was the name of the pup — Andrew Jackson would never let on but what he was satisfied, and 

 hadn't expected nothing else — and the bets being doubled and doubled on the other side all the 

 time, till the money was all up ; and then all of a sudden he would grab that other dog jest by the 

 j'int of his hind leg and freeze to it — not chaw, you understand, but only just grip and hang on till 

 they throwed up the sponge, if it was a year. Smiley always come out winner on that pup, till he 

 harnessed a dog once that did'nt have no hind legs, because they'd been sawed off in a circular saw,' 

 and when the thing had gone along far enough, and the money was all up, and he come to make a 

 snatch for his pet holt, he see in a minute how he'd been imposed on, and how the other dog had 

 him in the door, so to speak, and he 'peared surprised, and then he looked sorter discouraged-like, 

 and didn't try no more to win the fight, and so he got shucked out bad. He give Smiley a look, as 

 much as to say his heart was broke, and it was his fault, for putting up a dog that hadn't no hind 

 legs for him to take holt of, which was his main dependence in a fight, and then he limped off a 

 piece and laid down and died. It was a good pup, was that Andrew Jackson, and would have made 

 a name for hisself if he'd lived, for the stuff was in him and he had genius — I know it, because he 

 hadn't no opportunities to speak of, and it don't stand to reason that a dog could make such a fight 

 as he could under them circumstances if he hadn't no talent. It always makes me feel sorry when 

 I think of that last fight of his'n, and the way it turned out. 



Well, thish-yer Smiley had rat-tarriers, and chicken cocks, and tom-cats and all them kind of 

 things, till you couldn't rest, and you couldn't fetch nothing for him to bet on but he'd match you. 

 He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'lated to educate him ; and so he 

 never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump. And 

 you bet you he did learn him, too. He'd give him a little punch behind, and the next minute you'd 

 see that frog whirling in the air like a doughnut — see him turn one summerset, or may be a couple, 

 if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right, like a cat. He got him up so in the 

 matter of ketching flies, and kep' him in practice so constant, that he'd nail a fly every time as fur 

 as he could see him. Smiley said all a frog wanted was education, and he could do 'most anything 

 — and I believe him. Why, I've seen him set Dan'l Webster down here on this floor — Dan'l Web- 

 ster was the name of the frog — and sing out, " Flies, Dan'l, flies ! " and quicker'n you could wink 

 he'd spring straight up and snake a fly offn the counter there, and flop down on the floor ag'in as 



