The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
by Mark Twain
'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' Summary
The narrator is sent by a friend to interview an old man, Simon Wheeler, who might know the location of an old acquaintance named Leonidas W. Smiley. Finding Simon at an old mining camp, the narrator asks him if he knows anything about Leonidas; Simon appears not to, and instead tells a story about Jim Smiley, a man who had visited the camp years earlier.
Jim loves to gamble and will offer to bet on anything and everything, from horse races to dogfights, to the health of the local parson's wife. He catches a frog, whom he names Dan'l Webster, and spends three months training it to jump. When a stranger visits the camp, Jim shows off Dan'l and offers to bet $40 that it can out-jump any other frog in Calaveras County. The stranger, unimpressed, says that he would take the bet if he had a frog, so Jim goes out to catch one, leaving him alone with Dan'l. While Jim is away, the stranger pours lead shot down Dan'l's throat. Once Jim returns, he and the stranger set the frogs down and let them loose. The stranger's frog jumps away while Dan'l does not budge, and the surprised and disgusted Jim pays the $40 wager. After the stranger has departed, Jim notices Dan'l's sluggishness and picks the frog up, finding it to be much heavier than he remembers. When Dan'l belches out a double handful of lead shot, Jim realizes that he has been cheated and chases after the stranger, but never catches him.
At this point in the story, Simon excuses himself to go outside for a moment. The narrator realizes that Jim has no connection to Leonidas and gets up to leave, only to have Simon stop him at the door, offering to tell him about a yellow, one-eyed, stubby-tailed cow that Jim had owned. Rather than stay to hear another pointless story, the narrator excuses himself and leaves. He muses that his friend may have fabricated Leonidas as a pretext to trick him into listening to Simon's anecdotes.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1865Author
Mark Twain
United States
Twain was fascinated with science and scientific inquiry. He developed a close and lasting friendship with Nikola Tesla, and the two spent much time together in Tesla's laboratory. Twain patented thre...
More on Mark TwainDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
The Coxon Fund by Henry James
The story revolves around Saltram and a group of people who are fascinated by him. Ruth Anvoy, a young American woman with a wealthy father, comes to...
The Scarecrow and Other Stories by G. Ranger Wormser
In this, author invites readers on a thought-provoking journey through a collection of captivating tales. Each story explores the intricate workings o...
A Tangled Tale by Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll is best known for 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. It is less widely known that he worked as a lecturer for mathematics at Christ Chu...
The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
"The Crocodile" is a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky that was first published in 1865 in his magazine Epoch.
Little Minnie, and Other Stories by Pansy (Isabella Macdonald Alden)
In the enchanting world of "Little Minnie, and Other Stories" by Pansy, embark on a captivating journey through the realm of faith, morality, and pers...
Valda berättelser by Selma Lagerlof
Dyk ner i Selma Lagerlöfs fascinerande värld av berättelser, där det övernaturliga möter mänsklig värme och djup. "Valda berättelser" är en mästerlig...
The Altar of the Dead by Henry James
"The Altar of the Dead" is a short story by Henry James, first published in his collection Terminations in 1895. A fable of literally life and death s...
The Courtship of Susan Bell by Anthony Trollope
This delightful novel, takes readers on a journey of love, relationships, and the complexities of courtship. Originally published in 1860, "The Courts...
Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville
"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by the American writer Herman Melville, first serialized anonymously in two parts i...
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” tells the story of Ichabod Crane, sent to investigate the mystery of the headless horseman. The story is set in 1790 in...
Reviews for The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
No reviews posted or approved, yet...