Sketches New and Old by Mark Twain

plank–Daniel Webster was the name of the frog–and to him sing, “Some

flies, Daniel, some fifes!”–in a flash of the eye Daniel 30

had bounded and seized a fly here upon the counter, then jumped anew at

the earth, where he rested truly to himself scratch the head with his

behind foot, as if he no had not the least idea of his superiority.

Never you not have seen frog as modest, as natural, sweet as she was.

And when he himself agitated to jump purely and simply upon plain earth,

she does more ground in one jump than any beast of his species than you

can know. To jump plain-this was his strong. When he himself agitated

for that, Smiley multiplied the bets upon her as long as there to him

remained a red. It must to know, Smiley was monstrously proud of his

frog, and he of it was right, for some men who were traveled, who had all

seen, said that they to him would be injurious to him compare, to another

frog. Smiley guarded Daniel in a little box latticed which he carried

bytimes to the village for some bet.

One day an individual stranger at the camp him arrested with his box and

him said:

“What is this that you have them shut up there within?”

Smiley said, with an air indifferent:

“That could be a paroquet, or a syringe (ou un serin), but this no is

nothing of such, it not is but a frog.”

The individual it took, it regarded with care, it turned from one side

and from the other, then he said:

“Tiens! in effect!–At what is she good?”

“My God!” respond Smiley, always with an air disengaged, “she is good for

one thing, to my notice (A mon avis),she can better in jumping (elle pent

battre en sautant) all frogs of the county of Calaveras.”

The individual retook the box, it examined of new longly, and it rendered

to Smiley in saying with an air deliberate:

“Eh bien! I no saw not that that frog had nothing of better than each

frog.” (Je ne vois pas que cette grenouille ait rien de mieux qu’aucune

grenouille.) [If that isn’t grammar gone to seed, then I count myself no

judge.–M. T.]

“Possible that you not it saw not,” said Smiley, “possible that you–you

comprehend frogs; possible that you not you there comprehend nothing;

possible that you had of the experience, and possible that you not be but

an amateur. Of all manner (De toute maniere) I bet forty dollars that

she better in jumping no matter which frog of the county of Calaveras.”

The individual reflected a second, and said like sad:

“I not am but a stranger here, I no have not a frog; but if I of it had

one, I would embrace the bet.”

“Strong well!” respond Smiley; “nothing of more facility. If you will

hold my box a minute, I go you to search a frog (j’irai vous chercher).”

Behold, then, the individual, who guards the box, who puts his forty

dollars upon those of Smiley, and who attends (et qui attend). He

attended enough long times, reflecting all solely. And figure you that

he takes Daniel, him opens the mouth by force and with a teaspoon him

fills with shot of the hunt, even him fills just to the chin, then he him

puts by the earth. Smiley during these times was at slopping in a swamp.

Finally he trapped (attrape) a frog, him carried to that individual, and

said:

“Now if you be ready, put him all against Daniel with their before feet

upon the same line, and I give the signal”–then he added: “One, two,

three–advance!”

Him and the individual touched their frogs by behind, and the frog new

put to jump smartly, but Daniel himself lifted ponderously, exalted the

shoulders thus, 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 no himself doubted not of the

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