<P> 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 . </P> <P> 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 for three months, trains 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 . </P> <P> 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 one - eyed, stubby - tailed cow that Jim had owned . Rather than stay to hear another pointless story, the narrator excuses himself and leaves . </P> <P> Upon discovering a French translation of this story, Twain back - translated the story into English, word for word, retaining the French grammatical structure and syntax . He then published all three versions under the title "The Jumping Frog: in English, then in French, and then Clawed Back into a Civilized Language Once More by Patient, Unremunerated Toil". </P>

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