"[Here Simon Wheeler heard his name called from the front yard, and got up to see what was wanted.]..."See in text(The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County)
At this point, the narrator intervenes and tells his story to its conclusion, thus closing the frame around Wheeler’s story about Jim Smiley.
"but Dan'l give a heave, and hysted up his shoulders so like a Frenchman..."See in text(The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County)
While telling his story, Wheeler physically demonstrates how the frog “hysted [hoisted] up” his shoulders while trying to jump. The demonstration humorously satirizes a physical trait the French often display while speaking.
"he regarded it as a really important matter..."See in text(The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County)
The narrator vouches for Wheeler’s sincerity in relating his story, while implying that readers may find it ridiculous or amusing, as does the narrator.
"He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and said he cal'klated to edercate 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 maybe a couple, if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right, like a cat..."See in text(The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County)
Smiley's frog, Dan'l Webster, is not just a good jumper. Smiley spends three months teaching a frog to jump. His obvious intention is to be the owner of a trained, professional jumper so that he can make money betting on it. He would have to "lay for" a newcomer because everyone who knew Smiley knew he had "educated" Dan'l Webster. The humor in the story is based largely on the fact that the "stranger" seems to be an excellent victim but it turns out that he is not as naive as Smiley takes him to be.
