We hope you enjoy this preview of an episode from our back catalog available to our premium subscribers. Tonight, we’ll read the 1865 Mark Twain short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. It was Twain’s first great success as a writer and brought him national attention. In it, the narrator retells a story he heard from a bartender, Simon Wheeler in California, about the gambler named Jim Smiley. To unlock full episodes, ad-free listening, and more, please go to snoozecast.com/plus.

Jim Smiley is described as betting on just about anything, for example, on the travels of a “straddle bug”. If you’re wondering what a straddle bug is, just picture a large, commonplace beetle.

— read by 'N' —

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