Questions come across in reading 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County'

[gonghoujun]

Dear teacher,

Recently, I read this paragraph in the story 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County':

Smiley always come out the winner on that dog, at least until he found a dog once that did not have any back legs. The dog's legs had been cut off in a machine. Well, the fighting continued long enough, and the money was gone. Then when Smiley's dog come to make a grab the other dog's back legs, he saw in a minute how there was a problem.

I have a few questions in it:

1. Here, I wonder what is meaning of "come out ".
2. The sentence "The dog's legs had been cut off in a machine. " what is it related to its context?
3. Why did writer refer to 'the money was gone' here?
4. "He" stands for Smiley or for his dog in this sentence "he saw in a minute how there was a problem."?

 

[SoothingDave]

1. Ended up, emerged as. You enter a contest and only one "comes out" as the winner.
2. I don't know what you mean. It's literal. His legs were cut off by a machine.
3. I don't know. Perhaps the betting on the dog fighting had to do with the duration a dog would last against another dog.
4. The dog. The dog must have liked to "win" fights by biting the other dog's back legs. Since this dog did not have any back legs (see #2 above, does that explain the context?), Smiley's dog did not know how to fight.

 

[gonghoujun]

Thank Mr. SoothingDave Very much for your answering. But I am still without a thorough understanding of this paragraph. Especially its logical relation (such as "the money was gone". I don't know what is cause of that dog's death too.). So I give you more its context again. I wish you could explain in detail. Thanks!


And Smiley had a little small dog. To look at the dog, you would think he was not worth anything but to sit around and look mean and look for a chance to steal something. But as soon as there was money, he was a different dog. Another dog might attack and throw him around two or three times. Then all of a sudden Smiley's dog would grab that other dog by his back leg and hang on till the men said it was over.
Smiley always come out the winner on that dog, at least until he found a dog once that did not have any back legs. The dog's legs had been cut off in a machine. Well, the fighting continued long enough, and the money was gone. Then when Smiley's dog come to make a grab the other dog's back legs, he saw in a minute how there was a problem.
The other dog was going to win and Smiley's dog looked surprised and did not try to win the fight anymore. He gave Smiley a look that said he was sorry for fighting a dog that did not have any back legs for him to hold, which he needed to win a fight. Then Smiley's dog walked away, laid down and died. He was a good dog, and would have made a name for himself if he had lived, for he had intelligence. It always makes me feel sorry when I think of that last fight of his and the way it turned out.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Come out" appears to be incorrect both times it's used. It should be either "comes out" (to denote a regular occurrence) or "came out" to match the simple past used in the rest of the piece.

 

[Jill Dorchester]

"Come out" appears to be incorrect both times it's used. It should be either "comes out" (to denote a regular occurrence) or "came out" to match the simple past used in the rest of the piece.

The Celebrated Jumping Frog is one of Mark Twain's first stories and, like much of his work, is written in regional vernacular.

Well, the fighting continued long enough, and the money was gone

This is a "translated" text of some sort.....the original text reads: "...and the bets being doubled and doubled on the other side all the time, till the money was all up -- and then all of a sudden he would grab that other dog jest by the j'int of his hind leg and freeze to it."
What this means is that the people placing bets kept adding more and more money to their wagers as the fight progressed, until they had no more money left to bet. At that point Smiley's dog would make his signature move - grabbing for his opponent's back leg.

 

[gonghoujun]

Truely, Mr. Jill Dorchester's word is right. That story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog", which I have read, is one of Mark Twain's stories adapted into VOA Special English by Karen Leggett.

 

[Rover_KE]

Jill Dorchester's avatar is clearly female, so 'Mr' is inappropriate, and unnecessary anyway.

 

[gonghoujun]

I am sorry for that call, and wish you/she could forgive me.

 

[gonghoujun]

To these paragraphs, I still have three questions:
1. What is meaning of "throw him around two or three times"?
2. That dog without back legs win Smiley's dog?
3. Is the death of Smiley's dog for his surprised or other cause?
I wish teachers could answer my these qustions very much.

 

[gonghoujun]

To first question, I study by myself again and again and finally I think that its meaning could be "push violently him about two or three times."