“Couldn’t neether,” returned the old man facing him with growing irritation across his wrinkled face and about 5 beers inside his small potbelly.

“Hell I couldn’t.” said Smiley, “I can, in fact, undress and then get dressed even faster, watch this,” and he commenced to take off his boots and sling them away, then he tore off his shirt and the top of his long johns and then said,”well, how’s that?”

The old guy laughed and said, “well yer not clean undressed yet either Smiley, that’s what about that.”

“An you ain’t got no money showing no how Sam,” Smiley returned with a grin.

“Well, let’s just get some money out here on the barrelhead then,” said the old man seriously. He fished deep in his pockets and brought out one silver dollar. “Here’s a dollar that says I kin beat you.”

“Well if that’s all you got, it’ll have to do,” returned Smiley and he brought out his dollar and then buttoned up his shirt and took a hitch in his belt to boot. The old man buttoned up his shirt, tucked it in and stomped in his boots to show they were on right tight.

“Go!” shouted Smiley and as a cheer went up from the crowd he commenced to tear off his shirt and long john’s. The old man tore his shirt off, the buttons flew off and he sat down in the middle of the road and kicked off his boots but in his haste tore away the bottoms of his long johns as well. He was sitting in the street, naked as a Jay but he’d done it; he’d beat ol Jim Smiley undress’n.

“Well, I’ll be damned” Smiley said standing there still in his pants and one boot in front of the naked old man “You win fair and square Sam.” Smiley flipped the old guy his silver dollar and turned to two men standing on the porch of the Angels Hotel. “That’ll be five dollars each gentlemen,” he said.

“By God, you did it,” said the man as he dug for his five dollar gold piece, “you got ol’ Sam to strip naked in the street at high noon.” Old Sam Rankin very red in the face by this time hurriedly shoved his legs back in his long johns, hoisted them up and hopped into the hotel carrying his boots and calling out for a beer. The fellows on the street roared with laugher as silver dollars and gold pieces then went from hand to hand paying off the side bets.

Uncle Zac said then later on that same day he and the Basseleti brothers, Kenneth and John went out to the big pond next to the old fair grounds. They used to hold small celebrations there, Fourth of July, horse races, and the like. Well this day they were hunt’n frogs as boys have done ever since I guess there was boys and frogs.

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