Three of the animals in this story are named:
The Fifteen Minute Nag, Andrew Jackson, and Dan'l Webster;
The horse gets her name from being so slow in races--at least at first--but somehow, she always wins. Of course, she doesn't really take a full 15 minutes to run, but her slow starts earn her the nickname anyway.
Andrew Jackson is Jim Smiley's fighting dog. He is probably named for the former president and famous general because they are both extremely tough and unstoppable in a battle. The real Jackson earned the nicknam "Old Hickory" becaue he was so tough. It is only a fluke situation that results in Andrew Jackson (the dog) losing his last dogfight.
Dan'l Webster is the jumping frog that Smiley bets on. He is named after Daniel Webster, a great American statesman and orator. Smiley says that his frog is very educatated (at least as much as frogs can be). So he may have named him because both the frog and the man were exceptionally brilliant.
For mor information about characters and biographies on the real Andrew Jackson and Daniel Webster, see the links below:
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