The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-03-06
THE UGLY MAN.
II rHE AUTHOR Of ssslMos suees,

Us modestly, she asked US iu--and to be seated,
and resumed her work. There be few more
lovely girls than Lucy.-In her blue eye there
was q blended expression Of mirthfulness, and
something more tender, that went into your
heart without ever asking your leave. Clad in
Z homespun frock, coarse but tasteful in its CO.
lors and adjustment oh! how brilliantly
spotless-her fingers tipped with the blue of the
indigo tub-her feet in buckskin moccasin-she
piled her task industriously; now, with an arch
toss, shaking into place her rich auburn hair,
and now with bound forward, gracefully catch
ing the thread that had slipped from her fingers
Sweet voiced, too, was Lucy Wallis, as she
cotton, on her spindle, and the other of gossip,
with an excellent and loquacious friend, Dick
Mccoy
Plague take the girl! she has made me forget
her ugly father! Mr. Wallis and his told wo-
man" were from home when we got there-ha-
wing been on a visit to sick neighbor-but in
half an hour they returned
Thar they come,' said Dick, as he heard vol
ces outside the cabin, sset YOURSELF and don't be
scared
Then Dick looked at Lucy.
you've never seen daddy, squire, hev you,'
she asked, slightly coloring and pouting.
Never; have always had a curiosity'-but
the wounded expression Of the girl stopped me,
and in another moment the ugly man stood be-
fore me.
Truly had Mccoy said, 'nothin' on the breath
in yearth can match him.. His face generally
had the appearance Of recently healed blister
spot His prominent eyes seemed ready to drop
from off his face, and were almost guiltless Of
lids. Red-red-red, was the all-prevailing CO.
lor Of his countenance-even his eyes partook
OF it. His small nose turned back upon itself,
unpleasantly revealing its nostrils. His mouth
ruby red-looking as if it had been lately kick
ed by rough-shod mule, after having been orr
ginaliy made y gouging hole in MS face n! with
unspeakably ugly! And yet, in the expression
of the whole was legibie proof of the paternity
of his lovely daughterl n
$50 you've come to see old Ugly Mug-have
you, squire! I've hearn Of you before. You re
the man as took the sensers of this county, last
time. was in Georgy then. Well, you're
mighty welcome! Old oman, fly around, git
somethin' for the squire and Dick to eat! Luz
cy, amt you got no fresh aigse'
Lucy went out at this suggestion, and her ia
ther went on .
They call me ugly, squire, and am; my ia
Their was before me the ugliest man that ever liv-
ed in Hancock county. But I'll give you my
Experience after supper. Belikes you've hearn
that I've been through the ruffs. No? Well,
when we get something down our bellies, Ill
tell you all about it-Old woman, for G-'s
do fly around thar ,@..
The old lady did fly around and Lucy got
the saigs,' and between them they got a most
excellent supper The purity of the table cloth,
the excellence Of the coffee, and the freshness
of the eggs, not to mention Lucy's good looks,
were more than set-of against the ugliness Of
old Billy: so that Dick and contrived to eat
quite heartily, to the evident qualification Of our
hospitable, though ugly entertainer.
Supper over, old Billy drew out his large soap.
stone pipe, and filing and lighting it, placed it
in his mouth. After Whit or two, he began:
Its no use argifyin' the matter, am the ug.
Hest man now on top Of the dirt. Thars nary
mother like me! I'm in crowd by myself. /
alters The fust knowed of it, though
was when was bout ten years old. 1 went
down to the spring branch one mornin' to wash
my face, and looked in the water, and seen the
shadder of my face. Great God! how I run
back, hollerin' for nanny every jump! That's
the last time seen my face--I darsan't but shet
my eyes when go bout water
Don't you use glass when you shave?' en-.
quired.
GLASS, indeed What glass coald stand it,
-twould bust it, lift was an inch thick.-Glass!
-pish!'
Lucy told her father he was stoo bad, that she
knew it was SIGH thing, and the old man told
her she was sassy wench, and to 'hold her
tongue
Yes, he continued, sit is so; haven t seen
my face in forty years, but l know how it looks.
Well, when l growed up, thort it would be the
devil to find a waman that'd be willin' to take
me, ugly as was
ooh, you was not so uncommon hard favored
when you was young man, said old Mrs. Wal
sOncommonl tell you when was ten years
old; fly wouldn't light on my face-and can
be much wuss now! Shet up, and let me tell
the squire my Experience
sIt's no use,' put in Lucy, Sin runnin one's
own self down that way, daddy! 1t amt right.
sRunnin' down! Thunder and lightnin', Luce,
you'll uave me as good lookin' directly as John
Bozeman, your sweetheart
As he said this, old Billy looked at me, and
succeeded in covering the ball Of his left eye, by
way Of wink. Lucy said no more. The old
man continued
well, hard as thort it nd be to get a wife,
fnst thing knowed, had Sally here, and she
is, or was, as pretty as any Of EN-
Old Mr.. Wallis knitted convulsively, and
slightly.
However, she never kissed me afore we was
married, and it was along time after afore she
did. The way Of it was this: we had an old one
horned cow, mighty onnery (ordinary( lookin,
old a. the north star, and poor as black snake.
One day went out to the lot
Daddy, wouldn't tell that exclaimed Luz
cy, in the most pensve tones.
keep still, Ill send for Bozeman to hold you
quiet in the corner
Lucy pouted little and was silent.
yes, went out to the lot and thar, sure as
life, was my old oman swung to the COW, and
the old thing flynn round and cuttin' up all sorts
Of shines. SEES !, what are you up to, old ON.
an!' And with that she let GO; and told me she
was tryin' to practice kissin' on old sCherry,
and she thort arter that she could make up hel
mind to kiss me-
sOld man, you made that! I've hearn you
tell that afore -bnt you made it, said the old
woman.
well, we'll I told her squire, ses I, scome
down to it, now!-shet your eyes!-hold your
breath!'-and upon that she bussed, so you
might heard it quarter, and sence, nobody s
had better kissn' nor me! Now, that was my
first experience about bein' ugly, arter / was
grown, and twarn't SO bad, neither
The next time my ugly feeturs come into
play, was in Mobile. Was you ever thar, squire;
Greatest place on the green yearth; steamboats,
oysters, free niggers, furriners, brick houses
whew! that's the place. I went down on fiat
boat from Wetumpky with John Todd. We
had n f1at.rate time IF It. tyye1l we Vof most m