The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-29
POOR HUNCHBACK AND HIS SECRET

cross, cracked, ichened, mossed, and
sinking on one side into the ground;
and beneath the cross there bubbles q
clear, holy well, to which few go nOw,.
except the sheep that crop the rich
green grass that springs around its
brink. Beside the we'll sat little boy,
and as he looked into the crystal water,
his tears dimpled it like rain.
st only tells me what knew before"
said the disappointed little fellow, with
sigh. -r-+. ~-,
The little boy was weeping because
he was a hunchback. His big, sad eyes
but there was nothing else beautiful in
his stunted, distorted, feeble frame.
His mother lavished fOndness on him
at times, but at other times there was
a look in her eyes which it was hard to
bear-the mOrtifying pity of crushed
hope. His father looked at him as if he
| wished that he had never been born.
His sisters were kind to him after
| fashion, but their proud love was re-
| served for his beautiful younger brother,
who patrolized and promised to protect
him with half-cOntemptuOus COM
| passion. Outside of his own family
| the little hulnchback was either ignored
or coarsely pitied or made the butt of
most cruel ridicule, and the victim of
| downright brutality. He felt very lone
ly, in a world which he loved, because
it was so full of beaHty-amOng so
| if they would only let him.
He had heard the old tales that were
| told of the curing powers of the deserted
holy well. 1t bubbled up as brightly as
ever it had bubbled; why should it not
be as good doctor as ever it had been
He determined to try it. Fearing to be
laughed at, he kept his determination
| to himself, and started without telling
| any one for the mountain side.
AS he passed through the village
street he was jeered at and pelted by
the village children; but a goOd-hearted
| woman rushed out from her washtub,
| with braWny, bare, sOapsuddy arms, and
drove off his young tormentors by
| sounding boxes on the ear, and breath
taking thumps upon the back, and
teeth-ehattering shakiHgs by the collar.
| The little boy was grateful to his pro-
should need protection, and when she
said, "Poor little boy, it is not his fault
that he is such an object" her pity
made him feel sore.
| But he left the village behind him,
and got ont into the sunny country be-
| yOnd, where he met no one to tWit him
with his ugliness, and the pain of his
poor little smarting heart was lulled.
It was a glorious day in june. The
trees were out in full leaf, but the leaves
| had not yet lost their fresh, May green
The nottled heIniock stalks in the
| bitches were covered with q veil of
creamy lace, Purple and golden vetches
grew in and about bhe hedges, and the
| meadows and the patches OF turf be
tween the bitches and the road were
| tllffed with white and red and yellow
| clover heads. The purple thyme was
| breathing out honey beneath the SUMS
warm kiss. The fox-gl0ve was nodding
it's claret- -colored bells, and the globe
| flower was tossing about its golden
balls like q cOni1rer. The little boy
picked handfulls of honeysucllle bios
SONS, and sucked the sweet bugles as he
! walked. The travellers joy and the
b1yony were trying, like birds nesting
bows, which could climb the higher
| Where clurnp of trees hung over the
swampy margin, of a pond, witehs
nightshade put out its pretty pink flow
| ers. The pond glOwed with the golden
I drOoping-lipped vases of the water.
vioiets, and cinquefoil trembled, on it,
banks. The pimpernel smuggled itE
little pink face into It's Inossy pillow
All along the lanes dog-roses put foPtl
their struggling sprays, and Uttered tht
ground with their shell-like petals. Il
and out crept the silver-leaved, golden
! bIossanled silver-weed, mixed with The
snowy bells OF the bindweed, and be
meath the plantail stood gay in its gals
suit of pink and silver. The pink AM
the purple crane bills were both in bios
som, and when the little boy left th'
plain and mounted the hill; side, blue
ringing, in inaudible peal, and the but
ferfiy. oTchis was pouring out its deli
cious fragrance to ntngIe with th,
sweet scent Of the mint and thyme
Larks sang overhead, golden -bandet
wild bees went booming about, lilac
colored butterflies f1tlttered hither anC
thither, the bells of distant churcl
were Ginning merrily; in a meadow
down belOW~-tOo far off for him to fea
teasing from them-hayHaakers Wer
singing and laughing.
DIN this beautiful, happy world,
thought the little boy, I" how is it that
am SO ugly and sad 2" - ~
He tOiled up to the holy we'll; tn
= black faced sheep that had been drink
| ing it's clear water and cropped it's lus
grass, scanperel off; and,. kneelin
down, he curved his hand into @ euI
and dipped into the wen. Thrice, &C
lcording to old custom, he drank Of til
holy water, thrice he sprinkled it owe
his head, but he became no stronge,
| no handsOmeT.
ssIt only tells me what knew before
said the little boy, as he sat looking IN
to the LIQUID mirror. Everything
! beautiful except me,h he nurmuret
n ssNo, there's an ugly thing he addeC
J, cas- humpbacked as ] ann. What is II
d I Tt locks IKE q bit of dry stick, and "
: ii seems to be alive. Its moving"
, As he spoke the hTmD-baelxed bit {
7, stick cracked and there came forth
beautiful butterfly which soon sprea
Tits wings of orange tipped white, an
/ few of to q hawthorn bush hard by. s,
The little boy, stretching himself d
the sunny grass watched, for Ion
Z time. the beautiful insect dHtterin
: ever the beautiful mass of cream
5 BLOSSOM feeked with red and gree
It Presently IL few off and began to flu
2 e ter around him. It-alighted on his ca
: and whispered something to him; an
h then butterfly and hawthorn busll-na
Imofe. the very mountain itself-suC
u denly vanished But after having bee
spoken to by a butterfly, the little bt
could be astonisiied at nothing.
Il He was no longer a little boy, but
z man. He was still d hunchback, bHt
q q had ceased to be sorry for that. WIS
: people, SIS was still sometimes the cas-
le Islighked or inaHlted him on account
er lis Hgliness, he would smile and Whisp
) to himself" Ah, If they only knew-b
that's a secret.
Two brothers were going to fight, b.
- Aha s7tT1reIllassaIr ran lefyveen them. an