The Opelousas courier., 1889-08-24
UGLY JACKS"
now O Homely Hero's Hopes Were
More Than Realized.

low O Homely Hero's Hopes Were
More Than Realized.
"An'-an', you're SO ugly, Jacks!"
the girl added, with something like a
little shudder. 81 know it, Hannie,
but" Half frightened at the look OF
anguish that her words had brought to
the mans face, the girl turned and
sped along the timber-path that led
from the big spring.
The man covered his face with his
hard hands and groaned. No one knew
better than he just how unhandsome
he vas. AS a boy, jackson Hamlin
had grown alphabetically used to the
sobriq4st,of ugly Jacks" and had SO
often sought some placid little tMback-
set in the creek, and gazed atitis re-
Election in it with apitiful hopeS that he
might be growing less deserving of the
title, that every line and lineament OF
his ugly face was as familiar to his
mental vision rs if it were ever before
his eyes. He had grown from an ugly
child to an equally ugly man. grave
and kindly, and differing greatly from
the shiftless and ''trifing" beings
about him.
He wore the same fashionless garb
as they. but he spoke little of the
quaint dialect which they drawled.
While they passed asGAuch as posi-
BILE of their time at any thing but
work, he cultivated his timber-farm.
Or when, at night, the young men fol-
lowed yelping ours on 'possum Or coon
hunts, or with their sisters and sweet
hearts disported themselves at the
s'hoe-down" dances, Jacks Hamlir
bowed over the home made table in his
bachelor cabin, and, by the light of a
~spluttering tallow dip, eonned books
that looked SO bloatedly full of wisdom
that the casual and ~illiterate visitor
regarded them almost ~reverently.
No one knew their contents, not
even old Jerry Politics. daughter, one
Of the few persons in the neighborhood
the Egypt of Southwestern Missouri
who could read. They looked too
dry and ponderous to arouse her inter-
est. But she liked to hear him tell of
the great world--the world beyond tho
forest-beyond the limits of theState,
even-the outside world of which she
had e nothing and he very little,
but of which he knew much from read
ing.
And she liked too, to hear him re-
cite pcetry-poetry that she, with her
scanty education, could scarcely un-
derstand. And, at such times. she
would, for a little while. forget his
ugly face, the surroundings, the
rfckety. shook-covesed house where
her father, old Jefey Pottllcalmly
smoked and dozed In his back-t1Fuh
chair on the porch; forget the apa-
thetic, shiftless. out-of-the-way woIh
in which she existed, and live for tIll
moment in the bright. far-of world or
which the poem told.
This bright-faced, ragged maiden
had hopes-dreams that promised no
shadow of fulflment till Sharpley
came. You and / would have con-
sidered this Sharpley a very Indifferent
personage-rowdyish as to appearance.
deficient as to grammar, and inclined
to slovenliness of attire. But to Han
he was very interesting indeed. He had
been almost everywhere-at least, he
said SO. He, too, could quote poetry
-of a certain class. As a converse
tionalist he seemed almost q wonder to
Han, for Sharpley's tongue was ready
and his mind an inventive one. and the
restrictions of truth bothered him
little.
Jacks he'd made no complaint, but
had kept closer to his farm during the
days, and studied his dry books more
~fercely at night. And Han scarcely
missed him at all, for Sharpley was so
often lowering about, and his conver-
sation seemed always of things in
which she was interested. And-we1l,
it was SO easy for Sharpley's agile
tongue to promise any thing, and list
euing, the girl almost forgot Jacks.
Few had known or cared when he
disappeared for a few days, and then
came back with one of the two great
hopes of his life poisoning into real
ization.
Ill tell it to her. he told himself.
TELL it to Hannie, and may be-
He met her In the shady path as she
was returning with q bucket of water
from the big spring, and started to tell
her the story in a hurried, laundering
way. beginning at the wrong end OF the
narrative and hurting out a little of
the other great hope that he had so
slong cherished. But the girl would
scarcely listen to him.
II must hurry On, z she said. "Mr.
somebody will be waitin' fer ME.
sornabody-Sharpleyl Jacks Han-
lan said bitterly. ssTIaat sneaking
hound, that
lies 5sss ~ amart IS you are!' the