Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1889-06-06
UGLY JACKS"
Tow a uomeiy Hero's Hopes Were
More Than Realized.

"An-an'. you're so ugly. Jacks
- girl added. with something like a
IT. shudder. Il know il. Hsnnie.
but" Half frightened a, the look Of
anguish that her words had brought to
tSs mans face. the girl turned and
sfed along the timbor-path that led
from the big spring.
The man covered his face with his
hard hands and groaned- No n knew
better than be just how unhandsome
he was. A n boy. jackson Hamlin
had grown alphabetically used to the
sobrigast Of ''UgIY Jacks" and had 50
often sought some placid little back
set in the creek. and gazed ut his re-
Election in it with pitiful hope that he
might be growing less deserving OF the
title. that every line and lineameut of
his ugly face was as familiar TO his
mental vision as il 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 =hiftlcss and .trifing'' beings
about him
lie wore the sane fashionless garb
a. they. but he spoke little Of the
quaint dialect which they drawIed
While they passed as much as posi-
bic OF their time ut any thing but
work. he cultivated his timber-farm-
DIR when- at night. the young men fol-
lowed yelping ours on 'possum or coon
hunts. or with their sisters and sweet
hearts disported themselves ut the
''hOedown" dances. Jacks Hamlir
bowed Over the home made table in his
bachelor cabin. and. by the light of n
spluttering tallow dip. COINED books
hat looked 50 blOatedly full OF wisdom
that the casual and illiterate visitor
regarded them almost rc~vercntly.
No n 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 the
fOrest-beyond the limits of the State,
even-thc outside world of which she
had seen 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
rickety. shOoS-eovered house where
her father. old jerry Pottle. calmly
smoked and dozed in his back-tilted
chair on the porch; forget the apa-
thetic, shiftless. Out-of-the-way world
in which she existed. aud live for the
tn in the bright. far-of world of
which the poem told
This bright-faeed. ragged maiden
had hOpes-dreams that promised no
shadow Of fulfIment till Sharpley
came. You and | would have con-
sidered this Sharpley a very indifferent
personage--owdyish as to appearance.
4@sAaNA-A - ~ - 1AAAAaEs anu LlCAluEu
to s~lOvenlineSs of attire. But TO Han
he was very interesting indeed. He had
been almost every where-at least. he
said 50. He. too. could quote poetry
-of a certain class As a onversa
tioualist he seemed almost a wonder to
Han, for >harpley's tongue vas ready
and his mind an inventive one. and the
restrictions Of truth bothered him
little.
Jacks had made no complaint, but
had kept closer TO his farm during the
days. and studied his dry books more
hercely at night And Han scarcely
missed him at all. for SharpIey was so
often lowering about. and mis- conver-
satlon seemed always Of things in
which she was interested And-welI.
il vas so easy for SharpIey's agile
tongue 10 promise any thing. and list
ealng. the girl almos; forgot Jacks.
Few had known or cared when he
disappeared for a few days. and then
came back with one of the two grez,
hopes Of his life blossOning into real
lZdfsOn
IN 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 a bGcket 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
long cherished But the girl would
scarcely listen to him
i must hurry on" she said. MIR.
somebody viii be waitin' fer me-
acknowledgement Jacks Ham,
lin said. bitterly That sneaking
hound. that
Hes Jest as smart as you are!1 the