The morning times., 1896-08-09
The Story Q
/ of an
9 Ugly Boy
BY MORGAN ROBERTSON.
lconrnrhted aos

Copyrighted, 1898,
At sixteen he was freckled-face, tow
headed boy, with gray eyes set deep under
when things went wrong with hhn--as
happened daily, and gave him very sulky
expression.
His moral qualities were Somewhat per
verted. He would steal fruit, me Ions
or old iron with the other boys, but under
no circumstances would he lie, having
promised his dying mother to; be truth
fui This dominant good traftsTorked to
his disadvantage, as the school master
played upon it to detect culpnrs. A few
times, tutored in advance by older boys,
he had manfully refused to testify, bu
his powers OF mental and physical en-
durance proved unequal to the strain, and
the schoolmaster won
So 1t got to be, that he was ruled out Of
all expeditions and ventures that required
later secrecy, and some-who cSuld WHIP
him-openly branded him asa sneak Still,
on all legitimate occasions, he syvaS toll
Grated as a unit in the crowd.&
As for the girls, they cordially detested
him. He was not good-l .xing, be was
not polite; he never dressed well; he was
not nice at all; ;and, of tact, he had none.
And he returned their sentiments with all
the fervor OF his nature, not having reached
the piumage age when torturing collars
and cuffs are assumed and girlish short
coRings condoned.
One day he gave out that he was going
TO sea. Another uncle who commanded
ship would make a sailor of him. This
was hooted at, but was soon confirmed
by his absence. He passed out Of Con-
versation in a week. and though, peri
odically, as the months rolled by, some
one would wonder where Jim Morton is
now,' 1t Indicated no void in their hearts
and in year he was forgotten. The girls,
unanimously glad that he was gone, for
got him from the first.
At the end OF three years he returned
tall, active and muscular with his freckles
drowned In an indelible coating OF darker
tan, and his scowl raised To the dignity of
a serious frown-to find great changes. The
boys he had known were grown upt Some
were at work, others at the high schooi.
but all were well-dressed, wellbehaved
young gentlemen, who did not play bail
now, or 90 in swimming, or do anything else
that was common or vulgar. They had at
tended dancing school, TOOK off their hats
to ladies, and every Sunday evening found
them either at church or clustered at the
emerged.
But they welcomed Jim and made much
of him for not every village could show a
boy with his record. He had actually gone
around the world and was one day older
in consequence, though they took this
faith, not understanding, in spite Of Jim's
calculations He had crowded great
deal OF experience into his three years
travelling. Jim, too, had changed. He
dressed no better than before and knew
as little how TO behave in company"
having developed on different lines, and
though his hcdrtiest admirers would not
have claimed that he was a Young gentle
man, he was ten times more OF man than
any OF them
He proved this to the satisfaction of all
and amusement of some by soundly thras sii-
ing, the first week few OF tie oiGer toys
who had formerly bullicd him-aD a uditing
OF accounts, which. though morally wrong
is yet so rare in the life OF u 10y. ard So
filled with The koerest qualification that
tits here spoken of, though not commented d .
Then Jim settled dem In his place,
high ID the hearts OF the community and
ON the fringes Of its society Tie girls
at first were interested in him, and scme,
who could Bot claim his acquaintance,
sought it, overlooking his crudeness on
account or what he had done
He was invited out 10 spend evenings
in the parlors OF respectability, some
times asked twice to tie same house but
never oftener, for with him, at all times
and on all occasions, he carried in his
pocket short, black PIPE. which smelled
shockiDgly, and mothers objected TO him
But Jim, loving his smoke above all other
eDIoyments, would have retained this
social hindrance even Lad he Leen told
of it. So, in time, he found himself of
lonely, all his friends having found better
company, and it was ;ten. that, yielding
unconscously TO the atmosphere of the
village, he allowed his eyes TO rest Cd a
young lady whom he met every afternoon
at the postoffi ce. the daughter of the
wealthiest man, the prettiest most unat-
taiDable girl in the village, and the only
one who had not sought him, sweet and
graceful Minnie Fleming, whose dresses
were made in New York
Inc boys, except those he had thrashed,
s.ooo py MIN, tutored him and deplored his
pipe, which no amount of argument could
induce him to felinQuish, but as result OF
this agitation In his favor he went tn his
room one day and extracted q roll of
money from dra wer: then he put him self
inthe hands of one OF the boys, a dry goods
salesman, and judge OF the fitness of
things, and soon appeared in a new summer
wear. the best-dressed boy in the village
and In the eyes OF Minnie, who saw him
from her window, the handsomest.
THE PICNIC
He was induced to this step mainly from
the fact that Minnie was to give a picnic.
soon and lie wanted to look well Unknown
to him, he was the subject of-much dis
cussion, the girls advancing reasons for
his not being invited, even criucising the
color Of his hair, and declaring that sthey
wouldn't go If Jim Morton did, and tn.
boys holding out that they wouldn't go
without him."
To do Minnie Justice, she wanted to in
yite Jim. He looked SO well in his new
suit, and she really enjoyed his society
wher he was alone with her on his good
beha vior. And, also, she knew her sex well
enough to be moderately sure that not one
OF the girls would remain away on account
OF Jim. Still, il he should go and meet all
those girls whom he didn't like, something
was sure to happen. He might lose his
temper and do something outrageous She
consulted her mother, who had once been to
leeward OF his pipe, and Jim was not in
vited.
But he put such an earnest, pleading look
in his big, gray eyes when he left her at the
gate few evenings before the day, that she
almost relented.