The lesson in “Hearts and Hands” is to distrust what people say. Two men, handcuffed together, sit across from a woman in a train. The lady speaks to the first man, a handsome one. The man looks surprised and he shakes her hand, asking her to “excuse the other hand.” The other man, a glum-faced one, says that the handsome man, Easton, is a marshal. Easton explains he was a marshal and the lady says that she currently is free to be courted. The gloomy man asks for a smoke, and Easton agrees, so they exit. A man nearby comments that the marshal is all right, and his neighbor points out he is really young. The first man explains the marshal is the criminal
In Hearts and Hands by O Henry, Miss Fairchild is naive. When the sad man says that Easton is a marshal and he is bringing him to jail for 7 years, “the girl… [took] a deep breath and returning color.” She believes him. She trusts that he won’t lie and takes comfort in it. Therefore, she is naive.
Mr. Easton however, appears calm and composed. He has a “bold, frank countenance and manner.” Even though he isn’t the actual marshal, he is very formal.
The glum-faced man, A.K.A the actual marshal, seems grumpy and disinterested. He is “ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed,” as if he was an actual robber. However, he was nice enough to pretend to be the bad guy so that Mr. Easton could save face. Though he appears unlikeable, he is actually kind.