The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-09-17

| paL6ry sum OF money between you anC
me, and the 'little mother waitin' al
hcme?"
Lumley put down his head upon that
and cried like baby; the which, if il
be not manly, like him the better for
There are tears, am thinking, that are
far from disgracing even the eyes oi
man.
"Tm ashamed of myself, through and
through, for what's gone by" were
Lumley's next words, "but can't give
it up now. Matters can't be any worse,
and there's chance of bettering. Per.
haps tonight shall win it all back"
There were the old willfulness and
pride and the new fascination of the
gaming table. There was no turning
him back, no moving him from that
resolve.
Lumley's Pardner took him by the
arm.
"Either way, I'm bound to see you
through" he said. "Come."
So night after night, as Lumley
| played, there stood Lumley's Pardner
looking on, with never a word of that
little white letter, his answering mes
sage, or the two passengers on board an
ocean steamer bound for California.
Despite Lumley's hopefulness, luck
never turned. It was the same feverish
unrest and tedious waiting, the sense of
degradation by day, and at night the
briliantly-lighted gambling hell, the
excitement, the fascination, trembling
betwixt hope and uncertainty, the fre,
! quent potations to steady his shaken
nerves, and as the night wore on, uncer-
tainty deepening into failure and disap-
pointment and each morning Lumley's s
| Pardner led him slowly and silently
away, until time, wearing on, brought
at last this appeal:
"For Gods sake, old man, when will
you let up?'
$50 help me heaven, as soon as I get
back two thousand dollars, IsWear never
to touch cards or dice again" And
Lumley was dead in earnest this time.
Still, he would accept nothing from his
partner.
The night the Ocean Belle was
signaled into port, Lunley's Pardner
beckoned "Monte Bill" aside q reckon
you have heard of Monte Bill, the best
ce-dealer and short card player west
of the Mississippi), and some secret un-
| derstanding passed between them.
In the midst of a game Lumley's
Pardner left his post, which was some
thing unusual, passing Monte Bill on
his way to the door. It was not gener-
ally noticed, but as he passed he drop
ped small, compact package in the
gamblers hand then, slouching his
sombrero over his eyes, he left the hall.
Pausing in the street Lumley's Pard-
ner looked anxiously down. It would
have been dark bat for the street lamps,
for it was full two hours to moonrise !;
but down by the wharf shone out the
gleam of a new signal light, which,
poised at the masthead, glowered
through the dark like the fiery eye of
gigantic Cyclops the Ocean Belle was
in. Ten minutes latter, pushing bis
way through the bustling crowd that
thronged the deck, he hurried across
the plank and made his way straight to
the cabin.
The past seemed all a dream as be
stood again with a wildly beating heart
before a once familiar form-familiar
still, though bearing the maturer crown
of motherhood. Her face was even
fairer than of old, blushing with its
wild-rose tints of loveliness, her soft
eyes shining up in glad expectation.
The broad sombrero, slouched over his
forehead, shaded his features. She saw
only bronzed cheeks and strong, brown
beard. The tremor in his voice might
have meant difidence.
"Pardon me, madame, you are, be-
lieve-that is to say am Lumley's
Pardner."
She held out white hand cordially.
And my husband p
"Is we'll. / am to take you to him."
He took timidly the hand she extend
ed, awkwaTdly the little woman thought,
and then let it go.
"Give me the child"
He took the sleeping boy in his arms,
and so burdened piloted the way to a
carriage close beside the wharf. Put
ting her inside, he laid the child gently,
almost reverently, upon her lap.
"We're to drive round and take up
Lumley. It is only a few minutes ride.
One last searching glance from under
tine protecting sombrero, and he closed
the carriago-door, mounting to his place
beside the driver.
Oddly enough, Lumley had just fin
ished a winning game with Monte Bill
when Lumley's Pardner came hurriedly
in. Az he slipped quietly back to his
post, Lumley sat eyeing the "pile -
$500. He put out his hand to rake it
up, paused, drew it back, piled up the
cards and began to shuttle for another
stake; not that he had forgetton his
oath, or the woman and child he loved,
but long way ahead of anything else
was the thought that luck had turned
that he had only to follow it up and win
back all the past. Lumley's Pardner
stopped to his ear:
"You'd better throw up the game,
the little mother and your boy are
waiting here outside"
Lumley started-half rose to his feet,
looked up into his partners face, then
at the cards, then at the door, then wist-
fully back upon the cards and the gold.
AS with heavy sigh he sunk into his
seat again, Lumley's Pardner, dashing
the cards from his hand, raked up the
stakes and forced the money into Lum-
ley's pocket.
"How long will you keep your wife
and child waiting alone, at night in a
strange city, before the door of a gam
bling house?"
The thrust struck home. Like a man
awakening from a dream, Lumley
sprung up, clushed on his hat, and few
to the door.
Once in the little woman's arms he
was safe. Lumley's Pardner knew him
well enough to be sure of that. He
never followed, but slipped out of the
side-door, and the next day saw him
back in camp, trifie pale and sterner
than was his won't, but the clear gray
eyes dauntless, honest and brave.
And 1 reckon, to this day, Lumley
never knows how much he owes his old
mate, or that his Lulie had one true
lover whom he once knew and appro.
priated to himself in the person of Lum-
ley's Pardner. - Overland Monthly.
ONE OF 'EM.-The Boston Traveller
tells this:
A lately appointed postmaster of a
western Massachusetts town came down
to Boston the other day to equality"
and have his bond for 5000 approved.
The bond was all right and the regular
question was put to the P. M:
How much are you worth, sir "siE
oval" he replied, "I don't tell