Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-08-28

window, and then 1 knew that Lumley
and his mate must have passed me by
and never seen me in the twilight.
Raising myself up, / saw Lumley
through the window, sitting down to
the pine table beside tallow dip, with
two or three letters lying before him,
and one open in his hand, Then it
flashed across my mind that one of the
boys from camp beyond had gone into
the station and was due with the mail
that night. 5,f ~. '-... -. .-..
Lumley was busy reading his letters.
/ thought 1 had better stay outside.
He was that intent at first that he seemed
not to have heard the others words, but
after moment he lifted his face with
one of the proud, bright looks that were
Lumley's own: cay, comrader" he
cried, cheerily "and don't tell me it
isn't all your own fault Don't dare to
envy me my wife and child"
There was no reply; but, looking
over, 1 saw such bitter, sorrowful look
on the face of Lumley's pardner, that,
scarcely knowing what 1 was doing, L
stood and watched and pitied him. !
heard Lumley read aloud words of
love and trust, watching aud waiting,
and of happiness in him and the child.
From the last letter there dropped out o
carte de visite. Lumley caught it up
with boyish eagerness,
"Old pard," he cried, "you shall see
my two treasures. Here they are
Lille and the boy!"
He tossed the picture across the table.
The other picked it up. I saw man
die once, stabbed through the heart.
Just such look came into the face of
Lumley's pardner, as he glanced at that
picture in his hand. Lumley, bending
over his letter, never saw it. When he
had finished reading, he held out his
hand. The other did not even raise his
eyes, but kept them fixedly on what he
held.
81, too once thought to leave a wife
and child, he muttered, presently, less
to Lumley than to himself.
"Ah !" he returned, shaking his head
knowingly, " is that the way the land
lies4 I knew you were always close
mouthed, but disappointment I never
suspected that. She, whoever it was,
had precious bad taste when she looked
the other way |" and he ran his eye ad-
miringly over the others splendid pro
portions and manly, handsome face.
"She never refused me-" broke in
Lumley's pardner in low, smothered
tone, his eyes still fastened intently on
the picture. "I-never asked her, but
she knew my mind, and I thought ]
knew hers. I was sure she would wait
for me until I came back. 1t was fol
her went away"
"But you wrote to her?" questioned
Lumley, with genuine interest
Not word-not line. [ am q
poor scribe. But she knew me vel
enough to need no written assurance Of
my intentions. There could be no doubt
of that in her mind" ....-..
Lumley made a hasty gesture of dis
sent. "And there, old man, was pre-
cisely where you failed to connect. Il
don't do, you know, for women to take
too much for granted. They like to be
well fortified and then you are the
surest to win if you take them by storm
Why, my Lulie - ........ .........
"She don't look as though she evel
walked over true heart with her dainty
feet, and that glad little smile just
curving her lips % broke in Lumley's
pardner, his white face still bent on the
picture. His voice trembled o little
over the last words. ss -e7 us-. ..,s.
Lulie is truth ITSELF" answered
Lumley, quickly. "She neverloved any
body else but me. To be sure she ha6
admirers-how could she help that and
be what she is2-but she loves me truly.
You can see it in her eyes!'
Lumleys pardner turned deathly pale
He caught the table by one hand as if tc
steady himself, and fairly hurled the pic
ture at Lrlmley. 1t missed its mark anC
fell to the floor. As hesaw it fall all the
fierceness died out of his eyes, and {
frightened look crept into them.
"Pick her up, he said, with timid ap
prehension, as though it were human
being to whom, in moment of passion
he had committed some act of violence
"I didn't mean to do that-poor LITTLE
mother-the last word seensR to Civ,
him stronger footing with himself. &C.
was thinking how my wife married an
other man and never let me know"
=" Come, come, old man, dent take i
go to heart" said Lumley, soothingly
"There'n be pleasant home, dear lit
tie woman and bright-eyed children il
the future for you yet !''
Never !' ...... ...t.,
Lumley's pardner brought down hi
first like a sledge hammer; then he lean
ed forward in his seat with feveris
! eagerness in his manner which he trie
: hard to keep out of his voice
, 2" Tell me, how would you have give
up your Lulie ?"
Lumley laughed with easy, careles
good-nature. "You put me in a tigh
place, he said. But, supposing tn
cast, the first question should as
would be: Did you go over to the enc
my's camp-in other words, forsake m