Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-07-16
LUMLEY's PARDNER.

LUMLEY'S PARDNER.
HAVE forgotten the name he brought
with him from the States, for nobody here
ever called HIM anything else but " Lum-
ley's Pardner."
We miners have familiar knack of re-
christening, and a name once altered
sticks to man as long as he sticks to the
mines; so, even after Lumley had thrown
up his claim and left the diggings, a good
three years ago, Lumley's Pardner still re-
mained, a finger-post to trace the distance
back. After all, John Jones, or Lumley's
Pardner, what mattered it, in that doubt
full tide of immigration setting in toward
the wild regions, where the first contiden-
tial question, after intimacy seemed to
warrant the liberty, was invariably:
Saay, comrade, what was your name be-
| fore you came here P'
You see, | knew Lumley's Pardner
when he first came into the mines. l was
up at Woods Diggings at the. time he and
party of two or three more came around
prospecting remember | thought what
"a fine, stalwart young fellow. he WAS
strai ght as young pine-tree, and no fool
ishness about him either, for he had been
roughing it year or two down on the
Texas border. | never saw the boys more
| downright pleased over a newcomer than
when he bought claim and went i'll with
us. He was not a man to talk much about
! himself, nor one you would feel free to
question; but there was honest, square
dealing looking out of his clear, gray eyes,
| for all the trouble and unrest laid up be-
hind them.
Lumley was as different as mar could
| be. / have often noticed That men take 10
unlikes in mating among themselves as
well as in choosing mates for life. He
came into the diggings a week or so later,
and they somehow fell in together. Lum-
lev was what you might call an extra
clever fellow. He looked scarcely more
than boy-these fair-skinned people
never show their age-with his handsome,
womansh face, bright blue eyes and trim.
built figure: but he had confidence until
YOU could not rest, plenty of the gift o
J gab, and something about him-I be.
lieve people call it magnetism-at least
when you were with him you believed
lust as he did and then wondered at your
self afterward for doing it.
Lumley always had knack of twisting
folks round his little finger, for all that tho
lines of firmness were quite lacking abou
his mouth. Lumley's Pardner, now, will
his close-set lips and square, massive jaw
you might as well hope to move
mountain as him against his will. III,
would be strong to do or to bear; yol
could easily see that
, do not know as it was exactly fair!
never meant to eavesdrop, but it happened
in this wise: One night | went over Il
Lumley's shanty-it was amazing strang
how soon his name got tackled to every
thing-to see about a broken pick II
i L. I to, IL. 40
ING in those days. AS l opened the doc
| saw there was no one in, and, beinj
tired with my days work, dropped dow
| on log Just outside, lit my pipe and sa
= leaning back against the pine boards wail
ing for Lumley to come back. | guess
must have got drowsy and fallen asleeI
= for the first thing heard was voices, AM
+ Lumleys Pardner speaking out bitter am
i short, in a way we seldom heard hin
speak:
: " | reckon it's of no use to ask if there
any letters come TO my name" he salo
G There's no one to write to me-"
It | rubbed open my eyes and saw tw
i CLEANS of light streaming out through tn
X open door and the one lOop-hole of a win
G dow, and then l knew that Lumley an
G his mate must have passed me by an
70 never seen me in the twilight. Raisin
myself up | saw Lumley through tn
2 window sitting down TO the pine table b'
IS side a tallow dip with two or three letter
II lying before him and one open in his hanC
If Then it flashed across my mind that OF
J of the boys from camp beyond had gor
1t in to the station and was due with the ma
ii that night
ir Lumley's Pardner sat over the far sic
of the table with gloomy look in his ey
Al, /
!. how lonesome it was never to have ney
,, from home, and wondered to myself how
70 manly, tine-loOking fellow like him shOu
h be without a wife or sweetheart waitiI
A. with woman's pride in him somewhel
ID Lumley was busy reading his letters.
ID thought had better stay outside. He W
that intent at first that he seemed not
-, have heard the others words, but after
~ moment he lifted his face with one of I
- 20 proud, bright looks that were Lumley
~ own. " Ay, comradem he cried, cheeril
g. "and don't tell me it isn't all your oy
no fault. Don't dare to envy me my wi
q and child"
H. There was no reply; but, looking oN
'" | saw such bitter, sOrrowful look on
face of Lumley's Pardner that, scarce
eI knowing what | was doing, / stood a
oi watched and pitied him. Iheard Luml
" read aloud; words of love and tru
er watching and waiting, and of happin'
NC in him and the child l saw his face as
or read. He might be a weak man, but
nc loved the woman and the child. From
VI last letter there dropped out carte
~ risite. Lumley caught II up with boyl
nv eagerness.
HOld Pard, )" he cried, "you shall /
"a my two treasures. Here they are-Lu
as and the boyn
lct He tossed the picture across the tai
les The other picked it up. saw man
lrs once, stabbed through the heart j.
,m such look came into the face of Lumle
in Pmdner as he glanced at that picture
les his hand. Lumley, bending over his
he ter, never saw it. When he had tinisl
nd reading he held out his hand. The otl
he did not even raise his eyes, but kept tn
fixed on what he held,