The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-09-18

'-AA' eiiiniI ictuTu, now Wnab 8
paltry sum of money between you ano
l me, and the little mother waitin' al
homer"
Lnmley 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, I nE, thinking, that are
far fror, disgraoing even the eyes oil
man.
Sim ashamed of my self, through and
through, for what's gone by" were
: Lumley's next words, "but I can't give
! it up now. Matters can't be any worse,
and there's chance of lettering. Per,
haps tonight shall win it all back"
There were the old willtulness and
pride and the new fascination of the
gaming table. There was no turning
him back, 10 moving him from that
resolve.
Lumley's Pardner took him by the
arm.
Either way, I'm bound to see you
So night after night, as Lumley
played, there stood Lumley's Pardner
looking on, with never O 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
brilliantly Lighted gambling hell, the
excitement, the fascination, trembling
betwixt hope and uncertainty, the fire.
quent rotations to steady his shaken
nerves, and as the night wore on, uncer-
tainty deepening into failure and disap-
pointment and each morning Lumley'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?'
ESQ help me heaven, as soon as get
back two thousand dollars, swear 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, Lumley's Pardner
beckoned Monte Bill' aside q reckon
you have heard of Monte Bill, the best
brace dealer and short-card player west
of the MississippD, and some secret un-
Outstanding passed between them.
In the midst of a game Lumley's
thing unusual, passing Monte Bill on
his way to the door. It was not gener-
ally noticed, but as he passed he drop
ped a 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
CLEAN 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 busting crowd that
thronged the deck, he hurried across |
the plank and made his way straight to
the cabin.
The past seemed all dream as he |
stood again with a wildly beating heart |
before q once familiar form-familiar |
still, though bearing the maturer crown |
of motherhood. Her face was even |
fairer than of old, blushipg with its |
wild rose tints of loneliness, 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-
1ieve-that is to say am Lumley's
Pardner."
She held ont white hand cordially.
"And my husband ?"
LIS we'll. am to take you to him."
He took timidly the hand she extend.
ed, awkwardly 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 mp
Lumley. It is onlya few minutes ride.
One last searching glance from under
the protecting sombrero, and he closed
the carriago-door, mounting to his place
beside the driver.
Oddly enough, Lumley had just fin
ished winning game with Monte Bill
when Lumley's Pardner came hurriedly
in. AS he slipped quietly back to his
post, Lumley sat cycling the "pile -
81, 500. He put out his hand to rake it
cards and began to shuttle for another
stake; not that he had forgotten 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 visit
fully back upon the cards and the gold.
As with heavy sigh he sunk into his
the cards from his hand, raked up the
stakes and forced the money into Lum-
ley's pocket.
Chow long will you keep your wife
and child waiting alone, at night in a
strange city, before the door of gam
bling house?"
The thrust struck home. Like a man
awakening from q dream, Lumley
sprung up, crushed on his hat, and flew.
TO the door.
Once in the little womans arms he
was safe. Lumley's Pardner knew him
well enough to be snre of that. He
never followed, but slipped out of the
side door, and the next day saw him
than was his wont, but the clear gray
eyes dauntless, honest and brave.
And 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.-O 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.