Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-07-24
LUMiEi'S PARDNER.
A story Of Early California Time
fFYon tie Orerla7F Times


We Miners have familiar kuact of re-
christening. anC name once altered sticks
10 a man as long As he sticks TO tie mines:
50. even after Lumley had thrown 10 his
CAIN ana ieIo he GicgingS, a cool three
years ago, Lunlley's Partner still rcnlaincl.
m gtf- post 10 trace the distance back
Attef all, John Jones, or LumIey'S Parlnar
what !uatteTei II. ia that doUb,ful tide of
immigration setting in toward the wild re-
SioH>. u mere tie first confidential ones ton.
afier inI: macy seemed - warrant the liberty
was invariably, "Saay. comraie. what was
lour name before you came here''
You see. knew Lumley'S Parinpr when
nc Htst came into the mines. ] was up ~
NcotS Ei@@fDgS a the time he aud "A psr'v
o. TWO or three more came around prospect
Il z. remember thought what a tipa stall
war, yOGUg fellow he was: straight as a
young pine tree. and no fooliShHeSS about
hiin either. for he hai been ron -hingit q wear
or Two down on the Texas border. | never
saw the boys more downright pleased over
new conner than when he bought a claim and
went in with us. He was not a man IN talk
much about himself nor one Won would feel
nee To question; but there was honest so nara
dealing looking out OF his clear gray ewes
Tor all the trouble and unrest laid up behind
them.
Lumley was as different rs a man cou,1 no
have often noticed that men take TO unIikes
ia mating among themselves as well as i'm
choosing mates for life He came into the
dlggings week or so later. and tney some
how fell In together. Lumley was what they
might call an extra clever fellow He lookei
more IMAM a nOy-theSe fair kiuneI
people never show their age-with his hand
some, WomaniSh face bright blue eyes and
trim built figure; but he had confidence
until you could not rest, plenty of the gift OF
CAB, and something about him-I believe
people call it magnetism; atleaSt, when YOU
were with him you believed lust as he did
ana then wondered at yourself afterward for
doing IL.
Lumley always had a knack OF twisting
folks round his little finger. for all that the
lines of firmness were quite lacking about
Inn l.axy'c
his cloSe-set lips, and square massive Jaw
you might as well hope 10 move a mountain
as him against his will. He would be strong
10 DO, or 10 bear; you could easily see that
do not know as il was exactly fair!
never meant TO eavesdrOp, but 1t happened
IN this wise: One night, went over TO Lum-
ley's shanty-it was amazing strange how
| soon his name got tackled to everything-to
see about broken pick he wanted mended
used to do the smithing in those days. As
lopened the door saw there was no one in .
ana, being tired with my days work /
| dropped down on log just outside, lit my
| pipe and sat leaning back against the pine
boards waiting for Lumley 10 come back. l
guess i must have got drowsy and fallen
asleep, for the first thing heard was voices
and Lumley's Partner speaking ont bitter
and snort, In way we seldom heard him
| speak.
81 reckon its of no use 10 ask If there's
any letters 10 come TO my NAME" he said.
There's no one tO write 10 me"
rubbed open my eyes and saw two CLEANS
Oflight streaming out through the open door
and the one lOop-hOle of a window and then
knew That Lumley and his mate must have
passed me by and never seen me in the
twilight. Raising myself up, L 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 ii flashed across my mind
that one OF the boys from camp beyond had
| gone into the station and was due with the
nail that night.
Lumley's partner sat over the far side of
tie table with gloomy look in his eye.
| Being in the same boat myself, / knew how
| lonesome IL was never to have news from
| nome, and wondered to myself how IN luly,
| hIe-looking fellow like him should b with
| out wife or sweetheart waiting with
| Woman's pride in him somewhere.
Iumley was busy reading bis letters
| thought had better stay outside. DE was
that inteat at first that he seemed not TO
have Leard the o.bcr's words, bat after
| moment he liftoi his face with one Of IN d.
| proud, bright looks that were Lumley's own.
"Ay, co!1rside." he cried, cheerily: ..ani
| don't tell me 1t isn't all your own fault.
| Eort dare 10 envy me my wife and chilt"
There was no reply; but, looking over. /
saw such bitter, SU.rowfuI look on the face
| OF Lumley's Partner, that, scarcely knov-
!bg what was doing, stood ana watch Il
and pitied him. heard Lumley read alou I;
words of love and trust, Watching and wait
Ing, and OF happiness in him and the child.
/ saw his face as he read. He might be a
weak man, but he loved the woman and the
child. From the last letter there dropped
ont a carte de visite. Lumley caught it up
with boyish eagcrnesS.
"Old pard," he cried, "you shall see my
two treasures. Here they are--Lulie and the
boy"
Hetossed the picture across the table The
other picked IL up. i saw a man die once,
stabbed through the heart. Just such a look
came into the face of Lumley's Partner as
he glanced al that picture In his hand Lum-
ley. 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 he kept them lixedly on what he
held.
II, too, once thought TO have wife and
child, he muttered presently, less TO Lun-
ley than to himself
The words, following that look, were a
whole book of revelation to me. Happily,
Lumley did not notice. His face showed
some surprise, mingled with that placid sat
lsfactlon the successful man always wears.
"Ah! he returned. shaking his head know
1ngly, sis that the way the land lies? knew
you were always close-mouthed, but dis
appointment-I never suspected that. She,
whoever IL was, had precious bad taste when
she looked the other way" and he ran his
eye admrngly over the others splendid pro-
portions and manly, handsome face.
" She never refused me" broke in I.umleys
Pardner, in low, smOthered tone, his eyes
still fastened intently on the picture 81
never asked her; but she knew my mind, aud
/ thought knew hers. / was sure she would
wait for me until came back. Ii was for
her went away"
But you wrote to herr" questioned Lum-
ley, with genuine interest.
"Not word-not a line. / am a poor
scribe. But she knew me well enough TO
need no written assurance of my intentions.
Every day would be lived for her. There
could be no doubt of that in her mi nd
Lumley made hasty gesture OF dissent.
"And there, old man, was precisel y where
you failed to connect! 1t don't do, you know,
for women TO take too much for granted
They like TO be well fortified and then you
are surest TO win if you take them by $40 rm.
Why, my Lulie''-
a" She don't look as though she ever wa liked
over true heart with her dainty feet and
that glad little smile just curving her lips,,
broke in Lumleys Pardner, his white face
still bent on the picture. His deep voice
trembled little over the last words.
Lulie is truth ITSELF" answered Lumley,
quickly. "She never loved anybody but me.
To be sure, she had admirers-how could she
help that and be what she is?-but she loves
me truly. You can see 1t in her eyes!"
Lumley's Partner turned deathly pale. He
caught the table by one hand, as If to steady
himself, and fairly hurled the picture across
TO Lumley. 1t missed its mark and fell TO
the floor. As he saw IL fall, all the fierceness
died out OF his eyes, and a frightened look
crept into them.
.'Pick her up" he said, with timid appre-
hension, as though il were human being to
whom, in a moment of passion, he had COM
united some act of violence. 81 didn't mean
TO do that-poor little mother"-the last