The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-04-23
A LUMLEY PASS ROMANCE
BY JENETTE H. wALWORTH.

The settlers who constituted what
was: locally. called the "'Lumley Pass
folks" were few, Woodworking and un-
imaginative. They were much given to
,staying at home and minding their own
business, in the sense which conveys
total lack of interest in anybody else.
Long reaches of rough mountain
sroads; frequent torrents, which rushed
srudely wherever resistance was most
.readily overcome, combined with SOM
her stretches of dense forest to discour-
sage sociability.
Nevertheless, when it became known,
sin general way, that the old tip-tiited
l1og-house-a house hoary with age
sabout which the halo of romance had
snever chung, was to be the seat OF a
wedding, interest in it became vivid,
sund visitors multiplied miraculously.
The house stood at the head of the
.pass, and gave it its name. 1t was Peter
-Lumley's daughter who was to be mar
cried. -
That piece Of information percolated
Through Peter himself, one evening
when he had fingered at the store in
:Hogan's Gulch long enough to forget
ibis usual taciturnity and wax conf
.dential with other late stayers.
On that occasion Mr.. Peter Lumley
remarked, in general way, that
"Women folks was cussed lot of
strouble when they got marryin'in their
sheads, an he was considuble thankful
that he didn't have but one gal to turn
1.-THE world upside down just because q
fellow had asked her to change her
s1ame."
This amiable all,lsion to his only
daughter, coupled with the fact that,
earlier in the evening, Mr.. Lumley had
.openly invested in ten yards of white
.'cross-bar" muslin and q "scalloped"
handkerchief, fastened the impending
*change of name on Sue LuVley.
Until that cross-bar muslin and en-
sbroidered handkerchief were actually
transferred from Hogan's counter to
rthe eummy sack which already held
Peters supply Of tobacco, whisky, seed
ypotatocs and rope for pillow lines, the
general public had laid no particular
.stress upon Peters outburst.
Never before had Sue Lumley been
IAN object of even passing local in
.terest. No one had ever associated her
name with possible lover. She was
accounted rather a spiritless creature,
vtotally lacking in grit. Grit is a moral
quality in high repute with your noun
staineer.
Being motherlesss and sisterless, Sue
had grown up with even fewer feminine
accomplishments than fell to the lot
of other Lumley Pass girls.
A wedding presupposes man. 1t
was long time before local gossip fast
>ened upon the right man for Sue Lum-
uev's beau" When it did, curiosity was
r,nerped into amazement bordering on
indignation.
"Was Brad Martin bent on throwing
shisself clean away? Had Brad Martin
turned plum IDIOT" were questions
which everybody was asking but no.
sbody answered.
Bradley Martin was what might be
called newcomer, having only lived in
the neighborhood of Lumley's Pass
flour or five years. None of his for.
.bears had ever titled the rocky acres
ihe called his own.
He was handsome fellow, with
broad shoulders and strong, swift legs
which carried him over the steep noun
stain paths with the surefootedness OF
the goat.
There wasn't girl within IL miles of
Peter Lumley's old gray house that
would not have lent a willing ear to
Bradley Martin if he had come a-court-
ing. But Sue Lumley, of all the Pass
girls! -,
Martin and Sue alone knew the very
beginning of the love affair whose i'm
.minent elimination was agitating the
scattered settlers Of Lumley's Pass.