Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-04-16
A LUMLEY PASS ROMANCE
BY JENETTE III. wALwORTH.

BY JENETTE II. wALwORTH.
The settlers who constituted what
was locally called the "Lumley Pass
folks were few, Woodworking and I'm.
imaginative. They were much given to
staying at home and minding their OWL
business, in the sense which conveys
total lack of interest in anybody else.
Long reaches of rough mountain
roads; frequent torrents, which rushed
rudely wherever resistance was most
readily overcome, combined with SOM
Der stretches of dense forest to discour-
age sociability.
Nevertheless, when it became known,
in general way, that the old tip-tiited
1og-house-a house hoary with age
abou. which the halo of romance had
never chung, was to be the seat Of a
wedding, interest in it became vivid.
and visitors multiplied miraculously.
The house stood at the head of the
pass, and gave it it's name. It was Peter
Lumley's daughter who was to be mar
ried.
That piece of information percolated
CtCI 1IA1ioCAAS VIC
when he had fingered at the store in
Hogan's Gulch long enough to forget
his usual taciturnity and wax conf
Dental with other late stayers.
On that occasion Mr.. Peter Lumley
remarked, in a general way, that
women folks was a cussed Loo of
trouble when they got marryin' in their
heads, an he was considuble thankful
that he didn't have but one gal to turn
the world upside down just because a
fellow had asked her to change her
NAME"
This amiable al!usion 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 "scalloped"
handkerchief, fastened the impending
change of name on Sue Lumley.
Until that cross-bar muslin and en-
broidered handkerchief were actually
transferred from Hogan's counter to
tine gummy sack which already held
Peters supply of tobacco, whisky, seed
potatoes and rope for pillow lines, the
general public had laid no particular
stress upon Peters outburst.
Never before had Sue Lumley been
an object of even passing local in
terest. No one had ever associated her
name with a possible lover. She was
accounted rather spiritless creature,
totally lacking in grit. Grit is moral
quality in high repute with your noun
taineer.
Being motherlesss and sisterless, Sue
. = opo,, for Sr,ir O.
accomplishments than fell to the lot
of other Lumley Pass girls.
A wedding presupposes a man. 1t
was a long time before local gossip fast
ened upon the right man for "Sue Lum-
ley's beau" When it did, curiosity was
merged into amazement bordering on
indignation.
..Was Brad Martin bent on throwing
hisself clean away? Had Brad Martin
turned plum IDIOT" were questions
which everybody was asking but no.
body answered.
Bradley Martin was what might be
called newcomer, having onlyslived in
the neighborhood of Lumley's Pass
four or five years. None of his for
bears had ever titled the rocky acres
b. called his own
He was q handsome fellow, with
broad shoulders and strong, swift legs.
which carried him over the steep noun
tain 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 willing ear to
Bradley Martin if he had come account
ing. But Sue Lumley, of all the Pass
girls!
Martin and Sue alone knew the very
beginning of the love affair whose inn
minent elimination was agitating the
scattered settlers of Lumley's Pass.
They had first seen each other when
the Pass lay in the shadows of evening.
which came early and fingered long in
the mountain-walled clearing.
Sue was sitting alone on the rough
pine slab that did duty for front-door
step. Her lap was full of corn and corn
cobs. A pile of unshelled corn was
on the slab within easy reach.
With q fine disregard for her own cuti-
Gle, she rubbed the grains free from the
cob with the reddening ball of her right
thumb.
When all the corn should be shelled.
she would lift mp her voice shrilly. and
countless feathered pensioners would