Lost Lenore: The Adventures of a Rolling StoneReid, Mayne
General
Lost Lenore: The Adventures of a Rolling Stone
Reid, Mayne
Adventure stories; Dime novels; Fiction
There is something extraordinary in the power and quickness of thought.
Suddenly a conviction came over my mind: that I had found my brother! I
felt sure of it. Memory did not assist me much, in making the
discovery. It seemed to come upon me, as if by inspiration!
It is true, I had something to guide me, in coming to this conclusion.
Sailor Bill had evidently, at some time or other, known a person by the
name of Rowland. It at once entered my mind, that I must be the
individual of whom he had this distant recollection.
"My name," said I, in answer to his question, "is your own. Is not
yours Stone?"
"It is," rejoined he, "William Stone."
"Then we are brothers!"
"You are the Rolling Stone!" exclaimed Bill, grasping my hand. "How
strange that I did not ask the question, when I first heard you called
Rowland!"
The excitement caused by our mutual recognition, was of the most
pleasurable character; and, for some moments after the first words, we
both remained speechless.
`The Elephant' was nearly as much astonished as ourselves, at the
discovery thus made. "What a fool I've been," said he, "not to have
seen long ago that you were brothers. If ever there were two brothers,
I could swear that you two were the pair. I have been blind not to have
told you before--what you have at last found out for yourselves."
We had no time to do more than exchange mutual congratulations: for the
stage coach was about to start. I immediately paid for a seat; and set
off along with them for Geelong. At the moment, I had along with me all
the gold I had gathered. I had brought it out, for the purpose of
taking it to the Escort Office--as soon as I should bid adieu to my
friends. There was nothing else of much importance to detain me in
Ballarat; and I parted from the place at less than a moment's notice.
My brother and I found plenty of employment for our tongues, while
making the journey to Melbourne.
I asked him, if he had been aware of our mother's having followed Mr
Leary to Australia.
"Yes," said he, "I knew, when she left me in Liverpool, that she was
going to follow the brute out there; and I concluded she had done so."
"And have you never thought of trying to find her, while you were in
Sydney?"
"No," said my brother, in a tone of solemnity, "when she deserted me in
Liverpool, to go after that wretch, I felt that I had lost a mother; and
it is my belief, that a mother once lost is never found again."
"But did it not occur to you that you should have tried to find Martha?
Do you intend leaving the colonies without making some effort to
discover our sister?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account