National Republican., 1885-04-25

| ing plunge into the sparkling water, and
Francis Drury's place on earth will know
him no more. Gone Is the gallant spirit,
stilled the eager heart for ever, and Los.
| lies tears fall thick and heavy-no one
thero deeming them shame to his man
hood--as the bellying canvas urges the
ship swiftly onward on her course.
| Only Quandong stone, Of rather un-
usual sizc. covered with little silver
knobs or studs and to ono end of which
was attached stout silver chain. Les
lie, as he turned IL over and over in his
hand, thinking sadly enough Of its late
owner, wondering much what he had
been about to communicate when Death
10 relentlessly stepped in. The value
of the thing as ON ornament was but q
triae, aud, try as he might, Leslie could
find no indication that there was aught
but met the eye: simple Australian
wild peach stone converted into trife,
rather ugly than otherwise, as is the case
| with so many so-callcd Curios. Still, as
his friends last thought and charge, it
was sacred in his sight: and putting 1t
carefully away, he determined on land
ing at Melbourne, now so near, to mako
it his first care to find out Drury's mother
and his sister.
"Drury, Druryi Let me see Yes, Of
course. Mother aud daughter, brother
too sometimes; rather wild young fol-
low: always 'on the 60 somewhere or
other, you know. Yes. they used to live
here, but they've been gone this long
time, and where to is moro than can
tell you, or l think anybody else about
/ here either"
So spake the present tenant of Acacia
cottage, st. Kilda," in response to Leslie's
/ s.. Ill IL.
which he had overhauled the effects
Of the dead man, finding 1t at the COM
mencement Of n two-yoar-o letter from
his MIN other, directed to "AlQoa Bay"
| finding, besides, some receipts Of diamonds
sold at Cape Town, and Q letter of credit
on a Melbourne bank for E500; probably,
SO Leslie thought to himself, that meas
ured smile" of which the poor follow had
laughingly spoken to him in the earlier
days of their brief fcompanionship.
The above was the sum total Of the
Information he could ever-after many
persistent efforts including q fruitless
trip to Hobart-obtain Of tho family or
| their whereabouts; 30, depositing the
f500 at one of the principal banking in-
| titutions, and inserting an advertise
ment in the Age aud argus, Leslie having
but little spare cash, and his own fortune
| lying still in deepest shadow, reluctantly,
for time at least, as he promised himself,
abandoned the quest.
Kaloola was one of the prettiest pas
torAl homesteads in the northwestern dis
tricts of Victoria, and its owner. as one
evening he sat in the broad veranda, and
saw on every side, far as the eye could
reach, land and stock all calling him mas
ter, felt that the years that had passed
since the old Decatur dropped her anchor
in Port Phillip had not passed away Alto
gether in vain, and although ominous
wrinklers began to appear about the cor
ners of John Leslie's eyes, and gray hairs
about his temples, the mans heart was
| fresh and unseared as when, on certain
day twelve long years ago, he had shed
bitter tears over the ocean grave of
his friend. Vainly throughout these
latter years had he endeavored to
find some traces of the Drurys. The
deposit in the Bank Of Australasia had
remained untouched, and had by now
swollen to very respectable sum in
deed. Advertisements in nearly every
metropolitan and provincial newspaper
were equally without result; even " pri-
yate inquiry" agents, employed at no
hsmall cost, confessed themselves ut fault.
Many hard fight with fortune had
John Leslie encountered before he
achieved success but through IL all.
good times aud bad. he had never for
gotten the dying bequest left to him on
that dark and stormy morning In the
southern ocean, and now. as rising and
going to his desk he took out tho Guam
dong stone. and turning it over and over
as though trying once again to finish
those last dying words left unfnish ed SC
many years ago, his thoughts tled back
along memory's unforgotten vale, and q
strong presentiment seemed to impel him
not to leave the trinket behind, for the
successful squatter was on the eve Of Q
trip to "the old country" and this wal
his last day at Kaloola; SO, detaching the
stone from its chain, he screwed II SO
curely to his watchguard, and in few
hours more had bidden adieu to KaloolI
for some time to come.
1t was evening on the Marine Parad,
nt Brighton, and a crowd Of fashionably
dressed people were walking up and down
or sitting listening to the music Of tn,
band. Among these latter was our ole
friend John Leslie, who had been in Eng
land some three or four months, and VIII
now seemed absorbed in the sweet strain
OF Ulrieh's "Good Night, My Love-" will
which tho musicians were closing thei
evenings selection; but in reality hi
thoughts were far away across the ocean
In the land Of his adoption, and fey
dreamed that the sun-browned, long
bearded, middle.nged gentleman, clothe,
more in accordance with ideas of comfor
than OF fashion. and who sat there 8
quietly every evening, could, had it S
pleased him, have bought up half tho ga
: loungers who passed and repassed hin
with many a quizzical glance at the loos
attire, in such striking contrast TO tn
British fashion of tho day.
( Truth to tell, Leslie was beginning I,
long for the far-spreading plains Of hi
AustraliAn homo once more hrs was
quiet, thoughtful nature, united for tn,
gay scenes in which he had lately foun,
himself q passive actor, and he was-sav
, for one sister married years ago, and o,
with her husband in Bermuda-aiono il
the world, and he thinks rather sadly
perhaps, as he walks slowly back throug
, the crowd of faShionables to the Imperial
whore he 10 staying: And alone mos
likely to the end"
He had not been in his room man
minutes before there came knock a
, the door, and, scarcely waiting for an
, swer, in darted very rsd-fAced, YER
: stout, and apparently very furried oil
gentleman, who, setting his gold eye
} glasses firmly on his n 9se, st once began
! "Er-ah,- -Mr.A .eslie;lli believer TO
i your number from thA RaStat, yodsSeA