Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-07-12

hand, she thinks that | am still at Cal
cutta, for she must have had my last let
ter this morning. [ hope my sudden
appearance here won't upset her. /
must be careful.
Here his thoughts were switched aside
by the unmistakable sounds of rustlino
| skirts in the passage without, and as the
door opened he involuntarily turned and
gazed into the garden, at the same time
coughing neryously.
MAY | offer you q chair? am afraid
| that you find the open window too much
| for you, said soft voice behind him.
80 no; not at all, he returned, fac
: ing his wife for an instant and then
hastily resuming his survey Of the gar
! den
Mrs. Bilbury did not in the least rec
Ognized her husband. s.Do let ne order
a fire to be lighted" she urged.
20 40; notfor worIdsn' calculated Tom,
as he turned slowly round, conscious at
last that even his nervousness was no
| excuse for his rudeness. but the fact
is, Mrs
MY name is Mrs. Blburvn'
"Oh! thank you-yes! The fact is,
Mrs. Biibury, that am not entirely re-
conciled to this abominable English
climate. I-ah-that is to say, a man
who has existed in groves of mango-ah
and has lived on curry and chunee-
ah-with the thermometer standing dog
gedly at a hundred and two in the shade,
is-ah; but [ dare say you understand"
''Oh, perfectly, Mr-I think have
not the pleasure of knowing your name"
EEINbD ~, NJ,
Bilbury. ''AIy name" he said, after
slight pause, ''Tilbury."
"Wl.a curious similarity!' said his
wife. eyes; [ can readily believe that
| people coming home from India find
this climate very trying at first, even in
summer. My husband writes that the
| heat in Calcutta has been excessive.
Possibly, Mr.. Tilbury, you may have
called to give me some news of him?
hope so. [ thought that his last letter
was not written in very good spirits. y
THAT is satisfactory" thought Mr.
Bilbury. The lapse of two years has
not altered her love for me. >
Eyes" he said aloud; Il can give
! you some news of him, for. month ago,
| was at Calcutta"
''lndeed? How delightful! Do sit
down, Mr. Tilbury. 1t is very pleasant
to meet anyone who has seen my hus-
band SO recently, for gather from what
you say that you have seen him. How
| was hep
Mr. Bilbury was by this time much
| exercised in his mind as to what to say
next. On the one hand he was afraid
to declare himself for fear of frighten-
ING his wife; on the other, he ra.her en-
jOyed the situation. He therefore de-
termined for the present to retain his in
cOgnitO.
He was" he said with deliberate
hesitation, ''as well as could be expect
cd
GAS well as could be expected" re-
peated Mrs. BilbUry with alarm ''Do
you mean that he has been ilI?''
''Well, not exactly i'll, prevaricated
Tom, who had not yet quite made up
his mind as to what he should say.
''But / do not understand YOU. Tell
| me, please. What has happened him?"
Mr.. Bilbury wondered what the end
would be. He heartily wished that his
| wife would recognize him and settle the
difficulty by throwing her arm around
his neck.
Nothing very serious" he said. Il
dare say he has told you that he has be-
come very fond of tiger-shooting?
"Ah, tigers! feline, Mr.. Tilbury,
tell metz
''Well, he went out tiger-shooting one
day as usual ah-he was accompanied
only By his servant. They entered the
jungle! Suddenly, and without warm
ING, 4 huge female tiger spranG upon
your husband and bore him to the earth.
The native fled for assistance. Help ar
rived, and the victim was found faint
from loss Of blood, with his right arm
torn out at the socket his left eve de-
stroyed, and the calf of his left leg-ah
deeply scored by the cruel claws of the
ferOciouS monster"
''Dear me, how alarmingr' comment
ed Mrs. Bilbury; and the EXPLANATIONS
seemed so out of proportion to the
gravity Of the story that Mr.. Bilbury felt
seriously disappointed. THAT fully ac-
counts" continued Lydia, flor his bad
spirits. His right arm
Eyes, torn out at the socket, Mrs. Bill
bury. He has learned to write with his
left hand."
''Ah! Dreadful! And his left eye
destroyed"
Yes. He wears a glass eye, poor
fellow"
ut must be agony. And the calf OF
his leg deeply scored by the cruel claws
of the ferocious monster! Terrible mis-
fortune! And when you left him, Mr..
Tibury, how was he? VIII he survive?"
A new light seemed to break upon Mr.
Bilbury. Did his wife want him to sur
vive? He felt by no means sure of it.
1T is impossible to say with certain
ty," he said, ''but you must hope for
the best. Let me beg of you, my dear
Mrs. Bilbury, to keep up your spirits. -
''Oh, Mr.. Tilbury, don't see why ]
should be miserable. There is very
pleasant society down here at Richmond,
and, you know, there are as good fish in
the sea as ever came ont of it. -
Toms worst suspicious were by this
time more than confirmed 1.-The heart
less womanr' he thought. ''Thisis how
she receives the news of my being man.