The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1883-06-23

mer. Ny husband writes that the heat
at Calcutta has been exccs,i e. Posi-
bly,, you may ha> called to give me
some news of I'm? | hope so. |
thought that his last letter was not writ
ten in very good spirits.
THAT is satisfactory thought Mr..
Bilbury. THE lapse of two years has
not altered her love for me-
YES" he said, aloud; can give you
some news of him, for a month ago
was at Calcutta
"Indeed? How delightful, Do sit
down, Mr.. Tilbury. 1t is very pleasant
to meet any one who has seen my hus-
band SO recently, for gather from what
you say that you have seen him. How
is he ~
Mr.. Bilbury was by this time much
exercised in his mind as to what to say
next. On the one hand, he was afraid
his wife; on the other he rather enjoyed
the situation. lie therefore determined
for the present to retain his incognito.
"He was he said with deliberate
hesitation, "as well as could be expect
ed"
AS well as could be expected?' re-
peated Mrs. Bilbury, with alarm. do
you mean that he has been i'll ~
well, not exactly i'll" prevaricated
Tom, who had not yet quite made up his
mind as to what he should do.
:: But do not understand you. Tell
me, please. What has happened to
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 arms around
his neck
Nothing very Serious he said. 81
dare say he has told you that he has be-
come very fond of tiger shooting -
"Ah tigers. Tell me, Mr.. Tilbury,
tell me"'
"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 warning
a huge female tiger sprang upon your
husband and bore him to the earth The
native fled for assistance; help arrived,
and the victim was found faint from the
loss of hood, with his right arm torn out
at the socket, his left eye destroyed and
the calf of his left eg-ah-deeply
scored by the cruel claws of the fcro-
cious monster
"Dear me, how alarming" comment
ed Mrs. Bilbury; and the ordinations
seemed so out of proportion to the gray
ity Of the story that Mr.. Bilbury felt
seriously disappointed. That fully ac-
counts" continued Lydia, "for his bad
spirits. His right arm
Yes torn out of the socket, Mrs. Bill
bury. He has learned to write with his
left hand.'
"Ah. dreadful, And his left eye de-
stroyed -
Yes he wears a glass eye, poor fell
low"
1T must be agony. And the calf of
his leg deeply scared by the cruel claws
of the ferocious monster. Terrible mis-.
fortune. And when you left him, Mr..
Tilbury, how was hea Will he survive >"
A new light seemed to break in upon
Mr.. Bilbury. Did his wife want him to
survive? lie felt by no means sure of it.
g 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 no pleas
ant society in Richmond; and you know
there are as good fish in the sea as ever
came out of it,
Toms wors. suspicious were by this
thatmorc than confirmed. The heartIess
womon.' he thought. This is how she
receives the news of my being mangled
and distigured. But still unwilling to
give up hope, he continued aloud: Poor
| fellow. | assure you that in his delirium
your name was very often on his lips
Indeed. Then he had not forgotten
me-"
Forgotten your repeated Tom, his
feelings for an instant getting the b .tter
of him. "Oh, no. I think that it is the
lot of but few woman to have Il husband
SO utterly devoted to her
"And of but few men to have a
wife"
so charming said Mr.. Bibury, fin
ishing the sentence.
"Oh, Mr.. Tilbury. But excuse me.
OF course You will stay to luncheon. Do
to please me. You know that a woman
hates solitude little less than smallpox
| One moment. will go and give the ne
cessary orders.' And Mrs. BiR,ury rose
| and quilted the room.
"WeH, this is awful reflected her
husband as soon a.. he was left alone.
"She doesn't recognize me, and appar-
emily she doesn't seem to care fcr me
much. She reminds me that theEa age
as good fish in the sea a. ever cane out
of it. That, | suppose, means that
if would only die and liberate her. she
would promptly marry some one else. \
nice instance of the faithiulness of wo
man, Perhaps should do well to leave
her at once, and never let her know the
truth; but cant do that | love her
still; indeed. I'm afraid love more than
ever did. No; will see this affair to
the end Ii she's unfaithful | will find
her out, and then
His meditations were cut short by the
return of his wife, who informed him
that she had ordered some luncheon, and
that he must meanwhile do his best to
amuse her. as there was no one else III
the house except the servants. This style
of conversation made Tom more and
more reckless and at once he launched
ont into an account of an imaginary
moonlight picnic at Alden, where-so
let it appear-he had broken the hearts
of several charming girls, and upon the
whole had behaved in highly rcprchen-
sible manner.
1T must have been very delightful"
/ said Mrs. Bilbury. 4 wish | had been
there, Sometimes we have very pleasant
evenings here. OF course, | know every
one in the neighborhood; and, las IA married