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

A DRAWING-R00I COMEDY.
Mr.. Thomas Bilburv is the Junior
partner in the great firm of Bilbury,
Backbone d Co., tea merchants, OF,
Calcutta and London. The senior part
ner is Mr.. Joseph Bilbury, his father,
who has a very nice house at Kew, and
until year or two ago there was u third
member of the firm in the person of
Thomas uncle, Mr.. Babbington Black
thOrne, the Calcutta representative of
the establishment. But, unfortunately,
Mr.. Backbone, like many Englishmen
who live in India, drank too much Scotch
whisky and Bass ale, ne ate too much
curry and too many Bombay ducks;n
the result being that at the age of 50 his
liver declined to bear the strain put up
on il, and collapsed, leaving its owner
SO weak and i'll that he had barely
time ere lie died to telegraphto his part
ners in England q brief notice of his i'm
pending fate. This alarming dispatch
arrived at q particularly inopportune
moment. Mr.. Thomas BilburV had on
the day previous married very charm
ING young lady, Lydia Lapples by name;
and the intelligence Of his uncle's sad
condition nGcessitated that the newly
made husband-Who, by the way, had
only become acquainted with his bride
aboutsiXw weeks before marriage-should
without a moment delay take the train
for Dover, cross to Calais, and thence
90 by the quickest route to Calcutta
The affair was pressing. Mr.. Black
thorne'5 death would certainly throw
the business into confusion, and any
hesitation on the part of the English
partners might imperil the future Of the
firm.
60 at once, my dear boy" wrote
Mr.. Joseph Bilhury to his son, who was
in the Isle of Wight, '.and send your
wife to me. | will take care Of her, and
see her settled in your new home at
Richmond | would 90 myself, but my
govt won't allow me. And above all
things, take care of your liver"
There was no help for it. Mr. Bill
bury, Jr., felt that he must 90; so he
did, putting the best face on the matter
and bidding very long and tender
good-by to his poor little wife. He es-
corted her across to Portsmouth, put
her into London train, kissed her off.
and then took the next train for Dover.
She settled down in her new home at
Richmond Hill; and he for many months
afterwards worked hard at his desk in
Calcutta. arranging the worldly affairs
OF bis dead uncle, and from time to time
sending home reports Of his progress,
and love letters to Lydia.
Two years in fact, elapsed ere he was
able to return to England; and then re-
turned. rs he had gone out, at mo-
ment's notice. Unforeseen circumstances
suddenly left him free, and, unwilling
to lose 4 day, he took the first home
ward-bound steamer, which. so it hap
pened, was also taking to Richmond &
letter, written few DAYS earlier, il
(which Mr.. Bilbury, among other mat.
tiers, regretted to his wife that the pres
sure Of business would not leave him at
liberty for at least month
He travelled home without adventure.
landed in due course at Dover, arrived
IN London, late at night, and without,
having written word of warning to Ly
dia, hurried OF next morning to Rich
mond Hill. Why he did not write OF
telegraph, we cannot say; perhaps he
thought his sudden appearance would
agreeably surprise his wife; or perhaps
he was too excited to be able to think
at all. Butin any case, he neither wrote
nor telegraphed a single word of pre-,
paratiOn.
1t was fine sunny morning in sum-
mer; Mr.. Thomas Bilbury had scarcely
seen his new home, which he had taken
in a hurry Immediately before his we'd
ding; and he was walking eagerly up
the short carriage drive .eading to the
house, when, happening to cast his gaze
toward the upper windows, he caught
sight of fair, white-draped figure which
was watering some towering plants
that stood in row on the sill. He at
once recognized the figure as that of his
wife, and was about to utter CRY OF
salut9tiOn when he suddenly became
conscious that she did not recognize
him, for with graceful modesty she with
drew from the window and disappeared
IS soon rs she became conscious that he
was watching her. An idea struck him.
IL was foolish, butnot wholly unnatural
one. He would pretend to be someone
elsa friend, say, of her husbands s,
and would ask to see her as such. OF
course she would at once recognize his
voice; but then the surprise, and the
consequent pleasure, would be the moro
complete if he thus deferred them. He
knocked, therefore, at the door, and to
the servant who appeared announced
that he had just returned from India
and desired to see Mrs Bilbury. He
gave no name, but he was admitted and
shown into the drawing room. where, in
some perturbation of mind, he awaited
the advent of his wife from whom he
had been SO long and so cruelty separ-
ated.
Il suppose that she will know me-"
he reflected, as he stood with his back
to the window; ''but it is true that |
have grown tolerably big beard since
1 went away, and that / have become
considerably tanned. However, the
beard oughtto make no great difference
| suppose that she would know me if she