Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1883-06-09
A DRAWING ROOM COMEDY.

thorne & Co., tea merchants of Calcutta
and London. The senior partner
is Joseph Bilbury, his father, who
has very qice house at Kew; and
until year or two ago there was third
member of the firm in the person of
Thomas uncle, Mr.. BabbingtOn Black
throne, the Calcutta representative of
the establishment. But, unfortunately,
Mr.. Backbone, like many Englishmen
who lived in India, drank too much
Scotch whiskey and Bass ale, and ate
too much curry and too many Bombay
ducks" the result being that at the age
of tifty-hve his liver declined to bear
the strain put upon ii, and collapsed
leaving its owner so weak and i'll that he
had barely time ere he died to tele-
graph to his partner in England brief
notice of his impending fate. This alarm
ing dispatch arrived at particularly inn
perfume moment Mr.. Thomas Bill
bury had on the day previous
married very charming young lady,
Lydia I4apples by name; and the inteEll-
gence of his unCle'S sad condition neCes-
STATED that the newly made husband
who, by the way, bad only become az
quainted with his bride about six weeks
before marriage-should, without mo-
ment,s delay, take the train for Dover,
cross to Calais, and thence 90 by the
the quickest route to Calcutta. The af
fair was pressing. Mr.. Blackthorne's
death would certainly throw the bust
ness into confusion, and any hesitation
on the part of the English partners
might imperil the future of the firm.
go at once, my dear boy" wrote Jo-
seph Bilbury to his son, who was iii the
Isle of Wight, land send your wife to
me. [ will take care of her and see her
settled in her new home at Richmond.
l would go 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 Junior felt that he must go; so 90
he did, putting the best face on the
matter, and bidding very long and
tender good-by TO MS poor little wife.
He escorted her across to Portsmouth,
put her into London train, kissed her,
saw her off, and then took the next train
for Dover.
She settled down in her new home on
Richmond Hill, aud he for many months
Calcutta, arranging the worldly affairs
of his dead uncle, and from time to time
sendin. 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 he
returned, as he had gone ont, at mo-
ment's notice. Unforeseen circum-
stances suddenly left him free; and, I'M
willing to lose 4 day, he took the first
homeWard bound steamer, which, so It
happened, was also taking to Richmond
a letter, written few DAYS earlier, in
which Mr.. Bilbury, among other matters,
regretted to his wife that the pressure 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 a word OF warming to
Lydia, hurried on next morning to
Richmond Hill. Why he did not write
or 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. But in any case, he neither wrote
nor teiegraphed a single word of prepa
ration.
It was a fine sunny morning in sum-
mer; Mr.. Thomas Bilbury had scarcely
seen his new home, which he had taken
in hurry Immediately before his we'd
ding; and he was walking eagerly up the
short carrirge drive leading to the
house, when, happening to cast his gaze
toward the upper windows he caught
sight of a fair, white draped figure,
which was watering some Towering
plants that stood in a row on the sill.
He at once recognized the figure as
that of his wife, and was about to utter a
cry of salutation when he suddenly be-
came conscious thst she did not recog-
nize him, for with graceful modesty she
withdrew from the window and disap-
peared as soon as she became conscious
that he was watching her. An idea
struck him. It was foolish, but not
wholly unnatural one. He would pre-
tend to be some one elsa friend, say,
of her husbands, 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 more cong lete. II he thus
deferred them. He knocked, therefore,
at the door, and to the servant who APP
peared announced that be had Just re-
turned from India and desired to see
Mrs. BilDury. He gave no name, but
he was admitted and shown into the
drawing room, where, in some pertur- |
baton of mind, he awaited the advent |
of the wife from whom he had been so |
long and so cruelly separated.
81 suppose she will know me-" he re-
Elected, as he stood with his back to the |
window; "but it is true that | have |
grown tolerably big beard since went |
away, and that | have become consid- |
erably tanned. However, the beard |
ought to make no great difference. | |
suppose that she would know me if she |
saw me in my shirt-sleeves, or with |
both legs cut off at the knees. On the |
other hand, she thinks that / am still at |
Calcutta, for she must have had my last |
letter this morning. | hope my sudden |
appearance here won't upset her, [ must |
be careful"
Here his thoughts were switched
aside by the unmistakable sound of rus
thing skirts in the passage without; and
as the door opened he involuntartly |
turned and gazed into the garden, at the |
same time coughing nervously.
MAY l offer you chair? am afraid |
that you find the open window too much |
for you" said soft voice behind him.
20 no; not at all!'' he returned, facing |
his wife for an instant, and then hastily |
lio oulNC vi ChO
Mrs. Blbury did not in the least rec
ognize her husband. ''Do let me order |
a fire to be lighted" she urged.
so, no; not for worlds?" CALCULATED |
Tom, as he turned slowly arounu, con
scious at last that even his nervousness
was no excuse for his rudeness. But |
the fact is, Mrs. g
MY name is Mrs. Bilburyw
"Oh! thank you yes? The fact is,
Mrs. Bilbury, that | am not yet entirely I!
reconciled to this abominable English |
climate. I-ah-that is to say, man
who has existed in groves of mango-ah |
withheld thermometer standing logged |
iy at a hundred and two in the shade, |
is-ah; bur dare say you understand"
ooh, perfectly, Mr.. l think l have
not the pleasure ofknowing your name.o
"Who am II" thought Mr.. Thomas |
Bilbury. my name," he said, after
slight pause, sis Tilbury"
"What curious similnrityp said his
wife. ''Yes; can readily believe that
people coming home from India find
this climate very. trying at first even in