The Penn's Grove record., 1883-10-13

he had been 50 long and so cruelty sepa.
rated. +
81 suppose that she will know me-
he reflected, as he stood with his back
| to the window; ''but it is true that
have grown a tolerably big beard since
went away, aud that / have become
considerably tanned. However, the
beard ought to make no great difference.
1 suppose that she would know me il
she saw me in my shirt sleeves, or with
both legs cut off at the knees. On the
other hand, she thinks / am still at Cal
cutta, 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 Che unmistakable sounds of
rustling skirts in the passage without
and as the door opened he ~involuntarily
turned and gazed into the garden, at
the same time coughing nervously.
"May / offer you a chair | am
afraid that you will find the open win
dow too much for you," said a soft
voice behind him.
"Oh no not at all !" he returned,
facing his wife for an instant, aud then
hastily resuming his survey of the gar
den,
Mrs. Bilbury did not in the least re-
cognize her husband. do let me or
der a fire to be lighted, she added.
"Oh no +; not for world y calculated
Tom, as he turned slowly round, con-
scious at last that even his nervousness
was no excuse for his rudeness. "But
the fact is, Mrs y
"My name is Mrs. Bilbury 7"
"Ohi thank you-yesl The fact is,
Mrs. Bilbury, that | am not yet en-
tirely reconciled 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 chutnee- ah-with the thermome-.
ter standing doggedly at a hundred and
two in the shade, is-ah but ! dare
say You understand J"
9Oh perfectly, Mr.. - / think j
have not the pleasure of knowing your
name.n
ttyVho ON I o;t tbouoht Mr. Tbomae
Bilbury. "Myname," he said, after a
slight pause, lis Tilbury.n
"What a curious similarity ?'' said
his wife. "Yes; l can readily believe
that people coming home from India
find this climate very trying at first,
even in Summer. My husband writes
than the heat in Calcutta has been ex-
c~essive. Possibly, Mr.. Tilbury, you
may have called to give me some news
of him /? / hope 50. / thought that
his last letter was not written in very
good spirits"
"That is satisfactory" thought Mr..
Bilbury. "The lapse of two years has
not altered her love for me-"
eyes" he said aloud 81 can give
you some news of him, for, a month
ago, / was at Calcutta"
"Indeed ? How delightful Do sit
down, Mi. Tilbury. 1t is delightful to-
meet any one who has seen my husband
SO recently, for | gather from what you
say that yon have seen him. How was
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
to declare himself for fear of frighten-
ing his wife on the other, he rather
enjoyed the situation. He therefore
determined for the present to retain his
incognito.
''He was" he said with deliberate
hesitation, ''as well as could be ex
pected."
"As well as could be expected ?" re-
peated Mrs. Bilbury with alarm. "Do
you mean that he has been ill y
swell, not exactly ILL.," 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 to
him %
Mr.. Blbury wondered that the end
would be. He heartily wished that his
wife would recognize him and settle the
difficulty by throwing her arms round
his neck.
Nothing very Serious y he said. Il
dare say he has told you that he has be-
come very fond of tig~er-shooting ?"
"Ah, tigers Tell me, Mr.. Tilbury.
tell meln
"Well he went out tiger-shooting one
day as usual-ah-he was accompanied
only by bis servant. They entered the
Jungle ! suddenly, and without warn
ing, a huge femal tiger sprang upon
your husband and borehim to the earth.
The native fed 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 eye des-
troyed, and the calf of his left leg-ah
deeply scored by the cruel claws Of the
ferocious monster
sDear me, how alarming |" COM
mented Mrs. Bilbury but the exclama-
ton seemed 80 out of proportion to the
gravity of the story that Mr.. Bilbury
felt seriously disappointed. THAT
fully accounts" continued Lydia, ''for
his bad spirits. His right ARM
eyes, torn out at the socket, Mrs. Bill
bury. He has learned to write with his
lett hand.n
"Ahl dreadful. And his left eye