Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-07-26
A DRAWING. COMEDY.

Backbone az Co., tea merchants. o.
Calcutta and London. The senior part
ner is Mr.. Joseph Bilbury, his father
who has very nice house at Kew, ant
until year or two ago there was
third member of the firm in the person
of Thomas Uncle, Mr.. Babbinotor
Backbone, the Calcutta representa-
tive of the establishment But unfortu
nately, Mr.. Backbone, like many
Englishmen who live in India, drank
too much Scotch whisky and Bass ale,
and ate too much curry and too MANY
Bombay ducks;' the result being al
at the age of 55, his liver declined to
bear the strain put upon it. and collaps-
ed, leaving its owner so weak and i'll
that he had barely time ere he died to
telegraph to his partners in England
brief notice of his impending fate
This alarming dispatch arrived at a
particularly inopportune moment. Mr..
Thomas Bilburry had on the day pre-
vious married a very charming young
lady, Lydia Lapples, by name; and the
intelligence of his uncle's sad condition
necessitated that the newly-made hus-
band who, by the way, had only be-
come acquainted with his bride, about
six weeks before marriage should
without a moments delay take the
train for Dover, cross to Calais, and
thence go by the quickest route to Cal
cutta. The affair was pressing. Mr.
Blackthorne's death would certainly
throw the business into confusion, and
any hesitation on the part of the Eng
lish partners might imperil the future of
the firm.
$50 at once, my dear boy wrote
Mr.. Joseph Bilbury to his son, who was
in the Isle of Wight, land send YOUR
wife to me. / will take care of her.
and see her settled in your new home
in Richmond. would 90 myself, but
my govt won't let 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
go he did, putting the best face on the
matter, and bidding very long and
tender good-by to his poor little wife.
lie escorted her across TO Portsmouth,
put her into II London train, kissed
her, saw her off, and took the next
train for Dover
She settled down in her new home on
Richmond Hill; and he for many months
afterward worked hard at his desk in
Calcutta, arranging the worldly affairs
of his dead uncle, and from time to
time sending home reports of his pro-
gress, and love-letters to Lydia.
Two years, in fact, elapsed ere he
was able To return to England; and
then he returned rs he had gone out,
at moment 5 notice. Unforeseen cir
cumstances suddenly left him free; and
unwilling to lose 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 mat
tiers, regretted to his wife that the pres
sure of business would not leave him at
liberty for at least q month
He travelled home without adventure,
landed in due course ut Dover, arrived
in London late at night, and withsut
having written n word of warning 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
ut all. But in any case, lre neither
wrote nor telegraphed n single word of
preparation.
Ii was a fine sunny morning in sum-
mer; Mr.. Thomas Bilbury had scarcely
seen his new home, which he had taken
in q hurry Immediately before his we'd
ding; and he was walking eagerly ND
the short carriage drive leading 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 salutation, when he suddenly be-
came conscious that she did not recog-
nize him, for with graceful modesty
she Withdrew from the window and dis
appeared, as soon as she became cons
ciOus that he was watching her.
An idea struck him. 1t was foolish,
but not a wholly unnatural one. He
would pretend to be some one elsa
friend, say, of her husband $, and would
ask to see her as such. OF
course She then would at once
recognize his voice; but the sur
prise, and the consequent pleas
ure, would be the more complete if he
thus deferred them. He knocked, there
fore, 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 into the drawing-room,
where, in some perturbatit of mind,
he awaited the advent of his wife, from
whom he had been so long and SO cru
ely separated
IL suppose that she will know me, - he
rpi .ecled, 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 considerably
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 elf III the knees. On the other hand,
she thinks that | am still at Calcutta,
for she must have had my last letter
this morning. l hope my sudden APP
pcarance here won't upset her | must
be careful.
Here his thoughts were switched
aside by the unmistakable sound of rus
Ting skirts in the passage without; and
rs the door opened he involuntarily
turned and gazed into the garden, at
the same time coughing neryously.
MAY | offer you chairP | am
afraid that you find the open window
too much for YOU" said soft voice be-
hind him.
80 no; not ut 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
ognizc her husband. do let me order
fire to be lighted, she urged
"Oh no; not for worlds!" calculated
Tom. rs he turned slowly round. con-
scions ut last that even his nervousness
was no excuse for his rudcness. But
the fact is, Mrs. -"
''My name is Mrs. Bilbury.n
''Oh! thank YOU yes, The fact is,
Mrs. Bilbury, that am not yet entirely
reconcied To this abominable climate.
I-ah-that is to say, n man who has
existed in groves of mango h-and
has lived on curry and chutnee ah-
with the thermometer standing dog
gedly ut 102 degrees in the shade. is 49,
All; hut | dare say you understand.
"Oh. perfectly, Mr.. -, think
have not the pleasure of knowing your
name.
WHO am I?'' thought Mr.. Thomas
Bilbury. MY name" he said, after y
n. ssts fHsII,n,.x+ -