Project Gutenberg 2004-04-01 Public domain in the USA. 106 Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark) 1863 1943 Jacobs, William Wymark Davis, Stanley Stepping backwards [Night watches, Part 5.] Produced by David Widger "Stepping Backwards" by W. W. Jacobs is a humorous short story set in the early 20th century. It follows the light-hearted premise of a man who, seeking to rejuvenate his appearance, undergoes a dramatic change that results in amusing misunderstandings and mistaken identity with his wife. The story explores themes of perception, identity, and the sometimes humorous outcomes of drastic personal changes. In the narrative, Mr. Simpson undergoes a transformation, having his white hair and beard shaved and dyed black. When he returns home, his wife, Mrs. Simpson, fails to recognize him, leading to a comical series of events where friends are drawn into the mix, adding to the chaos. Mr. Mills, a mutual friend, attempts to help Mr. Simpson's case by discussing his changes with Mrs. Simpson, but instead, it only escalates the confusion. Ultimately, the story blends humor with social commentary on how appearance can affect personal relationships, culminating in a scenario where Mr. Simpson must prove his identity, all while navigating his wife's disbelief and the interference of their acquaintances. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 87.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Short stories Humorous stories PR Text Category: Short Stories Category: Humour Category: British Literature 48620 2025-08-05T14:11:36.396291 text/html 45243 2020-12-14T18:45:54 text/html 197178 2025-08-05T14:11:38.208284 application/epub+zip 195970 2025-08-05T14:11:36.800256 application/epub+zip 83423 2025-08-05T14:11:36.558262 application/epub+zip 230600 2025-08-05T14:11:39.347258 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 223629 2025-08-05T14:11:38.027269 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 111313 2022-09-06T19:03:18.700555 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 39877 2025-08-05T14:11:36.261318 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20108 2024-10-28T19:13:45 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 41213 2020-12-14T18:45:54 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19533 2025-08-05T14:11:39.486292 application/rdf+xml 18812 2025-08-05T14:11:36.685288 image/jpeg 3154 2025-08-05T14:11:36.618304 image/jpeg 185315 2020-12-14T18:45:54 application/octet-stream application/zip 15663 2020-12-14T18:45:54 application/octet-stream application/zip 185810 2025-08-05T14:11:36.407272 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia