The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1898-08-11
Number 10.

my room at the extreme north end OF
the house.
To make you understand what fol
lowed / must partly explain how the
house was built. 1t was from north to
south, long and narrow, with veranda
all the way round. A wide hall ran
through from east to west and long
narrow one from north to south. The
dining room was the front room at the
north end, under my room; Georges
study at the south, under the room Te-
resa occupied. There were two stair
cases, one at each end of the house. A
couple of hundred yards away, higher
up the slope at the back of the house,
was the cottage where Martinez lived.
He, Martinez, generally dined with us
and was to have done so this night.
Now, SO far as know and Judging
from what we made out afterward from
letters we discovered in the cottage and
in Teresas room, this is what brought
about the tragedy that followed:
Ramon must long before this have
made up his mind to marry Teresa He1
small fortune was an irresistible bait tC
the indolent southerner. The only thing
that troubled him was that she was not
of age for another three years and
George was her guardian and sole trus-
tee. He knew well enough what George
would say or do if he once heard of his
pretensions With man of Ramon Is
type absolutely constituencies - the
next idea was simply to get George out
of the way Once get rid of the uncle,
and what was there to hinder his MAX
ing off with Teresa and her money?
Undoubtedly he instilled these ideas
| ipto Teresa's mind, and she, her sullen
temper already afiame at the hint of op-
i position, was soon ripe for any mis-
chief. Whether this precious pair had
already concocted any definite plan
don't know, but that they were only
waiting a chance what follows will
prove:
On this particular evening Teresa had
dressed earlier and gone down. Fo1
some reason, don't know what, she
went to the study and opened the door.
A French window was open, and in the
moonlight which had already succeeded
the dusk she caught sight of something
moving through it, undulating in rus.
thing coils up from the grass beyond.
Terrified, she closed the door and
stood an instant painting with fright.
What was it?
Suddenly it flashed across her She
had just before seen from her window
the men bringing in her uncle's spoil, o
great anaconda, or water boa, the lar.
gest and most powerful constructor in
the world. This was its mate. Hel
chance had come. Always, before din.
ner, her uncle would go to his room to
fetch the cigar he lit Immediately din.
ner was over. He would go once more
for the last time.
How can imagine her stealing quiet
ly away from the door back with
stealthy footsteps up the stairs to hel
room and sitting there watching th,
clock, counting every moment till til,
gong should summon her uncle to hi
fate behind that closed door
Closer and closer crept the hands to {
1 o'clock, and still she sat and watched.
Suddenly, in the hall below, sounded
footsteps across the polished boards
Unnaturally loud they seemed as they
passed slowly down the passage beneath.
There was the sound of turning latch,
an instant's S pause, and then-one long,
horrible sound, half shrek, half yell,
which grew shriller, then muffled, and
then abruptly ceased.
That shrek l heard with almost equal
distinctness away at the other end OF
the house. To this day / can sometimes
hear it, and it comes back to me in
dreadful dreams.
heard my husband rush from his
room and his flying feet down the stair.
way. Other sounds l heard-cries OF
terror and alarm, hurrying footsteps and
slanming of doors. Then l summoned
strength to follow. AS ran through the
hall two shots rang out i'll quick sue
cession. A frightful pounding, like q
dozen sledge hammers going at once,
ensued, and next / heard a scream of
maniacal laughter, and Teresa rushed
by me and out into the night
The next thing l remember is Georges
voice, i'll tones of strong command:
keep back, Marianl' he called. "It
is no fit sight for you. ..
l stood there in the middle of the
passage, while around the open study
door stood little knot of our black
servants. Their faces were ashen with
terror, and the whites of their eyes gog.
gled horribly. A thin smoke tioated out
of the room, and the keen smell of gun.
powder filled the air. The throbbing
beat had almost ceased, and George
passed into the room, while / staggered
back, and, sinking into a chair in the
hall, tainted dead away.
need hardly explain what had hap.
pened. The wretched Ramon had come
in earlier than usual to dinner; had,
contrary to his usual custom, gone tC
the study, evidently to leave the pass
book for the day, and had walked
straight into the trap set for another.
Those horrible coils had crushed him tC
death long before even George could
reach the spot, while the great snake,
in it's terrible death agonies, had rent
the wretch's body in a shocking way.
leaving it an unrecognizable mass
That was what Teresa had seem The
shock no doubt had crazed her When
she ran out, she went straight to the
river, at least we suppose SO, for we
never saw anything of her again. There
are alligators i'll those waters.
Since then my husband and have al
most forgotten the tragedy. We are very
happy alone together i'll our sunny tropic
home.-Answers.
The Exception.