The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-06-28
A BOOMERANG.

A BUM EKANG.
When I got Georges letter telling
me that all was now ready for our re-
ception and we were to come at once, 1
was delighted Within a week we
mother and I-were on our way out
and in about three weeks time found
ourselves between the swampy shores of
the Essequibo, nearing Georgetown,
where on the quay the dear fellow was
waiting to take US up to the home he
had made for us on his plantation.
George Haden and 1 had met year
before during his visit to the old coun-
try, and the big, quiet, sunburned man
and l, who tell this story, had fallen in
love with one another almost at first
sight.
We were to have been married before
he returned to Guiana, but he was re-
called suddenly by the death of his only
brother at Rio, and it was arranged I
should follow later with mother.
You can, or, rather, you can't, i'm
agine how delighted 1 was to see my
sweetheart again But l was startled
and good deal troubled by his appear
ance. He looked thin and worried. At
first put it down to his grief at Harry's
death, but later, after our quiet we'd
ding, on the way to my future home,
gathered by degrees there was more than
that.
His brother Harry had married a
Spaniard, a beautiful woman, who
had died nearly IS years before, leaving
him with one daughter, Teresa. 1t was
chiefly on this girl S account that George
had hurried back, and he had mentioned
in writing to me that he had brought
her up from Rio to stay with him in
Guiana until other arrangements could
be made. Since then l had heard little
of her and almost indeed, in my own
happiness and excitement, forgotten her
very existence.
Now my questions elected from
George that she was not a pleasant tenn
pered young woman or easy to get on
with, but my worst anticipation did not
touch the reality.
We came up the river in small
steamer, which dropped us at my hus-
band very wharf, and we three walked
up a slope through wonderful tropical
garden to where a long, whitewashed
green shattered house shone clean and
bright in the evening sun.
On the veranda stood tall figure in
a pale yellow gown, her black hair
crowned with crimson hibiscus-a
splendidly handsome womanl
She looked at me in half disdainful
way.
$50 you're my new aunt?" she said
casually. "And how do you do, Uncle
George?"
Her calm assumption of superiority
was unbearable. George-big, steady,
good tempered man that he was-hush-
ed with anger.
He whispered to me:
Never mind, my dear. She knows
no better, and it won't be for long"
But it was for longer than we reckon
ed. She was to have been sent to her
godmother, who lived in Madrid, but
the old lady was i'll and begged us to
keep the girl awhile longer.
1t was trying to degree and each
day got worse and worse. Teresa's tenn
per was something unbearable and her
general lack of manners only equaled
by her sweetness when there was any
thing to be gained by it. Still, for my
husband S sake, l bore with her.
Toward the end of the cool weather
our old English overseer died, and, as a
stop gap, George took on young Span
ish-American, Ramon Martinez.
Ramon was a smart looking fellow,
but there was something in his black
eyes which repealed me- always felt
shrinking repulsion for the man, and
George didn't care much for him. Still
it was necessary to have some one who
understood the sugar, and men who knew
anything were SO scarce you couldn't
pick and choose
Teresa, who loved the cheap gayeties
of Rio, had been simply bored to death
all the winter. Ramon was godsend
to her, and the two used to chat in
Spanish every evening over their coffee
on the veranda.
Sometimes blame myself for letting
them be so much together, but to tell
the truth the relief of getting rid of her
even for an hour or two was very great
And how could know what scoun-
drel the man was or what unspeakable
wickedness those two were brewing to-
gether?
And now must pass over the events
of the next ten months and tell you
what happened on that dreadful day
which so nearly proved fatal to all my
happiness.
Old Juan, half caste Indian en-
ployee on the place, came up that morn
ing, wanting to see my husband. They
talked for a time, and then / saw
George go out with gun on his Shout
der He saw me at the window and
called out something, but l could not
hear what he said.
He was a keen collector, and I sup
posed it was some rare bird or beast he
was after.
The day passed, and the short, trop-
zeal twilight was closing over the forest
when l saw George returning. He was
followed by two negroes, who slowly
dragged some long heavy object up the
patti. to the housa This they pulled
alohg, trailing i'll the dust, round to the
south end of. the house, where Georges
big so called study, really sort of mu-
scum, opened by two French windows
on the lawn.
l was dressing for O'Clock dinner,
so did not go out Soon heard Georges
long stride pass up stairs by my door to
his dressing room, which lay beyond
my room at the extreme north end of
the house
To make you understand what fol-
lowed l 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 Teresa s room, this is what brought
about the tragedy that followed:
Ramon must long before this have