, 1899-03-28

soutn emu OF the house., where GeOrge'
big so called study, really a sort of mu.
scum, opened by two French windows
on the lawn.
l was dressing for 8 O'Clock dinner,
20 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.
10 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 a veranda
all the way round. A wide hall ran
through from east to west and a 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, II 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 1 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
made up his mind to marry Teresa. Her
small fortune wa an irresistible bait to
the indolent southerner. The only thing
that troubled him was hat 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
p%retensions. With a man of Ramon's
type absolutely constituencies - the
next idea was simply to get George out
of the way. Once get rid of the uncle,
and what wa there to hinder his MAX
ing off with Teresa and her money!
Undoubtedly he instilled these ideas
into Teresa's mind, and she, her sullen
temper already afiame at the hint of op.
position, was soon ripe for any mis-
chief. Whether this p~recious pair had
already concocted any definite plan /
don't know, but that they were only
waiting q chance what follows will
prove:
On this particular evening Teresa had
dressed earlier and gone down. For
some reason, l don't know what, she
vent 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
Ting 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, a
great anaconda, or water boa, the lar
gest and most powerful constructor in
the world. This was its mate. Her
chance had come. Always, before dim
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 l can imagine her stealing quiet
ly away from the door back with
stealthy footsteps up the stairs to her
room and sitting there watching the
clock, counting every moment till the
gong should summon her uncle to his
fate behind that closed door!
Closer and closer crept the hands to 8
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 a turning latch,
an %instant'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 I can sometimes
hear it, and it comes back to me in
dreadful dreams.
1 heard my husband rush from his
room and his flying feet down the stair
Nay. Other sounds I heard-cries of
terror and alarm, ~hurrying footsteps and
slamming Of doors. Then l summoned
strength to follow. As I ran through the
hall two shots rang out in quick sue
cession. A frightful pounding, like a
dozen sledge hammers going at once,
ensued, and next I heard a scream of
maniacal laughter, and Teresa rushed
by me and out into the night.
The next thing l remember is Georges
voice, in tones of strong command:
keep back, Marianr ' he called. "It
IL NO fit sigh for you"
stood there in the middle of the
passage, while around the open study
door stood a little knot of our black
servants. Their faces were ashen with
terror, and the whites of their eyes Cog
gled horribly. A thin smoke floated out
of the room, and the keen smell Of gun
powder filed the air. The throbbing
beat had almost ceased, and George
passed into the room, while / staggered
back, and, sinking into u 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 to
the study, g identity to leave the pass
book for the day, and had walked
straight into the trap set for another.
Those horrible coils had crushed him to
death long before even George could
reach the spot, while the great snake,
in its terrible death agonies, had rent
the wretch's body in a shocking way.
leaving it an unacceptable mass.
That was what Teresa had seen. The
| shock no doubt had crazed her. When
| she ran out, she went straight to the
river, Mt leas; we suppose so, for we