Dr. Bill suggests that rum may have been a typo for ruin, and he didn’t even have the text in front of him.
That may be it. As I went back to the copy I have, I see that “in” was typed “m” in several cases. Perhaps it was scanned and converted incorrectly…
Yup, I just retrieved a copy of the story from another source, and there it’s: “ruin”.
But Jackie, I find your input very interesting.
I also stumbled across this Dutch-Colonies page looking for “kill”, thinking of the Kill van Cull in NYC. I grew up in the area that they talk about there.

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/Dutch-Colonies/1999-07/0932913287

and there, along with many other Dutch words, plain as day: “fyke = Dutch for "trap," the prey swims or walks into a narrow opening, but can't get back out; as in Fyke Cripple Bush, a swampy woodsy area.”

I suddenly feel very connected,
but I’m not getting’ any satellite locator thingy in any of my future cars either.