Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-11-27
= PERMITS OATH.


n. wa- that /. Summer Bo.rd~r w~ssA
in ts~ Life of = ts<oA MAN.
w. mack in th.. early thirsie~ there wss
sesx;et little village not far from Atlanta
vbS.h ha. since grown TO be one Of the mos
pr,,cuip~nt u Georzia's smaller cities. Among
rhe first fasrsiIiss 30 make their home In the
rev town we're those OF Mr.. Herndon, Who
owned large rice plantation near savannah.
and a Mr.. Lyle. who moved from the blue
sYs~ regions Of Kentucky. Thee families
sztrled on neishboring lots and from that -
veil - the fact that they were all Stranger
IN a strange place. there grew up a strong
friea,isttIr, bet we,si the two households Ihe
head, Of the families often talked together
and consulted over matters OF business wniie
the children played and romped and sent up
their merry shouts as they INDUCED In ther
pleasant games
In the Herrdon family there were Eve chiE
dren-three girls and two boys The elder Of
the boys Was William Fletcher Herndon,
bright. manly little fellow Of about IL years
Only two children had been given TO MI
LYLE and his wife OF these, one was htt2s
how. while the other was beautiful l0year-
old girl. with CHESTNUT gold hair large brown
ewes and a beautifully rounded face, and on
her cheeks was the rudy glow Of color that
. happy life and plenty Of good exercise VIII
irupart 10 a child She was a sunbeam Of .
girl, and DO Que bid fairer 10 make a prettier
woman than did Dora Lyle.
IL was no wonder. then, that, being thrown
together a. they were, there sprang up
childish love ON the part Of William Hsrndon
for Dora. and, as the boy was handsome and
bright, there Is nothing strange in the fact
that the girl returned that love.
Time went on The one grew to bea young
man Of ~, good looking, clever and accom-
plished, but farmer, good as ANYBODY, oui
a workinguian, while the other merged INTO
q young lady of IS, the beauty of childhood
being brought out more clearly and distinct
ly and made even more beautiful by the ma
turity OF womanhood The faneied love OF
the children grew in reality with these two
al, the village knew Of the affair, and 1t was
conce,i-i that they would be married but
fate had dtcreed otherwise.
L, was in the summer Of 81 that = richly
dressed stranger made his appearance at the
home Of the Iyles and sought board. There
was a spare room in the house, and good mo-
Their LYLE, with her eye 10 business, agreed to
take the stranger in. There sprang up an in
timacy between Dora Lyle and the stranger,
but no one suspected love affair, and time
passed on until the day arrived when VIII
Herndon and Dora were to be married.
II was bright September day, when the
sun had gone down in all the beauty and
splepdor Of an autumnal sunset, and the
shades of night had fallen about the world,
that those of the citizens OF the little village
who had been invited to the wedding began
TO assemble at the Lyle residence. Will,
happy at heart and full of the inspirations
of a new life opening before him, fastened TO
the house Of his promised BRIDE to claim her
as bis own But there was something wrong.
No bride met his coming, nor could she he
found anywhere. Quick and eager search
was made for her. but in vain Then, too, 1t
was discovered that the stranger boarder
had disappeared also, 1t took but short
while for the rumor that Dora had left VIII
for the stylish summer boarder TO gain circu-
lation and credence among the guests. This
was found true for the next day letter was
received from the man. stating that he and
Dora had been married in a neighboring
town the night before, and were then on
their way to a distant part Of the state,
where they would make their home.
Poor Bill! 1t seemed as if the shame and
modification and the loss Of Dora would
drive him mad He acted as a crazy
man, and taking picture Of the girl, which
he had in his room, he would SIT down Tor
hours at time looking at 1t and crying like
a child. Several days afterward he called In
a number of friends, and in their presence
signed this oath;
Il, William Herndon, do solemnly swear
that from this day shall never associate
with man or woman again; and lswear, also,
that, if ever | hear Of Dora Lyle having
been done any harm by any one, l will
hunt down the person who is guilty of the
act and will kill him as would venomous
reptile So help me God"
A strange oath that for man to sign, but
Bill signed it, and the same day he went off
to the mountains and commenced work on
the hut where was to be his lonely home and
began his strange life of seclusion from the
world, fleeing from every one, and dead,
though living. looking upon every visitor as
ghost of the past haunting him and making
his present all the more miserable.-San
Francisco Examiner