Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-01
a HERM,T,s OATH.
The Woe tkat Summer Boarder Worked
in the Life Of . Good Man.

Inc Woe tn NJ . sumner 008f0eE "OfRo0
in the Life sf Good Man.
Way back in the early thirties there was
settled little village not far from Atlanta,
which has since grown to be one Of the most
prominent of Georgia's smaller cities Among
the first families to make their home in the
new town were those o. Mr.. Herndon, who
owned large rise plantation ner Savannah,
and . Mr.. Lyle, who moved from the blue
grass regions Of Kentucky. These families
settled on neighborfng lots, and from that, as
well as the fact that they were all strangers
in strange place, there grew up a snong
friendship between the two households. The
heads of the families often talked together
and consulted over matters OF business, while
the children played and romped and sent up
their merry shouts as they INDUCED in their
pleasant games.
In the Herndon family there were five chill
dren-three girls and two boys The elder OF
the boys was William Fletcher Herndon, .
bright, manly little fellow of about II years.
Only two children had been given to Mr..
Lyle and his wife. OF these, one was little
boy. while the other was a beautiful l0year-
old girl. with chestnut gold hair, large brown
eyes and beautifully rounded face, and on
her cheeks was the rudy glow Of color that
a happy life and plenty Of good exercise win
impart to child She was a sunbeam of a
girl, and no one bid fairer to make prettier
woman than did Dora Lyle.
1t was no wonder, then, that, being thrown
together as they were, there sprang up a
childish love on the part of William Herndon
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 20, good looking, clever and accom-
plished but farmer, good as anybody, but
q workingman, while the other merged into
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 fancied love Of
the children grew in reality with these two;
all the village knew of the affair, and it was
conceded that they would be married But
fate had decreed otherwise.
1t was in the summer of $50 that richly
dressed stranger made his appearance at the
home of the Lyles and sought board. There
was a spare room in the house, and good mo-
Their Lyle, with her eye to business agreed to
take the stranger in. There sprang up an in
timacy between Dora Lyle and the stranger,
but no one suspected a love affair, and time
passed on until the day arrived when VIII
Herndon and Dora were to be married
1t was bright September day, when the
sun had gone down In all the beauty and
splendor 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. VIII,
happy at heart, and full of the inspirations
of new life opening before him, fastened to
the house of his promised bride to claim her
as his own. But there was something wrong
No bride met his coming ror could she be
found anywhere Quick and eager search
was made for her, but in vain. Then, too, it
was discovered that the stranger boarder
had disappeared also. 1t took but a 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 lie 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
man, and taking picture Of the girl, which
he had in his room, he would sit down for
hours at time looking at it and crying like
child Several days afterward he called in
a number of friends. and in their presence
signed this oath:
Il, William Herndon do solennly swear
that from this day shall never associate
with man or woman again; and swear, 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 l 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 of
to the mountains and commenced work on
the hut where was to be his lonely home, and
began his strange life Of seclusion from tho
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