Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-08

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"ril tell you bit of family history.
lon see. we Marabons ere of an old
North Carolina family OF lIuguenot dc.
scent, and pretty we'll off. NV fathers
NhriStian name was Algernor. He used
70 say 1t should havc been Issachar-
.hat he was an ass STOPPING between two
burdens, his wife and his uother-in law
he was given to bitter speeches. When
| Was born there was some discussion
about proper name for me. It was a
regular family council. There were
grandfather ami Grandmother Marathon,
Grandmothcr Jcnifcr, father and mother.
"rah''mother Jcnifcr was u rather i'm
por'ant parsonage. She was richer than
the Marabons, II widow. and could leave
hcr property TO whom she pleased. NV
mother younger sister, Felicia, had
married with Sam Martin against her
consent. and she declared none of tho
Martins should be the better of her
money. There WAS no one else for her tn
leave II 10 but mother or me. So her
views i'll The matter had 10 receive re-.
spcct.'
she was one Of Your fathers .bur.
"cns, said when he paused.
Exactly: but he didn't tell her so.
Wei, they met. My grandfather voted
Tor Peter. Let us have one good. scnsi-
DC: substantial name. l let my son DO
christened Alsernon, to please his mother,
hut one fool name is quite enough in
family. Grandmother Marathon thought
lie ought to he named after his father
Mother timidly suggested-John!
Then Grandmother Jcnifcr iiarcd up,
Peter is bad enough, she said, and All.
gcrnon worse; but John Why, every
one will call him jack!
Suppose they do said mother.
plucking up spirit 'John is ALWAYS
called Jack by those who like him. 1t
shows lie is n good fellow
cor Johnnyn snccrcd Grandmother
Jcnifcr.
{" 4 didn't think of that, said mother
appalled, at the possibility. what would
You call HIM, mammal
{" III l am to have any say liz the mat
ter, said GRANDMOTHER Jcnifcr, Il should
suggest name Of n quite different kind.
The boy bids fair to grow up to bc fine
man with great head on his shoulders;
that comes from the Jenifer side of the
house, Mt least from the Setons. for he
has my fathers head to mold; and I
shouldn't he surprised if he became n
great soldier or lawyer, or something. lie
Should have name with ring in it. a
something that will stimulate him to do
something to deserve it, name to rouse
his ambition and strengthen his purpose.
Call him Napoleon Cmsar.'
tt1IOfbpi nurnn1 10 {l;.
gave in to her mother at last, but tho
others dcmurrcd. There wns tic vote,
for father seemed to be barred out.
''They wranglcd over the thing for
two days, when Grandfather Marathon
proposed Il compromise. Lets leave it
to the minister, he said DIR. Curran is
sensible rs well ms n good man. Let
every one write down the name he or she
prefers on the same sheet of paper. AL
gernon can hand it to Dir. Curran and tell
him he is to select the one he thinks
best This was finally agreed to. Grand
father and Grandmother Marathon both
wrote what is called fine hands, and
Grandmother Jcnifer bold hand. This
time she enlarged it until it rose to what
the boys at school called IL big hand
and the Napoleon Caesar went two-thirds
OF the way across the pagc. Father took
the paper. He did not care straw
whether I was called Peter Of Algernon,
but he rcvolted Mt Napoleon Cesar. So,
before he handed the paper to the minis
ter, he wrote Jchosophatl in quite rs big
letters rs Grandmother Jenifcr's, right
after hers. This was to call DR.. Curran's
attention to the absnrdity of the name
just before. Now you sec how the thing
is shaping!"
81 can't say that do, as yet"
"Ah! But you must know that nv
father was soft spoken man, and when
he said in low voice, you will find the
name on this paper, DIR. Curran, you are
to choose which. The minister only
caught the first part of his remarks. He
looked ut the paper. lie was II little
short-sighted; but he caught Grand
mother ,Icnifer's big letters and my
fathers after them and quite overlooked
the others. lie thought the name queer,
but not exactly open to canonical obicc
ton, and it fixed itself in his mind. So
when the moment came had the name
of Napoleon Caesar Jchosophat fixed on
me rs tightly as the church could do tn
"Thon your Grandmother Jenifcr must
have been plcascd2"
"But she wasn't, though. She de-
clarcd that father had done it on purpose
to make fun of her. She left our house
and took up with Sam Martin. and when
she died she left to Felicia and her chill
drcn everything she had"
"That was bad"
at wasn't bad for the Martins, ana /
have enough. But how am to break
the matter to Edith?"
"It is the easiest thing in the world,
my dear Joker. Napoleon Marathon
sounds very WE'LL"
''But tho Cesar and that abominablo
Jehosophat2"
"Givc them the go by. Follow tho
example of men Of rank abroad. There
isn't king, nor "A royal prince, nor tho
head of noble house that hasn't from
three to thirty names given him Mt his
baptism, bat he never uses but one.
There is no law here that forces You
to use more than one of yours. Drop tho