The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-07-09
+ UNCLE ZEKE AND !
F UNCLE ZADOC, +

Copyright, 1908. ]

After nve years courtShip George
Toms, who was a farmers hired man.
had married Ellen Williams, daughter
of another farmer. Both Of them were
Of religious nature and set in their
ways, but they had no serious disagree
ments during their long courtship. 1t
was only after they had been married
month and were preparing to set up
for themselves that their talk one even
ing drifted into Biblical affairs, and
the bride observed
George, am glad you believe in all
there is in the Bible. If you didn't l
should be an unhappy woman. Martha
Jones was telling me today that she
once heard you say that you didn't be-
lieve Daniel was cast into the lions
den. You do believe it. don't your"
HE might have BEEN" was the
doubtful answer.
"But he was, and you know he was
If you thought he wasn't 1 couldn't
live with you another day"
"Well, We'll let it go and talk Of
something else"
Nothing further was said for day
or two, but it ranked with the wife
She believed in the lions den, and she
wanted the husband to come out fat
footed and say that he did. She there
fore returned to the subject, and when
he tried to dodge her she became an
noyed and aggressive and demanded to
know just where he stood.
"You know my Uncle Zeke, who
moved away to Kansas year ago?"
he finally replied "You know Uncle
Zeke was always reading the Bible.
He was always getting up camp
meetings and revivals, and sometimes
he exhorted Couldn't be no better man
than my Uncle Zeke."
"Well, what of him?"
"He didn't believe Daniel was cast to
the lions"
and so you don't?'
II can't say as l do, but there amt
any need of bringing up the matter
and dsputing."
"But there is" insisted the wife.
'You know my Uncle Zadoc, who
moved away to Indiana three years
ago? Well, a better man don't live
He's read the Bible through nineteen
times since he was married. and he's
considered higher authority than most
preachers. He believed that Daniel
was cast to the lions, and so do l. If
you don't, then we can't live together"
The husband felt called upon to
stick by his Uncle Zeke and the wife
to stick to her Uncle Zadoc, and at the
end of three days she went home to
her father. During the next year a
dozen vain efforts were made by their
friends to bring them together again.
No matter what the ministers in the
nearest villages said, they stuck by
their respective uncles. BY this time
most of the inhabitants Of the country
had heard Of the affair and taken
sides, and as the church to which they
both belonged was being harmed
charges We're preferred against them,
and they We're suspended.
No other families were broken up,
but there We're argument and dispute
wherever few people were gathered
together, and what Uncle Zeke said"
and "what Uncle Zadoc said" became
the butt of many jokes.
After sixteen months of separation
Mrs. Toms fell into the mill pond, and
Mr.. Toms happened to be on hand to
rescue her They might have made
letters were received from Uncle Zeke
and Uncle Zadoc to the effect that they
We're coming back to settle the dis
pute.
"And you'll find that my Uncle Zeke
and l have been right all the time"
said the husband to the wife.
"Never.' she replied. MY Uncle Ia
doc won't be five minutes in convinc-
ing you that you've been all wrong"
Its awful that you have stuck out
the way you have and kept us apart"
And but for your obstinacy we
might have been happy"
The county waited impatiently for
the arrival of the respective uncles.
They arrived. The husband told his
story to his Uncle Zeke, and the wife
told hers to her Uncle Zadoc. When
Uncle Zeke had heard all he replied:
George. what I said about it was
one day in the later field. What I
said was that if Daniel was really cast
among the lions it happened that the
critters wasn't hungry just then. I'd
been reading that no lion on a full feed
would tackle man. You'd better hus-
tie over and see Ellen and make this
thing up
The wife told her story to her Uncle
Zadoc and when he had heard all he
replied:
81 remember the day l said it. It
was in harvest time and we had a lot
of men to dinner Jim Hawkins flung
out something, and I replied that / be-