The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-05-09
NAMING THE
BABY
& agNe a ~---
u BY NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Lit
a erary Press.

7 III q ui 4 tN'7S@
! There is no prettier village in the
whole west than that of pentwater,
situated on the shores OF Lake hichi-
gan. II Is also thriving place. but
| there was time IN it, history and not
| SO many years ago. mat it tiad a ter
rible fight for IT'S life. and that ight
was precipitated by a ten pound boy
baby. c
! Mr. James Pond, young nan OF
twenty-five. fell in love with Miss
| Edith Brown. lie bought and ship
| ped butter, eggs. potatoes and the axe
| and she was a sehoolteacher 1t IS
not on record that one single person in
| Pentwater had an objection 10 the
courtship. Marriage followed. and
still no objection, 1t was coacratula-
tons instead. But when time had
passed and little Teller Of a baby
jumped into the arena there VAS q
sudden aud awful change. The father
had become Sunday school snperin-
tendent. and within two days after
the birth Of the baby he announced
that ii was to be named Leviticus.
Mrs. Pond was a very good woman.
indeed. but she wasn't good enough to
stand for such name as that She
announced that the boy was to be
named Leon. and right there the row
began. Both had relatives. and the
relatives were dragged into It, Il you
trace the record of LeviticuS back you
will find that ne was a very good man
and that his name was all right for the
age in which he lived. Al that time
NO one used nicknames. No one
thought OF shortening his cognomeu to
leave" or Levi" 1t was always
pronounced in full
Mrs. Pond and her adhercnts held
that the name had served its purpose
and should not be dug MP for the bene-
fit Of her son. When the two names.
"Leviticus" and Leon" were writ
ten side by side the odds seemed to
be ten to one in favor Of the latter
The boys might cut it to Lee" and
still leave it q pretty name.
ut shall be Leon, little darling. and
don't you worry" murmured the moth
er as she held the kid closer TO her
bosom and her relatives said they
would back her up in it to their last
ton Of hay.
But there was the father TO deal
with. He bad not been known as a
desperate or determined man. but now
1t appeared that he was. He vowed
by the beard of his father that the
baby should be baptized under the
name OF Leviticus or not at all. and
he began using the name at home and
abroad. There were those who CON
graduated him and told him that he
was doing q great thing for Pentwater.
1t cannot be said that business came
to complete standstill. but it was
certainly affected. Several houses that
were to be erected were not begun be-
cause the interested parties qnarrcled
over that baby.
When the kid had reached the age Of
six weeks and was inst beginning TO
take an interest In the questions Of the
day its father insisted that baptism
should take place Tears were shed
and protestations made. but in vain
Then he came home to supper one
night to find that wife and baby had
fed to her mothers He ordered them
back. but they refused to come as
mother and Leviticus Then Mr.
Ponds minister and his two deacons
stepped In. They hadn't done so
before, hoping the affair would be set
tied In the family The trouble that
faced them now. however, was that
they were all for Leviticus They pro-
nounced the name as softly as they
could and had much good to say as to
the character of the man. but they
made no Roadway. There were other
ministers and deacons in the village
but they kept hands off Tin peddlers
and lightning rod men visited TENT.
water, and those who we.e wise
enough not to butt in did good busi-
ness; those who shifted Mt Icon" and
called it novelish name or those who
giggled at "Leviticus' end called him
back number got themselves into
trouble i E
Months went By, but both sides re-
manned Arm.
But there must come climax to all
things, and Pentwater finally had
climax. 1t was being proposed by
citizens Of sense to have fire. a cir
Gus, or. I'm earthquake to kin off the
old question when a good old man
came to the town and heard all about
the matter. He was selling home
made liniment, good for man or beast.
1t could be used externally or internal
~. 1t would cure outside rheumatism
or inside collie Rub 1t on your back
with apiece OF red flannel and your
lumbago would disappear. Take ten
drops Internally, with the red flannel
left out. and your heartburn would