The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-04-30
JUDGE TOURGEE AT HOME.
BY SARAH X. BOLTON.

toward the Judges home at Mayville,
on Chautaugua Lake. He drove a fleet
span of beautiful black horses, so high
spirited that should not have felt safe
had not master hand held the lines
The animals seemed to know the slight
est variation of his voice, as If giving
him almost human love for his pride
in them.
Reaching his home, a merry, only
child ran out, and threw her arms about
Judge Tourgee's neck as though she
had not seen him for weeks, though he
had been absent only half day. The
house is a three-story, roomy place,
surrounded by trees, its every apart
ment tasteful with books and pictures.
There is not one gloomy nook in it, and
the sunshine floods it, with no fear OF
fading the cheerful colors of the furni-
ture. The grounds are a great garden
If flowers, red geraniums, oleanders,
roses and pansies.
Few outside the family circle know
how fully Judge Tourgee's gifted
wife has been his inspiration and
helper. Such q character as that of
Lizzie Harper, in Figs and Thistles, "
could have been drawn by only a man
who hOnored the intellect and courage
of woman, and had learned to honor
them through rich experience.
In large barn, back Of his grounds,
the Judge ,whois exceedingly fond of fine
horses, showed us where pet horse,
hearing his voice after long absence,
broke through the side of the stable in
her eagerness to reach him. On the
right OF the Mayvills house is little,
one-story cottage, where he has his
study. The windows are of stained
glass, so that no scenes from the outside
world can distract the worker.
Few know thisstrong mans history.
He never tells it. Many have asked for
sketches for books or magazines; but he
never gives them. | was shown by the
receiver the following unique reply to
request for incidents of his life: "I
am neither fit for a show nor sermon.
OF course eanybody can be written about.
One might write about Joo by describ-
ing his boils and illustrating the article
with drawings Of his ash-heap and pot
sherds; but it would not be very valua-
BILE information. What they were to
him, the salient facts of my life are to
me. l had no pestilent tito of friends
TO draw me out, but wrote down my
cogtations in cold blood for the worlds
torment" Probably The recipient did
net feel greatly aided by the above.
Perhaps the Ohio youth, generous,
warm. hearted and frank, going while
scarcely more than boy into the army.
graduating from Rochester University
"poOr battered soldier" then to the
South in 1865, where, for fifteen years,
he labored and suffered; perhaps he
himself did not know the power of his
"new hand in literature" till America
was reading "The FOOLS Errand." He
wrote because 1t was in him to write,
Judge Tourgee once said to a friend :
"I was settled at the South before the
smoke was well cleared away, and was
idiot enough TO suppose that | had a
right to stay there. When the struggle
of reconstruction came on, three years
afterward, was of course, drawn into
it. gave it the little of life had that
was of any value. Ii was furnace
seven times heated. What l did had
no significance apart from its surround
ings. What have written was only
like the spark of 1lint-a part of my
life struck off by impinging steel, and
heated to redness by the force of the
blow. Certain things have wished to
say, and have only sought to say them
in the most forcible way. Style | have
never cultivated. What should l say,
and how it should be said has always
engaged my attention. My life has
nothing in it except what Ihave thought
and tried to do.
Fair and outspoken, perhaps he is moi
sufficiently polite in world where
policy is the rule rather than the ex.
ception. He has been an untirins
worker both in law and literature. "A
Royal Gentleman" was his first bool
published in 1874, though written sever
years previously. He had burned
dozen incomplete ones before this
"John Fax" was written in 1875
"Bricks Without Straw" was begun thu
same year and finished, or rather re
written, in 1880. Gigs and Thistles'
was mostly written in 1876 and finished
three years later. "Fools Errand' wa
begun May 18th, 1877, and five or si1
chapters written. The remainder o
it was done in the Summer of 1879. S
careful is Judge Tourgee in writin
| ,hnt nnn nhnntnr N fhin honl, N, 10 rni1ll ln