The Monticellonian., 1895-08-02
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 things and go home.'
 You won't do any such thing, Jane commanded Hod, firmly. I hired you to work here, and here you'll stay till after harvesting,' and he looked his wife full in the face, like one who meant to be master
 "They had it back and forth for week, Jane told me, before Mrs. Lurvey would give him a mite of peace, but Hod was as firm as rock. She might go or stay, as she chose, but he was going to be master In his own house. But such life as she led himl
 We was afraid Hod couldn't stand the pressure, and if he yielded an inch he was lost. If only he could be got out from that everlasting nagging un- til he got more self-asser ton.
 Why not send him to the legisla- ture2' asked my wife.
 "'Whv, he don'tlnow the first thing about politics, sez l. We want some body to do credit to the town. Hod hain't been out to town meetin' since he took the freeman's oath, twenty odd year ago.
 But wife said things couldn't go so badly to rack and ruin at the state house as they was going at Tick Ridge, even if he did vote the wrong way, and the only thing that would really help Hod was to show Mrs. Lurvey that some folks respected his opinions, if she didn't.
 " Tt would be more credit to Brod- ick to save Hod Lurvey than to send the smartest man in town, sez she, and we couldn't disagree with her.
 Well, we talked it up one side and down the other at the caucus. Rafe Wiley, who had been representative for five years, and of course expected to be again, said he huff sight ruther IIod should have it, and would work for him There was no danger but we could carry the town easy enough. There warn't man, far nor near, but would give all his old hats to get even with Mrs. Lurvey.
 "Hod did not know what was up, but l made him promise to go down and vote. He said he would come over, cross lots, and go down with me. When l went out to the barn that morning who should 1 see but Hod coming up the hill with his old clothes on, and looking as meaching as whipped dog.
 ss She suspected l was going to the village to-day and got tearing mad sez he. She locked my store clothes up and put the key in her pocket and told me to be lively about the chores, for NC was going to pick geese to-day. 1 fed around, then made tracks for here. guess I might us well give up fust as last. It will have to come. 1 don't believe that man lives who could stand up against her when she gets in rage
 You're tired and hungry sez I; come in to breakfast, then we'll talk things over.'
 T don't suppose l was as sympathet- ie as l might have been, for if there's anything under the sun that rifles me it is to have man under a woman's thumb.
 Tt took some argufying to screw his courage up to the pint of buying q sec ond suit of clothes, but he done it; and there warn't sprucer looking man at town meeting that day than Hosea Lurvey. We had agreed to stop calling | bim Hod and to call him Hosea or Mir. l Lurvey, to see if that wouldn't prop up his self-respect a little.
 He voted the straight ticket through till they come to town repre- sentative; then his name was proposed and was greeted with such a cheer that the moderator said it was a waste of time to ballot and we'd elect him by exclamation. Then we escorted him home in fine style.
 Mrs. Lurvey come to the door all primed and loaded to give him Scotch blessing, and was some took back to see 50 many of us. Col. Hook CT stepped forward and sez, sez he:
 Allow me, madam, to introjuce to ye our new representative, Hosea Lur- vey, of Brodicll, Esq
 lou see the colonel was fustered; he'd ruther face cannonade than an angry woman; and Mrs. Lurvey's face was as black as a thunder cloud.
 s'Y You've hit it right for once, she answered. If there's an Esq. any where it ain't Hod Luryey that deserves the title, and I ain't overly sure that Brodicl1 does, either, If it's made such a fool of itself. Waal, Mir. Lurvey, of Brodick, Esq., making him mock ing bow, 'ye better bid your friends good night and come in. I've got a little account to settle with ye'
 "'Thank ye kindly, but promised to go down to the colonel's to supper, sez he. We only come up to tell ye the news. Then how we cheered for our new representative.
 That night the hull town turned out to serenade him, and on one pre- text or another he warn't alone much for the next few days.
 "He hired Nathan Simpson to run the farm whilst he was gone, and told him what to do and how to do it. Mrs Lurvey might as well have tried to drive mule as to make Nate go agin Hosea's orders. There was differ ent works at Tick Ridge from that time.
 You never see how Hosea improved when once he had a chance. He took right holt of politics as though he had been brought up to 'em all his life and it warn't long beforef he had the rep ertation of being about as shrewd as they make 'em.
 We kuowed, W hen we met him at the post office, on his way home the fust time, that our experiment had succeeded, and he was going home to rule the roost. Mrs. Lurvey seed 1t, too, and give up trying to hold her oerst, l,; IIa