The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-07
he looked his wife full in the face, like

ono who meant to be master.
"They had It back and forth for .
week, Jane told me, before Mrs.
Lurvey would give him q mite Of
peace, but Hod was as firm as rock.
She might 60 or stay, as she chose, but
he was going to be master in his own
house. But such life as she led him!
1--WE was afraid Hod couldn't stand
the pressure, and II he yielded an inch
he was lost. If only he could be got
out from that everlasting nagging un-
til he got more self-assertion.
"'Why not send him to the legisla-
ture% asked my wife.
"'Whv. he don'tk the first thing
about politics. sez l. I'VE want some-
body to do credit to the town. Hod
hain't been out to town meetin' since
he took the freeman's g oath, twenty odd
year ago.
''But wife said things couldn't 90 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.
"'It would be more credit to Brod-
ick to save Hod Lurvey than to send
the smartest man in town. seq 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 'nuff sight ruther
Hod should have it, and would work
for him. There was no danger but we
could carry the town easy enough.
There warn't a 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
I made him promise to go down and
vote. He said he would come over,
cross lots, and 60 down with me. When
I went out to the barn that morning
who should see but Hod coming up
the hill with his old clothes on, and
looking as meaching as whipped dog.
"'She suspected 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 wo was going to pick geese to-day.
! fed around, then made tracks for
here. guess might as we'll give up
fust as last 1t will have to come. 1
don't believe that man lives who could
stand up against her when she gets in
q rage
"'You're tired and hungry sez 1;
come in to breakfast, then we'll talk
things over
II don't suppose was as sympathet-
ic as might have been, for If there's
anything under the sun that riles me
it is to have man under woman's
| thumb.
ut took some argufying to screw his
courage up to the pint of buying 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 agre ed to stop calling
him Hod and to call him Hosea or Mr..
Lurvey. to see If that wouldn't prop
up his self-respect little.
"He voted the straight ti,ket
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 q waste of
time to ballot and we'd elect him
by reclamation. Then we escorted
him home in fine style.
"Mrs. Lurvey come to the door oil
primed and loaded to give him a
Scotch blessing, and was some took
back to see SO many of u.s. Col. Hook
er stepped forward and sez, seq he:
"'Allow me, madam, to introduce to
ye our new representative, Hosea Lur-
vey, of Brodick, Esq
You've hit it right for once,' she
answered. If there's an Esq. any
where it amt Hod Lurvey that deserves
the title, and l amt overly sure that
Brodick does, either, if it's made such
a fool of itself. Waal, Mr.. Lurvey, of
Brodick, ESQ., making him mock
ing bow, we 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 seq
he. We only come up to tell We the
news Then how we cheered for our
new representative
"That night the hull town turned
ooo W 3cTCuduc uIul, anu 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 we'll have tried
to drive mule as to make Nate 90
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 chance. He took
right holt of politics as though he had
been brought up to 'em all his life and
it warn't long before he had the rep
ertation of being about as shrewd as
they make 'em.
I'VE knowed, when 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 it,
too, and give up trying to hold. her