| Show HOSEA that man with the walking stick why lurvey of brodick efee looks like he owned the hull town and part of the next dont he hod lurvey of tick eidge the very same tucker smiled at his companions incredulity 1 I dont wonder youre sed if you recollect how mrs lurvey used to nin things up at the ludge hod had no mote to sa than that cat down by tho wall but theres many change in these fifteen years youve been gone 1 I should have thought it would have taken twice fifteen years to make such a piece of pomposity out of bod lurvey he was the worst henpecked man I 1 ever saw replied jasper burroughs tipping his chair back against the wall preparatory to s long talk with his old time friend and neighbor 1 I told you about the saddle they bought just before I 1 sold out I 1 no then I 1 must they come into iha store and mrs lurvey asked to look at saddles of course I 1 thought it was for herself so I 1 brought out a comans womans saddle she shook her head 1 want a mans saddle its for my husband iso I 1 took them out into the back shop where there hanging up she looked them over asked the price of this and found fault with that and finally picked out the poorest and cheapest of the lot it was a shame too for the surveys were well to do folks and its cheapest in the long run to buy good luther mayhap your husband might like to see the saddle before you pay for it I 1 said pitying the shamefaced little man why dont you know mr lurvey he always depends on my judgment this is my husband drawing him forward as if he had been a bashful boy make a bow mr lurvey he come into the shop again while I 1 owned it he was that ashamed or else that shrew of his let him come to the village alone I 1 dont suppose he ever had a cent to call his own and now you tell me that pompous old gentleman was hod lurvey why it would be short of a miracle its quite a story jasper but if you dont mind listening ill tell you how it come about replied hiram tucker moving his chair so that he could watch the growing interest in his friends face things got to such a pass betwixt the surveys after you went off that I 1 jest stand it so one day when hod was cutting bushes out in the further corner of the pasture well out of bight of the house I 1 went over to him and see sea I 1 hod why dont you assert bour independence and take your lawful place as bead of your family you orter seen him start and turn white if cannon ball had taken his head clean off he hare been surprised 1 I mean it aez I 1 youre a full grown anun and orter take boar olace in the world as a man not a mouse to bo by a woman the says a man shall bo the head of the household theres no earthly reason why you bo of yoiiro do you think so he asked turn inar white as a sheet tha idee had struck him all at once and had come nigh beinar too much for him it showed plainer than words could hare done bow it galled him to have things go tha way they had sirs lurvey says im not to be trusted he added hopelessly well trust you any alma aez I 1 come out to the village and ret what you want at airy one of the stores they 11 ll you till harvesting if come out like a man and do your own business do you know youve come jest in the nick of time asked hod looking me full in the face mrs lurvey has bargained the farm away this old farm that father cleared and chave pot to sign the deed to night id ruther sign away my right hand and if stand by me wont do it well the outcome ont was that the farm sold but mrs lurkey packed bar trunk in a hurry and went down country to her folks and left hod with everything to see to and habin jest comin on there was ten cows and seven calves and five cosset cambs iambs and hens and chickens and and geese aad turkeys and the three children the youngest been weaned and the oldest anoren tan year old she thought if hod was conceited enough to khinki he could run his own business he might and to hero as well bantit best thin that over happened to flod lie come over and wanted my jane maria go and keep house for him ow jane was as capable a girl aa one often aes ofa fifteen and tb ere was su ann to her place at home so I 1 eez go then he told ken the boy was gl cp as lazy and sassy as a lad need be that hod pay him every week if hed tend to the poultry rif fht ap primo that kept him and ue turks both ouan mischief T awaa surprising how self reliant nod from day to day lie ask advice fram nobody but went right ahead it seemed ai iche taller he sar tinly did bold his head hoffher hiff her ho got a new suit of clot lies his first od a tall bat and and old cows that had been more plague than profit to him and a lot of thina that ho had been bantering ban kering to da tho begun to hope that mrs lurvey had gone off for hod was abetting on BO much better without her when the stopped at their door one and out she pot jane had just come to the door with the baby in her arms in the milk what arc yon here for demanded sirs lurrey looking cross enough to gnap the girls head off tat on your thinas and po homo you wont do any buch than tane commanded hod firmly 1 I hired you to work hero and hero stay till of tor harvesting and h afa one o who meant to bo master they bad it back and forth for a week jane told me before mrs lurvey would give him a mite of peace but hod was as firm as a rock bhe might go or stay as she chose but he waa going to bo master la his own house hut such a life as she led biml we was afraid hod stand the pressure and if he yielded an inch he was lost it only he could be got ont from that everlasting nagging until bo goa more self assertion why not send him to the legislature asked my wife he dont know the first thing about politics aez L we want somebody to do credit to the town hod been out to town meeta since he took the free mans oath twenty odd year ago but wife said things go so badly to rack and ruin at the state house as they waa gains at tick eidge 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 it would be more credit to brodick to save lurvey than to bend tha smartest man in town aez she and we disagree with her well we talked it up one side and down the other at the caucus rate willey who had been representative for five years and of course expected to be again said ho sight ruther hod should have it and would work for him there was no danger but we could carry the town easy enough there a man far nor near but would give all his old bats to get even with mrs lurvey hod did not know what was up but I 1 made him promise to go down and vote he said he would come over brosi lots and go down with me I 1 went out to the barn that morning who should I 1 see but hod coming up the hill with his old clothes on and looking as as a whipped dog she suspected I 1 was going to the village today to day and got tearing mad aez he she locked my store clothes up and put the key in her pocket and told me to be lively about the chores for we was going to pick geee today to day I 1 fed around then made tracks for here 1 I 1 might as well give up fust as last it will have to come I 1 dont believe that man lives who could stand up against her when she gets in a rage youre tired and hungry aez I 1 come in to breakfast then well talk things over 1 I dont suppose I 1 was as sympathetic as I 1 might have been for if theres anything under the sun that riles me it is to have a man under a comans womans thumb it took some to screw his courage up to the pint of buying a second suit of clothes but he done it and there a looking man at town meeting that day than hosea lurvey we bad agreed to stop calling him hod and to call him hosea or mr lurvey to see it that prop up his self respect a little ue voted the straight ticket through h till they come to town representative senta tive then bis name was proposed and was greeted with such a cheer that the moderator baid it waa waste of time to ballot and wed elect him by acclamation n we escorted him home in style sirs lurvey come to the door all primed and loaded to give him a scotch blessing and was some took back to see so many of us col hooker stepped forward and aez aez he allow me madam to introduce to ye our new representative hosea lurvey of brodick esq youve hit it right for once she answered if theres an esq E s q anywhere it aint hod lurvey that deserves the title and I 1 aint overly sure that brodick does either if its made such a fool of itself waa mr lurvey of brodick esq making hiro a mocking bow ye better bid your friends good and come in ive got a little account to settle with ye thank yo kindly but I 1 promised to go down to the colonels to supper aez he we only corns 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 pretext or another he alone much for the nest few days be 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 a mule as to make nate go agin hoseas orders there was different 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 cm all his life and it long before he had the rep er tation of being about as shrewd as they make cm we knowel when we met him at the post office on his way home the fust time that our experiment had succeeded and be was going home to rule the roost mrs lurvey seed it too and give ap trying to hold her own agin him he has been to the legislature every other term since wo eafe filloy other this year ho is first selectman and overseer of the poor ho has got one oi the finest stock farms in the state and has things in a different style from any brodick has ever had afore hes makin money any other man at tide ridge and spends more too that is where hia independence shows itself most for mrs lurvey is tighter than tho bark to a tree and keeps saving they will be on the town yet well if they be well help em out with a deal better grace than if hod had never proved a man the boys have grown up fine steady young men and the gal is one to be proud of on must go over to tick eidge but I 1 warn you that mrs lurvey will introduce him to ye as the colonel did that night hosea larvey of brodick esq N Y herald |
