The Republican journal., 1871-10-12
The Wonderful Clock.

During the summer Of Is. there might
! have been observed lettering about the
Tuilleries. a spare, shabbily dressed mar,
past the prime of life, restless and discon-
| certed in his movements, bnt wearing. in
| spite of his humble garb, an air of faded
Responsibility and character He was a
I decayed Spanish noblcman, Don Monsen
Chavarri by name. and one thing notice
able about him was his persistency in en-
/ deavoring to obtain an audience of the
/ Emperor, Foiled in every attempt, either
| through accident, or the suspicious Of the
| attendants. he invariblv received his re-
/ butts in silence, and withdrew merely to
renew his opportunities Repulsed to-
day. tomorrow found him al his post.
He haunted the palace like :; spectre
I Even the gamins soon grew familiar with
the story of his hopeless quest, and he
! began TO be treated with sort of pitilul
consideration which is usually accorded
I to those OF unsound mind
At length. however there came q day
when, i'll the Rue de Rivol, as the En-
| peror was returning from Il review, a
! pistol shot rang out from the corner of the
court. and the bullet. whstling through
the line of outriders, buried itself in panel
/ of the Imperial carriage. The police at
/ once charged the crowd and among the
number arrested was our friend the Span
\ lard
| At the trial. thele being no evidence
4 against him. he WAS acquitted, but warn
ed to instantly leave Paris. Acting upon
the warning he disappeared. and for the
time all traces of him We're lost.
| 1t was some two years after this occnr-
renee there began TO circulate among the
quid nuncs Of the capital reports Of Il
marvellous clock to be seen IN that city.
which illustrated, by means of automatic
! figures, an episode in the life of the En-
peror and was designed for presentation
/ to that parsonage.
1t was said to be the work OF famous
artisan, who had lately arrived incognito
| from foreign parts, accompanied by u
young lady, his daughter who, in 4 sup
posed fit of eccentricity had taken lodgings
in an humble and obscure quarter Of the
Faubourg St, Antoine. The reports of
/ the wonderiul-almost upernatural-per-
! formanccs of this piece of mechanism, and
the mystery surrounding its owner and
inventor gave ,ise for short time. and
\ in certain circles to no small amount of
/ gossip.
This gradually died away. and the Ar
| tisan and his clock were alike forgotten,
when an event occurred which restored
them to more than their former prom-
nence and entitled them to a place in his
tory.
Folmhc, one morning in his Office re-
ceived Il letter from his secret agent in
Spain, which contained information Of n
most startling and important character.
It's perusal threw him into Il state of very
unusual excitement and IFS result was an
immediate descent Of the police upon the
mysterious shop in the Faubourg st. An
tome, with orders to arrest the artisan and
his daughter, secure the premises, and
carefully guard all the stock, tools i'm
/ pIements, and other contents from being
/ touched OF displaced till further opportu-
nifty offered for q thorough investigation.
The party detailed for the duty having
departed, Fouche re seated himself and
waited with ill-conceaed anxiety the
arrival of the prisoners.
After n considerable lapse of time the
officer charged with the arrest appeared
empty-handed. His report was soon
made.
| The lady in the case-the daughter, had
that morning ut an early hour left her
house in the Faubourg, accompanied by
a young lad who bore u heavy black
portmanteau. The two had been traced
to the gates of Montmalte, beyond which
point no clue to their movements could
be obtained.
The old workman himself had left the
shop an hour before the visit of the police,
locking doors and barring windows be-
hind him. He bore in his arms what was,
apparently, Il great square box covered
with oil skin. 1t seemed heavy. He sat
down awhile on his doorstep, when n
ealeche came by, into which he put HIM
self and box with the assistance of the
driver, and was driven oil al Il rapid pace.
The calechc was brown, and the driver in
green livery. A gendarmc was following
him, and another was guarding the shop
in the Faubourg, where, however, moth
inc remained but Il piece OF furniture,
and Il great many scraps of brass and
| IRON.
Fouche reflected Il moment, when his
face suddenly whtencd. Without 4 word
he dashed down the stairway to the street
and sprang into u passing ti:cre. 'To the
Tuilleries - he shouted ''Doube wages
for double speed"
Arriving at the palace he hastily alight-
ed and demanded to be shown into the
presence of the Emperor. Napoleon was
in the boudoir in which he frequently re-
ceived private visitors, and thither the
ushers instantly conducted Fouche, who,
encountering some delay in the ante-room,
mpatiently pushed open the folding doors,
and entered unannounced. The Emperor
greeted the intrusion at first with Il frown
Uf displeasure, but, instantly recognized
his visitor resumed his customary expires
sion and nodded ailably.
Fouchc took III the situation at Il single
glance.
Beside Napoleon there were five persons
In the room. -Four of these were officials
of the palace-chamberl and armed
valcts-who frequently attended when be
gave audience, TO prevent attempts mt
private assassination.
The fifth was a man habited in Il com
mon workman's blouse, standing apart
from the others, IN u respectful attitude;
and holding in his hand u workman's red
fez cap. 1t needed but Il glance to assure
Fouche that this person was none other
than the old familiar goblin of the Tuil-
leries-Don Monsen Chavarri. But how
metamo phosed His hair, which was
formerly gray, was dyed to q glossy
DlackneSS, MS lace was despolled OF It's
moustache and pointed beard, and his
once smooth hands were roughened rs
though by exposure and toll. At his side
stood large lacquer table, supporting an
object upon which Pouches attention was
Immediately fixed. This was seen at
once to be an exact model of the church
of the Notre Dame, wrought in metal, in
the highest style of the art, and serving
evidently as the case for the clock, since
just above the folding doors, which were
perfect limitations of those which barred
the principal entrance to the Notre Dame,
We're two dials, on one of which the
hours and minutes were measured while
on the other long sweeping hand de-