Litchfield enquirer., 1872-05-02

1 piled M. Jobus; tor t was rnle with that esteemed public servant never to conlrait himself to downright statement, eithar affirmative or negative.
 'They struck me as very numerods Could you give me any idea of their ap- proximate number? .sss9.
 T could not venture to speak with any esrtitnde. NJ. le Comte." answered M. Jobns, depreeatingly; the implied cor ollary being, 'These questions really af. hict me beyond measure, your Excel- lency."
 'eWell, should hold it a favor, NJ. Jobus, said the count, eff you would kindly have a tabular list drawn up, stat. ing the exact number of clerks, their sal- aries; the dates of their appointments, and the nature and amount of work allotted to each. At time when France is bleed ing at all her veins. you must agree with me, that not @ centime ought to be spent more than there is any necessity for. And take this opportunity of begging that: you will direct those whom it may con- cern, that my personal expenses, firing, lighting, furniture repairs, and the wages, of the ushers and messengers who special ly attend on me, are not to be entered in the office accounts. I intend to defray: all such myself Thank you, meanwhile, for your very lucid information
 M. Jobus shivered from head to feet, and retired, not knowing, for the first time in his life, on what limbs of his venerable person he was walking. And that even. ing the news went forth through clerkdom that the new minister for the Cochin China department was man bent on innovation. If you can imagine Chingalese rising amid an assembly of Buddhists, and de- claring that the tooth fthe fourth Boodh, Guadama, which all the faithful worship with exemplary feryor, was cut from the tusk of hog; or a mandarin of Pekin de- nying, in conclave of his peers, that the constellation of the Great Dog appeared in the year CAT before the Christian era, and dictated his maxims to Coafpcius, you may realize the sort of consternation produced by this announcement.
 ".
 The press got wind of the matter. That lively organ, the Cigare, announced that 8 strange sight was to be seen at the Cochin China office: minister who rose at unholy hours in the morning to work; clerks who were hushed, and attentive to their business, neither reading the news papers in office hours, nor playing pitch and-toss with francs, as the good old ous- tom had been, but writing continuously silently, and beginning to look pale from this unwonted exercise. It was further added, that people who now went to the Cochin China office for information stood some chance of obtaining 8 civil answer. Nobody quite believed this last report, but. still it was found quite entertaining
 It was the truth, however; and not only in this. but in other respects. the CacAin- China office had SO far changed since the counts accession that the excellent M, Jobus began to feel asi if he was stranger there. He was thinning in a manner pain full to witness: and besides his leanness, he was growing to resemble Shakspsare's Cassius in this other point, that he seem- ed to be thinking good deal, as if there were schemes in his mind that needed ripening. He had submitted to the count, as it had been his cnstom to do with other ministers from time out of mind, certain names for gazetting to posts of emolu- ment; but the count, instead of ratifyipg these nominations with merely forma1 question or two, had taken time to con slider the matter, saying he should sus- pend all appointments until the tabular list for which he had asked had been made out. This list was long time coming. The count had appended to his first re. quest desire that it might include the names of all the en,ployes, in any capacity whatever, who drew pay from the office. To this M. Jobus had answered, that a great many of the office papers had been destroyed under the Commune; that oth- era were difficult to find, but that he would do his best; and 80 day after day went by without the famous list appearing. One morning M. de Ris had said very gently, but with firmness that admitted of no reply, that he should expect the list on the morrow, at twelve o'clock; and of course the list had been forthcoming at that hour. But this is the way in which 1 M. Jobus, an old and most blameless functionary, was being treated!
 l Another grievous thing was this The count had, of course, brought with him a private secretary, young gentleman full of Greek, and with eyes that looked as if they were going to jump out of his head i; but he was entitled to a titular secretary, holding official rank and salary. For some days na such person was appointed but on the morning when the list was handed him. the count, after an afternoon's s study of this document, sent for clerk, whom it so chanced the venerable M Jobus view ed with disfayor, and who-though this must have been coincidence-hadn never earned step of promotion in the course of fifteen years service. The count had noticed that all the for5cis in this clerk s hand were admirably careful and intelli- gent which was no wonder, for the clerk was probably haunted by some dream of M. Jobus's eye perpetually watching him for first slip.
 'This precis is by you ?" said the count as the clerk entered, and bent low,
 "Yes, M. le Comte" e
 | "You are of long standing in the office how long must it be before you become 8 chief clerk (chef de dieis;on. ?"
 "It may be 8 hundred years, without patronage; less than 8 hundred seconds If your Excellency wishes it." z
 Very well, monsieur the first vacant chief -clerkship will be yours meanwhile. you will act as my official secretary." 1 On the evening of this occurrance. M. Jobus returned to his bed at an early hour, and, under doctors advice, took a glass of brandy neat. in basin of water-gruel.
 The counts next move was to issue a minute with his own hand, stating that he regretted to perceive that the government stamp of the office was used to frank pri- vate correspondence. He was informed that clerks, brought the letters of their families Tn their pockets, to despatch gra- l tis, and were even in the habit of sending parcels through the pattern and book post franked. This was manifest fraud upon the revenue. It must cease, and for the future the frank would only be affixed by one of his own secretaries on letters duly authenticated as official Inthe next place. the practice of despatching government estafettes upon private errands must be put stop to. Mounted dragoons might be seen galloping at all hours about the streets of Paris, with brown paper parcels under their arms and clerk in the Go chin China office was reported to have sent an unwrapped watermelon to his wife in this way, from Versailles to Paris, to the great astonishment of bystanders. f Dra- goons were not armed and mounted to carry watermelons. Tn the third place, clerks were requested to remember that Ifs1xv vra$cr 4