The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-12-20
WHOLE NUMBER 555.
A Department Romance.

IOSIeu cOuSplCuOusly dll along lne
corridors of the Interior Departp ent is
the following:
There are no vacancies in this depart
ment. Applicants cannot be seen. Appli-
cations in writing will be received and
placed on file for future examination.
l called the attention of the venerable
clerk, who was showing me around and
giving me lessons in Civil Service Re-
form, to this notice, and remarked:
81 suppose this is another device got
up to deceive the people?"
-" Yes, it serves the purpose of deceiv-
ing applicants to limited extent, but
it was originally got up for the benefit
of one person alone. The history of
that notice is somewhat romantic, and
would be good subject for 'yaller
kiver."
1 urged him to give me the story,
which he did in nearly the following
language:
"Some years ago there was a young
clerk OCCUPYING a desk near the entrance
to the building. He was rather reck-
less in his character, fond of joke, and
loved an adventure better than he loved
wine, which is saying good deal. One
day young girl, well dressed and aged
about sixteen, entered his room and
asked if he was Secretary of the In
terror. He saw at a glance that she was
a simple-minded country girl, and won
dering what she could want with the
Secretary, determined to find out all
about it, and promptly replied in the
affirmative. She thereupon told him
that she had recently been left an
orphan and among strangers; that her
fathers estate, which was considerable
before the war, had been swept away;
and that she was penniless and obliged
to support herself. She had a good edu-
cation and wrote a fair hand, and hear
ing that situations in the departments
were frequently filled by ladies she had
determined to apply for one for herself.
"The clerk ascertained that she had
no backing, but that in her simplicity
of mind had come here thinking that
no such thing was necessary. He there
upon decided upon line Of action, in
famous in design and disastrous in its
consequences. Still carrying the idea
that he was the Secretary he ascer-
tanned her stopping place, and agreed
to consider her application and calf that
evening to inform her of the result.
He also cautioned her, on some specious
pretext, against talking with others on
the subject of her business. He called
at the time appointed, and, telling her
that there were no vacancies at present,
advised her to take lodgings somewhere
and wait, promising her the first place
when vacancy occurred. She took his
advice, and the result can easily be i'm
agined. 1t was the old, old story. Of
course she never got the situation prom
ised, but was put off from day to day
and month to, month on various pre-
texts, until finally, by change of ad-
ministration, he lost his own situation.
"Overwhelmed by the loss of his po-
sition and the consciousness of the in
fanny of his conduct toward the poor
girl, he shrank from telling her the
truth; and fearing the consequences if
his guilt should become known, he re-
solved to conceal his crime by still fur
ther deception. To this end he wrote
her a note, telling her that he had been
suddenly called to Europe on important
business connected with his department,
but that he had left orders to have a
place given her as soon as vacancy oc-
Cured; that in the meantime she could
always tell whether situation was open
to her by looking at the notices posted
on the walls in the department. That
night he got several copies of the above
notice printed and surreptitiously posted
them up.
"Filled with grief at his sudden de-
parture, and filled with forebodlng of
impending evil, she wended her way to
the department on her first visit of recon-
noissance. She saw the notices; and,
overcome with dependency, she for the
first time ventured to disobey the in
structions she had received. Entering
the office where she first met her de-
ceiver, months before, she inquired for
the Secretary of the Interior. She was
shown to his room, and there the whole
secret came out. The scene in that
Office, when the kind-hearted Secretary
revealed the truth, can never be de-
scribed. Suffice it to say, she was con-
Quoted from that room utterly broken
in mind and health. The Secretary pro-
vided for her immediate necessities, and
called the attention of some charitable
ladies to her case. For weeks she lay
lowering on the brink of the grave with
brain fever, and when she arose her
mind was gone and her hair was gray.
Her betrayer was traced out and forced
to contribute to her support, but for the
sake of his family. the whole matter was
kept from publicity. When she was
able to go about an attempt was made
to change her abode and surroundings,
but she resisted the attempt with terri
BILE energy, believing, as she did, that
her lover would one day return. She
clung to this hallucination to the last,
and every day at the hour of noon she
visited the department and read the
notice, and finding "no vacancies u
turned away with sigh and returned
to her room. Once the notices were
taken down, but she became so demon.
strative in her joyful anticipation of OBJ
tanning the promised place that they
were Immediately replaced. AS I said
before, the history of the case was kept
a profound secret, and but two or three
who from day to day saw the pale, wan
face appear with the regularity of the
sun, knew or could fathom the sad his
tory of that blighted life; and of the
thousands who carelessly read the word:
of that notice, few are aware that it ha6
its origin in the perfidy and treachery
of man-that its letters are written il
the hearts blood of a confding and be
trayed woman"
Here the old man blew his nose, badt
me goodbye, and was about turning
away when l detained him with:
"One moment before you go-wha
became of the girl?"
"She faded away-that is all. He
visits towards the last became less FIRE
quent, and finally ceased altogether. Ii
a few days those entrusted with he
secret were notified and we followed he
to her grave. I tell you," continued
the old man, "I have attended grea
many funerals in my time, but neve
attended one so sad as this. Her be
trayer still lives-a resident of Detroit
I believe-and it is to be hoped, for tn
credit of humanity, is prey to remors