, 1877-11-04

IT, WIS little past the hour OF hiyn-uoon yes
tcrday when TRIBUNE reporter in search OF
news from the County Building dropped INTO
the o;1ec uf the rcdoubtable warrior, Zen. Llcb,
who by grace Of IN accident was elected County
Clerk tour wears ago. Four OF his hcuchmeu
occupied the little den.
The t;cneral was out,-'' out on business" as
was remarked By Or. Sttt, who receives ST per
day frum the county for engineering one end OF
Lieb'5 campaign.
"When will be rcturn?"
simultaneously the quartette CURLY respond
cd, 81 Don't know."
The reporter wished to obtain hcsOctober
pay-rol, SO as to inform the public OF Cook
County how they were taxed to pay the salaries
Of the political army wnicn wandcrs froln saloon
to saloon, from "groceree to groceri," in the
interest Of the present County Clerk. Finding
tbut 10 one in the Generals private den could
afford any information, the Knight OF the PENCIL
crossed TIC ball, and entered tue main ut'ice, in
which it is popularly supposed that seventy Or
c,elIty ablc-bodieu clerks earn "a fair days pay
tor fuir days work. The ollice was almost
,:usertcd, aud appeared good deal like coun-
try school duriuY recess, barring the tact That
The bucks ou tue desks were i good ueal larger,
though equally blottcu aud ''to:s~cared."
tom, waiting 1ur bluslllus groosn to turn over
twelve bits fur i inarrEyc-'ltcilsc. hsihbatitE
WAS i'll expectancy ot Helhg suun re1lcvcd from
ITS aruuous duty vi staring at faca:lcf bet~et1t
tue bars ol tile raslug III fEunt oi MS dtsk. Ut
was eager to 70 to dinner. JAMS .}uSepli-
sen, mounted on tail stool. was telling two or
three vi the lounging cultnluYcs low the Sc;ltl-
uiuayans iu the Tentt Ward are going to vote
Tuesday. 4 gooI-natuEed reporter Ut tue
.,taats- LeiuAy was struggling Will the hleru-
glyuhics o., the marriage rc4 :stcr.
S.ui tuc reporter to kuhna,1n1, I" want to See
THE OCTOBER rAi-KoLLs."
s.They are not matte out yet"
aWheu will they oc"'
sNut uut.i alter tue electiou-'' 4
"Can't sec the ti.nc-rou; can figure up
the payroll from its"
ii don't know; better see Stephens"
HIntruducc tne."
Tue reporter was formally introduced to tue
little old gentleman whom everybody round
called ''Stcpatns."
@:Wheu viii the October pay-roli be readyl''
tsNot TIL after clccton.''
tsCan l see tie un,e-book: I can figure it
out.'
ssl don't know where it is"
''Can't you look for il!'
- aint got tinle," and just then secdy-
looking eu!ployc made an application for u
couple OF dollars.
. t'uaint got IT," scntentiously remarked the
cashier, ''aud you cau't get II"
3D." Who keeps tue ti1ne~took!"
"McNalIy."
"Where IS lea''
IL He has gone to lunch, and wont be back for
an hour.''
There was no hope for it. The reporter must
nccds wait, and so hc took possession Of a rather
rlckety chair clOse to tue cashiers desk. SAID
that funclsonary:
WHATS the use in your coming here to look
at our booksa You say they can't be un1er-
stool. Is that book there, pointing to The cash
bout, understandable"
The reporter looked at it. As specimen of
10y ar.otu bookkeeping in a primary school,
it might probably pass muster; Us specimen vi
what ought To le seen in public Office, it w:s,
simply t,isgraccfll. There were bIots and era
sufcs, and even with the aid Of ruled columns
tie figures warped III and out like dogs hind
legs.
''There,'' continued the cashier, is tho
amount received from marriage licenses, from
tax redemptons, from fecs,'' from this, that
aud the other. as hc pointed with his index
finger to each column.
At i've minutes after l, McNal}y, who has
charge Of the time-rol, came in, accom panied
by four or i've clerks from The tax department
over in klare's Hail. He deliberately pulled
oil his oycrroat, under ditto, and tllcu carefully
hung them up on q hook, on which he also
paced hs thigh dice.''
The reporter waited until he should get
through with tue crowd which surrounded him.
Just at that moment in c.aine Gen. Lieb, bare
headed and in considerable OF hurry.
Recognizing the reporter rs he wheeled him
sell on the dizzy chair he said:
:" Well, what are you 1oing,-spying around
the oficef"