The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-01-04
n Department Romance.

There are no vacancies IN this department.
ApPican%ts pl9L % cannot be seen Applications in
writing VIII be received and placed file for
future examination.
1 called the attention Of the venerable
clerk, who was showing me around and
giving me lessons in Civil Service Reform,
to this notice and remarked
II suppose this is another device got up
to deceive the people 2''
Yes it serves the purpose of deceiving
applicants to limited extent, but 1t was
originally got up for the benefit of one per-
son alone. The history of that notice is
somewhat romantic, and would be a good
subject foT a 'yaller kiver'"
urged him 20 give me the story, which
he did in nearly the following language:
Some years ago there was young clerk
occupying desk near the entrance to .he
building. He was rather reckless in his
character, fond of a joke, and loved an ad-
venture better than he loved wine, which
is saying good deal. One day a young
girl, well dressed and aged about sixteen.
entered his room and asked if he was Secre.
tary of the Interior. He saw at a glance
that she was simple minded country girl
and wondering what she could want with
the Secretary, determined to find out all
about it, and promptly replied in the affirm
ative. 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 education and wrote a fair hand and
hearing that situations in the departments
were frequently filed by ladies she had de-
termined to apply for one herself
The clerk ascertained that she had no
backing, but that in her simplicity OF mind
had come here thinking that no such thing
vas necessary. He tbereupon decided
upon line of action. infamous in design
and disastrous in its consequences. Still
carrying the idea that lie was the Secretary
he ascertained her stopping place. and
agreed to consider her application and call
that evening to inform her of the resuIt
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 a vacan.
| cy occurred. She took his advice aud the
result can easily be imagined. 1t was the
old, old story. OF course she never got the
| situation promised, but was put off from
| day to day and month to month on yarious
pretexts, until finally. by a change of ad-
ministration, he lost his own situation
Overwhelmed by the loss of his posi
| ton and the consciousness of the infapy
| of his conduct toward the poor girl. he
shrank from telling her the truth and
become known, he resolved to conceal his
| crime by still further deception. To this
| end he wrote her a note, telling her that
he had been suddenly called to Eurooc on
| important business connected with his de-
| partment, but that he had left orders to
have place given her as soon as a vacancy
occurred that in the meantime she could
| always tell whether a situation was omen
| to her by looking at the notice posted on
| the wall 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 depart
| ure, and filled with a forebodinp of i'm
| pending evil, she wended her way TO the
department on her first visit of recopnois-
| sance. She saw the notices and over
| come with despondency, she for tue first
time ventured to disobey the instructions
she had received. Entering the Office
where she hrst met her deceiver, months
before, she inquired for the Secretary of
the Interior. She was shown to bic room.
and there the whole secret came out, The
scene In that Office, when the kind-hearted
Secretary revealed the truth, can never he
described. Suffice it to say, she was con-
Quoted from that room utterly broken in
mind and health. The Secretary provided
Tor 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 a 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 attennt
was made to change her abode aud sur
! roundings, but she resisted the atfernut
with terrible energy, believing, as she did.
that her lover would one day return She
clung TO this hallucination To the last. and
:. Il. l..
the department and read the notice. and
finding no vacancies turned away with
sigh and returned to her room Once
the notices were taken down. but she he
came so demonstrative i'm her joyful antjci-
patton of obtaining the promised place that
they were Immediately replaced. As I
said before, the history o: the case was
kept profound secret, and but two or
three who from day 10 day saw the male.
wan face appear with the regularity of the
sun, knew or could fathom the sad history
of that bighted life md of the thousands
who carelessly read the words of that no
tice, few are aware that it had its origin in
the perfidy and treachery of man-that its
letters are written in the hearts blood of a
confiding and betrayed woman
Here the old man blew his nose. bade
me goodbye. and was ABOUT turning eray
when detained him with
''One moment before you go-what be-
came of the girl?'
''She faded away-tbat is all. Her Wis
is towards the last became less frequent,
and finally ceased altogether In a fe "
days those entrusted wi her secret were
notified and we folle wed her to her grave.
| tell you," continued the old man, al
haye attended a great many funerals in
my time, but | never attended one SO sad
as this. Her betrayer still lives-e resi-
dent OF Detroit, believe-and it is to be
! hoped, for the credit of humanity. is n
prey to Iemorse for the part he took in
bhghting the life of as beautiful a girl as
: ever lived. There-that is all. / neve,
! told this story before, aud you are welcome
. to IT. lou are literary man, and by add
! ing little to it you could make quite .
| story out of 1t"
, But am not ambitious in that line. an,
prefer to give the plain story in the simpi
language used Ivy We department relic
, Washington Correspondence Detroit Neg,