Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-10-18

Years went oY, ana men Woo were mics
behind him in attainments walked over h,s
head into that FrenchmAn's psradise-an
Cffes with little to do. underlinga to bully,
and puncsuSlly paid salsry--simply be-
CAUSE their backs were more supple than his
own. Pierre had q small fortune, which
had come to him from his mother; aud this,
together with what he picked up as q re-
viewer of scientific books, suficed for his
needs But things were not going well with
him, seeing that he was the nearest ap-
psoach thar France could show to q senior
wrsnsler; and i. seemed likely that he
would end his days as booksellers hack,
when the Minister, moved by what inau-
ence viii never Do known, made him In
spector Of Ponies at Chaussees" in re-
mote district Of that Department Of the. Gro
seille.
Pierre Lagrange, thought he would never
have stopped to ask the Government for 9
place, or have accepted one which involved
the slightest compromise Of his principles
hsd 10 scruples in taking an office in which
be was merely required to give good ser
vice in return for the pay Of the State.
There was something Of tie enthusiasm in
hin, but he had, nevertheless, common
sense enough TO see that the roads and
bridges must be kept in good order, whether
enc lived under sn Emperor, King, q
President. or Provisional Government.
So Pierre departed to his district, and
here be went on for four or FIVE years,
keeping kis employees ia. order, and learn
ing with how much red tape the State was
governed. No new works were projected,
Instead of building squeduets and tunnel.
ing mountains, Pierre spent his days measur,
log up heaps Of broken stones and making
estimates for concrete foundations. ltwas
poor work for q man of his ealibre. His
predecessor had evidently regarded 1t as
something altogether beneath him, tor he
had always accepted, unchecked, the figures
of the workmen. Pierre worked on totally
different lines, and took nothing GU trust.
The consequence was that, at the end Of
the first year, he found that he had saved
The State several thousands of francs, and
hsd made himself a personal enemy Of
every stone breaker in his district.
Bat one day there came letter to Pierre
from N. de Cousssc, the engineeriu-chiei
Of the department, saying that it was pro,
PISSED to construct g new road from the
town OF Y. to l.. Pierre was ordered st
once to prepare o report as 10 the sdyan-
tsges Of the proposed route-a copy Of
which was inclosed in the official letter -
and forward it to NJ de Coussac Pierre
knew every yard of the district through
which N. de CloussSe proposed to make his
new road, and az soon as he had cast his
eye over the deliberately drawn plan, he saw
that be would have to say something as to
the disadvantages, as well as the sdgants-
ges, o. NJ. De Coussacs grand new road.
The direct route between the two towns
lay almost in straight line along the banks
Of river 1t offered 10 engineering diff
iculties. The track, half horse path, half
tarm road, might be leveled and construct
ed into Erst.rate road at q very small
cost; bat if NJ de Coussscs grand scheme
should be carried out--it went through a
limestone bill and trsyersed . swamp on q
bridge q mile long-the work would run
into many millions of francs, and would
only shorten the distance by halt kilo-
meter. In the course of an hour Pierre
had mastered all the defects in the official
scheme, he set TO work to prepare the
necessary arguments in favor of what ne
very lastly considered the natural course
for the proposed road, and when this was
done he betook himself to the chief town
of the department to talk the matter over
with n. De Coussac hitherto Pierre LIS
grange had had no more to do with his
chief than was necessary in the course OF
Office routine. From ". de Coussac's man
ne- Pierre was sure that some Of those re-
ports which had delayed his promotion so
long hsd found their way to tke Depart,
ment Of the Groseille, for his reception had
always been of tie coolest; but on this
particular morning N. de Cousssc rose
with q smile and sGid be was delighted to
see NJ. Lagrange, for he wanted particular
" to have word with him about the new
road.
And 0efors his subordinate lsf! the room
VI. de CoussRc bad heard good deal about
the new rosd-more than be cared to hear,
in fact He had the traditional eapacious
waistcoat and bald head of the high official.
aud be besprinkled the one with snuff, and
ficked the flies viciously from the other,
as Pierre shook ths ssWdust out of the Of
fetal dol. By the time the n.ervie~ was
over Il. de COussac was in touring rage.
This young fellow, with his mssterful man
ner and his measurements and quantities
all ready at bis fingers ends, was not at
ell the sort Of man he had been used to
deal with What had this uudersirapper
10 do with the cost Of the work. He ought
to have been grateful that the Government
had given him bridge to build and hill
10 pierce, instead of coming there with bis
iue talk about ecanomy. Besides, it was
Of vital importance that the official scheme
should be carried ont in its exsctness; for
N. Bronuueil, the owner Of the swamp and
the limestone hill in question, was very
anxious to sell them to the Government,
and N. Bronqueil was a man whom the
Government wanted particularly to keep
in coed temper just at that moment.
Pisrre. unconscious OF all the mischief
he had stirred up, went back TO his district
6uu set ~ HOGA upJu piAd VI NAO AOo1 40
be maintained it ought 10 be made, and in
less than fortnight N. de Coussac was in
possession of a scheme for the construction
of the road at about one fourth the cost of
the official project. This, however, NJ. de
Coussae put aside in q drawer and redoub-
led his solicitations to the Minister to set
about the work at once, for NJ. Bropqoeil
vas getting very unsettled in his political
faith, and there was no saying whether he
might not before long lend bis yoice-a
very led and persuasive oue-to swell the
clsmor in favor of constitutional
ism, clamor which was already waxing
louder then the loyal sdherents Of his In
perisl Msjesty liked to hear.
Bat NJ. De Coussac was little too late.
The constitutional breeze. though feeble at
FIRST, mad rapidly gathered strength, and
had by this time grown into hurricane
powerful enough to upset the Government
Of which the Marquis de Ia Plauquetts was
a membsr and to Waf; NJ. Olivier and bis
COLLEAGUES into the seats Of power.
Pierre Lagrange, however, had not been
blind to the signs of approaching change.
He had written to N. de Coussac on the
subject of his alternative plan, but the only
answer he got was a sDubbipg in the shape
- , o,.k ors,,ol la4kar ,nf,rr;,, hin, that