The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-11-06
youo,,icr had been departmental clerk for

EauQuler hnu Teen n departmental CicTk LOT
forty years II was at once his practical
good luck and his misfortune to have been
early appointed TO position which required
thorough and complete knowledge OF the
formulas and routine Of q department that
expended millions Of tho public funds Eau
mier, @, poor salary, diminishing instead
| of increasing with his service, had seen sue.
ccssive adm. Illustrations bud and blossom and
decay, but had kept his position through the
| fact that bis knowledge was a necessity to
the successive chiefs and employees. Once,
IL was true that he had been summarily re-
moved by new secretary, to make room Tor
camp follower, Whose exhaustive and intel
lectual services in a political campaign had
made him emincntly fit for anything; but the
alarming discovery that the new clerks
knowledge Of grammar and etymology was
even worse than that OF the SECRETARY himself,
and that, through ignorance of detail, tho
business OF that department was retarded ~
damage 10 the government OF over hall
million Of dollars, lcl To the reinstatement OF
Mr. Fanquier-at a lower salary. For II was
felt that something was wrong somewhere,
and RI it had always been the custom OF CON
gr,%s and tho administration 10 cut down sal
aries az tho FIRST step 20 reform, they made old
Mr. Fauquicr moral example gentle
man born, Of somewhat expensive tastes,
having lived up 70 his former salary, this
change brought another brrad-winner into
tho field, Mrs Fauquicr, who tried, moro or
less unsuct,sSfully, to turn her old southern
habits of hospitality to rcmuncratNc account
But as poor Fauquicr could never bc pro-
vailed upon to pr,acnta bill to a gentienIln'
sir, and rs some Of the scions of the hes.
southern families were still waiting for, or
had been Recently dismissed from, n position,
the experiment was recuniary failure. 1tt
the house was of excellent rcputc and well
natroniusi ind,,d, it was worth something to
sec old Fauqucr sitting at the head OF his own
table, in something Of his ancestral style, 10
lating anecdotes of great men now dead ana
gone interrupted only by occasional VISITS
from impcr,1,nate tradcsmen.
Prominent among what Mr.. Fauquicr
called his little family" was a tlackeycd
lndy of great powers of fascination, ana CON
siderable local reputation ms hirt Never
tbel,sS, these socrl alterations were
amply condoned by farilo AID com
placnt husband, who looked with
lenient and even almiring eye upon the
little lady'S amusement, and, to "A certain ex-
tent, lent "a tacit Endorsement to her CONDUCT.
Nobody mi ded HopkinSnn; in the blaze Oh
Mrs. fIopkiIson's destinations he was con-
pctey lost sight Of a few marrle! women
with nnduly sensitive husbands, and several
single ladies of the best and longest standing,
reflected severely on her Coniuct. Tho
younger men, of course, admired her, but
think she got her chief support from Old
fo,ieS like ourselves For it Is your quiet,
complacent, philosophic,
broad wasted patcr-fandlias who, after AL,
is the one to whom the gay nnd giddy OF tho
impulsivc, unseltish sex owe
their place in the social ornament We arc
never inclined to be captious; we laugh ut rs
a folly what our wives and daughters con
denim as fault; our "withcrS arr unwr1inS,"
vet we still confess to the fascinations OF a
pretty fnce. We know, bless us, from dear
experience, the exact value of one woInans
opinion Of another; we want our brilliant
little friend TO shine; il is only the moths who
Will burn their twopenDy immature wings
in the flame! And why should they not'
Nature has been pleased to sup ~ more
moths than candles. Go to- Give 1.-THE pretty
4 Lou.
show! And so, my dear sir, while mater
tamiias bends her black brows IN disgust, we
smile our superior little smile, and extend to
Mistress Anonyma our gracious Endorsement.
And il giddiness is grateful, or il folly /.
friendly well, of course, we can't help that.
Indeed, it rather proves our theory.
| had intended osay something about Hop
kinson; but really there is very little to say.
He was invariably good humored. a few
ladies once tried to show him that he really
ought 10 feel worse than he did about tho
conduct of his wife; aud it is recorded that
llopkinson, in an excess of good hunor and
kindness, promised to do So Indeed, the
good fellow was SO accessible that il is said
young Delaney, of the tape department, con.
lided to llopiinson his jealousy of riynl;
and revealed the awful secret that he de
Lancy) had reason to expect more loyalty |
from his Cllopinson's wife. The good ful-
low is reported to have been very SYM
pathetic, and to have promised Delaney TO
lend whatever influence he had with Mrs |
IopkinSon in his favor. You see, he said
explanatolily TO Delaney, she has good
deal to attend 20 lately, and, I suppose has
got rather carelesS-thut's womenS way But
if cant bring her round I'll speak to Cash
wcr-l'll get him to use his influence with
Mrs Hop So cheer up, my boy; he'll make
it all right
The appearance OF n bouquet on the table
of Mrs Hopkulson was no rare event, never
thelcsS Mr. Gushwler'S was not there Its
hidcouS contrasts had offended her womaus
eye-it is observable shat good taste survives
the wreck Of all the other feminine virtues
am ,I,, bul iii. ,il,,t,l 20,