The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-04-10
BY HENRY MONTJOY

q letter which means nothing, and a
moment to put a postscript which
means everything
yBpt, cordieu!" cried De sartines.
there Is no woman In the question. /
told o to watch the Comte de Lussac,
to intercept his letters, and you come
prattling to me OF a w~onlan!"
Monsieur, I have watched him. You
say, monsieur, that there Is nc woman
In the question. DO you not know,
monsieur, that the conte Is In lover"
Il know there Is an affair between
him and that Austrian woman. Though.
from what can make out, they nave
never been alone together, he follows
her like a poodle" " E~sN >N, "
Monsieur, II is more than an 'af-
fair He Is In love with her to the hilt.
To watch him It Is also necessary to
watch her. and to watch her, IL mon
steur Will permit me to say SO, re-
auires better eyes than the eyes OF q
| blind horse"
'You have some meaning behind that
expression? ~ asked De Sartines, look
Ing ixedly at the agent. a..
Monsieur, I Shaya more than "a
meaning. have a complaint"
Yes, monsieur. Three days z you
said TO me. Il put o on the case of
the Cofnte de Lussac. He Is a con-
spirator against the established order,
a friend of Rousseau's, a member, i
suspect, OF the Society Of the Midi.
Watch him 4 a cat; use what meth
DDS you will, but bring me evidence that
he belongs to the society. Bring me
evidence, evidence. eyidence'-those
were your words, monsieur. 1 TOOK up
the case In my W way, and before l
had been working IL hours I found that
II was being hampered by a blind horse
You had let into the case. l refer to
Gaussin."
$50 on" said De Sartines, greatly in
censed by this criticism of his methods
coming from an inferior, but restrain
Ing his temper. ~ .".. ID, aM
Before I had been working IL hours
found this b~lunderer poking his nose
into my business, hanging on the skirts
of Madame Ia Baronne, following her
carriage, and, to crown his stupidity.
trying to make love to her maid and
being received with a broom and a
bucket OF cold water which Placide,
her man servant, iung over him. The
result, monsieur. 10 that as nearly as
possible the affair has been spoiled"
Anything more?' .
Only this. monsieur-Gaussin Is a.
excellent man for the arrest Of market
porters Or p~ickpockets, but In an af-
fair of this sort he Is out OF place"
The truth In these words did not
at all abate the anger Of De Sartines at
the criticism Of his own Judgment
which they contained, but, so complete
lily master Of himself was he that he
showed nothing Of his feelings In the
expression of his face: his manner only
altered: II became freezing. He glanced
at the clock or the mantel, paused for
a moment as IL In thought. and then
said, speaking slowly and distinctly:
TT is now rs minutes past . o'clock,
Monday n 4th' OF May. l give you till
4 O'Clock On Wednesday--that Is. two
day less Ave hours and rs minutes--to
bring me the evidenced seek or to prove
to me definitely that such evidence does
not exist "
rAnd IL l fail. monsieur" a4
you are dismissed from my service
for the insolence' you have just shown
In criticizing my Methods" GE 6
e"And / am to have a free hand. mon
fsieur. and no more Gaussins? 2" asked
Lavenne joyfully, and not seeming, at
all depressed by the final chause.
you will have a free hand"
Lavenne, bowed profoundly and left
the room, while Monsieur le> Comte de
Sartines. turning to his bureau, began
to arrange his private correspondence
for the day, shutting the door Of his
mind on official matters. ~
The position of minister Of police un-
der the regime Of Louis XIV required
very exceptional properties in the man
who held It. To begin with, 1t was
necessary that he should be Of noble
birth, a courtier with all that complex
theory Of etiquet introduced by Louis
XIV at his fingers ends: In astute
politician, for in this age of ferment
high politics had a finger in the pigeon
holes of the bureau of Monsieur dom
breval; a, Imam with an intimate knowl-
l n1oa nf vynnnAns a uyif IN N o. yha1
laughter was as poisonous as strych-
nine. a man OF the world and a logi-
clan: q dandy, yet not above descend
ing into h sewers OF Paris, and. above
all, a man proof against hatred: caring
nothing for the detestation Of the
rogues his agents arrested, OF the shop
keepers he prosecuted for false weight,
of the philosophers he prosecuted for
false opinions, Of the ballad mongers
and literary larvae whose fangs h.
pulled when they grew too. strong
against Madame du Barry, the king. or
the court. w.. w.. .. o.a', !"
Such a man was De Sartines, com
pick and multifaced, smiling today OF
the mar whom he would imprison to-
morrow, with the order of imprison-
ment all the time in his pocket; yet not
at all to be judged by our standards
OF right and wrong. E&
In this bureau at which he sat writ
ing now, among the numerous docu-
ments and dossiers which 1t contained,
were to be found papers relative to
the morals and lives Of most of his
court acquaintances; you can fancy
then. the feelings of these people rub
bling shoulders at court and social
functions with this elegant who was In
himself a living criticism and threat,
and who. though feared, was treated by
therl with scant courtesy--when they
dared. a.. " @<t
AT 1890 Monsieur de Sartines fin
ished his private correspondence and
rose from his chair. His Eyes fell on
the clock, and almost Immediately the
recollection OF Lavenne and his mis-
sion required to him.
"At 4 o'clock on Wednesday" said he.
IF this scamp fails to bring me what
I seek, ne leaves my service. I never
60 back on my word"