Year: 1878

Posted conspicuously all along the
corridors of the interior department is
the following notice:


There are no vacancies in this de
partment. Applicants cannot be seen
Applications in writing will be received
and placed oD file for future examina
ton"


Icalled the attention of the venerable
clerk who was showing me around and
giving me lessons in civil service reform
to this notice, and remarked:


~ suppose this is another device go'
up to deceive the peopiea"


ayes, it serves the purpose Of deceiv'
ing applicants to a limited extent, but il
was originally got upfor the benefit Of one
person alone. The history of that notice
is somewhat romantic and would be good
subject for "yaller kiver.'"


urged him to give me the story, which
be did in nearly the following language


THE STORY.


"Some years ago there was young clerk
occupying desk near the entrance to the
building. He was rather reckless in his
character, fond of Joke and loved an ad-
venture better than he loved wine, which
is SAYING good deal. One day young
girl, well dressed, and about sixteen,
entered his room and asked il he was
the secretary Of the interior. He saw
at glance that she was q simple-minded
country girl, and wondering what she
could want with the secretary deter
mined to tindout all about it,and prompt
ly replied 10 the affirmative. She there
upon told him shat she had recently been
left an orphan and among strangers
that her fathers estate, which was consid-
cradle before the war, had been swept
away; and that she WAS penniless and
Obliged to support herself She had o
good education and wrote fair hand,
and hearing that situations in the de-
partment we're frequently filed by ladies
she had determined to apply for one her
self.


1.-THE clerk ascertained that she had no
backing, hut that in her simplicity OF
mind had come here thinking that no
such thing was necessary. He there
fore decided upon line of action, infam-
Gus in design, and disastrous in its conse-
quences. Still carrying the idea that
he was the secretary, be ascertained her
stopping place, and agreed to consider
her application and call that evening
to inform her of the result. He also eau.
toned her, on some specious pretext,
against talking with others on the sub
ject of her business. He called at the
time appointed, and, telling her that
there was no vacancies at present, ad-
vised her to take lodgings somewhere
and wait, promising her the fret place
when vacancy occurred. She took his
advice, and the result can easily be
imagined. It was the old, old story.
Of course she never got the situation
promised, but was put of from day to
day and month to month on various pre-
texts, until finally, by change of ad-
ministration, he lost his own situation.


overwhelmed by the loss of his po-
sition and the consciousness Of the infa-
my of his conduct towards the poor
girl, he shrsnk from telling her the
truth; and fearing the consequences Of
his guilt should become known, he re-
solved to conceal his crime by still
further deception. To this end he wrote
her note, telling her that he had sud.
denly been called to Europe on import.
ant business connected with the de.
partment, but that he had left orders to
have q place given her as soon as va.
cancy occurred; that in the meantime
she could always tell whether situation
was open to her by looking at the notices
pasted on the walls 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 de-
parture and filled with foreboding of
impending evil, she wended her way to
the department on her first visit of re-
connoisance. She saw the notices, and,
overcome with dependency, she, for the
first time, yentured to disObey the in
structions she had received Entering
the office where she first met her de.
ceiver, months before, she inquired for the
secretary of the Interior. She was
shown TO his room and there the whole
secret came out. The scene in that office
when the kind-hearted secretary re-
vealed the truth can never be described.
Suffice il TO say, she was conducted from
that room utterly broken in mind and