The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-07
| A MENT TALL
| MISCHANCEl |
| By THOMAS 7. ANDERSON
(Copyrlght, by shortstory Pub. @.

(Copyright, by Shortstory Pub. Coz
Albert Reeves could never fix the
exact date when he discovered that
he was mind reader. Whether he
had been born with the power or had
been suddenly endowed with II by
some unexplainable agency will prob.
ably always remain mystery. But
this much is certain
He was yet comparatively new tc
this world and its wicked ways when
the fullness of the mysterious power
was upon him, and was not yet 20
when he began to put it to practical
money.making use.
Young Reeves first utilized his
unique gift in this manner as an anna.
teur detective, with the same success
as when, a few years earlier. he had
been able to divine the intentions of
his school.teacher toward him in the
matter of corporal punishment, by
getting that worthy's mind in occulta.
tion with his own.
Naturally, his detective career was
wonderful success. Indeed, he might
have achieved the fame of a Byrnes
and Vidocq in one had he chosen to
remain in that profession, for he had
the advantage over all other detec.
tives in that he was enabled not only
to read the thoughts of a guilty man
but to diagnose the mind of a man
who had not committed a crime but
was planning to.
But in spite of his phenomenal sue.
cess, the detective business palled
upon young Reeves before he had
been in It two years. Besides, his in.
clinations had always pointed to
newspaper work. Within three days
after he made known his proposed
change of calling, Reeves received
five tempting offers from as many big
dailies.
After a weeks deliberation Reeves
accepted position as special writer
on the city staff of metropolitan
daily, where he was welcomed as a
unique and valuable addition to mod
ern journalism. In his position as
star reporter he rose almost at a
bound to the position of the leading
newspaper man of his time In less
than two months he gained n reputa.
tion for phenomenal scoops" And
this reputation he won in the simplest
possible way.
He had only to 90 to any man, no
matter how high in official station or
now taciturn and reserved and by
simply getting his subjects thoughts
.Xed upon the desired topic, could
drag from him, without his knowledge
the fullest details of the affair.
Statesmen and cabinet officials
With weighty secrets of the greatest
public importance locked up, as they
thought, in their own minds, were as
Easy prey for him as the bank cashiers
used to be when he was a detective.
Reeves had worked on like this for
about a year, gaining new laurols d%y
after day and getting his salary
doubled as regularly as the month
went by, when he awoke one day from
tis absorption in his profession TO the
fact that he was aCcumulating gold
as well as glory. TO his savings In the
detective service he had added during
the past year everything except his
very modest living expenses. And he
now found himself the possessor of the
nest egg for fortune. With this dis.
covery new idea flashed into his
busy brain. Why not take advantage
Of his great mental power and make
himself second Morgan or Rocke,
feller by watching the big deals in the
stock market? If insiders who were
not mind readers could make princely
fortunes out of their knowledge, why
couldn't he?
The idea had no sooner suggested
itself than he put It into practice.
II worked like a charm.
All he had to do was to walk into
the offices of any of the big men who
change the railroad map or the in.
dustrial situation TO suit themselves,
and talk pleasantly about the weather,
or the crops, or the prospects of this
or that stock.
Then If, on the occasion of such
visits, any of these great manipula-
tors had big scheme on hand, Reeves
quickly became an ''insider" on his
own invitation and bought or sold
stocks as the case demanded.
In less than six weeks he was in
dependently wealthy, forging ahead of
all the younger financiers as easily as
he had outrivaled his journalistic col.
leagues.
One day about two months after this
newest young Napoleon of finance en-.
tered upon his Wall street career, he
became convinced that deal" of
more than ordinary proportions was
on foot. He tested a dozen big men
of his financial acquaintance-for he
was able now to give even big men
valuable tips asionally-without
getting any satisfactory clew, and
finally decided that a certain we'll
known financier who seemed to be
on the minds of those whom Reeves
had sounded, was the man he wanted
to get at. As II happened, Reeves
was on specially friendly terms with
this fnancier, who was of somewhat
literary turn of mind, and liked moth
ing better than to discuss the degener.
ocJ oF iourualiam and kindred tonics