Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-09-19
A Man With
Ambitions
By M. QUAD
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1912. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

1t was hot day, and Abe Shreter
sat on a chair under the awning OF
SINNERS grocery with his feet on the
head Of barrel and his head nodding
with drowsiness. Colonel Harper. who
had come into town and left his mule
hitched in front Of the postoffice, came
along on his way to the drug store and
halted to say:
That 20. Abe? | declar' to good
ness but | didn't know yo' at first
sight. Powerful hot day In town"
Bless me. kurnel. bless me" ex.
claimed Abe in reply as he slowly low.
cred his legs to give tho colonel the
benefit of the barrel. Il was jest
a-thinking about yo'. kurnel-jest
a-thinking and a-pondering. How's
con a-getting on this weather.
Ought to be little mo- rain. meb.
be. but con isn't looking tall bad
And nevis hold their own, | reck-
on to consider"
"Jest about hold their own. AbeT
That's good. kurnel II can't hold
my own I'm still glad to see other
folks do it. Things are looking up q
bit for me. however. These yere Pike
county scandaliZers seem to have got
tired of throwing me down and jump
ing on my head. and mebbe I'll get
chance to draw a long breath. Dawg-
gone folks who amt willing for other
folks to get along! Has Pike county
ever extended her hand to help me
climb up?''
Reckon not, Abe"
mo. sub; no. sub. 'cept by one soil
tary human being whose name is Kur-
mel Harper.
when the wah ended | run for Of.
fee same as all the rest They owed
me an office for having laid down my
life for my country, but what was my
reward? Kurnel Harper. l reckon yo'
can remember that was knocked out
-h'lsted twenty feet high-snowed un-
der till y0' couldn't see the top of my
hat. That's the way Pike county en-
couraged me to grab hold with both
hands and climb to the top"
Yes, ] remember about that" mus
ed the colonel as he watched a dog
street.
Then turned to law" continued
Abe as he hitched the chair over to
get brace for his feet on a post Of
the veranda. "Kurnel Harper, nobody
on the face Of this big earth will ever
know how | pinched and saved and
starved and worked to get that law
business down to fine point.
"Waal. got to be a lawyer. Then
what? l wanted practice. l finally
got case and went into court with 1t,
but the pesky jury was lying in am
bush to throw me down. Yes. sub.
had the. pnhtiest, incest. cleanest case
yo' ever heard tell Of, and that jury
was bound by law and evidence to
bring in verdict for me. but got
the cold flop instead They brought
my client In guilty of stealing hawg
when he was thirty miles away at
the time at the bedside of his dying
mother. Do yo' call that encouraging
young man, kurnel? Was that Civ
ing me show to climb upT'
Cant skassly call 1t that, Abe. but
II l remember right they found fresh
pork In yo'r clients house"
They found meat there. Of co'se,
but was 1t the meat of that yere
hawg or some other? They never
stopped to consider. kurnel-jest throw
ed the verdict agin me in order to
crush me out Same way In the sec
ond case and the third and 10th. No
matter how many witnesses l had or
how plain | made my case, 40 Pike
county jury would find for me, How
many times have yo' to flop a young
man. Kurnel Harper. to kill off his
ambition and take the fight out Of
himT
"'Bont TO- times. l reckon
Jest about TO times, kurnel After
that 10th flop realized that Pike
county was agin me as lawyer. and
l went into politics. There l was flop
ped ag'in. | took to the lecture plat
form, and how many times did lee
ture? Jest once. kurnel Then came
the top.'
But yo' won't have to go to work,
will 20. AbeT' queried the colonel.
with a tinge Of sarcasm in his voice.
Never In this world. kurnel; never
In this world. That's what Pike couu-
ty wants to drive me into. but she shall
never succeed I've got ideas, sub
ideas. I've got a scheme for putting
mo- water In whisky and thus doubling
! production I've invented a bar'l with
To- bungholes instead of two. I've got
a horseshoe with spring to it to help
start the horse of. I've got a scheme
to do away with all doorknobs and
save $30,OOO.OOO year. I've got a
scheme to make all forks with two
tines only and thus save every house
hold $40 year. I've got fo'ty different
good things to work on, kurnel Har-
per. and I'm telling yo' I'll vet see the
day l can buy and sell this crowd
that's trying to keep me down. I'll do
II for shore. kurnel-do It for shore"
"a reckon yo' will. Abe. Leastwise,
never saw yo' so stirred up befo