Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1920-05-21
ADIsCARDED
AMBITION,
ABy AUGUSTUS c. sHERWIN
,pyright. 1920, western Newspaper Unic


The most unfortunate thing that
ever happened to Levi Morse was that
during a two weeks visit to the city
he CHANGED to run across friend VINO
had started q detective agency. Inc
latter discovered, or pretended to dls-
cover in him rare intuitive ability IN
the man hunting line. He offered
Levi a half-interest in his business Tor
$500, made a due impression on his
prospective victim with the aid OF
some confederates by working up
case where Levi was allowed to ap-
parently discover some remarkable
clews and make an arrest, and sent
him home all fred up with the idea
that he was especially born to become
a famous sleuth.
His practical ruraliZed wife sat
down on the proposed investment,
hard. "They are foollng you, Levi"
she declared. You have no more
prediction for the detective business
| than a babe. Besides, all the capital
invested in our. little dairy farm here
is mine, and I'll not see you waste it.
Drop the. idea"
Which Levi did, but reluctantly. He
had caught the detective fever good
and strong. He never passed the
town marshal but he envied his dig
nifty and power, and when the local pa
per, published by an old friend, men
toned his name as probable candi-
date for marshal at the next election,
Leyi fondly dreamed.
'You see," said the editor to Levi
one day, "your wife may object to
your becoming a city detective, but she
shouldn't hide your ability under
bushel locally. You're bound to shine,
Levi" and the latter believed it and
Rugged the pleasant delusion.
Levi was hanging around the print
ing office one day when he CHANGED to
glance at a fresh proof of an item
announcing the escape of one Dan
DAILY from the state penitentiary
A liberal reward was offered for his
apprehension. Just beside it lay an
electrotype with proof on top OF
it. Levi studied the face portrayed
with interest and impressed its main
| characteristics on his memory. He
even possessed himself Of blurred.im-
press of the cut that had been
thrown aside, and thrust 1t into his
pocket.
,"Pll keep my eyes open," he re-
solved as he left the print shop. Some
thing of feather in my cap and a
big campaign argument if | happen to
run across this dangerous criminal at
large"
1t was the very next day that, about
dusk, near his home, he fixed his
glance upon man coming down the
road from the electric line station. He
looked respectable enough, we'll
dressed, and had an intellectual face,
but, ransacking his memory and con-
sulting the blurred proof in his pocket,
Levi could scarcely repress an exult-
ant cry.
"It's him!' gloated the embryo mar
shall. ooh, what luck! Now to nab
him." and getting behind the >unsus-
pecting wayfarer, Levi suddenly seized
him by the collar and ran him through
the gateway of his own yard.
"Zounds! What is this? finland
met" sputtered the astonished victim
of Lewis rash guesswork. Il say"
but Levi was not to be diverted from
his stern purpose. He urged his cap
tive over to little brick structure
used as milk cooling room, thrust
him into it, slammed the door tightly
shut upon him, locked it, and started
on run for down town. There was
a small grated window only at the
side of the building, and at this the
prisoner appeared, pale and expostu-
lating, but it was too small for the
captive to get through so Levi felt
secure as to his retention.
Levi made for the Office of the mar
shall to impart to him the news OF
his remarkable catch, but the latter
was not there. He began searching
for him, went from place to place, and
was in a vast flutter until long after
dark, when he learned that the Off
cial was on a temporary visit to the
next town and would return on the
nine o'clock train. To put in the time
he dropped into the library hall, where
a lecture was in progress. At It's door
way he halted and stood rooted in
sheer amazement. There on the ros-
trum was the very man he had incar-
cerated in the cooling shed less than
three hours previous!
1t was well that his daughter Alice
CHANGED to catch sight of her father
and arose from her seat in the hall
and came somewhat excitedly to him.
aOh, papa!" she whispered. ''The
strangest thing!-Mr. Bertram, the
lecturer! Some one assaulted him on
the street and locked him up in "a
shed on our place. let him out and
The invited mamma and to the hall.
How queerly you act!"
And he felt So too! 1t suddenly
dawned upon Levi that he had COM
mitted a most egregious error. 1t was
natural that the picture of the young
and rising lecturer should appear in
the newspaper, and he had taken the
cut proof haphazard for that Of the
! escaped convict.
Delaney Bertram never knew that
itwas the father Of Alice, with whom
he proceeded to fall in love, who had