Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-02-15
A.DIsCARDED
AMBITION
By AUGUSTUS G.. SHERWIN
Copyright, 1920, Western Newspaper Ur


The most unfortunate thing. that
: ever happened to Levi Morse was that
during two weeks visit. to the city,
he 'chanced to run across friend who
had started detective agency The;
latter discovered, Or pretended to. dis
cover lin: him rare intultive ability In
the man hunting line: He offered
Levi O half-interesta his business, for
$780,, made. .due impression on his
prospective victim with. the aid ,.a9f
some confederates by working: up g.
case where Levi was allowed. to ap-
parently discover some remarkable
clews and make an arrest, and sent
him home all fired up with the idea
that he was especially born to become
famous sleuth. @
His practical rural.zed wife sat
down on the proposed investment,
lard. '@They are foolIng you, Levi"
she declared. You have no more
predllection for the detective business
than q 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"
Which4Levi 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,
Levi 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 q
bushel locally. You're bound to shine.
Levi" and the latter believed 1t and
hugged the pleasant delusion.
Levi was hanging around the print
ing Office one day when he Glanced to
glance at 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 10y an
electrotype with O proof on top Of
1t. Levi studied the face portrayed
with interest and impressed its main
characteristics on his memory. He
even possessed himself Of o blurred I'M
/ press Of the cut that had been
thrown aside, and thrust 1t into his
pocket. -
'Ill keep my. eyes open," he re-
solved as he left the print shop. "Some-
thing of q feather in my cap and O
big campaign argument If happen to
run across this dangerous criminal at
! large" -
II was the very next day that, about
dusk, near his home, he fixed his
glance upon a man coming down the
road from the electric line station. He
looked respectable enough, well
dressed, and had an intellectual face.
but, ransacking his memory and con-
shifting the blurred proof In his pocket,
Levi could scarcely repress an exult-
ant cry.
"It's hIm!" gloated the embryo mar
shal. 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 this7 unhaDd
mel" sputtered the astonlshed victim
of Lewis rash guesswork. II say"
but Levi was not to be diverted from
his stern purpose. He urged his cnp
tive over to a little brick structure
used as milk cooling room, thrust
him into 1t, slammed the door tightly
shut upon him, locked it, and started
on a run for down town. There was
IF small grated window only. at the
side of,.the building. and at this the
prisoner appeared, pale and expost$
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. lie began searching
for him, went from place to place, and
was In a vast tlutter until long after
dark, when he learned that the offi
cial was on 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 Its door
way he halted and stood rooted ir
sheer amazement. There on the ros
trum was the very man he had incar
cerated in the cooling shed less thar
three hours previous!
1t was we'll that his daughter Alice
Glanced to catch sight of her father
and arose from her seat in the hal
and came somewhat excitedly to him
"Oh pnpa!" she whispered. "Tht
strnngest thing!-a1r. Bertram, TIT
lecturer! Some one assaulted him or
the street and locked him up In
shed on .our place; l let him ont .ant
he invited mamma, and / to the hall
How quperly YOU act !" r.:
And he felt so, tool 1t suhuenl!
| dawned upon Levi that he had com
i mitted most cgregi0us error. It wa!
i natural that the picture Of the yonnG