Ben Price is motivated by the same feelings that most of the readers of the story experience. They are happy to see Jimmy Valentine going straight and prospering. They understand what a sacrifice he is making when he exposes his safecracking tools and goes to work expertly breaking into the supposedly state-of-the-art impregnable bank vault to save the life of the hysterical little girl trapped inside. Ben Price is not a government detective but a private investigator who probably works for the big firm of Pinkerton's Detective Agency. As such, he is not obligated to arrest Jimmy but can use his own discretion. He sees that Jimmy is a changed man and feels certain, as do the readers, that Jimmy will never be a threat to society again, but instead will be a good family man and a pillar of the community. So Ben pretends not to recognize Ralph Spencer as Jimmy Valentine and lets him retrieve his reformation. This is a surprise ending. It is also quite satisfying to O. Henry's readers.
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