t failure. Leave it to me," said
Cornell.

He turned to his men. The machine was slowly moving forward,
drawn by a team of eight mules, depositing pipe as it went.
A section had just been laid. Night was at hand.

"Hurry up, boys," cried Cornell, cheerily. "We must lay
another length before we quit."

He grasped the handles of his plough-like machine; the
drivers stirred up the mules to a lively pace; the
contrivance went merrily forward. But the cunning pilot knew
what he was about. He steered the buried point of the
machine against a rock that just protruded from the earth.
In an instant there was a shock, a sound of rending wood and
iron, a noise of shouting and trampling; and then the line
of mules came to a halt. But behind them were only the ruins
of a machine. That moment's work had converted the
pipe-laying contrivance into kindling-wood and scrap-iron.

The public condoled with the inventor. It was so unlucky
that his promising progress should be stopped by such an
accident! As for Morse and his cunning associate, they
smiled quietly to themselves as they went on with their
experiments. Another kind of pipe was tried. Still the
current would not go through. A year passed by. Experiment
after experiment had been made. All had proved failures.
Twenty-three thousand dollars of the money had been spent.
Only seven thousand remained. The inventor was on the verge
of despair.

"I am afraid it will never work," said Cornell. "It looks
bad for the pipe plan."

"Then let us try the other," said Morse. "If the current
won't go underground, it may be coaxed to go above-ground."

The plan suggested was to string the wire upon poles,
insulating it from the wood by some non-conductor. A
suitable insulator was needed. Cornell devised one; another
inventor produced another. Morse approved of the latter,
started for New York with it to make arrangements for its
manufacture, and on his way met Professor Henry, who knew
more about electricity than any other man in the country.
Morse showed him the models of the two insulators, and
indicated the one he had chosen. Mr. Henry examined them
closely.

"You are mistaken," he said. "That one won't work. This is
the insulator you need." He pointed to Cornell's device.

In a few words he gave his reasons. Morse saw that he was
right. The Cornell insulator was chosen And now the work
went forward with great rapidity. The planting of poles, and
stringing of wires over a gl