ned it over and over. And often, while engaged in
other duties, he would snatch his notebook from his pocket in order to
outline the new instrument he had in mind and jot down the signs he would
use in sending messages.

It was not long before he had worked out on paper the whole scheme of
transmitting thought over long distances by means of electricity.

And now began twelve toilsome years of struggle to plan and work out
machinery for his invention. All these years he had to earn money for the
support of his three motherless children. So he gave up to painting much
time that he would otherwise have spent upon his invention. His progress,
therefore, was slow and painful, but he pressed forward. He was not the
kind of man to give up.

In a room on the fifth floor of a building in New York City he toiled at
his experiments day and night, with little food, and that of the simplest
kind. Indeed so meagre was his fare, mainly crackers and tea, that he
bought provisions at night in order to keep his friends from finding out
how great his need was.

[Illustration: Modern Telegraph Office.]

During this time of hardship all that kept starvation from his door was
lessons in painting to a few pupils. On a certain occasion Morse said to
one of them, who owed him for a few months' teaching: "Well, Strothers, my
boy, how are we off for money?"

"Professor," said the young fellow, "I am sorry to say I have been
disappointed, but I expect the money next week."

"Next week!" cried his needy teacher; "I shall be dead by next week."

"Dead, sir?" was the shocked response of Strothers.

"Yes, dead by starvation!" was the emphatic answer.

"Would ten dollars be of any service?" asked the pupil, now seeing that
the situation was serious.

"Ten dollars would save my life," was the reply of the poor man, who had
been without food for twenty-four hours. You may be sure that Strothers
promptly handed him the money.

But in spite of heavy trials and many discouragements, he had by 1837
finished a machine which he exhibited in New York, although he did not
secure a patent until 1840.

[Illustration: The Operation of the Modern Railroad is Dependent upon the
Telegraph.]

Then followed a tedious effort to induce the government at Washington to
vote money for his great enterprise. Finally, after much delay, the House
of Representatives passed a bill "appropriating thirty thousand dollars
for a trial of the telegraph."

As you may