Connecticut western news., 1888-07-18

motestly u'e!ul ono, It Will oo noces- sary to cite few facts. These facts stand for themselves. If they preach anything cannot help it.
 How old memories come crowding upoa me as recall lovely Sunday in June SO far away that I instinctively look in the mirror to sec Eff tho young boy is getting to be m oil boy" and if 'thc hair is growing thia ou the oil boys hoadT was ear:y at tn, office that morning and was copying with the idea of becoming an operator, tho Morse alphabet from "shaffaers Man ual.' So cngrossed was I with my work, and the difficulty I experienced in fixing my chubby fingers around a pen so as to como within speaking dis tance of making tho characters conform to those in Shaffncr, that di | not mo- tice that somo one had entered. A l was desperately struggling with tho letter "J," and inwardly bcwailing my lack of expertness with tho pen, voice which startled me at frst but which recognized at once as Finn's, said: "Hop down off that stool, sonny. aud I'll make you the alphabet" l Iquickly surrendered tho task to the more cxpe- ricnccd fingers of the new comer, who had becn looking over my shoulder, and took my place on tho messen- gsrs' bench. Presently Finn handed mo blank on which the alphabet, nu- morals aud the punctuation points were given, and below them he had written ia his own beautifully flowing chirogra- phy: "James Brady gave mo his pretty black walnut box of quite small size" I bashfully expressed my thanks but my heart was full enough of gratitude to have warranted something better than I said, had I been able to givo utterarce to my feelings. After au- swcring call and taking several mes sages, Finn started me out, saying as I wont to deliver them, "You can practice on that sentence when you have learned to make the letters. It contains all thu characters in the al- phabot-" nave given that little story about Brady aud the small black wal nut box 10 many aspiring youngsters since then. I wonder if any of thcm ever prized it as highly as I did whom it first became a part of my knowledge, and wonder, too, if among that small band of youths some of whom became operators, while others failed in that to suc- cecd afterward in other things, there is ono who ever looked upon mo as half human, half divine parsonage, such as regarded Finn. Probably not. But if thcro be one am much honored man, for nothing can feel for human be- ing will ever excel my enthusiasm for my old telegraphic hero. Even though have seen him ofton of late years un- der circumstances, which, for tho mo- mcnt, bercft him of all his old-time glory, still go on remembering him | bright, dashing and handsome, and am thankful that I can. Old man Finn is the stern reality to nearly all who know him now, but to me be is an abstraction morcly-a reality which goes out of my mind, giving place to my hero of yore the moment ho leaves my presence.
 Before he had gono far On his down. ward course had become an operator, and worked by his side. I remember that in one of his exalted moods he took the color out of my existenc ce for a month or mora by casual obser vation which cqn never forget. Like many young operators, I fancicd, long before had perfected myself in my bu,iness, that had solved the problem. spoke in his presence to that effect one day, and he said, with that charming blunt : rcss which is sometimes the result of an indulgence in stimulant:
 'You will become a dec,nt oporat or, but you arc, of course, frightfu plug now." It cut mo iko knife, but I needed tho lesson. Yours afterward, whom had progressed as far ia tn, tell esraphic art as nature intended should ever go, looked back on those earlier years and felt that Finn was right. l had finally beon taught the bitter lesson which the great Newton confessed to havo learned, and felt that tho little knowledge we acquire is valuable chief. ly as teaching Us the dc ,sity of our ig- norancc.
 Finn's character had humorous vein in it withal. His ability as "re- cciver' was the talk and wonder of tho wholo section in which ho lived and wrought. Ho never broke, his work was accurate, and his pen mauship mar vicious. Oae day an operator wEo copied press on the sam, wire, visited us, and asked George how hc managed to receive report day after day without even breaking. Pointing to primitive contrivanco consisting of two lum boring saunders an l a quick switch fully four feet square, situated on shelf four feet away, and which did duty as a repeater for Worcester, Finn replied dryly: q do sometimes lo;o worl, bat h ,ve to watch that rat trap over there for Worcester's break, and If word slips mo can always spot it before it wig gles through that aged threshing ma. | chine."
 The time came whom Fian could n c longer hold tho responsible position oi night report operator and he went l West