The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-31

~ stood carelcssIy at the side of &
the running tape in goll-tickcr ES
Office of New York, idly watching the t&s
stream Of quotations as il flowed Sud- lEs
denly with terrific zi-i-p, the appa- lE
ratns stopped. In an instant, the street lE8z
was in Il tumut. Messenger boys flew lE@
wildly here and there, ana blockadcd HES
he doors of the main Office by hun IE4z
drcdS rainly seeking some one who EaH
could repair the instruments in many lE
Offices and start the necessary ticker Ass
again. The people in charge of the ap- IAS
mraius were paralyzed by ignorancr. ls
Here was catastrophe that ctrcctuallv I
checked business and not a soul about IESs
the place had the smallest idea what IE%R
TO do. lEe
The scrious-cycd young man stepped EEA
up to the operator in charge. 81 think lE
! know what's the matter" he said in lE3
Il low tone. 81 can fix it, if you want IE4
TO-" lfS4
The operator turned and looked at l
the boyiSh speaker. lie saw a keen lEF
faced. smiling lad with a set Jaw and lf4
Visionary eyes Just then the face was IBes
thin and peaked with hunger but the IES
operator didn't see that far. lie hcavcd |Eas
IL mighty sigh Of relief. lEE
'FiN it, he ordered brienv-"if Won lb88
can" IE
So Tommy Edison, twcnyonc cap IESSss
able-lookin", confident and scrios-cvcd lEAs
stopped over the apparatus aud removed IE@
Il loose contact spring from where il HE
had fallen between the wheels. When
he Strengthened up, the ticker began 10 -
"""" as rapidly as before, and a grn- L.
cral exodus Of the messengers com
mcnccd. Tommy Edison, still smiling
turned toward the door
lie never got there: for that in
SAINTS work brought him the offer to take
charge of the service at n salary of thrce hun.
drcd dollars month II seemed the most mar
nllcent dream in The world He had been park
ing II, sleeping on benches or under the shadow
OF friendly tree for seven nights and living in
the daytime on dollar he managed 10 borrow
from friendly operator. With his three hun
dred dollar salary, however, the world began &c
look pretty bright to the cN-ncwSboy and tcl,
graph operator and before long he was hard
al work thinking out improvements on stock
tickcrs.
He kept right on with these improvements
for months, the company using such of his in
N'h'ions us were praci icablc and gaining an op
1ion on others Then day the president OF
the Gold and Stock Telegraph Companr sent for
him, and began 10 talk about a settlement fo1
all the various devices that The company had
adopted
What will you take for all the improve
ments we have uscd?" he asked Edison
The young mans knees shook under him lie
knew well enough what he wanted. but he lackcd
The courage 10 ask il. lie wanted five thousand
dollars. How he wanted it, He thought of al
me tools, implements and mechanical appliances
that five thousand would buy, but his ton~u,
SIMPLY refused to utter the words. He didn't
know whether ne might he asking four Thousand
100 much, or whether he might be risking not
getting anything at all. But suddenly the prcs
dent demanded
llow would forty thousand dollars do?"
49, Tommy Edison gaspcd. lie couldn't help il
lhcrc were queer, bury lights before his ewes
and the room seemed 10 WAIVER and shake But
as soon as his canny Scotch blood got control
he managed to answer in voice as cool as the
presidents own:
guess that will be all right"
lie felt millionaire How he rot ont nj
mat room he never knew, but he couldn't wait tc
&c. 10 me bank and draw the money, that he