He worked over it that day and far into the night.

His vivid imagination leaped into the future, brushing aside all obstacles, and he realized that here in his hands was an instrument capable of working inconceivable good.

He recalled the days and weeks of anxiety when he was hungry for news of his loved ones; he foresaw that in affairs of state and of commerce rapid communication might mean the avoidance of war or the saving of a fortune; that, in affairs nearer to the heart of the people, it might bring a husband to the bedside of a dying wife, or save the life of a beloved child; apprehend the fleeing criminal, or commute the sentence of an innocent man.

His great ambition had always been to work some good for his fellow-men, and here was a means of bestowing upon them an inestimable boon.
After several days of intense application he disclosed his plan to Mr.
Rives and to others.

Objections were raised, but he was ready with a solution.