Something economical must be devised for this part of the plan.

As to the operator on the Akeville side of the creek, Harry intended to
fill that position himself. He had been interested in telegraphy for a
year or two. He understood the philosophy of the system, and had had the
opportunity afforded him by the operator at Hetertown of learning to
send messages and to read telegraphic hieroglyphics. He could not
understand what words had come over the wires, simply by listening to
the clicking of the instrument--an accomplishment of all expert
telegraphers--but he thought he could do quite well enough if he could
read the marks on the paper slips, and there was no knowing to what
proficiency he might arrive in time.

Of course he had no money to buy telegraphic apparatus, wire, etc., etc.
But he thought he could get it. "How does any one build railroads or
telegraphic lines?" he had said to Kate. "Do they take the money out of
their own pockets?"

Kate had answered that she did not suppose they did, unless the money
was there; and Harry had told her, very confidently, that the money was
never there. No man, or, at least, very few men, could afford to
construct a railroad or telegraph line. The way these things were done
was by forming a company.

And this was just what Harry proposed to do.

It was, of course, quite difficult to determine just how large a company
this should be. If it were composed of too many members, the profits,
which would be limited, owing to the peculiar circumstances of the case,