When in Detroit, he read as much as possible from the public
library.
Once he thought he would begin with number one and read each of the
thousand volumes.
He read until he had finished a long row of hard books on a shelf
fifteen feet long.
Then he made up his mind that anyone would have to live as long as
Methuselah to read a library through, and gave up the plan.
Thomas became interested in telegraphy during the Civil War.
He used to telegraph the headings in his paper ahead one station.
He thought this a good way to advertise.
He finally bought a good book about electricity.
Soon the basement of the house at Port Huron was filled with many
things beside printing presses.
He used stove-pipe wire, and soon had a telegraph wire between the
basement and the home of a boy friend.
Perhaps it was a good thing that all the children in the Edison
family were not like Thomas.
Had they been, the poor old house would scarcely have held them.
But the mother was proud of all that Thomas did.
She did not worry over the bottles, wires, strings, and printing
presses.
About this time Thomas did a brave thing.
The station agent at Mt. Clemens had a baby boy two years old.
This baby crept on to the track in front of a train just coming in.
Quick as thought, young Edison rushed to the track and saved the
child at the risk of his own life.
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