"
This proposition was hailed with such satisfaction by the older members
that it immediately became popular, and each boy received his copy
mechanically and gazed at it curiously: but Dirk Colson's thoughts were
turned in a new channel.
"Look here!" he said, detaining Gracie by an imperious inclination of
his head, as she handed him the copy; "how did you make these? didn't
you print them fifteen times? I didn't understand what you said."
"Why no!" said Gracie, "the machine will _manifold_. I'll show you;
come over to the end window; it stands there waiting to be displayed,
and it is a little wonder."
Then they crowded around the type-writer, and Gracie, really proud of
the skill she had acquired in a week's time, showed off the little
wonder to great advantage.
The fact that the type-writer was new to most of the others, that they
were decidedly ignorant as to its working, increased the comfort of the
hour by doing away with the embarrassing feeling that any one of them
was playing a part. Dr. Everett was no more familiar with the
type-writer than was Dirk Colson, and was just as eager to know about
it.
Also everybody, apparently, felt an equally strong desire to write his
name on the marvellous little creature, and each in turn sat down before
it and moved his awkward hands with nearly equal slowness over the keys,
picking out the magic letters.
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