The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1908-11-07
THOSE DUCKS EGGS


forget which," said Harry Kellar, the
magician. II determined 10 open my
show with trick involving ducks
eggs and asked the porter al the hotel
where could procure some
"a very worthy woman sells eggs
within stones throw Of here he
said, In the market place
"And so I went 10 market 10 buy
some eggs. ! found the worthy woman
who dispensed them and asked Il they
were fresh.
Indeed they are. she answered.
breaking one open to prove her words.
1T was the rankest looking egg !
had ever seen, disgusting. greenish
mass. DO you call that "freshr'' I
asked Indignantly.
There are no finer eggs I'm Manila
she retorted warmly. I've been at this
one stand for sixteen years. and you
are the first person who has ever ques-
toned the eggs | sell. They are fine
eggs-good eggs And she turned away
from me, as II wasn't worth talking
TO. -----------
sAnd thought as I walked OF that
II could lie with the perfect grace
born in that woman I'd be the finest
conjurer I'm the world.
THAT afternoon while was driving
with an English friend Of mine re-
counted the circumstance TO him. He
laughed. My dear Harry said he.
you do not know one OF the great deli
cacies OF Manila. There IL no finer en-
tree served than one OF those semide-
cayed eggs. They are just two days
distant from the Matching stage. Then
they are perfect. They are boiled hard.
chopped fine and served. and they're
delicious No one here thinks OF buy
ing what you understand as fresh
eggs Why, I'll drive you now 10
where the eggs are prepared for mar
ket just 10 prove the high esteem in
which these added affairs are held
here
"He drove me along the river Pasig.
about three miles above where II emp
tied into Manila bay. and there for a
mile or two on both banks OF the river
] saw scores Of natives lying on their
bellies, the sun beating down on their
backs.
"'Get up called my friend 20 one Of
them. Up he jumped, and there lay
about two dozen duck eggs. These
fellows, said my friend as we drove
homeward, do nothing but lie In the
sun all day and bring these eggs up
close 20 the Matching point. When
they're properly matured the eggs are
brought 10 market
THAT night / opened my perform
ance I'm the fonda theater. Immediate
ly after the performance we began 10
cover up my conjuring apparatus with
tarpaulins, for every one now said that
the typhoon would be along within the
hour, and indeed hardly had we got
into the street when the roof OF that
theater was taken or as neatly as II II
had been pared or. The last I saw Of
II II was bound in the direction Of
Manila bay.
Luckily our hotel was only two
blocks away. and we made dash for
II through wind. rain and lightning.
But hardly had we got 10 our rooms
when OF went the roof OF the hotel TO
join that OF the theater We stayed
awake ali night. waiting for the hotel
20 be moved somewhere out into the
adjacent country.
But the morning broke beautifully.
and felt so good that / determined 10
have my revenge on my fresh egg wo-
man, who had stood for sixteen years
in the market place. SO made some
little preparations and again went 10
market TO buy eggs.
y FRESH l Queried. picking an egg
from her basket.
"s.She eyed me disdainfully for sec
ond and then said coldly, 4 told you
yesterday ] sold none but fresh eggs
"'will you kindly open this for meT
] asked. passing the egg TO her.
''she broke II open, and out tumbled
the healthlest and most surprised
duckling you ever saw.
'rhe woman's face was study.
That Is the first time In all my life
that any OF my eggs were not good,
she gasped.
"sTry this one said suavely. pick
ing another egg from the basket.
''she broke II open, and out toddled
another downy duckllng. Then her
face grew crimson. She hadn't breath