Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-05-13
The
Professors Egg
By HAROLD SINCLAIRE
1921, Western Newspaper Union'I

W. 49A4s MGSANA
Professor Ferdinand Brinckhofen
wandered into the kitchen OF his SUM
mer bungalow, on the Maine shore'
His wife was washing the dinner
dishes,
ELLEN, my dear" he said, doctor
Cavendish of the Natural History
museum will be here this afternoon.
Can you get up a meal for him! lie
has to start back tomorrow morn
ing"
Il suppose so, Ferdinand" answered
his wife, d little tartly.
Professor brinckhofen engaged a
rowboat and pulled round to the rail-
road terminal, where he arrived just
in time to greet Doctor Cavendish as
his visitor stepped u of his car.
well, what did you think of my let
teri" he asked, after the customary
greetings had been interchanged.
Doctor Cavendish took his friend
by the arm. MY dear old enthusiast"
he answered, Ito be frank with you,
l am skeptical-wholly skeptical. 1t
sounds too good to be true. If you
had told me that you had discovered
a buried Indian village or a dozen
asteroids l would have accepted your
word without question. But a great
auk's egg-nO, my friend. You have
probably mistaken the egg of a
crested grebe or tufted putin for that
of the aux"
But the great aux did range as far
south as Maine in the last century y
cried the professor.
"What does Mrs. Brinckhofen think
Of it?'
''She doesn't know anything about
it, of course. l don't believe in tell
ing my wife a professional secret.
And the joke of it is"-he nudged
Cavendish in the ribs-"it's incubat-
ing with a clutch of eggs that she set
out last week under one of our hens.
1t couldn't be safer anywhere"
"Show me !" said Cavendish, skep-
tically.
They climbed the hill and entered
the little garden of the bungalow. In
one corner was the henhouSe and, in
the center, seated upon a clutch of
eggs surrounded with straw, was a
gray hen.
Professor Brinckhofen plunged his
hand into the clutch and drew out the
precious So. 1t was a little larger
than that of a goose.
Good heavens, Brinckhofen, it is !!
1t isl" yelled Doctor ~Cavendish, and,
carefully replacing it, he seized his
friend round the waist and the two
graybeards executed a dance.
Mrs. Brinckhofen watched them out
of the kitchen window.
She sat down and meditated upon
the subject until the men came in.
Then she welcomed Doctor Cavendish
with smiles.
Come, Cavendish, l want to show
you my laboratory" said Brinckhofen.
dragging his friend away as Don as
he decently could. They went into
the professors little pare room and
began discussing the great discovery.
"Of course it goes to the museum,
Brinckhofen," said Cavendish. 1T will
be worth a thousand dollars to you"
"a thousand dollars!" exclaimed the
professor. You are joking, C%avendish.
Why, the egg alone would bring that
at auction"
"Yes, yes, I'm speaking about the
egg," said Doctor Cavendish irritably.
what are you speaking about?"
"Why, the aux, of course. Don't
you know that l put it there SO that
it would hatch? Why, Well have a
real live bird, Cavendish. l shall sell
it to the Geological society, and I'll
patch up the egg after it has Matched
out, and I'll let you have that for a
thousand. And the bird will lay more
eggs, and I'll get a thousand apiece
for those too. and"
II say" interposed Cavendish, ire
member it isn't Matched yet. If l We're
you I would tell Mrs. B%rinckhofen
about it,"
"Tell Mrs. Brinckhofen! Why, she'd
tell the neighbors and they'd steal it
or do something to it! Never trust a
woma No, it is safest just where il
is"
They argued with some lack OF
%equanimity until dinner time, when
Mrs. Brinckhofen elected them into
the dining room.
Hum! I'm hungry as a bear" said
Doctor Cavendish, pulling his napkin
across his knees. "What have we here
Scrambled eggs? Fine!"
81 don't know whether you like
scrambled goose eggs" said Mrs
B%rinckhofen. "They say they're very
nice. l found n under our biddy-it
must have been laid by one of Mr.
Giles geese, for it wasn't there last
time l looked. So 1 thought that a:
we hadn't many eggs I'd try what il
tasted like"
"Womanw gasped the professor
springing to his feet, do you mean tS
say you-you scrambled that egg?"