The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-02-24
The
Professors Egg
BY HAROLD sINCLAIRE
a. 1871. Western Newspaper Union.I

wandered into the kitchen Of his sum-
mer bungalow, on the Maine shore.
Ills 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 meal for him? He
has to start back tomorrow morn
ing"
Il suppose so, Ferdinand" answered
his wife, little tartly.
Professor Brinckhofen engaged q
rowboat and pulled round to the rail-
road terminal, where he arrived just
in time to greet Doctor Cavendish as
his visitor stepped out Of his car.
well, what did you think of my let
ter?' 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-wholiy skeptical. 1t
sounds too good to be true. If you
had told me that you had discovered
a buried Indian village or dozen
asteroids 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,"
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 mel" 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 clutch Of
eggs surrounded with straw, was
gray hen.
Professor Brinckhofen plunged his
hand into the clutch and drew out the
precious -sg. 1t was a little larger
than that of goose.
Good heavens, Brinckhofen, it is!
1t isl" yelled Doctor Cavendish, and.
carefully replacing it, he seized his
nj fho iSy% thn f1xy<
graybeards executed 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, | want to show
you my laboratory" said Brinckhofen,
! dragging his friend away as soon as
he decently could. They went into
the professors little bare room and
| began discussing the great discovery.
''Of course 1t goes to the museum,
Brinckhofen," said Cavendish. 1T will
be worth thousand dollars to you."
"A thousand dollars!" exclaimed the
professor. "You are joking, Cavendish.
! Why, the egg alone would bring that
at auction"
Eyes, 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 put it there so that
it would hatch? Why, Well have
real live bird, Cavendish. 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 thousand apiece
for those too, and"
Il say" interposed Cavendish. IRE
member 1t isn't Matched yet. II were
you I would tell Mrs. Brinckhofen
about it." =
'"rell Mrs. Brinckhofen! Why, she'd
tell the neighbors and they'd steal it
or do something to it! Never trust a
woman. No, it is safest just where it
is"
They argued with some lack of
equanimity until dinner time, when
Mrs. Brinckhofen elected them into
the dining room. on
Hum! I'm hungry as a BEAR" said
Doctor Cavendish, pulling his napkin
across his knees. "What have we here1
Scrambled eggs2 Finer
II don't know whether you like
scrambled goose eggs," said Mrs.
Brinckhofen. 'They say they're very
nice. found one under our biddy-it
must have been laid by one Of Mr..
Giles geese, for it wasn't there last
time I looked. So / thought that as
we hadn't many eggs I'd try what it
tasted like" =a.
"Woman!" gasped the, professor,
springing to his feet, do you mean to
say you-you scrambled that egg?"
Eyes, DEAR" said Mrs. Brinckhofen
sweetly.