Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1921-08-10
The
Professor Egg
. e By HAROLD sINcLAIRE !
(@. 1921. Western Newspapers Union


His wife was washing the dinner
dishes. 5:-<. ..ss.. -: !. -. :"
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" - ~. ;
II suppose so. Ferdinand" answered
his wife, 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 out 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,
1 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 woulG lave accepted your
word without question. But a great
auk's egg-no, my friend. You have
probably mistaken the egg of
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
1t, Of course. I don't believe in tell
Ing my wife a professional secret.
And the joke of it, ts"-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 Cayendish. skep-
tically.
They climbed the hill and entered
the little garden Of the bungalow. In
one corner was the henhouse and, in
eggs surrounded with straw, was a
gray hen.
Professor Brinckhofen plunged his
hand into the clutch and drew out the
precious egg. It 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
friend round the waist and the two
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, Cavendlsb, 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 I put it there so that
It would hatch? Why, Well have a
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 q thousand apiece
for those too, and"
II say" interposed Cavendish, ire
member it isn't Matched yet. If were
you would tell Mrs. Brinckhofen
about it."
"Tell Mrs. Brinckhofen! Why, she'd
tell the neighbors and they'd steal it
or do something to it! Never trust
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.
= Hum! I'm hungry as BEAR" said
Doctor Cavendish, pulling his napkin
across his knees. "What have we here?
Scrambled eggs? Fine!"
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" ::
woman" gasped the professor,
springing to his feet, do you mean to
say you-you scrambled that egg?"
eyes, DEAR" said Mrs. Brinckhofen
sweetly. x: u -. ~. .
Chinese Moon Feast.