I had, and fetched them.
“Now,” said he, “look at that one, four dark and one light; look at this, four light and one dark; and at this, six light mottled, and one among them with a few black spots.”
I had to admit that it seemed true.
“True,” said he, “of course it’s true. Didn’t I tell you that I was the odd egg myself?”
“Well, one of you had to be the odd egg, I suppose?”
“Wrong again,” said he. “What you don’t seem to realize is, that the odd egg is nearly always addled; in my case it wasn’t.”
“Then, in your case,” said I, “there was one more mouth to feed than your parents expected. How did they take it?”
“Mother kept it quiet as long as she could,” said he.
“And father?”
“Father didn’t find out for a day or two, and when he did, he pushed one of my brothers over the side of the nest—he did holler for his life!”