"Seems to me," said Mr. Grinnell one morning, "that you have carried that on your shoulders about long enough. Howard should attend to his business without prompting. It did very well at first, but the time has come when he must be held responsible for the prompt discharge of the duty, else take away the privilege. Howard!"
"Sir?" responded the boy, turning back on his way to the barn.
"After this you are not to be reminded of your work, and if the hens are not cared for before breakfast, I will do it myself, and you will not have any benefit from the eggs, either in money or as food; it will be some little extra trouble for your mother, but you will be provided with food prepared without eggs unless you are faithful to your trust."
"Yes, sir." And Howard went on his way. I do not think he made any resolutions; he thought it would be easy enough to attend to the duty as required, and gave himself up to the examination of a weed which had sprung up in the yard and which was a new one to him. The next morning he remembered the hens, but the second morning though remembering he thought of something he wished to hunt up in the cyclopædia, and stopped in the library until the breakfast bell rang.
For breakfast there was ham and eggs, and corn muffins. Howard was a little surprised when his father passed him a plate with only a potato on it. He was about to remonstrate, when he caught the significant look on his mother's face, and remembered the compact. He wisely made the best of it and decided that he would try a bowl of bread and milk.
After breakfast Mr. Grinnell fed the hens, and at night he brought in the eggs, saying to his wife:
"I would like some boiled eggs for supper; as Bridget is away, we can get along very well with bread and butter and eggs. Didn't I see you making a sponge cake this morning?"
"Yes." Then they both laughed, but Mr. Grinnell sobered immediately and said:
"It is rather hard on the boy when he is so fond of eggs, but it is quite time he had a lesson. His dilatory habits will be a hindrance to his success as long as he lives unless he is cured."
Now, privately, I do not believe that Mr. or Mrs. Grinnell enjoyed their supper of boiled eggs and sponge cake. I know the mother would much rather have eaten dry bread and given the boy her supper, but she and her husband chatted over the meal as if everything were quite as usual. Howard ate his bread and butter, missing the canned fruit which Mrs. Grinnell remarked she thought they could do without as they had the extra indulgence of boiled eggs. Now I do not suppose any of you boys are surprised to hear that Howard, after asking to be excused some time before his father and mother were through with their supper, banged the door slightly as he left the room.