nsidered
growing beans？” she asked me。
My father； however； understood that you can't refuse to do your teacher's assignment； and
he promised to help。 “An incubator's not difficult to
build。 We'll make one after dinner。”
How my father knows exactly where things are in our garage is one of the wonders of the
universe。 How he knew about incubators； however； was
revealed to me while he was drilling a one…inch hole in an old scrap of Plexiglas。 “I raised a
duck from an egg when I was in high school。” He
grinned at me。 “Science fair project。”
“A duck？”
“Yes； but the principle is the same for all poultry。 Keep the temperature constant and the
humidity right； turn the egg several times a day； and in a
few weeks you'll have yourself a little peeper。”
He handed me a lightbulb and an extension cord with a socket attached。 “Fasten this through
the hole in the Plexiglas。 I'll find some
……… Page 31………
thermometers。”
“Some？ We need more than one？”
“We have to make you a hygrometer。”
“A hygrometer？” “To check the humidity inside the incubator。 It's just a thermometer with wet
gauze around the bulb。”
I smiled。 “No mushy chick disease？”
He smiled back。 “Precisely。”
By the next afternoon I had not one； but six chicken eggs incubating at a cozy 102 degrees
Fahrenheit。 “They don't all make it； Juli；” Mrs。 Brubeck
told