The Square Egg Summary

"The Square Egg" begins with a "badger's view" of the military front. There is a description of the wasteland that military conflicts create. The author says that the soldier who has been in the wilderness is relieved to find shelter in a bombed-out building that provides even rudimentary shelter. One day the author encounters a man who tells him the story of a business enterprise. The man had found a hen who laid eggs that were not quite round. He began to travel in search of similar hens and selectively bred chickens until he had a strain that laid eggs that are almost perfectly square. Some people purchased them as an oddity but soon realize that the eggs are preferable to round eggs which roll around. He says that he has a thriving business but that his aunt is...