Why would she humor him? And wouldn’t he know she’s humoring him?
She’s playing him, and yes, he’s so smart he doesn’t know when he’s being played.
“Why would she humor him”
It made him stop and go away.
She’s playing along. That’s something Mrs. Olsen doesn’t usually do, but since they’re outside of school grounds and outside of school hours, she figures it won’t hurt to show her playful side for once.
…and Caulfield might be hiding an ace up his sleeve here. Seeing that Mrs. Olsen is willing to play along, he says that he’ll have to take the Spring-O-Scope home and calibrate it there for six to eight weeks. That makes sense to Mrs. Olsen, who is used to waiting for mail-order products back in the olden days. But there’s a catch hidden in Caulfield’s wording: HE’LL have to take it home and calibrate it THERE for SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS.
In other words, Caulfield intends to take the rest of winter off from school, and Mrs. Olsen is unwittingly giving him permission to do so.
Caufield takes it home, calibrates (waits) six to eight weeks, brings it back, whereupon Mrs. Olsen looks through it and sees spring. Well, duh.
Yeah, I agree, she’s just playing along for s***s and giggles. He, being a young person, is naive enough to think he’s getting one over on her.
J-L – “waiting for mail order in the olden days”? As opposed to waiting for delivery of online ordered items now?
Comics I Don't Understand 
She’s humoring him.
Where can I get one of those?
Why would she humor him? And wouldn’t he know she’s humoring him?
She’s playing him, and yes, he’s so smart he doesn’t know when he’s being played.
“Why would she humor him”
It made him stop and go away.
She’s playing along. That’s something Mrs. Olsen doesn’t usually do, but since they’re outside of school grounds and outside of school hours, she figures it won’t hurt to show her playful side for once.
…and Caulfield might be hiding an ace up his sleeve here. Seeing that Mrs. Olsen is willing to play along, he says that he’ll have to take the Spring-O-Scope home and calibrate it there for six to eight weeks. That makes sense to Mrs. Olsen, who is used to waiting for mail-order products back in the olden days. But there’s a catch hidden in Caulfield’s wording: HE’LL have to take it home and calibrate it THERE for SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS.
In other words, Caulfield intends to take the rest of winter off from school, and Mrs. Olsen is unwittingly giving him permission to do so.
Caufield takes it home, calibrates (waits) six to eight weeks, brings it back, whereupon Mrs. Olsen looks through it and sees spring. Well, duh.
Yeah, I agree, she’s just playing along for s***s and giggles. He, being a young person, is naive enough to think he’s getting one over on her.
J-L – “waiting for mail order in the olden days”? As opposed to waiting for delivery of online ordered items now?