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Show The Cold Storage Baby 1 By EVA U OGDEN 'Copyright, by Shortslory Pub. Co.) , H In the summer of 1892, tho holr of Iho proporty ot which I wns In charge camo down trom Canada to talk ovor matters with mo nnd rccolvo somo ot tho articles ln my custody. Wo mado nn Inventory of these, and somn ho packed In his satchel along with his law books, to carry back with him. 8omo, however, ho decided to lenvo with mo until certain questions rela-tlvo rela-tlvo to their disposal should be settled. set-tled. Among theso articles wns a stnnll but valuablo diamond In n green velvet curo. Ho Informed mo thnt thero was somo dlsputo about tbo tltlo to this Jowel, and thnt ho profo-red leaving It In my chnrgo until ho had completed somo ncHotlntlons by which ho might become Its possessor. Wo cxnmlncd it carefully, thon replaced It In tho greon velvet cflso, and I my-soir my-soir locked It up in the heavy Iron-bound Iron-bound oakon box, about 18 inches long nnd six Inches high, which answorcd tor tho Conynghnm family Jewel-box. Fivo months nflorward, Mr. Conynghnm Conyng-hnm wrote saying that tho negotiations negotia-tions wcro complotod nnd asking mo to send htm tho diamond. I wont to tho safo, took out tho caskot, nnd oponed It. Tho diamond was gono! I could not believe my oyes. I examined ex-amined every nook nnd corner ot tho casket. I had carried tho koy on my own person slnco tho momont I had locked tho box In tbo prosonco ot Mr. Conyngham, and yet thero was no sign ot tho Jowel. 1 took out ovory article In tho box. Thero woro various heir-looms heir-looms a nccklaco of pearls and diamonds, dia-monds, an cxqulBlto miniature ot tho tlmo ot tho first omplro, ear-r(ngs and brooches of finely wrought gold, knee-buckles sot with brilliants such things ns accumulate In an old family fam-ily of wealth and position. I took out my copy of tho Inventory nnd carefully compared It with tbo contents con-tents or tho box. Everything wns thero except tho diamonds, I locked up tho box onco moro nnd sat down to do a llttlo hard thinking, and then I wroto ns follows: l)-n r Bin As you and I closed the Jew-1 Jew-1 ennkft together It -m to ma advls-ablo advls-ablo tlint we should open It together. I thereforn nwnlt your comtnv, which I trust will be noon. Your obedient servant, KM.IOTT STIIONO. "Thoro,"' Bald I to myself, "that'll fix him. If bo docsu't come, but seiids word ho can't ror any reason under hoavon, I'll know ho Is guilty. H ho plays a blurt and comes, I'll watch him opon tho box, nnd if ho doesn't botray lilmsolf to mo then I'm a cabbago-head, that's all." Two days lator camo a telegram trom Conyngham announcing day and hour when ho would bo on hand. Promptly at tho appointed tlmo bo appeared. ap-peared. Ho camo directly to tho houso, greeted mo with his usual cordiality, cor-diality, tho cordiality ot a son ot tho houso toward n man moro than twico his ugo, and tbo trusted friend and advisor of his family for 30 years, and wont with mo Immediately to my offlco. I oponod tbo safo, took out tho box and hnnded It to blm. Ho fitted tho koy In tho luck, turned It, lifted tho lid and looked up nt mo with such surprise dismay and horror written on his fnco that I sprang forward In-voluntnrlly,oxclalmliig: In-voluntnrlly,oxclalmliig: "Goodheavons, Conynghnml Wbut Is Itt" Ho pointed down Into tho box. I gazed and gasped. There, Inclosed In an Inner box of glass lay a tiny, beautifully beau-tifully shaped living bnby. Thoro seemed to bo somo sort of breathing apparatus ap-paratus connected with It, ror I could .poo bubbfos or air passing contlnunlly Into tbo Inner box. On ono sldo or tho glass lay a plcco or yollow parchment. On It wcro theso words In a queer, but lcglblo hand: Octoher 17, ISO, To him who may open this boxi I am B benefactor of tho liumnn raca, I have tolveil n great and momentous problem. After years of trial and experiment I have lwrfected my dovlces nnd learned how to preserve tho youne of tho human pedes In cold BtoruKo until tliey aro wanted, when they can bo taken front their receptacles and Riven to an anxlotu-ly anxlotu-ly waiting world. Henceforth no family need suffer, as now, from an alternato vuperabundancx and scarcity of children. No family, unless utterly and Irreclulm-ably Irreclulm-ably bad, need entirely dlo out. When children are plenty, nnd, as usual at such times, of better quality both physically and mentally, let n few IO carefully put up for future, family use, to draw upon when th supply Is both scant and poor, Tho advantages ot my Invention Inven-tion are patent to the meanest under would hi well to put this child Immediately Im-mediately Into an Incubator and summon an experienced physician to oversea the process of restoration tn a normal state. If It live-but I will not wrlto an If. It wilt live, and live to demonstrate to an Idlotla world tho greatness of TKUA1I FAlllWKATIIKIl. I read this document aloud, In bo-wlldcrmont. bo-wlldcrmont. Conynghnm was striding up and down tho room, fairly blazing. "Poor llttlo beggnrl" ho cried, "Mndo tho subject of a beastly experiment by somo bloody Euw-bnnos! Strong, how long do you suppose lie's been In thoro?" "Lord! how do I know?' I groaned. "This pnpcr'd make It 27. years, and It says put him In an Inaubator Immediately. Imme-diately. Havo you got such n thing ns eti Incubator handy? If we don't put him In, and ho dies, some foo policeman po-liceman will arrest us as accessaries after the fact and there will be five exports lo swear that that parchment Is in your handwriting and four thnt U'h in mine. It stunds us In hand to move lively." "Incubator?" groaned Conynghnm. "What do I know about Incubators and where to find them In this beastly town? Gad! I'd look pretty trotting nftor an Incubator ut ten o'clock at night with the story that I had Just round n baby In my Jewel box I Any voir-rospectlng pollcotnan would say: 'Them as hides enn find.' And by tho way, how did ho gut there? I'll tako my oatlyho wasn't thoro tho last time I saw tho lusldo ot that box I" - -IrmnjTrntQ-TTCTraTra'iIinTrr know bettor thnn to swear to anything, any-thing, I'd say tho samp tiling," I an- J swored. "But I toll you, wo've got to j wovo lively. I know how bad I could mako this look tor nny ono olse tn our position. Call a cab, will you? I'll hut this thing up." Don't t" cried Conyngham, In ntarm. "You'll sulTocnto tho llttlo 'MwmW "COnyngham," I answorcd, "that H parchment, If tho data is correct, do- H claros that he has been In hero 27 H years. Halt nn hour moro won't hurt 'ssaaaaaafl him," nnd I locked Iho box, WmLmm Fivo minutes afterward wo woro iB driving furiously toward tno nearest H hospital. Wo asked about incubators and woro directed to a place whero, 1 we wure Informed, thero wore several i H In operation under tho supervision of , JH exports: u took ten minutes more to 'spjijH reach tho place. Isl Conyngham, younger than I, sprung j mt out first nnd rushed In. Ho came back ' ftijijijl In a fow moments, eager nnd excited. .ssaaaaaH "Hurry up, Strong!" ho cried. "They pjpjIj! hnvo hair a dozen running horo and jH l'vo picked out n good one," and with- 'H out waiting tor nn nnswer, ho run up iH tho steps WM As I Jumped trom tho cab, box In hand, my toot caught In somo wny ''mm nnd I toll forward, striking heavily -H against a passing pedestrian, while th iH box flow out ot my hand. Tho man caught me, saving ma trom the pave- IH ment, nnd picking up tho box, re. iH to H "Lord!" I cried, "1 hope I haven't jfH killed Itt" and Involuntarily I raised it H to my ear and shook It gently with n ,H faint hopo thnt I should hear a cry, B "What Is It?" asked tho stranger, flHVJ curiously. .HHVH "Oh, nothing, nothing!" I answered. BVH "Thank you much, sir, for your kind- m ncss," and 1 went up tho stops ot tho ,H hospital gingerly, SBVH Dr. Alor came forward to moot mo. BVB "t understand you hnvo a child which you wish to put into an lncuba-bo lncuba-bo "Yes," I nnswercd; "but It isn't ex- actly our baby. Wo found It, ns I sap- laVsVaH poso Mr. Conyngham has told you." "Como Into my private room, "n- BVJ tloincn," remarked Dr. Alcr, looking BHVfl curiously nt tho box, "and let mo sou tbo il Wo followed him Into his prl'.Wo H room. Wo laid tho box on tho lablo IflVaVJ and nil thioo bent eagerly ovor it as -ll Conynghnm unlocked it, and, as no 'jH ralBod tho ltd, beforo our eyes lay it 'tl pearl nnd diamond necklaco, n tnlnla- ''jVAVJ turo of tho tlmo or tho first omplro, 'ipVAl earrings nnd brooches of flnoly ::HHVJ wrought gold, knoo buckles set with jH brilliants, a handsoma diamond, lying In nn opon green vclvot caso and flVsH was IH Conyngham and I straightened our- HVJ solves with n cry; Dr. Alcr looked at MU us with Judicial haughtiness. "Do I understand, gentlemen," Ho ''''sWAVJ said, "that you found this box?" AVBV "N-no, not oxactly," sold Conyng- O vAVJ ham. "Tho box Is mine." "Ah, tho box Is yours! And tho flBBj "The Jawols aro mine, tool" ' H "Ah! and what did you find?" 'pVjVJ "Wo found tbo baby." J "Whore did you find thnt?" the jM "In thnt box, along with tho Jewels?" 'SHVJ "Oh, no, Instead ot the Jowcls. It " H was in cold storugo, don't you know? To bo kept till It should bo wanted, Conyngham was committed for ex- VBV amlnatlon as to his sunlty. I was 'SBVJ committed, as I knew I would be, for flHVJ conspiracy. It took a week to AVB straighten out matters, nnd thero aro SBVJ two mcn that I will got ovon with, If I llvo long enough. BV Whon It was all' ovor, and Conyng- SBV ham and I had got Into my den and -jH locked the door behind us: UBV "Strong," said he, "I swear I saw a ""tpH baby In that box." MBV "Conyngham," I answered, "It I wera I BVH not n lawyer, and did not know better BBV than to swear to anything, so would I. , VBV What's that paper on the floor by ' Ho picked 11 up. It was tho letter ot iWaH To rah Falrwcathcr. BBS |