At a glance
The Incubator Baby
Classic fiction
The Incubator Baby
111 pages · First published 1906
A new medical technology becomes the center of comic confusion when an incubator baby attracts curiosity, publicity, and competing claims. Ellis Parker Butler treats modernity with his characteristic humor, using misunderstandings and exaggerated reactions to show how quickly novelty can overwhelm common sense. The story’s comedy grows from people trying to manage an unfamiliar invention while pursuing their own practical or sentimental interests. This short early-twentieth-century work offers a playful glimpse of an era when infant incubators still seemed sufficiently new and remarkable to become the premise for popular fiction.
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No surprises at chapter twelve
Content notes
Premature infant/medical-care themes; rigid and emotionally neglectful parenting practices; family stress; satire of early medical/scientific child-rearing.
Alcohol-Free Pour
Classic Hot Cocoa
Velvety chocolate suits a lively, lighthearted reading mood.
What you'll need
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- Whisk the cocoa and sweetener into the hot liquid until smooth. Add remaining flavorings, heat until steaming, and pour into a mug. Add any listed topping.
- Garnish: As listed.
- Glassware: Mug.
Cocktail Pour · 21+
Perfectly Polished Martini
For adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.
A crisp botanical pour suits a lively, lighthearted reading mood.
What you'll need
- 2 1/2 oz gin
- 1/2 oz dry vermouth
- Ice
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How to mix it
- Stir gin and vermouth with ice until well chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish: Lemon twist.
- Glassware: Martini glass.
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