Life, 1883-03-15 · page 7 of 16
Life — March 15, 1883 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 125 The main illustration shows a social scene with two men in formal attire (top hats and coats) interacting with a woman. The accompanying text section titled "CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES" depicts a brief dialogue where Mr. Craus Borrwell asks Miss Sally if her sister is at home, and Mr. C.B. requests that flowers be sent to her, with Miss E. agreeing to deliver them. This appears to be gentle social satire about courtship rituals and the awkward formality of Victorian-era romantic communication. The title suggests the humor lies in how circumstances change social propriety—what might be acceptable in one context becomes notable in another. The specific identities of the characters are unclear from the image alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PUIR JANET’S PLAINT. Suggested by Mr, W. S, Gilbert's comedy, * Engaged.” “THE laverock carols i’ the lift, The sparklin’ burnie warbles free, The roses bloom on ilka brae— Yet a’ is changed to me! Nae mair I list the laverock's sang ; I heed nae mair the bonnie burn, Och ! willawins ! for vanish’d joys That never can return ! An’ wha wull cheer my waesome lot ? An’ wha my brakin” heart can bind? Nae licht can pierce this murky gloom, Or soothe ‘his troubled mind, *Twas on a leesome simmer morn That sonsy Donald cam’ to woo, And ‘neath the bendin’ birken boughs Fu’ fondly tauld his lo’e. He tauld me o’ his highlan’ hame, His hoard o' gowd, his fouth o’ lan’; He wyled my simple, trustfu’ heart, An’ won my maiden han’, An’ sae, while anguish wrung my breast, While tear-draps blinded baith mine e’en, I brak’ my plighted troth wi’ James McArran Puttypreen. Untenty lassie that I was ! For Jamie hath gude store o’ gear ; An’ now he’s gane ayont the glen To wed wi’ Jean McSkier. An’ [hae learned that Donald lees ; He hasna saxpence till his name : The title till his lan’s nae gude— His brither hauds a claim. Nae ither lo’e for me can bloom, My virgin heart I've gien awa’; I never lo'ed twa lads as I Hae lo’ed thae laddies twa ! Ye gentle souls, wha list my sang, Was e’er a lass sae sair betrayed ? I'll mourn thro’ leelang days an’ nichts, A puir, deluded maid ! Sanpy McQuintock. CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES. “Wuo breaks pays,” as the beat said M/r. Crasus Borewell: Is YOUR SISTER AT HOME? to the street car conductor. Miss Sally (who has heard Mr. B. discussed in the family) : No. IDEA FOR THE FANCY-BALL.—Tie your Myr. C. B.: THEN WILL YOU PLEASE SEE THAT SHE GETS THESE grandmother's silk patchwork quilt around prowrrs? your neck and go as a deranged rainbow. . Miss E.: Yes, 'Lt TAKE THEM RIGHT UP TO HER; SHE'LL BE DE- ‘THE truly wise is he who conforms to LIGHTED. the popular error. PERFECT cynicism is as rare—and as uncomfortable to get along with—as per- fect honesty. Wituiam GRAHAM, aged fifteen years, has been admitted to the bar at Catersville, Ga. He ought to be successful in addressing juries. As Tennyson might have said, “ An infant crying in the court, his language but . One by one our weather prophets eee Sey Fade and die ; Weather only knoweth of its A Lone pedigree and extreme old age are alike in this, that they are How and why. remarkable only in those who have nothing else that is admirable. comicbooks.com