Life, 1883-09-20 · page 5 of 16
Life — September 20, 1883 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 135 The illustration titled "Deceivers Ever!" depicts a couple on a romantic seaside setting. The caption presents dialogue between Mildred and Harry about their engagement status—Mildred claims they're engaged while Harry insists they're not. This appears to be satirizing romantic misunderstandings or deception between courtship partners, a common comedic theme in early 20th-century magazines. The remainder of the page consists of poetry titled "By the Sea" by Philip H. Welch, along with brief literary quotations and aphorisms about love and relationships. The magazine appears to blend visual satire with literary content, reflecting Life's tradition of mixing humor, social commentary, and cultural pieces. The specific engagement disagreement likely resonated with contemporary readers familiar with courtship conventions and romantic miscommunication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“DECEIVERS EVER!” Mildred (who ts “willin’”) : HARRY, THEY SAY WE'RE ENGAGED ! Harry (who is thinking it over): BUT WE KNOW WE'RE NOT, DON'T WE! BY THE SEA. My heart beat high with expectant hope,— Shall I find my romance here by the sea ? LAY on the rocks and watched the sea, While life endures will fancy repeat As it sparkling danced ‘neath a sunny sky; The memories tender of white pongee ? The warm, sweet wind just touched my cheek,— And I sighed that romance had passed me by. No longer I lay on the rocky shore, Watching the ocean's foamy creep ; Softly to windward I stole for a view,— ’T was somebody's baby sound asleep. I gazed at the sea, and sky, and shore, ‘Till a sudden sight made my pulses bound, For a little way from my rocky nook Pup H. Wetcn. Was an open parasol, low on the ground. . — “A Little less than kin, and more than kind (?)"— ’T was large, and white, and of India silk ; your “Uncle.” Its top tilted down was my vis-a-vis ; But I guessed its lining—such shaded rose Love laughs at locksmiths, did you say ? As paints the murmuring shells of the sea. Perhaps so, but I sometimes wonder If love can laugh at all the locks Beneath, on the earth, spread a soft gray rug ; That parting lovers cut and sunder. ‘The fringe of a shawl I could also note ; And trailing outside of the parasol disc To speak of the thread of an argument would imply Was a bit of a lace-trimmed petticoat. that the whole thing is a “ yarn.” comicbooks.com’