Life, 1889-04-25 · page 9 of 25
Life — April 25, 1889 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page contains two distinct elements: **Top Section ("At West Point"):** A theatrical dialogue scene between two female characters—Miss Lightfoot and Cadet Mars. Miss Lightfoot is being asked to leave her luxurious New York life to become a soldier's guardian angel at the military academy. She agrees, and Mars mentions recruiting his roommate Sam Johnson to the Cavalry. This appears to be satirizing the romantic idealization of military life and women's supposed duty to support soldiers. **Bottom Section ("Theatrical Terms"):** Three humorous illustrations define theatrical vocabulary: "Open for an Engagement" (a woman calling for suitors), "A This House" (a tall building), and "Making Up" (a disheveled figure). These are visual puns playing on theatrical terminology that had different meanings in everyday conversation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AT WEST POINT. Cadet Mars (soon to graduate): Miss LIGHTFOOT—ARABELLA—COULD YOU EVER CONSENT TO LEAVE THE LUXURIES OF YOUR New YORK HOME TO GO FAR, FAR AWAY TO THE WEST AND SHARE A SOLDIER'S STERNER LOT—TO BE HIS GUARDIAN ANGEL—TO MAKE HIS HOME A HEAVEN? Miss Lightfoot (with drooping lashes and crimsoning cheeks): YES, GEORGE, I THINK I COULD. Cadet Mars: WELL—A—WELL, MY ROOM-MATE, SAM JOHNSON, IS GOING INTO THE CAVALRY, I'LL SPEAK TO HIM ABOUT IT. THEATRICAL TERMS. ‘OPEN FOR AN ENGAGEMENT.” ‘\A THIN HOUSE.” “MAKING UP.” comicbooks.com