Life, 1889-05-30 · page 13 of 20
Life — May 30, 1889 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis: "A Wasted Effort" This page satirizes the duplicity and cattiness of upper-class women in society. Two wealthy women, Margaret and Helen, discuss gossip about Helen supposedly pursuing a man named "Dick Million" (the name itself mocking wealth-obsession). Each woman's internal thoughts reveal their true opinions contradict their spoken pleasantries—Margaret suspects Helen wrote the gossip herself, while Helen suspects Margaret started it. Meanwhile, "Adolph," a nearsighted wealthy man, misinterprets Helen's wave as romantic interest when she's actually greeting someone else. The humor centers on the gap between polite social performance and catty reality. A secondary joke shows "Biddy," a working-class housemaid, observing a fashionable man ("dude") outside attempting to flirt with her—she threatens to throw hot water on him if he persists ("mashin'"). The satire targets both upper-class hypocrisy and the class divide in romantic pursuits.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: A WASTED EFFORT. THINKS: Horrid thing! She knew I didn't know him. MARGARET: Oh! I saw that absurd bit of gossip about you in one of those wretched society papers, as they call them, last week. I felt so sorry, dear; you must have felt dreadfully, THINKS: J'/ lel her see we all know how she tried for Dick Million, and missed him, HELEN: Oh, I didn’t mind! Any one could see it was prompted by personal spite, and the outcome is, ex/re nous, I've been obliged to acknowledge to a very few read friends, like yourself, dear, that I refused him. THINKS: J shouldn't be surprised if Margaret wrote that paragraph in the paper herself ; it’s just like her. MARGARET: I've told several people that there couldn't be any truth in it, and could not agree with them when they Adolph (much in love, but very nearsighted): AU! SHE SEES ME COMING AND WAVES ME A WELCOME, I'd rather like it myself—in decent colors, of course. MARGARET: Is some one singing? THINKS: How absurd to have any one sing ata lea, now, except Lehman! HEL! Yes; don’t you see that man standing up in the room, opening and shutting his mouth? You dear girl, what a stunning costume! Paris? THINKS: J don'l believe she will ask me. She always goes about in her coupé alone. MARGAR Who's that man with Florence Lennox ? THINKS: She knows every man in town by name. Biddy (washing the window): PWHAT AILS THE DUDE ON THE HELEN: With Florence Lennox? Really, you know, I outstpe? SHURE HE'LL GET SOME HOT WATHER OVER HIM IF can't see from here, HE THRYS MASHIN' ME! comicbooks.com