Life, 1890-06-05 · page 8 of 16
Life — June 5, 1890 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 326 This page contains four brief humorous anecdotes and one illustrated poem titled "Carte and Tierce." The anecdotes mock social conventions: "The Clove Cure" jokes about a husband eating cloves to hide drinking; "Busted" depicts an awkward reunion between estranged acquaintances; "Too Short to Seize" satirizes a woman blaming her short hair on "amiability"; "His Wonderful Vision" plays on miscommunication about a roof leak. The illustrated poem "Carte and Tierce" depicts fencing between a man and woman, using that metaphor to describe romantic combat. The verses describe the woman's clothing and physical power over the male narrator—suggesting wit and fashion as feminine "weapons" in courtship, a common theme in early 20th-century satirical humor about gender relations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
326 THE CLOVE CURE. HE was talking confidentially to her bosom friend. “Now that we are married,” she said, “John has stopped drinking entirely. 1 have not detected the odor of liquor about him since our wedding-day.”” “Was it difficult for him to stop?” inquired the bosom friend. *O, no; not at all. a certain cure.” He just eats cloves. He says that is BUSTED. “TT has been a long time since we met,” said the father of the prodigal son. “Not for me, father. shortness.” It has been a time of most infernal *- LIFE: TOO SHORT TO SEIZE. RS. CUMSO: John, dear, I wish you wouldn’t get your hair cut as short as that. Cumso: Why? Mrs. Cumso: It looks like a reflection on my amiability. HIS WONDERFUL VISION. Did the landlord see the leak in the roof? No; but he saw the pane of glass ROWN: Mrs. BROWN: Johnnie broke. THE HEIGHT OF POLITENESS. OBINSON: Do you know that you have the reputa- tion among your creditors of being very polite? TRAVERS: Of course. I always ask them to call again. CARTE AND TIERCE. \ HEN my lady fair would fence, St O happy wires, if they have sense @4 To know what beauty they environ ! Next she wears a plastron stout— Saucy square of chamois leather, - To clip her dainty form about And drive me crazy altogether ! ight she dons a mask of iron—{ Though her challenge bravely rings, Scarce her little foot can sound it, And when her foil ex garde she brings, Her fingers barely meet around it. comicbooks.com