Life, 1891-11-19 · page 13 of 24
Life — November 19, 1891 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several unrelated satirical sketches typical of Life magazine's format: **Top cartoon**: A man propositions a woman, then admits he spent $300 determining whether his previous girlfriend actually loved him—implying he's now "economizing" by testing this new prospect. The satire targets male calculation in romance and the absurdity of monetizing emotional certainty. **"Lonely One"**: A sentimental sketch mocking theatrical melodrama—a man pining for his absent "Ethel" on a ship, expressing overwrought devotion. **"The Tired Jester"**: A poem (attributed to Harlequin) lamenting the exhaustion of performing entertainment for others' amusement, suggesting burnout from constant pleasure-making. **"A Cold Thrust"**: A manager is horrified his wife eloped with a bill poster—yet his first concern is practical: who will advertise the next town? The joke satirizes misplaced priorities and cynical show-business attitudes. **Final quip**: A woman married "for fun at Lenox" (a wealthy resort town) presumably lacks genuine humor or substance—satirizing marriages based on leisure and status rather than compatibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
He (shortly after the introduction) .. EXCUSE. ME, MISS, BUT DO YOU THINK YOU COULD EVER LOVE ME IF —WELL—IF YOU SHOULD TRY? She: Wett, I MUST say THIS Is— He: O vON'T BE OFFENDED. LOVED ME OR NOT, AND I'VE GoT TO ECONOMIZE, YOU KNOW, It COST ME MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE LAST ONE Lonely One: BY THIS TIME ETHEL 15 ON THE BROAD ATLANTIC, ON HER Way Home. How I LONG TO SEE MY DARLING AGAIN. If T ONLY HAD HER DEAR HEAD RESTING ON MY SHOULDER aT THE PRESENT MOMENT I'D RE THE HAPPIEST MAN ALIVE! THE TIRED JESTER. I HAVE sung my songs. Ihave played my part For my Thave danced my measure Let me rest awhile, ul is sick of this thing called pleasure, And my lips are tired of their painted smile. T have lived for your laughter. Striving to please, Thave wrung mirth dry. You have drunken the lees— Take my cap and bells, I have earned my leisure. Tam out of time, like an ill-strung viol. Harlequin. A COLD THRUST. E: Don’tyou think it is wrong for people to marry their intellectual inferiors ys Wrong, and in some c quite im- OMEDIAN: I've bad news for you, old man; our leading lady, your wife, has eloped with the bill poster. MANAGER: Horrible! How are we ever to get that next town billed ? “cc AS she a true “No. Why, fun at Lenox.” ense of humor ?” he’s the girl who was married for comicbooks.com