Life — December 31, 1891 — page 33: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

- LIFE: “ Rash youth !"" the goddess said in deep and wrathful tones.“ Hast thou forgot Actxon and his fate?” “Cer'nly not,” replied the young man. “Cern'ly not. be member Stock ‘Xchange. Wen’ short, and then wen’ Wes.” Billy well.” “Cease thy gibberish! Know me for Diana of the Tower!" the goddess cried, and stooping, she breathed from her angry nostrils upon the young man’s head. In an instant every hair had turned white as snow. The with a toss of her stately head, she continued on her way. The next thing that attracted her attention was the sound of applause and masculine laughter coming from the upper windows of Delmonico’s. Making herself invisible, she passed the door and entered the banqueting room. Here she found all the Tammany chiefs and leaders in the advanced stages of a dinner to celebrate the victory at a recent election, Diana suddenly made herself visible. Each diner stared at her with horror, Then each loosened his shirt-collar a little and looked out of the cor- ner of his eye at his neighbor. Then cach assumed a forced volubility and renewed the conversation, mean- while bestowing frequent and more or less terrified glances in the direction of the goddess. Diana, seeing that she had in some way interfered with the proceedings, and not seeing any one who looked as though he was capable of feeling so respectable a senti- ment as love—resumed her invisibility. At once a sigh of relief escaped from every guest in the room. Diana listened to the talk a little while, and finding in it nothing that a self- respecting goddess would care to listen to, once more took up her journey. Saturated with cigar smoke and bad politics, Diana, still cloaked in invisibility, marched in stately fashion up Fifth Avenue, When she reached Thirty-fourth Street, she observed a young man descending the steps of the Manhattan Club. “Surely,” thought she, this must be the palace of the king of this strange country, and who knows ? —perhaps this may be the king’s son. Since I am destined to seek for love, why should I not choose a heart through whose ventricles courses royal blood?” Billy Acton—use’ to Use’ to know 13 So inspired, she con- eluded to follow the princely youth, He had not gone far when he entered a building whose windows were brilliantly lighted and whence pro- eceded the strains of music, strange to the ears of Diana, but fraught with melody, and tempt- ing her feet to dance. She followed the youth as he entered the portal, and observed him lay aside his outer garments in an ante-room. Thence he proceeded to a more spa- cious apartment, crowded with young men and women engaged in what the newspapers call “ trip- ping the light fantastic.” To Diana's — untutored mind, it seemed as though they were indulging in a * DIANA FORGOT FOR AN INSTANT TO KEEP UP HER INVISIBILITY.” comicbooks.com