Life, 1895-06-27 · page 8 of 21
Life — June 27, 1895 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page contains an illustration titled "The Wonders of America: Fishing for Smelt in Buzzard's Bay" showing a fishing vessel and multiple fish (or possibly dolphins) underwater. Below is the beginning of a short story titled "A Man with a Future." The story opens with Bernice Gladiever, a young heiress, receiving a visitor—Cholly Clamdexter, a clerk from a plumbers' reunion who has sent her an invitation written in "real India ink." The narrative establishes Bernice as proud and independent, while Clamdexter is portrayed as an ambitious social climber attempting to court her. The illustration and story appear designed for satirical humor about class aspiration and romantic pursuit among wealthy Americans, typical of *Life* magazine's social commentary content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WONDERS OF AMERICA. FisHinG FOR SMeLT IN Buzzaro’s Bay. A MAN WITH A FUTURE. HOW him up.” Bernice Gladlever, the young heiress, easily on the $1,000 rug in the drawing-room of her father’s $1,000,000 residence. It was evening, and aside from the rain drops that ever and anon sped down the physiognomies of the * carved satyrs that graced the front of the mansion, and fell-with a dull splash on the window sills, nothing disturbed the deep silence of the household, Bernice was in- deed a favored child of fortune. Years before, her father had come to the city a poor boy, but by dint of hard work, had saved up a few millions, and now owned the house he lived in, having made the specifications himself, steadily refusing the services of an architect. Bernice had all that a girl stood oriental EN i Xs INNS <a could wish for, but as yet her proud, high spirited and independent nature had disdained all approaches to her heart. Some time before this story opens, she had met at the Fourth Ward Plumbers’ reunion hop a poor and penniless clerk named Cholly Clamdexter, and it was he who had just sent up a gilt-edged card bearing his own name written by himself in real India ink, The heavy mahogany door swung open noiselessly, and the young man entered. He paused a moment on the threshold to rearrange the collar of the $3.00 a night dress coat hired expressly for the occasion, and then advanced toward the young girl with that polished grace that long before had made him famous in the dry goods trade. “May I enquire the object of this visit?” asked Bernice haughtily, raising her eyebrows as she fixed her visitor with a baby stare. “ You may, Miss Gladlever,” replied the young man, com- ing to the point at once, “1 have come to ask you if you comicbooks.com