Life, 1895-08-08 · page 10 of 14
Life — August 8, 1895 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page contains a narrative story titled "When Polly Has a Headache," illustrated with sketches. It's not political satire but rather domestic fiction about a woman named Polly who has a headache and dismisses her visitor's concerns. The narrator (apparently male) worries silently about her condition while she maintains a composed exterior. The top image showing a steam locomotive crossing a bridge is part of a separate feature titled "The Wonders of America: Railway Travel in the United States"—likely celebrating American industrial and technological achievement, a common topic in early 20th-century Life magazine. This page is primarily light entertainment and industrial boosterism rather than political commentary.
📄 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. RAILWAY TRAVEL IN THE UNITED STATES. WHEN POLLY HAS A HEADACHE. STOOD in the hall and waited while Polly said good-bye to her visitors. She kissed them enthusiastically, told them to be sure and call again real soon, promised volubly to call on them at once, kissed them again all around, waved them a last good-bye from the porch, and then came back, and without deigning me so much as a glance swept majestically into the library. I followed meekly, and groped my way with a sinking heart to the arm-chair. Polly set- tled herself on the couch, arranged her skirt with great precision, folded her hands in her lap and ed abstractedly across the room. The moment, | realized, was epoch-making in our two lives, and required a steady nerve. 1 lighted a cigar, “ What's the matter?" I asked the question from behind the protection of a cloud of smoke. Polly viewed me with elaborate surprise. “Matter? I didn’t know that anything was the matter. “ Twas afraid that something had displeased you, dear.” Polly frowned at the term of endearment. I feared the worst. “ Nothing has displeased me, I've got a headache, that's all; but that will not interest you.” I had expected it, and thinking myself hidden by the smoke allowed a little smile to appear on my long-drawn countenance. Unfortunately Polly saw it. I knew it by the way she tightened her clasped hands. I became ponderously serious. “Tam very sorry.” I had meant to add “dear,” but I glanced at her face “HER HAIK STOOD ON E: comicbooks.com