Life, 1895-12-05 · page 5 of 18
Life — December 5, 1895 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 363 **"My Doubts" (Top Left):** A satirical anecdote about borrowing money. A man seeks a loan from a young banker, offering his "word" as security. The banker dismissively responds that Reginald DeVere Tubbs's endorsement would be worthless—a joke about someone apparently known for unreliability. The punchline mocks the narrator's angry response to being called an insufficient guarantee, suggesting his reputation is equally questionable. **"Fickleness" (Poetry):** A poem about a woman with a changeable combination lock, satirizing female inconsistency—a period stereotype. **"The Facetious Assistant":** A brief joke about a doctor's absence, playing on miscommunication: the patient believes the doctor is dead rather than unavailable. **"Autumn Days" (Bottom):** A whimsical illustration of cyclists with antenna-like protrusions, likely representing eccentric autumn recreation or contemporary cycling culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: MY DOUBTS. HE sign on the door read “Money to Loan.” Now 1 needed money, needed it the worst way. So I entered the office. 1 found a brisk young man behind a paper-littered desk, and stepping upto him I asked : “How much will you lend me?” “What's your ity?" he asked. “My word,” I replied. “We must have some- thing of value,” he said, with a slight smile. “Sir,” I said severely, “T would have you to know that the word of Reginald DeVere Tubbs is as good as his bond.” “That's very likely true.” he said, this time with a grin. “But, you know,” he added hastily, noticing my menacing aspect, “in the business world we re- quire many foolish form- alities, and w re secur- <, nterrupt- ing him in my anger, “is not my word sufficient * I'm very sorry to say it isn’t,” he replied. : “Then I refuse to have anything more to do with you,” 363 I cried, hotly, “I will not borrow a cent from you.” “I guess that’s so,” he replied, with a loathsome wink. Now what I want to know is, Why did he wink? And did I act in an ungentlemanly manner in refusing to borrow from him after having proposed the matter myself. Alex, Ricketts. FICKLENESS. ER heart's a treasure-vault: wherein Are heaped in orient profusion Love-riches rare, a dazzling hoard, For venturesome mankind's delusion, The door that keeps this treasure safe From chance or purposed observation No ordinary lock holds fast— It is, in fact, a combination, And though I now its secret know, I do not ponder on this gaily, Since her unvarying habit is To change the combination daily. Walter Clark Nichols, THE FACETIOUS ASSISTANT. Apoplectic Patient (irritably) : RA Why IN THUNDER DoEsy'T THE PY S* DOCTOR ANSWER MY CALL HDI. | ny? i . EXPECTS TO MEET you NEXT WEEK.” “BeLow, WE'RE JUST BURYING HIM.” AUTUMN DAYS. comicbooks.com