Life, 1899-09-28 · page 5 of 20
Life — September 28, 1899 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 245 **Top Illustration**: Shows a domestic scene where a woman in a wedding dress confronts a man about a missing cake. The dialogue reveals a quarrel over a chocolate layer cake—the woman accuses the man of eating it, he blames the cook Marion, who claims it was given to a "little lame boy." The satire mocks marital disputes and domestic absurdities, with the "budding time of humanity" referring to newlyweds' petty conflicts. **"Woman-like" Section**: A brief philosophical quote sardonically contrasting women's beauty with their tendency to "abuse it." **"A Jail Bird" Illustration**: Shows a figure in striped clothing next to books and a cup, likely depicting prison life or confinement—though the specific reference is unclear. The page emphasizes domestic humor and social commentary typical of early 20th-century American satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“YOU UNDERSTAND DAT IN DIS CEREMONY, PETER PEWTER, T PROMISES TO OBEY YOU, AND YOU WIP ALL YOUR WORLDLY GOODS D IN DIS CASE DEY 18 BOPE HOKRIBLE BLUFI The Budding Time. 01 Sho has broken hertroth. With tho ficklenoss of her sex sho has forgot- ten the solemn compact she so gladly mado but yesterday. Before him aro the evi- dences of hor treachery and basoness, Hardly a crumb left! And yet sho had agreed—in this matter of tho chocolate layor cake left over from luncheon—to share and share alike, She had been first tothe pantry, and now it was all gone, Manly indignation welled up within him, “*T'll Just tell maw on her,” ‘This was his first impulse, but the gener- osity of his naturostified it, How beautiful 19 tho budding timo of humanity! DOW—NO DOUBT YOU RECOGNIZE DE PACT DaT “No,” he thought, “she'd go aud blab the whole thing and say I bad half. I hope it makes her sick.” Vain hope. Thero sho is, wheeling her doll carriage up and down in most aggra- vating contentment. “And it'll all be laid to me when maw finds it’s been swiped,” be reflected, Then he reflected some more, twisting Bouncer’s tail as an ald to thought, Next be sought his mother, “Say, maw, can't I havea pieco of cake?” No, Jimmy. You know I don't allow you to eat between meals,” “Aw, go on, now; just a little piece, I don’t want It for myself.” * down from “ maw's" 245 “ Who do you want it for?” « Fora little lame boy around the corner.” Ab, the nobility of youth! There was a Uttle lame boy around the corner. You could yell “Limpy! Limpy!” at him and he would chaso you with his crutch, Then you could givo him somo candy or a mar- blo not to tell. Cake would do. “What a thoughtful little boy mamma has! I'll got it in a moment.” Diplomacy had triumphed. But “maw” found no cake. “Why, I'm suro somo was loft from luncheon 1” “1 guess the cook gave it all to Marion; I saw her cating somo,” suggested tho thoughtful James, “It’s too bad, for the littlo lame boy don’t get much cake.” Tho cook, being called, made omphatio denial. “Jamos, tell your sister I want to sco her at once In my room.’ Tho promenade on tho front sidewalk was interrupted. “Oh, Jimmy! I hid your halt of the cake In tho croquet box in the stable,” sald Marion, as sho went, all unconsciously, \ Into the presence of the Waiting Slipper. “don’t care,” sald Jimmy, philosophi- cally but indistinctly through a mouthful of cake, Ho was in tho stable, listening to tho muffled sounds of distress that floated chamber window. *Bhe don’t got ‘om half as often as I do.” Sewell Ford, Woman-like. ¢¢ CHE'S as ugly as a hedge-fence.” “It's her privilege to be ugly.” “But she abuses it.” . “4 JAIL BIRD.”