Life, 1901-10-10 · page 15 of 20
Life — October 10, 1901 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous poem by Jennie Betts Hartwick accompanying sketch artwork about romantic confusion and miscommunication. The scenario depicts a man receiving a doorbell ring and obsessively speculating about which woman—Nell, Isabel, or May—has sent for him. His romantic anticipation builds as he imagines love's "light fingers" triggering his heart like an electrical circuit. The punchline reveals the actual visitor is neither a romantic interest nor the mysterious women he fantasized about, but rather his housekeeper Mrs. Brown delivering groceries, telling him to put down her basket. The satire mocks male vanity and romantic delusion—the contrast between his elaborate, self-centered fantasy and mundane reality. The electrical/circuit metaphor playfully captures turn-of-the-century fascination with new technology, here applied to matters of the heart.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Prank of Fate. qs that the bell? A note from Nell? I think, thongh, it was Isabel, Who said that she might send for me To join her on the links at three. But I dare say the note’s from May— We quarreled badly yesterday ‘Tis true, but yet, she ‘ feels regret, And will forgive if I'll forget.” I can foretell those missives well ; When Love's light fingers touch the bell, Some wire apart, by Cupid's art, Completes a circuit in my heart. But, yes, own I might have known ‘That thrill was Mabel’s right alone ; She's back in town—"‘Oh, Mrs. Brown, It's you—well, put your basket down.” Jennie Betts Hartewick. comicbooks.com