Life, 1902-08-07 · page 8 of 22
Life — August 7, 1902 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine contains a narrative story with an accompanying illustration rather than political satire. The illustration shows a woman in period dress speaking with what appears to be a man near a carriage or vehicle in a wooded setting. The text discusses a character named Ethel and references to Curtis, Curt, Billy Page, and Aunt Helen—apparently characters in a romantic or domestic narrative. The dialogue mentions naming a baby ("Jess" or "plain Jim"), suggesting this is serialized fiction about courtship, marriage, or family matters. Without the magazine's date or full context visible, the exact social commentary remains unclear, though the story appears to explore romantic relationships and social expectations of the era in which it was published.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
432 known enough not to make that speech. Not only because Ethel went white and red, and gave him a look that ought to have shrivelled him up, but because, with wd dropping in every minute, be might ared for what came next. That was a more of the have been pre big, quiet voice speaking up from the doorway. “T hope, Mr. Jermyn, that I am not the man to nd cause.” urse, coming in with Billy thel, and got suet return that I do either without g It was Curtis, of © Page. I glanced at shame-faced look began to feel sorry though she had p loose with Curt. He saw the loo and thought he could end her dis- tress. “Miss Warrington does not parade her conquests,” he said, ‘but there is no rea- son why I should not tell you that she has refused to marry ” The last few minutes had been so many galvanic shocks to me, but L was bearing till I ‘cd that statemeat; that floored me. I saw Ethel’s eyes turn ch lightning loose at Curtis, who wasn’t looking ; I saw him cross over to Aunt Helen, and begin to talk about how hot it was, asif he hadn't a thought in life be- yond ginger ale; I heard the rest of them trying to make conversation, and then Miss Page's giggle, once. I didn't stop to hear it again. The thing was getting too compli- cated, it hurt my head; 80, slipping out, I snatched a cap from the rack and made for a place I knew by the pond, to lie Jow and think it over. At first, I could think of nothing but the joy of secing Jermyn get such a facer; I didn’t remember ever having seen a man so used up. But when I thought of the other two, I wasn't so pleased, for I felt I had been badly treated. It is all very well to keep your own counsel, Curtis needn't have let my worry for nothing, with- out a word to tell me that the mischief was done already. As for Ethel, my conscience smote me a bit for wy harsh judgment of her; she did not seem at all proud of Curtis's sealp, as Jermyn would say, and I felt I had been unjust ; but since she was the right sort after all, the more reason why she might have been expected to give me a hint of what had happened, knowing my feeling for Curt. The longer I thought aboutit, the hotter I got, and when all at once I spied them—the two of them— \ a o vests. FURST WE NAMED 1IM HORSON, THEN CHL GED IT TO DEWEY, AN’ APTERWARDS TO PUNSTON SCHLEY JONSON. BUT NOW coming down towards me through the grove, it made meas mad as if they had trailed me on purpose. “Can't a fellow find peace anywhere to- day?" I growled to myself, and rolled be- hind a tree to let them go by. Of course they stopped ; I might have known they would have to, or walk into the pond; but I gritted my teeth, and kept st “Your We'Ve NAMED MIM JES’ PLAIN JIM. MADE A MISTAKE WHEN YOU CALLS ‘EM JES’ NOTHIN’ BUT JI” Yo" NeVAM FINDS YOU'VE precious secret is out now, young folks.” I thought, “and I'm not likely to be over- hearing any more.” Wasn't I, though? Ethel’s first words made me sit up. She was angry ; I knew the voice, with the sound like a tight guitar string. “You seem to think nothing of my false position,” she said, ‘in being comicbooks.com