Life, 1905-09-21 · page 8 of 26
Life — September 21, 1905 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains a short story titled "A Great Satisfaction" rather than a political cartoon. The narrative concerns a young man who lost $500 playing bridge at a society event hosted by Mrs. Pincher-Pancher. When confronted about the debt, he claims poverty, yet Mrs. Pincher-Pancher notices he's well-dressed and socially connected. The accompanying illustration shows women and a dog outdoors, though its connection to the text is unclear from the visible image alone. The story satirizes **social hypocrisy among the wealthy**: a young man loses substantial money gambling but claims he cannot pay, while maintaining an appearance of respectability. The satire targets both careless wealth management and the social pretense that allows such behavior to persist unpunished in elite circles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
338 Our Fresh Air Fund. Previously acknowledged. ..$5,561.64 Io memory of F.W. J. and NON. Js 10.00 — Acknowledged with Thanks. ASKETS of fru B George M. Ole ‘Also one case of “Shredded Wheat Biscuits" and one case “Trise cuits" from The Company, Niagara Falls. Four dozen tennis ball P.S. Hildreth of New York. A box of clothing from Friend.” from Mr. S' JME minds are like the climate of California, ull of sunshin luxuriant, equable and—monotonous A Great Satisfaction. “ IU owe five red dole It was a gay scene at the house of Mrs. Pincher-Puncher, ‘The guests ast to disband as the had b ying all the evening, with blanched is hostess face gazed at “Why, game of bridg know it was for money “That is your own fault, Ul trouble y check, The guest hesitated. Appare he was b And yet he realized Mrs. Pincher-Puncher’s power in the social world. She could ruin him, He saw there was nothing else tod He drew a check-book from his pocket, ai the library, wrote out a check for the accompanyi into The Heiress (pouting): THE COUNT FAILED TO CALL ON ME LAST F ME THAT HE “FORGOT IT.” young man sat “OM, YOU MUST TRY AND OVERLOOK IT, HE IS NOTORIOUSLY CARELESS IN MONEY MATTERS, neof the YOU KNOW, he country, NOSAND HAS JUST WIRED i correct amount and passed it over. The next day tt he humble dwelling of ist skillful 1 hours later the burglar's card was “What do you mean ?"" P. The burglar smiled. with a letter of introduction from a politician Twenty-tc “What can I do for you, sir "said the se burglar Well, what luck ?"* “You see, it’s this way,” he said. “1 got “A simple thing. Last night [ was held up “Here is your five hundred. And five hundred there beforehand and looked in through the win- and robbed of five hundred dollars by Mrs. more." dow. My conscience used to trouble me some. {. “You must havemade {used to think I was wicked. Hut now that Pincher-Pancher, one of our well-known soci The young man smiles women, I want you to call there this ever a good thing out of it,""he said, “when you are I've seen the operations of some of those smart possible, and get my money back. Here’sa plan willing to pay me twice as much as I wanted.”” people, it's worth almost any amount of money of the house, and you can have all you make, “Ves, sir. But it wasn’t so much the money 1 to. me to know that Iam so guileless and less the five hundred.” made as the satisfaction.”” good 1" comicbooks.com