Life, 1907-10-03 · page 25 of 36
Life — October 3, 1907 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a humorous short story (not a political cartoon) about an encounter between a divorced man and his ex-wife. The two illustrations at the top—labeled "The Puritan" and "The Im-Puritan"—appear to be generic character types representing moral rigidity versus hypocrisy, likely thematic to the story below. The narrative follows Billy, who encounters his former wife Ellen at a dock. Despite their divorce due to incompatibility (both "too much ginger" to get along), they've remained friendly. Ellen is now remarried but approaches Billy asking a favor related to her new husband's interest in bluefishing—the same activity Billy is about to pursue. The humor lies in the awkward reunion and implied complications from past relationships intruding on present circumstances. The story continues on the next page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE PURITAN THE IM-PURITAN A Fresh Start By Chesterton Todd HE morning I speak of was bright and beautiful. There was a spanking breeze from the southwest—great bluefish weather! I couldn’t wait to get out to sea. I saw the skipper of my boat, tied up to the dock in front of the hotel, get- ting ready. He was shaking out the main- sail and unfurling the jib and getting out the fish-lines, and I was beginning to dance round like all possessed when, suddenly, who should come out of the door but my former wife. “Well, Billy,” said she, as bland as you please, “how are you, anyhow?” Ever since we parted from each other I and my former wife had been on first-rate terms. The differ- ences between us were, after all, something that neither one of us was to blame for. I guess, if the truth was known, both of us had too much ginger. Each of us wanted to boss the other, and, both being big, hefty and muscular, it wasn’t possible to get along together. At any divorce all right and lived happy ever after—that is to say, we had up to this morning which I speak of. “Well, well, Ellen,” says I, kind of holding her off at arms’ length, ‘you certainly do seem chipper. I heard about you getting married. Married life seems to agree with you. That is to say,” says I, “it agrees with you better than it used to.” Ellen blushed. “I'm awfully glad, Bi meet in this offhand v know. I sce the look in your eye. “Yes,” Is “T can’t wait to get off. I brought in twenty- eight of ’em yesterday, and I’m just getting my hand in.” “That's splendid!” She looked at me kind of curious like. “Billy, will you do me a favor, for old time’s sake?” “Certainly.” “Well, the fact is, my husband is awfully fond of bluefishing, but he ‘s”—— y,"” she says, “that we happened to You are going off bluefishing, I This story continued on page 402 comicbooks.com \