Life, 1908-09-10 · page 8 of 22
Life — September 10, 1908 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains "Life's Wall Street Column," satirizing financial market behavior during what appears to be a period of stock market volatility. The three cartoons mock different investor types: 1. **"A Short Interest"** depicts a fashionable woman with a fan—likely representing speculative investors taking "short" positions (betting prices will fall). 2. **"Stocks Were Weak"** shows a disheveled figure amid collapsed stock certificates, illustrating market decline and investor losses. 3. **"American Ice"** portrays a waiter or servant, possibly referencing specific stocks or commodities affected by market weakness. The accompanying narrative describes a man anxiously waiting for his wife's telephone call, unable to directly contact her due to market concerns—satirizing how financial stress infiltrated domestic life. The satire targets both investor anxiety and the social pretense required to maintain appearances during financial turmoil.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
268 he was too much of a coward. He hadn't the courage—or the experience and skill—to ring his wife up on the telephone and tell her a bare-faced lie She would tell him who was with her, making it all the more difficult, And so he had used the cowardly method. Ab! A distressing thought suddenly came to.him, The moment his wife re- ceived his message she might suspect something unusual, and, of course, would immediately call up his office. It would be closed. She wouldn't get any answer: While he was debating about this a page came up “Telephone for you, sir.”” Whittler turned white and red at the same time. His heart rose like copper in a bull market He must answer the dread summons. Telepathically, he felt that it was from his wife He put the receiver to his burning ear. “Hello! "’ he said, faintly “Hello!” came back. He recognized the voice. An icy current of fear frappéd his spine. “Is this you?" (Her voice.) “Yes!"" (More faintly.) Then he braced himself well put on a bold front. “How did you know where I was?’’ he asked, briskly “Quite easily. I heard your step on the piazza. Then, as you didn't enter the house, I peeked out of the window and saw you making off down the street while Aunt Jane and Cousin Sarah were still talking—of course, you know they are here. Later I received your mes- sage, called up your office, could get no He might as LIFE’s Wall Street Column A SMORT INTEREST THE WATERED STOCK MARKET PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS BROAD AND WALL STREETS AND THE SUBMARINE TREASURY. SO MANY FRAIL CRAFT HAVE GONE TO PIECES AND SUNK IN THIS DISTRICT THAT A LIGHTHOUSE HAS BEEN ERECTED TO WARN THOSE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE COURSE, AND INCIDENTALLY TO KEEP STRANGERS OFF MORGAN answer, and put two and two together. I made up my mind you must be at the club, and so I got them out of the room just now and thought I would see if I was right."* * Are you—mad?"" “No; I don't blame you a bit. I’ very much rather have you enjoying yourself there than trying to be too natural here—only * “Only what, dear? STOCKS WERE WEAK “nocks,”” Whittler could feel his wife's voice getting stern. “You be home by midnight, and don’t you ever think you can deceive me again." “Yes, dearie! Good-by !"" “ Good-by !"” Whittler went back to the dining-room, where his soup was getting cold, and hastily called the waiter. “Waiter! "" Yes, sir!” “Just countermand that order I gave you for a quart of champagne, and bring me instead a small stein of beer.”” TL. M AMERICAN ICE