Life, 1910-05-05 · page 61 of 72
Life — May 5, 1910 — page 61: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a serialized story ("Sparks from Old Anvils," continued from page 848) about a child narrator who attempts to artificially create freckles on his friend Lizzie using photographic chemicals and sun exposure—mimicking the process used to develop photographs. The humor derives from the narrator's misguided logic: if chemicals can create images on photographic plates, they should work on skin. Instead, the chemicals burn Lizzie's cheeks black, requiring a doctor's intervention. The story satirizes childhood naiveté and pseudo-scientific thinking. The surrounding advertisements (Waterman fountain pens, Calox toothpaste, Ernest tailoring) are period-appropriate travel and grooming products aimed at affluent readers—unrelated to the story's satire. The joke's appeal lay in recognizing how absurd the chemical "experiment" was, while the moral conclusion (the boy learns consequences through Lizzie's suffering) reflects contemporary attitudes about children's mischief and responsibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ine Ssteteetetetpeteteteetoatete ASSN onsen coeonaoe oes coecotioetecontoes IF GOING ABROAD ‘The most EXCLUSIVE MODELS In London. MADES, RECEPTION and EVENING FROCKS, MILLINERY, FURS 185, rnesb Sparks from Old Anvils (Continued from page 848) ard put chemicals on her, and it ought to bring out splendid freckles. I'm very fond of Lizzie, though she is a girl, because she minds her own business, and don’t meddle with my things and get me into scrapes. I'd have given her all my freckles if 1 could as soon as I knew she wanted them; and as soon as Mr. Travers said that freckles were made just like photographs, I made up my mind I would make some for her. So I told her she should have the best freckles in town if she would come up to my room the next morning and let me expose her to the sun and then put chemicals on her. Lizzie has confidence in me, which is one of her best qualities, and shows that she is a good girl. She was so pleased when I promised to make freckles for her, and as soon as the sun got up high enough to shine into my window she came up to my room all ready to be freckled. I exposed her to the sun for six seconds. I only exposed my photo- graph plates three seconds, but I thought that Lizzie might not be quite as sensitive, and so I exposed her longer, Then I took her into the dark closet and poured chemicals on her cheeks. I made her hold her handker- chief on her face, so that the chemicals couldn't get into her eyes and run down her neck, for she wanted freckles only on her cheeks, I watched her very carefully, but the freckles didn’t come out. I put more chemicals on her, and rubbed it in with a cloth; but it was no use, the freckles wouldn't come. I don’t know ADDRE: KEEP THIS: ‘SSI Regent Street FANCY TAILOR | Clean teeth never decay roach to perfect cleanliness of the teeth The nearest app: 1s obtained by the daily use of Calox. “IHE OXYGEN DOES IT” Of all Druggists, 25 Cents. Sample and Booklet free on request, McKESSON & ROBBINS - NEW YORK The Most Important Part Of Your Vacation Outfit | HERE is nothing more necessary to the con- \ | - venience of those who travel than a reliable fountain pen. Remember that it is the superior writing qualities of Waterman's Ideals that will serve you best. Wherever you go take your Waterman's Ideal, and you will at | once appreciate that your letters home and | friendly post cards can be written with the ease and comfort for which present day pen making has proficiently provided. Booklet on L. E. Waterman Co., 173 BROADWAY, NEW YORK 8 School St., Beston - 189 Clark St., Chicage - 734 Market St., San Francisce - is made to carry in any position you want to. It can roll around in your grip or trunk and cannot spill, The barrel is sealed by the cap (as illustrated). The gold pen screws out into place for writing by a simple little twist, when the cap is off. Aooid Imitations and Substitutes | 123 St. Francols Xavier St., Mostreal - 12 Golden Lane, Londo what the reason was. Perhaps I hadn’t exposed her long enough, or perhaps the chemicals was weak. Any- way, not a single freckle could I make. So after a while I gave it up, and told her it was no use, and she could go and wash her face. She cried a little because she was disappointed, but she cried more afterward. You see, the chemicals made her cheek al- most black, and she couldn’t wash it off. Mother and Sue made a dreadful fuss about it, and sent for the doctor, 49 who said he thought it would wear off in a year or so, and wouldn't kill the child or do her very much harm. This is the reason why they took my chemicals away and promised to give my camera to the missionaries, All I meant was to please Lizzie, and I never knew the chemicals would turn her black. But it isn’t the first time I have tried to be kind and have been made to suffer for it—From the Ad- ventures of Jimmy Brown. Copyright, 1885, by Harper & Brothers. comicbooks.com