Life, 1911-12-07 · page 75 of 112
Life — December 7, 1911 — page 75: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"An Honored Guest"** (main story): A sentimental romantic narrative where a man reminisces with his wife Mary about their courtship—specifically a sleigh accident that led to his marriage proposal. The couple recalls the "Big Christmas" when a horse-drawn sleigh jumped, they tumbled into snow, and he seized the moment to propose. The tone is nostalgic and domestic, presenting idealized married romance. **"Racing Term: Dead Heat"** (cartoon below): A visual joke showing a woman in a chair holding a baby, with two other figures observing. The caption "Racing Term / Dead Heat" appears to be a pun—"dead heat" is a racing term for a tied finish, but the joke likely refers to the exhaustion or stasis of parenthood, contrasting the romantic story above with domestic reality. The humor relies on readers understanding racing terminology. Both pieces reflect early-20th-century Life magazine's mix of sentimental fiction and visual wit aimed at middle-class readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AN HONORED GUEST under your chin, and a—a tippet s, that’s it, a et A man came in with a white box and placed it on the of white fur with little black specks on it like a table and they withdrew their hands guiltily. The magnate “Ermine, you foolish boy.” cut the string, lifted some tissue paper and looked in. “And suddenly we bumped over something and you He chuckled horrit were scared—and the next thing—you had kissed mi “Guess what it is,” he a “Tt was you that kissed me, The idea—wh ‘ Another bronze inkstand?” “How could 1? I was driving. You deliberately kissed “You win.” Kate Masterson. me—Mary—don’t deny it after all these years.” “I don't remember it, Harry. “T remember it distinctly, for [ had always wanted to, but being a modest youth, I was afraid. But that delight- ful bump in the road broke the ice. I dropped the reins and asked you to marry me, You said yes, You remem- ber now, don’t you?” She was blushing faintly and the shadows that had been dimples deepened at her lips. She nodded her head. “The horse jumped. Over went the sleigh and we tumbled into a big snow drift, not quite knowing what was the matter. The horse, being the one livery stable hack in the place, was used to lovers, so he just stood still, looking back at us while I righted the cutter and lifted you in. We were the happiest two in the world, weren't we?” “Yes,” she said softly. “That was the Big Christmas, Mary,” said he. DEAD HEAT RACING TERM comicbooks.com