Life, 1913-07-17 · page 4 of 44
Life — July 17, 1913 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a serialized romantic story rather than political satire. The narrative follows a man who took a woman canoeing, professing his love and desire for marriage. However, she refuses him, citing a "fatal barrier" between them—apparently related to her family's lack of being "regular subscribers to Life." The humor is **self-promotional advertising disguised as fiction**. Life magazine is literally using a romantic rejection as a punchline to encourage subscriptions. The woman's refusal pivots on the magazine subscription itself, making the entire narrative a tongue-in-cheek advertisement for the publication. This reflects early 20th-century magazine marketing practices where entertainment and advertising were deliberately intertwined for comedic effect.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Copr. Life Pub. Co. HE f The the ho Mak engage Stiel of car “Go The laundr “Rij ing su The piazza Uns A have | Imp Aft ner cl Unc Ac a fat Blu A blanks Zer What Happened? “Tt can never be.” He had taken her out in his canoe on the hot summer afternoon in which this story opens. For many months all his thoughts had been for her, and, leaving the busy city, his mind had been so occupied with the desire to meet her that he had forgotten the rush and heat of the journey. On his arrival at the hotel, she had greeted him with the same sweetness as of yore, and yet there seemed to be a reserve in her manner which he could not understand. Now, however, that they were alone in the canoe he had leaned forward and said: “My darling, I can't live without you. Everything in our lives cries out that we should be united,” and then, before he had time to say more, she had swiftly replied with the sentence which opens this story. Unrebuffed, he took her hand in his. “It can never be?" he repeated. “Then there is a fatal something between us—a barrier?” “Yes,” she replied, “a fatal barrier. Iam sorry. I might have loved you under other conditions, but I feel sure, know- ing your past and knowing the past of your family, that we could never be happy together. Your secret, however, shall he safe with me. I will never divulge the truth.” “What is the secret?” he exclaimed passionately. She looked at him coldly. “Tt would be impossible for me,” she muttered, “to ally myself with any young man whose family have never been regular subscribers to Lire. a — (The continuation of this absorbing stor: the next issue of Lire. containing a wonderful syn fosium of ripping revelry, multifarious masterpieces of mirth, and deep truths ‘casually concocted for con- temporaneous contemplation.) Miniature Life, Number Two—Just Out / ONE YEAR $5.00. Special Offer Enclosed find One Dollar (Ca- f pradian $13 Foreign $1.26). Send Lire for / three months to — Open only to new subscribers; no subse renewed at this rate. This order must ¢ us direct; not through an agent or dealer. LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York 17 (CANADIAN $5.52, FOREIGN $6.04.) a 4 comicbooks.com