Life, 1915-05-06 · page 13 of 56
Life — May 6, 1915 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate pieces: **Top section**: A narrative titled "Nocturne" depicting someone kept awake by noise—a shutter banging in the wind. The character's increasingly frantic internal monologue (with "Slam, bang, bang!" repeated) satirizes how minor annoyances can escalate into manic obsession during sleepless nights. The accompanying sketch shows a bedroom scene with two figures. **Bottom section**: An article titled "Great-Great-Great-Uncle Nathan" about mythology and family genealogy. It humorously discusses how children learn about ancestors through family stories and portraits. A young girl named Leonora asks her grandmother about "great-great-uncle Nathan," treating ancestral history as curiosity-fodder. The small illustration labeled "Hypnotism" appears unrelated, showing a hypnosis demonstration. Both pieces use gentle domestic humor typical of early 20th-century Life magazine satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
oe LAST YEAR, Y" KNOW, I CAME ACROSS A MOST EXTR'O'D'N’RY BOOK ALL ABOUT— ER—THINGS— DON'T REMEMBER THE TITLE: RECALL AUTHOR'S NAME, BUT—AW—PERHAPS YOU'VE READ 1T?” Great-Great-Great-Uncle Nathan M*tHOLocy is more familiar to little Leonora than to most chil- dren of her age, as her father often tells her stories based on this ancient subject. A short time ago, while the child was at her grandmother Bartone’s, look- ing at family portraits, she was par- ticularly impressed by a drawing of a Continental officer, mounted on a horse which, by the ravages of time, had lost its head. The girl's grand- mother noticed her show of interest, and said, proudly : “That, dear, is your great-great- great-uncle Nathan.” The eyes of little Leonora stared with desire for ancestral knowledge. “Grandma,” she queried, “was great- great-great-uncle Nathan the only cen- taur in our family?” Noctume IDNIGHT, How clear is the air. I can see the faint twinkle of a star through the half-open window. I wonder what aroused me? The wind is rising. branches of the trees, Ah! What is that? It is a shutter banging. Now I know what made me start up. . . . I wonder which shut- ter it is? As if it matters!’ Now I shall turn over and go to sleep again. . . . There she goes! Wait! I will be able to locate it. My warm and comfortable is this delight- ful bed! Hello! The moment is past and the shutter did not go off. The wind must have locked it! . Here goes. No! There it is again. Slam, bang, bang, slam! What care 1? eee I hear it in the D—n that shutter! I wonder which one it is—it’s north! No—it is on the bathroom window. It’s no use! I'll spring out of bed, fasten it and bound back. I'm off!—There! eee What's that? Did I get the wrong one? There she goes again! Must have been the other. Bang! D—n you! Slam, bang! I'll be hanged if I care! I'll lie here all the rest of the night, stark, staring mad, rather than let you get the best of me! Go to it! Keep it up! Slam, d—n you! I'll smash you! . . . Madness seizes me! +. Hal Ha! Murder! Help! Curses! Bang! Slam!!.. . HYPNOTISM