Life, 1921-05-26 · page 15 of 36
Life — May 26, 1921 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two illustrated stories from *Life* magazine (dated May 26). **"Introducing a New Style"** (top) is a short romantic sketch by I.V.V. about a young woman with distinctive features—described as having a green face and pink eyes—who delivers an unusual love token: a feather from a lazy pigeon. The narrator finds this bizarre gesture oddly touching. **"Optimism"** (right) is a brief poem by Harry Kemp expressing preference for an idealized life over harsh reality. **"Proof Conclusive"** (bottom) is a captioned illustration depicting what appears to be a domestic or social scene, illustrating skepticism about a young woman's romantic devotion based on her disbelief of rumors about her suitor. These are light, humor-focused pieces typical of *Life*'s satirical approach to romance and social relationships.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Introducing a New Style (Wherein I write as some people paint) HE one and one-half dimension girl with the green face came slowly toward me. In her hand she held a letter, and her pale pink eyes mutely begged that 1 judge mercifully. I trembled, ne storm clouds which rested, in their ry, directly over her left shoul- not more forbidding than was And yet, when her pointed, fragile vad brought her at last three. steps 1 perceived that it was not a letter held so stiffly towards me, but ikerchief rather, a dead white mouse . . no, not th: an ostrich feather, a single ostrich feather called from the breast of a lazy pigeon purple i her h that caved mournfully from the limb of a hazel-nut tree. I was astonished and to learn that this soulful maiden yp to pluck a feather from the © tree only half her height, and parently quite unbendable. " breathed the damsel, but akhough I was directly in her path she could not sce me, for her eyes were fixed on some idyllic spot in the infinite. And sed me by . . passed by me in dovelike innocence, with her letter, “FAINT HEART NE'EK WON PAIK LADY.” or her handkerchief, or her dead mouse, or her ostrich plume hopefully extended. And I, poor unenlightened being, can never know the inner meaning of this tragic episode, can never know the cosmic cause of our brief almost-contact. I am impervious to symbolism. LOW: PROOF CONCLUSIVE Optimism [Fall were given for the asking, If life were ever sunny basking, If everything went free of fetter— I must confess I'd like it better! Harry Kemp “WHAT MAKES YOU THINK SHE’S IN LOVE WITH YOUNG WILDLY?” “ WHY, SHE SAID SHE DIDN’T BELIEVE THOSE STORIES ABOUT HIM AND SHE WOULDN'T IF SHE DID,” comicbooks.com