Life, 1921-06-02 · page 12 of 44
Life — June 2, 1921 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three literary pieces: "An Unseen Friend" (a short story by Harvey Kent about a prisoner named Olga Petrovich), and "The Paradox" (a poem by Joanna Oldfield Potter about long-distance love). The cartoon at bottom depicts a shipboard scene with well-dressed passengers. A "Talkative Passenger" remarks that weather prevented someone from making observations, to which a "Crusty Captain" replies that weather hasn't prevented the passenger from making *their own* observations—a joke about the passenger's relentless chattering. The humor is straightforward social satire about an annoying, garrulous traveler, requiring no specialized historical context beyond understanding early 20th-century shipboard social hierarchies and the stock character of the tiresome talker.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
An Unseen Friend or Snatched from the Jaws of Death. S Olga Petrinoff heard the iron doors of her cell clang shut be- hind her, it had world seemed as if she been thrust out of the into the realms of darkness, and an inferno, From now on misery, hunger and privation were to be her lot. Ty finement, Ive months in solitary con- holas Ni “and on bread and water,” he had added as an afterthought. With a groan of despair she sank down nelovitch had said, on the bench that would serve her as seat, bed and table. opened and a jailer entered miserable Without placed it beside her on the bench and left More from curiosity than hunger Olga reached The door of her cell was with her ration . a word he the cell, locking the door after him. for her dinner, and then her heart leaped. = — SSH Talkative Passenger: Crusty Captain: I SUPPOSE THE these vast regions of silence and despair she had a friend, for there beside her tin cup of within her. Somewhere in water and slice of bread lay a herring. At least she would not starve to death, With a silent prayer of her unknown benefactor she thanks to sat down to partake of her meagre meal, when the door of her cell was flung open a second time and a light glared in her face. There standing behind the cruel smile, stood her arch-enemy, Nicholas But one look at Olga’s gift transformed him into a fierd in- jailer, smiling his Nichelovitch, carnate, With a ery of rage he snatched it from her hand and hurled it to the floor, where he ground it under his heel. “So,” he stormed, “there is a traitor Tell me, Olga Petrinoff, tell me, where did that herring come from?” Phe fish shop,” replied Olga. The End Harvey Kent, among us. SS SERVATIONS TO-DAY, CAPTAIN? WEATHER HAS PREVENTED YOU LIFE The Paradox LOVE you, dear, when you are far, Beyond all loving words there are; I think upon your dainty ways, Your beauty troubles all my days; Your eyes, your hair, your limpid smile, When you are far, my days beguile When you are far T love so much Each thing made fragrant by your ton I plan what loving words I'll say, And how I'll clasp you on some day, And tell you that this time apart Has left a scar upon my heart. But hang it all, when you are near I wonder why I thought you dear; You have no charm, no fetching smile, Your coaxing drives me crazy, whil The paradox itsclf unwinds, That absence is the tie that binds. Jcanne Oldfield Potter, FROM MAKING YOUR OB- IT EVIDENTLY HASN'T PREVENTED YOU FROM MAKING YOURS, comicbooks.com