Life, 1921-06-30 · page 5 of 41
Life — June 30, 1921 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines a melancholic poem with a satirical cartoon about horse racing. Parker's poem explores romantic uncertainty—wondering if a lover would remain faithful if separated, whether they'd forget you for others' attention. The cartoon below depicts a crowded racetrack scene where a man tells a woman: "I wish I knew what to bet on in the fifth." She replies: "Let's go down and ask one of the bookmakers." The joke plays on "betting" as both literal wagering on horses and metaphorical relationship risk. Just as he's uncertain about which horse to back, lovers face uncertainty about romantic commitments—echoing Parker's poem's themes of doubt and the gamble inherent in love and trust.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
UPPOSE we two were cast away S On some deserted strand, Where in the breeze the palm trees sway— A sunlit wonderland ; Where never human footstep fell, Where tropic love-birds woo, Like Eve and Adam we could dwell, In paradise, for two. Would you, I wonder, tire of me + As sunny days went by, And would you welcome joyously A steamer ? So would I. Life 22 Love Song By Dorothy Parker Suppose we sought bucolic ways And led the simple life, Away—as runs the happy phrase— From cities’ toil and strife. There you and I could live alone, And share our hopes and fears. A small-town Darby and his Joan, We'd face the quiet years. I wonder, would you ever learn My charms could pall on you, And would you let your fancy turn To others ? IT would, too. Between us two (suppose once more) Had rolled the bounding deep; You journeyed to a foreign shore, And left me here to weep. I wonder if you'd be the same, Though we were far apart, And if you'd always bear my name Engraved upon your heart. Or would you bask in other smiles, And, charmed by novelty, Forget the one so many miles Away ? That goes for me. e¢: 1 WISH 1 KNEW WHAT TO BET ON IN THE FIFTH, She: Let's CO DOWN AND ASK ONE OF THE BOOK MAKERS. comicbooks.com