Life, 1922-02-16 · page 13 of 34
Life — February 16, 1922 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a poem illustrated with a dramatic sketch, not political satire. The image shows two contrasting female figures: one in dark clothing standing still and composed, the other in lighter dress with raised arm in an animated, expressive pose. The poem uses the sisters as a metaphor for different life philosophies. Mary "kept her love in a basket" (restrained, careful), while Elizabeth "scattered it everywhere" (freely given). Their divergent paths—Mary living alone with her "covered" love, Elizabeth following a "rainbow road" with passion—illustrate choices between emotional restraint and romantic abandon. This appears to be literary/philosophical commentary on female independence and emotional expression rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
sand bya three ority ctive "lup- t the c, he pro- cture osey, bloc, duty creat their vhen rises it is At a The Sisters Mabel Cleland Ludlum No” Mary kept her love in a Mary walked carefully through the basket, world, Covered over with care. Looking not to left nor right, But Elizabeth carried her love in a But Elizabeth’s eyes were here and sieve there, And scattered it everywhere. And her feet were swift and light. And at last they came to Life’s gray house, And Life gave Mary a plot of ground, Now Mary lived alone in state, With the goods they had to sell, And a house in which to live, And high on a dusty shelf, And Mary put down her basket of love, But Elizabeth got but a blue silk gown, She kept a basket of covered love, Aad old Life praised her well. For her bent little empty sieve. That no one saw but herself. But Elizabeth followed the winding road, So Mary lives alone. with herself, Dressed in her blue silk gown, With her love kept under a cover, histli And ng a lad who was whistling But Elizabeth follows a rainbow road, Whose eyes were a woodland brown. With a dark-eyed Gypsy lover. comicbooks.com