Life — May 10, 1923 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "On Finding an Old Love Letter" This page presents a romantic poem by Baird Leonard about rediscovering an old love letter. The poem nostalgically recalls passionate early romance—"rapturous, romantic days" with "nervous, glowing lines"—and contrasts this with a chance modern encounter where the two former lovers awkwardly avoid each other at the Vandermore hotel, hiding "behind a potted palm." The accompanying sketch illustrates this theme: a well-dressed woman and child encounter what appears to be a man on a city street. The caption's dialogue—"I'll give you a penny for a kiss, Elizabeth" / "No, thank you! I can earn more takin' cod-liver oil"—suggests a humorous commentary on changed circumstances or the practical attitudes replacing romantic sentiment.