Life, 1925-05-21 · page 14 of 40
Life — May 21, 1925 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a serialized adventure story by Corey Ford titled "Castaways on a Desert Island" (Volume II). The page contains narrative text describing young castaways who've salvaged items from a wrecked ship called the *Dashaway*. The central cartoon illustration shows two boys engaged in what appears to be a physical altercation or "dan battle," with the caption "DAN BATTLE!" CRIED DICK. "SO IT IS YOU!" This is not political satire but rather lighthearted children's adventure fiction typical of Life magazine's content. The story follows established "rover boys" adventure-story conventions popular in early 20th-century American youth literature—resourceful young protagonists surviving on an island through ingenuity and pluck.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Rover “Are you ready, Tom?” » I'm Redd the fun-loving Rover merrily. “Hold tight, everybody,” cried Cap- tain Blossom, as the life-boat dashed through the breakers and beached safely on the shore. “Saved!” cried Dora Stanhope and Nellie and Grace Laning, as they leaped out on the white sand and commenced to gather the pretty seashells. “We are on a deserted island!” ex- claimed Dick. “Then it isn't deserted,” came back Tom like a hawk. “Here we were sailing along the ocean in a dense fog,” sighed Captain Blossom reminiscently, vhen what should come but a sudden shock, and the Dashaway was wrecked, because that was the boat we were sailing on. Fortunately we found a life-boat under us, and rowed rapidly across the aforesaid ocean until we reached the present island, where it was but the work of a chapter to beach the said life-boat and sink exhausted on the aforementioned white sand. ‘Saved !" cried Dora Stanhope hen what hap- inquired Nellie replied 's brother!” “That's we've gotten,” the Captain. “Well, this is prime, I must confes com- plained Sam. “I guess our ¢ is dough.” “Don't ery over spilt milk,” said Dick se- riously. “We ought to far as replied - LIFE: and Over Corey Ford VOL. II: Castaways on a Desert Island be glad we were not drowned, as would have been related in ‘The Kover Boys Under Water."” Cuarter Cirven Uros investigation it was found that the castaways had thought- fully brought along from the Dash- away some three electric-light bulbs, a vacuum cleaner, several Victrola rec- ords, and their ten favorite books, which they had stowed in the bottom of the life-boat. “T also brought along some odds and ends,” added Dora. “We can use the ends to put on the front and back of the middle of something. The odds will come in handy later.” “What are the odds?” asked Dick. “Two to one.” replied I 3 and Dick covered them at once to prevent their spoiling. BAXTER!” CrreD pick. “so It 1s you!" Boys “Let us have supper,” said Captain Blossom, sitting down and tucking a pkin under his chin, ut we have nothing to cook,” said Nellie. “Look!” ejaculated Tom; spoke a heavy wave washed up a box packed full of good things to cat, and then receded silently, leaving the ar- ticles spread on the beach. “What luck!” cried Dick. “They must have come from the wreck.” “What shall we cat from, though?" complained Grace. She had no sooner spoken than a second wave carried up a table and a full set of dishes, and rapidly spread places for seven, hand- ing cach of the castaways a French menu as it departed down the beach. “Dat old devil sea,” muttered Captain Blossom, as a third wave rolled apolo getically up the beach with butter, which the sec’ wave had appar ently forgotten. “She's up to her old devil tricks.” And he con- tinued to shake his head and mutter as more waves drifted in after supper and washed the nd as hie some ond dishes. When the meal was concluded, — the hastily constructed a house on the beach of some bedrooms and staircases and things that had been washed up from the wreck, and soon they had a hand- some little bungalow, with attractive ocean frontage and only a ten-minute walk from the station. “All we need now is the furniture,” hinted boys vat comicbooks.com