The Wasp, 1913 · page 113 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 113: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains prose fiction rather than a cartoon. It's an excerpt from a serialized story involving characters Percy Stanton and James Burnham in what appears to be a 19th-century social drama. The passage depicts Percy Stanton, drunk and agitated over an apparent confrontation with Burnham regarding "the story of Kitty Trimmer"—likely a woman or scandal. Stanton initially wants to fight Burnham but loses courage through drinking. Burnham, meanwhile, strategically decides to avoid forcing a duel unless necessary, planning instead to use the threat of publicly "interviewing" (exposing details about) "the new charmer" to silence Stanton. This reflects period concerns about honor, dueling, sexual reputation, and blackmail among gentlemen. The satire likely mocks the absurdity of masculine honor codes and how men use threats and social exposure as weapons. Without seeing preceding pages, the specific historical or political reference remains unclear, though the tone suggests social commentary on gentleman behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
110 THE WASP new charmer the story of Kitty Trimmer? It was well worth considering. In the mean time Percy Stanton had eaten little and drunk a great deal. He was not happy. The thought of the interview in the garden stuck in his crop like a bullet and refused to be washed down. His hatred of James Burnham grew with the passing of every minute and the emptying of every glass. He could see no way of avoiding the fight. A condition of which Burnham was ignorant made it impossible for him to get to his feet and denounce the cheat to the assembled company. The punch did not give him courage. At last he decided; confusedly, that he would eat-his words rather than fight with Burnham. His courage con- tinued to ebb and his mind to cloud. He would find out how much Burnham knew. He would come to an understanding with the fellow. Burnham went to the garden alone, having de- cided not to force the ensign to a duel unless the threat to interview the new charmer should fail to silence him. He made his way to a secluded cor- Comichooks.com