The Wasp, 1913 · page 126 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 126: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **no cartoon or satire**—it's a passage of serialized romantic fiction featuring characters named James Burnham and an unnamed woman. The text describes a pivotal romantic moment during horseback riding: Burnham, who has been ill and cautiously courteous, contemplates declaring his feelings. The woman responds with shy affection ("white lids drooping in a tender and veiled regard"), and he experiences a surge of genuine emotion beneath his usual emotional restraint ("cool blood jumped briskly"). The passage emphasizes Burnham's strategic restraint—he's carefully avoided overplaying his hand, understanding both her nature and his own limitations. The tension builds as he's about to speak when interrupted by passing riders. **What we're missing:** Without seeing surrounding pages, we cannot identify the story's title, author, publication date, or broader narrative context. This appears to be a serialized novel rather than satirical content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 123 The romantic circumstances of her first meeting with Burnham had a great deal to do with the ten- der quality of her emotions toward him. He had inspired gratitude and admiration in her heart dur- ing the first hours of their acquaintance. His re- spectful, almost devotional attitude since his illness had appealed to her strongly. A better man than James Burnham might have ventured all and won all in a day with her; but James Burnham would have lost all. He had played the game so far with amazing delicacy and understanding of the girl’s nature and his own; and now he rode at her stirrup and wondered if he dared risk the final throw. He turned slightly in his saddle and looked at her fairly; and her eyes came to his on the instant, the white lids drooping in a tender and veiled re- gard. His own gaze softened; something like re- morse moved feebly within him, and his cool blood jumped briskly with admiration. He was about to _speak when two riders passed at a hand gallop, the Comichooks.com