The Wasp, 1913 · page 135 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 135: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a narrative passage rather than a political cartoon—a scene from a serialized story in *The Wasp* magazine. The text depicts a conversation between Governor Nash and a young man named James Burnham about Burnham's brother Alexander, a naval lieutenant aboard the ship *Tartar*. The dramatic tension is psychological: Nash makes a seemingly friendly speech praising Burnham's family, but Burnham's internal reaction contradicts his polite exterior. His "heart was like lead" despite the flush the governor interprets as pleasure. This suggests Burnham has hidden concerns or secrets—perhaps related to his brother, the ship, or his own circumstances—that he's concealing beneath social courtesy. The satire likely critiques the performative nature of Victorian social interaction, where true feelings remain masked behind proper behavior and politeness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
a SS a ee! 132 THE WASP Seah Orca ela No old oa RA a “Alexander, my younger brother, is a lieutenant in the navy,” he said coolly. “But why do you ask, sir? Can it be that he’s aboard this sloop you speak of?” “That’s it,’ replied Nash heartily. “He is senior and navigating lieutenant of the Tartar. Well, lad, I’m glad to see his name here, and I shall be yet more glad to see him in person on this island. From what I’ve seen of you, James, I’m more than inclined to like your whole family. I hope I may have the honor of meeting every mem- ber of it some day. What d’ye say to that, lad.” Burnham had nothing in particular to say to that; but he turned from the window, bowed low, and stammered a few words of thanks for the gov- ernor’s polite and more than generous speech. His ‘heart was like lead in his side; but there was a flush on his face-which the governor mistook for a blush of pleasure and embarrassment. “You are too modest, my lad,” he said. “Or is it that you are shy? But you'll get over your shy- ness in time, I dare say. Oh, I’ve had my eye on Comichooks.com