The Wasp, 1913 · page 137 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 137: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **not a cartoon** but prose fiction—likely an excerpt from a serialized story appearing in *The Wasp* magazine. It follows the character **James Burnham**, who faces social disgrace and romantic disappointment (he cannot marry Elizabeth Nash due to a sloop-of-war's arrival). The narrative emphasizes Burnham's resilience: despite losing "honor and place" and family rejection, he's survived hardship and prospered through gambling luck on the island of Nevis. Now confronting "organized society"—his "old, natural enemy"—he maintains optimistic humor. The concluding reference to thinking of "Kitty Trimmer" and smiling suggests romantic interest, possibly hinting at future plot developments. Without seeing the magazine's cover date or author attribution, the specific biographical or political references remain unclear, though Burnham's outsider status and conflict with social institutions suggest *The Wasp's* typical satirical interest in social critique.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
134 THE WASP for him to marry Elizabeth Nash before the arrival of the sloop-of-war. Well, there was an end of that! Though luck had gone against James Burnham in the larger matters of life, it had stood by him in the smaller. Deprived of honor and place and the love of his own family, yet he had escaped death at sea and hunger ashore. . Here on Nevis, cast penniless among strangers, he had not been called upon to suffer even the petty thorns of humiliation; and now, though dealt a shrewd blow in the matter of his fine plans for the future, he was left considerably better off than he had been upon landing. His health was good and his pockets were well lined. His luck at play had been phenomenal. Now he was adrift again and pitted against his old, natural-enemy, organized society. He seated himself beside an open window of his cool room and thought it all over. His mood lightened, ex- cited by his devilish and invincible sense of humor. He thought of Kitty Trimmer, and smiled Comichooks.com