The Wasp, 1913 · page 153 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 153: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page depicts a duel between two men—one identified as "Stanton" and another character (unnamed here but apparently well-known to contemporary readers). The detailed physical descriptions and formal combat setup suggest this is a dramatic narrative illustration or serialized story rather than a political cartoon. The text presents a tense moment before swordplay begins, with careful attention to each duelist's appearance, posture, and psychological state. One fighter is described as lean and aristocratic; Stanton as heavier-built and taller than someone named "James Burnham" (possibly a real or fictional reference). Without additional context about *The Wasp's* publication date or the story's origin, I cannot identify the specific historical duel being referenced or whether this is fictional satire of a real event. The page appears to be narrative fiction rather than political commentary, though *The Wasp* was a satirical publication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
150 THE WASP seconds for the combat. He took his ground with his right shoulder to the flaming east. As Stanton was not yet ready, he dropped the point of his sword to the toe of his buckled shoe, folded his hands lightly on the hilt, and glanced idly around him. His face was like a mask and his eyes were cool, and yet in his heart the lust of blood seethed and bubbled. Coatless and hatless, clothed only in a thin white shirt and blue breeches, narrow of flank, deep of chest, straight of back, he cut a fine figure. His hair was simply tied and lightly powdered. His right arm was naked almost to the shoulder, show- ing a skin as white as milk above the brown wrist and the curves and flickerings of long, lean mus- cles. Stanton took his ground, under the direction of Throgmorton, with his left shoulder to the east, As they stood, the light was to neither’s advantage. Stanton also was stripped to shirt and breeches. He was a straight, heavily built young man, an inch taller than James Burnham, and perhaps more than Comichooks.com