The Wasp, 1913 · page 195 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 195: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **narrative fiction**, not a political cartoon. It's an excerpt from what appears to be an adventure or romance story titled "The Wasp," featuring a character named James Burnham who breaches a locked cabin aboard a ship, discovering a young woman inside. The text describes a dramatic scene: wounded men, a ship's cabin exploration, and Burnham's encounter with an elegant, dark-haired woman with carefully applied cosmetics. The detailed physical description—"dark and liquid" eyes, "silken texture" hair, "artful bloom of white powder" on her cheeks—suggests this is either a romantic encounter or the introduction of a significant female character to the narrative. Without additional context about the publication date or story's plot, the specific satirical or political meaning remains unclear, though *The Wasp* was known for sharp social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
a 190 THE WASP shoulders. The wounded men dragged themselves down the steps, smearing the planks with their blood. The cabin was long and narrow and lighted only by two small ports beneath the after coaming of the poop. Closed doors lined it on both sides. Burnham advanced a step or two, turned to the right, and pushed open one of the doors. It opened upon utter darkness and a smell of dried fruits. A _ pantry evidently. He tried the next door and found it locked. The key was not in the lock. He smashed it open with his shoulder and stumbled into a narrow, clean, white berth well lit by a port. The fellows crowd- ing on the threshold swore with astonishment and delight; and James Burnham steadied himself and stared into the eyes of a woman. She was young and tall and generously propor- tioned. Her hair was black and of silken texture; her eyes were as dark and liquid as eddies in a deep river; her brow was smooth, and her glowing cheeks showed an artful bloom of white powder. Comichooks.com