The Wasp, 1913 · page 223 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 223: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **text only** — it's prose fiction, not a political cartoon. It appears to be from a serialized story in *The Wasp* magazine featuring characters named Alexander Burnham, James, Sir Walter (a baronet), and Captain Nash. The passage depicts Alexander's confusion about his brother James appearing unexpectedly in Nevis. James was supposedly in Jamaica engaged in commerce, but has somehow earned Captain Nash's friendship and gratitude. Alexander wrestles with whether their father misjudged James's character, calling him the "black goat of his family" (a scapegoat). The narrative builds intrigue around James's mysterious arrival and changed circumstances, suggesting a family drama involving social standing, character disputes, and reconciliation. Without broader context, the specific satirical or social critique intended remains unclear.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
218 THE WASP PSII SGD EDO RLS SFI I ry LC gE NI “Really, your excellency, it is nothing,” said Alex- ander. “The sun of yesterday, perhaps. I was shaken a little at your news—for a moment. I thought James safe in Jamaica, engaged in com- merce. He—he and my father had a slight dis- agreement before he left home. He is inclined to be headstrong—at least so I gathered from what my father told me. I am anxious about James.” Alexander Burnham returned to his ship with apprehension still awake in him, but the emotion of bewilderment dominating his mind. Why had the black goat of-his family come to Nevis? And how was it possible that he had won Captain Nash’s friendship-as well as his gratitude? Could it be that his father had been mistaken in his reading of James’s character, and had made a cruel blunder in his treatment of him? He could not bring himself to believe this of Sir Walter, for the baronet was as just as he was hard. Alexander was sorely puzzled. ‘Mr. Willis came aboard the Tartar later in the day, dined with the officers in the narrow, low- comicbooks.com