The Wasp, 1913 · page 240 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 240: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a **literary excerpt** rather than a political cartoon. The text is from a serialized story featuring characters named Alexander, Captain Nash, and Percy Stanton. The passage depicts a dramatic confrontation where Captain Nash furiously accuses Alexander of suspecting him of leaking information about someone named James. Nash defends his honor passionately, mentioning his "motherless child" (Miss Nash) and threatening to challenge Alexander to a duel were it not for his official position. Alexander realizes his mistake and retreats, deducing that a "Trimmer girl" is actually responsible for the information leak. He laments having damaged his relationship with the Nash family. **The satire appears social rather than explicitly political**—mocking masculine honor codes, hasty accusations, and social embarrassment among what seems to be a naval or official circles setting. Without additional context about *The Wasp's* specific publication date or the serialized story's plot, precise historical references remain unclear.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 235 tack. He wanted to know, very naturally, how Percy had come by his information concerning James. Captain Nash charged furiously about the room and swore. He swore that Stanton had learned nothing from him or his. He swore that he had never been so insulted in all his life before as by Alexander’s unjust, unkind, and altogether inde- scribable suspicion. He swore that he had thought better of Alexander. He swore that, but for his official position, his love for his motherless child, and his old liking for Alexander himself, he would call Alexander out for it. And then he swore some more. Alexander saw that he had made a serious mis- take, and said as much. He begged the furious old sea-dog’s pardon, left his deepest respects for Miss Nash, and beat a retreat. “T’s the Trimmer girl, of course,” he told him- self. ‘I’m a fool not to have thought of that be- fore. I have damned myself beyond hope with the -Nashes!” Comicnookxs.comn