The Wasp, 1913 · page 241 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 241: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **narrative fiction rather than a political cartoon**—it's a serialized story from *The Wasp*, a 19th-century American satirical magazine. The text depicts a dramatic confrontation between Alexander Burnham and Kitty Trimmer on what appears to be a Caribbean island (references to "manchineel-bush" and "island" suggest a tropical setting). Alexander threatens Kitty to silence gossip about his brother James's "unfortunate past," warning that he'll kill James and publicly humiliate her ("strip you of your fine, false plumes") if the talk continues. The passage emphasizes Alexander's menacing demeanor—his refusal to remove his hat or bow suggests deliberate disrespect and dominance. The story appears to involve themes of honor, scandal, and class (references to "Wantage," a governor, and fine dress suggest colonial gentry). Without seeing other pages or knowing the publication date, the specific historical or political references remain unclear, though the colonial island setting and class dynamics are evident.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
236 THE WASP After days of artful maneuvering on his part, ‘Alexander managed to meet Kitty Trimmer alone. The meeting was utterly unexpected on her part. Alexander stepped out from the cover of a manchi- neel-bush and confronted her. She was mounted | on her pony. She uttered a sharp cry and made as if she would spur her mount from the trail; but he raised his hand with a gesture that halted her. He looked at her steadily, with hard eyes and a grim face, and neither lifted his hat nor bowed. “My girl,” he said coldly, “you may remember me. Iam Alexander Burnham, of Burnham. You, I know, are Kitty Trimmer, of Wantage. I have a few words to say to you on the subject of my brother James. Kindly tell Mr. Stanton that, if I hear any more talk in this island of my brother’s unfortunate past, the effect will be disastrous to him- self and to you. I will have him out and kill him; and I will strip you of your fine, false plumes, my girl. That is all.” Alexander avoided the governor and Elizabeth Comichooks.com