The Wasp, 1913 · page 264 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 264: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page appears to be from a **serialized fiction story** rather than political satire or cartooning. The text shows dialogue between characters named Scovil, Alexander, and references to Elizabeth—a dramatic narrative about naval or maritime conflicts. The scene depicts two men resolving a conflict: Scovil has received a damaging letter about Alexander's brother (apparently a coward or traitor), but chooses to destroy it rather than expose the family shame. They reconcile in friendship, and Alexander decides to show the letter to his fiancée Elizabeth before destroying it, valuing honesty over reputation protection. This reads as **Victorian-era melodrama**—likely a serialized adventure tale popular in 19th-century magazines. Without knowing the specific story's context, date, or publication details, I cannot identify which historical or satirical references might be embedded. The moral struggle between honor, family loyalty, and transparency drives the narrative.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 259 Scovil folded the letter and returned it to Alex- ander. “T am glad he thought you were aboard,” he said. “T owe my life and my ship to that mistake. He is a brave man, but bitter as gall. I prefer a pirate to a coward, lad. Now may I fetch a candle and burn it? Let it end here, Sandy, for Heaven’s sake! Your hand, lad.” They shook hands and gazed hard at each other, eye to eye, and each knew that their friendship was stronger than ever. “TI must show it to Elizabeth,” said Alexander. “She promised to marry me. I should indeed be a miserable coward—a more despicable character than this unfortunate brother of mine—if I were to hide it from her.” “You are right,” replied the commander. “Let her read it, and then destroy it. I'll invent a story to explain the incident of the bottle to the governor and the sloop’s company. Now I must go ashore and make my report. We'll go together.” Alexander inquired for Elizabeth and was di- rected to one of the gardens. She was frightened comlesooks.com