The Wasp, 1913 · page 339 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 339: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains narrative text rather than a political cartoon. It appears to be the concluding passage of a serialized story published in *The Wasp*, a 19th-century American satirical magazine. The excerpt depicts a domestic scene where Willis reconciles with his wife ("sweeting") regarding his complicated feelings about a friend named James Burnham—apparently a duelist involved in a past incident on the island of Nevis. The passage emphasizes moral ambiguity: Willis acknowledges Burnham's past crimes ("murderer of innocent voyagers") while struggling with personal loyalty. The climax involves Kitty secretly discarding six diamonds from a silk pouch, which the narrator speculates were found by a desperate poor person. The passage suggests themes common to Victorian fiction: redemption, hidden virtue, and the tension between justice and compassion. Without seeing accompanying illustrations or knowing the story's full context, the specific satirical target remains unclear.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
332 THE WASP “Aye, he was my friend; and I still feel a sneak- ing, dishonest affection for him,” replied Willis. “T held his hand just now—not the hand of the murderer of innocent voyagers, but the hand of the duelist that wrought so well for me that morning on the sands of Nevis. But there—I meant not to say that! The past is dead, sweeting. As for James Burnham, he is safe from any word or act of mine—and it was like you, my wife, who had known him only as an acquaintance for a little while in Nevis, to plead for him!” He came over to her and took her in his arms. She clung to him and wept. Half an hour later, when Kitty was alone for a minute, she tore a tiny pouch of silk from her bosom and flung it from the open window with all her strength. I like to think that the six diamonds were picked up by some poor fellow in desperate need of food and raiment for himself, his wife, and children; but I know nothing of their fate. Comichooks.com