The Wasp, 1913 · page 68 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 68: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a text passage rather than a cartoon. It's a narrative excerpt from *The Wasp*, a 19th-century American satirical magazine, describing a character named Burnham discovering an unconscious woman after a riding accident. The passage reveals Burnham's character through his motivations: he's relieved she's alive, but the text explicitly states this is "for his own sake rather than for the lady's." Her gold whip indicates wealth and social importance, which brightens his outlook. The detail that he carries her to rest near the sleeping Henry Todd suggests a plot involving opportunism or self-interest rather than genuine concern. Without seeing accompanying illustrations or cartoons, the satirical intent isn't fully clear, but the narrative suggests social commentary on opportunism, class dynamics, or male self-interest masquerading as chivalry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 67 not move, and so he knew that she had swooned. He saw that one side of her white skirt was soiled with red earth, and guessed that she had met with an accident while riding. The handle of her little : whip was of solid gold; therefore she must be a person of considerable importance in the island. His face cleared and his eyes brightened with satis- faction. He knelt, raised her limp form gently with his right arm across her breast, and turned her so that he could see her face. He saw that she was young and attractive, though of a startling pallor. - Her eyes were closed, and she seemed not to breathe at all. A thin trail of blood moved slowly upon her white forehead from a small, bruised cut. Burnham pressed a hand against her left side and felt the faint stirring of her heart. He was might- ily relieved at that, but for his own sake rather than for the lady’s. He lifted her, bodily and carried her to his resting-place in the edge of the white- wood grove, where Henry Todd continued to slum- ber heavily. Comichooks.com