The Wasp, 1913 · page 72 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 72: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is a literary excerpt, not a political cartoon or satire. It's prose fiction from *The Wasp* magazine (page 71), depicting a scene where James Burnham, a shipwrecked gentleman in tattered clothes, encounters the governor's daughter on a beach. She questions his identity, noting the contradiction between his ragged appearance and his refined manners and speech. Burnham explains he is genuinely a gentleman currently in dire circumstances. The passage explores themes of class, appearance versus character, and social distinction—common Victorian literary concerns. Without seeing illustrations or additional context, the satirical intent of *The Wasp* regarding this particular story remains unclear from this text alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
eS THE WASP 71 “I am at your service, madam,” he said. “If you will tell me the road to your father’s house, I will do my utmost to get you'there safely. You are too weak to stand. Sit down again, I beg of you, and rest a little longer. I regret vastly that I can offer you no better refreshment than this stale water.” The governor’s daughter sat down and leaned against the bole of a tree. She looked from Burn- ham to the lad, and back to Burnham, with frank curiosity and not a little suspicion in her glance. Her eyes were darker and finer than the castaway had at first thought them; and they were fearless and honest. “Who are you ?” she asked. “And what manner of man are you, to be here on this beach, in rags, and yet with all the words and graces of a gentle- man?” James Burnham bowed again, and smiled. “T thank you from the depths of my heart,” he said. ‘The truth is, I am a gentleman, and for the moment in a very critical situation. But let Comichooks.com