The Wasp, 1913 · page 95 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 95: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page appears to be **narrative fiction rather than a political cartoon**—specifically, a serialized story from the satirical magazine *The Wasp*. The text describes a romantic scene between a recovering man named Burnham and a young woman named Elizabeth, orchestrated by her father (the governor). The satire targets the **father's social climbing and pretentiousness**: he's described as eagerly displaying his knowledge of Berkshire landed families and their "rent rolls," suggesting mercenary interest in Burnham's family wealth and estates. The humor lies in the **pompous governor's transparent matchmaking**—he's "vastly pleased" to position himself between the young couple, and his romantic posturing ("as romantic as the slenderest ensign") is gently mocked. The wounded Burnham, convalescing and dependent, makes an easy target for such schemes. This reflects *The Wasp's* satirical focus on **social pretension and economic anxiety** among California's aspiring gentry, though the specific context and characters remain unclear without prior story knowledge.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
RE 92 THE WASP waited upon hand and foot by the governor, the doctor, and a-host of servants. On the morning of the fourth day, after the ; young surgeon had fixed him up among pillows in a big chair near one of the windows, the governor brought Elizabeth to call upon him, to pay her re- spects, and to hear the story of his adventures. Elizabeth approached Burnham slowly across the polished floor, regarding him gravely, tenderly, steadily with her splendid eyes. Her clear cheeks were blooming with health and, perhaps, a little with the excitement of this meeting. The small wound on her forehead was hidden by a band of her hair. — Her portly father strutted and bowed beside her, evidently vastly pleased with himself and the two young people. He was as romantic as the slender- est ensign; and he was so well informed concern- ing the landed families of Berkshire that he had the name and rent roll of every one of the Burn- ham manors on the tip of his tongue. Burnham met the young woman’s gaze with a comichooks.com